Analysis and Synthesis of Optical Images

The formation of an optical image by a lens is often treated so that the image appears as the double Fourier transform of the object, limited by the aperture of the lens and other stops. This treatment is here presented including details that are usually omitted in articles where an application of the treatment is the primary purpose. Separate developments are presented that are most adaptable, respectively, to the configuration usually used with a microscope objective with a short object distance and a large image distance, and to the configuration normally used with a telescope objective.