Detailed knowledge of the image of the point spread function (PSF) is necessary to optimize
astronomical coronagraph masks and to understand potential sources of errors in
astrometric measurements. The PSF for astronomical telescopes and instruments depends
not only on geometric aberrations and scalar wave diffraction but also on those wavefront
errors introduced by the physical optics and the polarization properties of reflecting and
transmitting surfaces within the optical system. These vector wave aberrations, called …

The point spread function (PSF) for astronomical telescopes and instruments depends not
only on geometric aberrations and scalar wave diffraction, but also on the apodization and
wavefront errors introduced by coatings on reflecting and transmitting surfaces within the
optical system. The functional form of these aberrations, called polarization aberrations,
result from the angles of incidence and the variations of the coatings as a function of angle.
These coatings induce small modifications to the PSF, which consists of four separate …