Point Spread Function Estimation Using Speckle Reconstructions of Solar Surface Images

We present a method for retrieving the wavefront phase and estimating the point spread function using data from a single imaging channel. The method involves a set of short exposures and its speckle reconstruction of the observed object, and a parameterized point spread function model which is used in order to estimate the wavefront phase and the point spread function from the data. Estimates of the wavefront phase and the point spread function are computed by minimizing an error function with the method of simulated annealing. Results of tests with simulated data and with real data are shown. We conclude that the proposed technique provides reliable estimates of the instantaneous point spread function and is robust against noise.