Frequency-response characteristics of a perfect lens masked by polarizing devices

The imaging characteristics of a perfect lens partially masked by a linear polarizer can be varied continuously either by rotating an analyzer placed at the output side or by changing the state of polarization of the input beam. In this paper we study the frequency-response characteristics and the point-spread function of such a system. It is also shown that the proposed system can be adapted either for apodization or for superresolution simply by rotating the analyzer. The fact that the unpredictable phase introduced by the mask has no harmful effect on the performance of the system makes it convenient for several applications. Expressions are obtained for the optical transfer function and the point-spread function of such a system. Some specific cases are illustrated graphically, and some probable applications are discussed.