Theory 017/Optics & Photonics
Flare Follows Scatter Correlation
The claim
Lens flare is set by the spatial correlation of coating scatter rather than by total scatter, so a coating with more scatter arranged randomly can flare less than a smoother but correlated one.
01The mechanism
Flare is coherent within a point spread function; correlated scatter adds in phase while random scatter averages.
02Predictions
- P1Flare should track correlation length.
- P2Total scatter should predict poorly.
03Refutation
Flare tracking total scatter would remove the correlation effect.