Generalized zonal wavefront reconstruction for high spatial resolution in lateral shearing interferometry.

A new zonal wavefront reconstruction method for lateral shearing interferometry was presented. The proposed algorithm allows shear amounts equal to arbitrary integral multiple of the sample intervals. High spatial resolution reconstruction is achieved with only two difference wavefronts measured in orthogonal shear directions. The presented algorithm was generalized to be applicable for general aperture shape by using zero padding and Gerchberg-type iterative methods. The capability of the presented algorithm was demonstrated by some numerical examples. Also, the reconstruction error was analyzed theoretically and numerically.