"Develops its theme logically and is remarkable in its economy of presentation without omission of the physical picture of practical implications." ― Physics Today
"This is an excellent book, well-organized and well-written." ― Journal of the Optical Society of America
Designed for a senior- or graduate-level course, this authoritative introduction to classical statistical optics is appropriate for students and professionals working with optical problems and communication theory. It emphasizes the analogies between image formation and electrical communication theory, treating image-forming systems as filters of spatial frequencies , while light itself is addressed both in theories of partial coherence and partial polarization.
Chapters 1 and 2 present detailed descriptions of the role of Green's function in mathematical physics and the essential differences between spatial and time filters. Chapter 3 contains a brief review of the fundamental relations of paraxial optics, using compact and efficient matrix notation for the translation and refraction operations. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 describe the effects of various aberration terms on image formation from the standpoints of physical and geometrical optics. The final three chapters explore statistical methods, matrix and coherence theory, and the theory of partial polarization. Two valuable appendixes cover Fourier-Bessel series and integrals, and probability and entropy theory. 80 black-and-white illustrations.