Defocus transfer function for circularly symmetric pupils

We present a two-dimensional function that graphically illustrates the effects of defocus on the optical transfer function (OTF) associated with a circularly symmetric pupil function. We call it the defocus transfer function (DTF). The function is similar in application to the ambiguity function, which can be used to display the OTF associated with a defocused rectangularly separable pupil function. The properties of the DTF make it useful for analyzing optical systems with circularly symmetric pupils when one is interested in the OTF as a function of defocus. In addition to presenting these properties, we give examples of the DTF for systems with clear, bifocal, and annular pupil functions. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.