Open AccessSafe range of free space light propagation calculation in single precision
Author(s) -
Petr Lobaz,
Petr Vaněček
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.23.003260
Subject(s) - optics , computer science , free space , holography , fresnel diffraction , range (aeronautics) , space (punctuation) , wavelength , fresnel zone , physics , free space optical communication , optical communication , diffraction , materials science , composite material , operating system
Calculations of free space light propagation, such as those used in digital holography, deal with distances much longer than a wavelength. Computer representation of real numbers must therefore provide enough precision to handle this situation. We show that single precision must be used with the utmost care, which is especially important in GPU calculations. We also show that Fresnel approximation significantly improves single precision calculations for distances bigger than about one metre.