Patent ID: 7113268

Claim:
An optical field sensing system comprising: a wavefront sensor for receiving a wavefront and for measuring wavefront gradients thereacross with a first resolution, wherein said wavefront sensor defines a plurality of subapertures and measures a respective subgradient within each subaperture; an intensity sensor for also receiving the wavefront and for measuring intensity thereacross with a second resolution greater than the first resolution, wherein said intensity sensor comprises a near field camera comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein said pixels are smaller than the subapertures defined by said wavefront sensor, and wherein said near field camera measures the intensity of the portion of the wavefront that impinges upon each pixel; and a wavefront processor for receiving the wavefront gradients and the intensity from said wavefront sensor and said near field camera, respectively, said wavefront processor determining respective phases across the wavefront based upon both the wavefront gradients and the higher resolution intensity measurements.