Optical phase retrieval by phase-space tomography and fractional-order Fourier transforms

Phase-space tomography is experimentally demonstrated for the determination of the spatially varying amplitude and phase of a quasi-monochromatic optical field by measurements of intensity only. Both fully and partially coherent sources are characterized. The method, which makes use of the fractional-order Fourier transform, also yields the Wigner distribution of the field and works in one or two dimensions.