Aberration recovery by imaging a weak diffuser

We present a computational method for field-varying aberration recovery in optical systems by imaging a weak (index-matched) diffuser. Using multiple images acquired under plane wave illumination at distinct angles, the aberrations of the imaging system can be uniquely determined up to a sign. Our method is based on a statistical model for image formation that relates the spectrum of the speckled intensity image to the local aberrations at different locations in the field-of-view. The diffuser is treated as a wide-sense stationary scattering object, eliminating the need for precise knowledge of its surface shape. We validate our method both numerically and experimentally, showing that this relatively simple algorithmic calibration method can be reliably used to recover system aberrations quantitatively.