Polarization filtering induced by imaging systems: Effect on image structure

In this paper are reported the results concerning the experimental study of the interaction between the vectorial amplitude of an optical field and imaging systems. It is shown that far-field as well as near-field imaging systems beside their spatial frequency filtering ability, also act as polarization filters playing a determinant role on the image structure. This conclusion is drawn from an experimental and theoretical study involving a radially polarized Bessel beam used as a test object.