FAST IMAGE-QUALITY-BASED OPTIMIZATION OF OPTICAL-SYSTEMS

The performance is reported of new optimization software that maximize s the relative modulation transfer function (MTF) by minimizing the me rit function (1 minus the approximate relative MTF). Contrary to the p redictions of earlier studies, this merit function, whose only variabl e Dart is the variance of the wave aberration difference function, is shown to be effective for both poorly and well-corrected systems. In a ddition, the new software is significantly faster than our in-house so ftware for the direct optimization of the actual MTF. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.