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Abstract

An imaging system which measures the field variance of distorted light waves is described in which a set of short exposure 'distorted' images of an object is collected, and a field variant data processing methodology applied in the digital domain, resulting in an image estimate which approaches the diffraction limited resolution of the underlying physical imaging system as if the distorting mechanism were not present. By explicitly quantifying and compensating for the field variance of the distorting media, this invention allows for arbitrarily wide fields to be imaged, well beyond the prior art limits imposed by isoplanatism. The preferred embodiment comprehensively eliminates the blurring effects of the atmosphere for ground based telescopes, removing a serious limitation that has plagued the use of telescopes since the time of Newton.

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First Claim