Amplitude- versus phase-type diffusers: A wave propagation-based model

Abstract

Variation between intensity measurements is an important factor in object wave reconstruction using phase retrieval. Here, we investigate the effects of amplitude-type and phase-type diffusers on wave propagation. We numerically demonstrate the transverse and axial behaviors of a wavefront affected by these types of diffusers. Using the same randomization lateral scale, amplitude diffusers preserve more of the incident light, generally, compared to phase diffusers at π/2 phase depth. The models provided insights on controlled randomization useful in phase retrieval and other applications.