Sampling of the diffraction field

When optical signals, like diffraction patterns, are processed by digital means the choice of sampling density and geometry is important during analog-to-digital conversion. Continuous band-limited signals can be sampled and recovered from their samples in accord with the Nyquist sampling criteria. The specific form of the convolution kernel that describes the Fresnel diffraction allows another, alternative, full-reconstruction procedure of an object from the samples of its diffraction pattern when the object is space limited. This alternative procedure is applicable and yields full reconstruction even when the diffraction pattern is undersampled and the Nyquist criteria are severely violated. Application of the new procedure to practical diffraction-related phenomena, like in-line holography, improves the processing efficiency without creating any associated artifacts on the reconstructed-object pattern. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America. OCIS codes: 050.1940, 070.6020, 090.1760, 100.2000.