Optical Signal Processing

Preface

This book is an introduction to the theory of optical signal processing with descriptions of selected processing applications. The focus is on processing two-dimensional signals such as images or one-dimensional signals that are functions of time. The processing operations are most often linear integral operations such as spectrum analysis or correlation; some nonlinear adaptive operations are also discussed. This book is intended for use both as a senior–graduate-level textbook and as a reference book for workers in optical signal processing. Familiarity with linear systems and communication theory is helpful to understand the analogies between optics and these subjects. In the first six chapters we concentrate on the fundamentals of optical signal processing; this material, augmented by selected topics in holography or image processing, is suitable for a senior-level undergraduate or first-year graduate course. The remaining chapters are useful for a more advanced course dealing with real-time signal processing.

Chapter 1 provides a brief review of the fundamental characteristics of signals and linear systems. The signals we process, such as images or wideband time signals, are generally analog in nature and do not need to be sampled before processing. Nevertheless, many important characteristics of the signals, as well as the performance of the optical architectures required to process them, are best described in terms of sampling theory. The sample spacing d₀ is used ...