Analytical optimal solution of the extension of the depth of field using cubic-phase wavefront coding. Part I. Reduced-complexity approximate representation of the modulation transfer function

In this paper we derive an approximate analytical representation for the modulation transfer function (MTF) of an imaging system possessing a defocused cubic-phase pupil function. This expression is based on an approximation using the Arctan function and significantly reduces the computational time required to calculate the resulting MTF. We derive rigorous bounds on the minimum and average accuracy of our approximation. Using this approximate representation of the MTF, the analytical solution of the problem of calculating the extension of the depth of field for a circular aperture with a cubic phase mask becomes possible. We also comment on how one can modify our method to construct a lower-bound or an upper-bound approximate analytical expression for the MTF. © 2008 Optical Society of America.