Complex signal recovery from two fractional Fourier transform intensities: order and noise dependence

The problem of recovering a complex signal from the magnitudes of two of its fractional Fourier transforms is addressed. This corresponds to phase retrieval from the transverse intensity profiles of an optical field at two arbitrary locations along the optical axis. The convergence of the iterative algorithm, the effects of noise or measurement errors, and their dependence on the fractional transform order are investigated. It is observed that in general, better results are obtained when the fractional transform order is close to unity and poorer results are obtained when the order is close to zero. It follows that to the extent that conditions allow, the fractional order between the two measurement planes should be chosen as close to unity (or other odd integer) as possible for best results.