Comparing the Performance of Multiple Imaging Systems with Fabry-Perot Interferometers, Concentric Ring Masks, and Diffractive Multifocal Lenses

摘要

Based on the conditions of alowable angular sampling of interfering waves, monochromatic multiple imaging systems with replicating spatial-frequency filters in the form of Fabry-Perot Interferometers, concentric ring masks, and diffractive multifocal lenses are compared with each other in their performance. Though these systems are shown to realize the same effect of multiple equidistant imaging, the forms of manifestation of the effect are not identical due to the difference in spectral content of the wave fields produced by the systems. The most perfect systems are found to be those with pure-phase diffractive multifocal lenses. First of all, they benefits from the extremely high total light efficiency and the sharply defined longitudinal localization of the visualized object space defined by the efficient focal depth. This enhances considerably the brightness of reproduced images and decreases their parasitic diffraction dispersion, background noise, and blurring.