Zernike polynomials vs circular Bessel functions to represent aberrated wavefronts

Abstract

This research presents an alternative method to represent aberrated wavefronts based on circular Bessel functions. These wavefronts are obtained by means of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor prototype, which was previously statistical validated according to the official Mexican standard. We show experimental results obtained from two wavefronts aberrated by two ophthalmic trial lenses; one of them has a spherical aberration of -1.0 diopter and the other one has a defocus aberration of +1.0 diopter. Both wavefronts are shown in terms of circular Bessel functions and compared with their corresponding representation in Zernike polynomials.