Comparative analysis of methods of determining the resolving power of optical systems in the presence of phase distortions

This paper discusses two methods of analytically estimating the resolving power of optical systems with phase distortions: from the effective width of the optical transfer function and from the threshold contrast. The resolving power of earth-based telescopes is calculated, and the conditions are established for using the methods considered here for determining resolving power to obtain a guaranteed estimate of this quantity as a function of the actual distortions and the contrast of the object of observation. (C) 1997 The Optical Society of America. [S1070-9762(97)00812-9].