High-performance imaging with a nonimaging spatial information transfer lens and a backward wave propagation model

Traditional imaging optics aim to bring the light rays received from all object points within a desired field of view to their corresponding image points. Optical design optimization can be considered as the process of finding an optimal solution of an extremely overdetermined problem, by which a group of optical elements and their spatial relationships are optimized to minimize optical aberrations and yield an acceptable image quality over a desired field of view. This usually leads to complex stacks of optical elements due to the overdetermined nature of optical aberration correction. Unlike traditional imaging optics, nonimaging optics is concerned with the optimal transfer of light radiation between a source and a target. A good question to ask is “can a nonimaging optic be used instead of an imaging optic to simplify an optical imaging system?”. This paper introduces an imaging modality that achieves diffraction-limited imaging with a nonimaging spatial information transfer lens. This imaging modality is low-cost, simple in configuration, and flexible in arrangement.