Two-mirror system for tunable apodization

Abstract

Here we present an optical system composed of two mirrors such that at the input/output, the light is a plane wave but with a user-defined apodization factor. The model presented is an analytic closed form with no numerical approximations or iterations. We test the model with illustrative scenarios, and the results are as expected; the system is stigmatic with the desired apodization factor. Thus, this system has several potential applications in high contrast imaging.