Simulated annealing applied to the Misell algorithm for phase retrieval

It is shown how the principles of simulated annealing can be incorporated into the Misell (1973) algorithm for phase retrieval. Simulations of phase retrieval from the in focus and defocused radiation patterns of a reflector antenna show that the solution can be refined in this way. Locking at local minima can be avoided and the accuracy limits set by the measurement errors can be reached. The price paid for a reliable and significant improvement in accuracy is at least an order of magnitude increase in computing