The optical phase transfer function of the eye and the perception of spatial phase

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in the ability of human observers to discriminate spatiai phase. Examples of relevant studies include those of Lawton (1984) and Badcock (1984). who also review earlier work. Most investigators have used compound, multifrequency, spatial gratings as test stimuli. It is the purpose of the present note to discuss the extent to which the opticat phase transfer function of the dioptric elements of the eye, and its variation with pupil diameter, may have significance in the interpretation of the results of phase discrimination experiments. The performance of any optical system can be described by its optical transfer function (O.T.F.), D(R, JI), where

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