Inverse problem in optics
Encyclopedia
The inverse problem in optics (or the inverse optics problem) refers to the fundamentally ambiguous mapping between sources of retinal stimulation and the retinal images that are caused by those sources.
For example, the size of an object, the orientation of the object, and its distance from the observer are conflated in the retinal image. For any given projection on the retina
there are an infinite number of pairings of object size, orientation and distance that could have given rise to that projection on the retina
. Because the image on the retina does not specify which pairing did in fact cause the image, this and other aspects of vision qualify as an inverse problem
.
For example, the size of an object, the orientation of the object, and its distance from the observer are conflated in the retinal image. For any given projection on the retina
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
there are an infinite number of pairings of object size, orientation and distance that could have given rise to that projection on the retina
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
. Because the image on the retina does not specify which pairing did in fact cause the image, this and other aspects of vision qualify as an inverse problem
Inverse problem
An inverse problem is a general framework that is used to convert observed measurements into information about a physical object or system that we are interested in...
.