Using lightfields to simulate the performance of optical systems

Abstract

The light field describes the radiance at a given point from a ray coming from a particular direction. Total irradiance comes from all rays passing the point. For a static scene, the light field is unique. Cameras integrate the light field. Each camera pixel sees the integration of the light field over the entrance pupil for ray directions associated with lens aberrations. Images of this scene for any lens can then be simulated if the light field is known at its entrance pupil. Freeware rendering software was used to create a scene's light field and images for real camera lenses with different aberrations are simulated.