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new key for Category:Optics: "Transfer function" using HotCat |
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{{short description|Function that specifies how different spatial frequencies are handled by an optical system}}
[[File:Illustration of the optical transfer function and its relation to image quality.svg|thumb|right|400px|Illustration of the optical transfer function (OTF) and its relation to image quality. The optical transfer function of a well-focused (a), and an out-of-focus optical imaging system without aberrations (d). As the optical transfer function of these systems is real and non-negative, the optical transfer function is by definition equal to the modulation transfer function (MTF). Images of a point source and a [[spoke target]] with high [[spatial frequency]] are shown in (b,e) and (c,f), respectively. Note that the scale of the point source images (b,e) is four times smaller than the spoke target images.]]
The '''optical transfer function''' ('''OTF''') of an optical system such as a [[camera]], [[microscope]], [[human eye]], or [[image projector|projector]] specifies how different spatial frequencies are handled by the system. It is used by optical engineers to describe how the optics project light from the object or scene onto a photographic film, [[Image sensor|detector array]], [[retina]], screen, or simply the next item in the optical transmission chain. A variant, the '''modulation transfer function''' ('''MTF'''), neglects phase effects, but is equivalent to the OTF in many situations.
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