Some features of an interferometer with a diffraction comparison wave

This paper discusses how the aberrations of a test objective affect the par ameters of a comparison wave in an interferometer with a diffraction compar ison wave. The complex-amplitude distribution function in an image of a poi nt light source has been studied at distances from the center of the image corresponding to the main operating regimes of the device. It is shown unde r what conditions the effect of the aberrations of the objective on the com parison wave can be neglected. (C) 2001 The Optical Society of America.