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Metalenses (MLs), representing a groundbreaking paradigm shift within the realm of optics, have ushered in a transformative era in the ability to manipulate and harness the power of light. Diverging from the conventional approach reliant on curved surfaces to bend light, MLs harness intricate arrays of minuscule nanostructures to exert precise control over the phase and amplitude of incident light waves. This revolutionary technology bestows a plethora of advantages, including the creation of ultra‐compact optical systems, the enhancement of focusing capabilities to unprecedented levels, and the capability to rectify optical aberrations in a significantly thinner and more lightweight form factor. MLs have discovered a multitude of applications spanning diverse fields, from imaging and photography to augmenting reality and refining medical devices. They stand as a beacon of hope for reshaping the landscape of optical systems, courtesy of their remarkable adaptability and exceptional performance. As the evolution of MLs forges ahead, they hold immense potential to transcend the boundaries of what can be accomplished in the domain of light‐based technologies. This review presents the recent advances in reconfigurable MLs and their applicability to imaging systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study deals with the effects of spherical aberration on the Airy distribution of two overlapping point images of equal- or unequal-intensities separated by the distances less than the Rayleigh angular limit of resolution investigated. Aberration considered in this work is the primary spherical aberration. By employing the quadratic amplitude apodization across the aperture, the high resolution is achieved in the form of resolving the two-point images, which is higher than that of the unapodized ones. In this investigation, the apodization mask applied to the aperture and the corresponding intensity distributions of two-point images have been studied numerically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technique proposed to enhance the resolution of the point spread function (PSF) of an optical system underneath defocussing and spherical aberrations. The method of approach is based on the amplitude and phase masking in a ring aperture for modifying the light intensity distribution in the Gaussian focal plane (YD=0) and in the defocussed planes (YD=π and YD=2π). The width of the annulus modifies the distribution of the light intensity in the side lobes of the resultant PSF. In the presence of an asymmetry in the phase of the annulus, the Hanning amplitude apodizer [cos(πβρ)] employed in the pupil function can modify the spatial distribution of light in the maximum defocussed plane (YD=2π), results in PSF with improved resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]