Extended object reconstruction from image intensities blurred by unknown aberrations

We describe and experimentally validate an algorithm to reconstruct an unknown extended object from through-focus measured image intensities blurred by unknown aberrations. It is shown that the method can recover diffraction-limited image quality. The algorithm is a rigorous, computational optics alternative to the conventional adaptive optics which requires additional high end optical devices to measure and to correct the wavefront aberrations. The method can be applied to any optical system that fulfills the condition of incoherent imaging.