Abstract

Modeling the propagation of light through free space and simple paraxial systems continue to be enduring, and practically important topics in optics. Is there anything new or interesting that remains to be said? Given the pervasive use of digital cameras and numerical algorithms, examples are given indicating that the answer is yes. Satisfactory modeling requires the interactions of the whole optical information processing system (optics, optoelectronics and software) be included.

© 2011 Optical Society of America