Half-ring point spread functions

We applied point spread function engineering to design an optimized diffuser producing half-ring irradiance patterns satisfying two objectives: reduced peak irradiance in the focal plane, and high fidelity of the reconstructed image. Applications of these optical elements may include sensor protection or reversible diffusers. Experimental and numerical techniques were used to demonstrate three orders of magnitude of suppression of the peak irradiance. Finally, we found a general power-law trend between the Strehl ratio and the light suppression factor. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America