To compensate for scintillation we allow the real. nonnegative field i
n an aperture to propagate a distance z toward a detector, where the f
ield will be complex. There, me modify its phase to emulate that of a
clear aperture. The modified field that is propagated to the detector
is nearly diffraction limited. No light is lost, and the Strehl ratio
is improved substantially. We show how to modify the phase, and we pre
sent a computer simulation. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.