Efficient full-path optical calculation of scalar and vector diffraction using the Bluestein method

Efficient calculation of the light diffraction in free space is of great significance for tracing electromagnetic field propagation and predicting the performance of optical systems such as microscopy, photolithography, and manipulation. However, existing calculation methods suffer from low computational efficiency and poor flexibility. Here, we present a fast and flexible calculation method for computing scalar and vector diffraction in the corresponding optical regimes using the Bluestein method. The computation time can be substantially reduced to the sub-second level, which is 105 faster than that achieved by the direct integration approach (~hours level) and 102 faster than that achieved by the fast Fourier transform method (~minutes level). The high efficiency facilitates the ultrafast evaluation of light propagation in diverse optical systems. Furthermore, the region of interest and the sampling numbers can be arbitrarily chosen, endowing the proposed method with superior flexibility. Based on these results, full-path calculation of a complex optical system is readily demonstrated and verified by experimental results, laying a foundation for real-time light field analysis for realistic optical implementation such as imaging, laser processing, and optical manipulation. A fast and flexible procedure for evaluating the propagation of light in optical systems is achieved by calculating the diffraction of the light using a computational process called the Bluestein method. It yields information along the entire optical path length on both ‘scalar’ variations in the general magnitude of light waves and ‘vector’ – directional – variations. Researchers led by Jiawen Li and Dong Wu at the University of Science and Technology of China, developed the process and demonstrated that it can deliver results between 100 and 100,000 times faster than two existing alternative methods. Understanding the influence of diffraction in prevailing conditions is important for predicting the fine behaviuor of light waves. The new procedure should lead to greatly improved real-time analyses that will assist in microscopy, laser-based fabrication and optical manipulation technologies.