Step response of an imaging system illuminated by partially polarized and partially coherent light

In electronic engineering and control theory, a step response plays a fundamental role to evaluate the response of a system to its inputs change from zero to one in a very short time. From a practical standpoint, knowing how the system responds to a sudden input is important because large and fast deviations from the long term steady state may have extreme effects on the component itself and on other portions of the overall system dependent on this component. In addition, knowing the step response of a dynamical system gives information on the stability of such a system, and on its ability to reach one stationary state when starting from another.