WAVE-FIELDS IN 3 DIMENSIONS - ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS

Distributions of wave fields in three-dimensional domains are analyzed , synthesized, and generated experimentally. Fundamental limits are di scussed and sampling conditions are derived for their generation, with use of a single diffractive element. A general design procedure, base d on optimization algorithms, is developed and implemented. Experiment al results show that special three-dimensional light distributions can be achieved with low-information-content elements in on-axis configur ations. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America.