AI Insight
Researchers present a differentiable ray-wave framework designed to model and optimize hybrid optical systems that combine refractive and diffractive elements. The framework functions as a plug-and-play module compatible with standard ray tracing pipelines and uniquely supports both planar and curvilinear diffractive surfaces, including those with arbitrary holographic profiles and high spatial frequency responses. By analyzing distinct modeling regimes that account for surface curvature and spatial frequency properties, the authors demonstrate gradient-based end-to-end optimization of such hybrid systems.
Why it matters
Hybrid refractive-diffractive optical systems are notoriously difficult to simulate due to the vastly different physical scales involved; this framework lowers that barrier and could accelerate the design of advanced optics for computational imaging, augmented reality displays, and lightweight camera systems.
arXiv:2605.15418v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: Hybrid optical systems combining refractive and diffractive optical responses have the potential to support new types of optical behavior, but they are difficult to model and optimize due to the disparate spatial scales and physics exhibited by ray and wave phenomena. In this work, we present a differentiable ray-wave framework that serves as a general model for hybrid refractive-diffractive optical systems and that operates as a plug-and-play module within standard ray tracing pipelines. Our model uniquely applies to both planar and curvilinear diffractive surfaces and can accommodate arbitrary holographic diffractive profiles with high spatial frequency responses. We analyze ray-wave modeling regimes that optimally account for the spatial frequency properties and spatial curvature of the diffractive surfaces, and we demonstrate the gradient-based end-to-end optimization of hybrid refractive-diffractive systems featuring planar and conformal diffractive surfaces. We anticipate that these modeling capabilities will enable new classes of hybrid optical systems relevant to computational imaging and display applications.