Point taken regarding the use of incorrect terminology (I don't deal with photons much usually). However, as for the rest, I suggest you have a look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_transfer_function
4th figure looks a lot like what we're looking at above.
"In fact, the contrast becomes zero on several occasions [...]. This explains the gray circular bands in the spoke image shown in the above figure. In between the gray bands, the spokes appear to invert from black to white and <i>vice versa</i>, this is referred to as contrast inversion, directly related to the sign reversal in the real part of the optical transfer function, and represents itself as a shift by half a period for some periodic patterns."
I realize that this (optical system with aberrations) does not apply exactly to the problem here (defocus), but the effect certainly does look close.
Further, I'd be interested in your explanation of the half (or quarter, by your account) period shift between the star shape inside and outside the ring of zero contrast/destructive interference if there is indeed no such thing as contrast inversion.
Lastly, I'd be interested whether this is the product used for the test shoot:
http://cvp.com/index.php?t=product/carl_zeiss_1849-755
And if so, why the center point in the shot shown in this thread is white, while it is black in the original chart (would be nice if the original poster could confirm this), assuming that, as you say, "no imaging function will invert anything".
I might be totally off with my interpretation, but I don't think so.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_transfer_function
4th figure looks a lot like what we're looking at above.
"In fact, the contrast becomes zero on several occasions [...]. This explains the gray circular bands in the spoke image shown in the above figure. In between the gray bands, the spokes appear to invert from black to white and <i>vice versa</i>, this is referred to as contrast inversion, directly related to the sign reversal in the real part of the optical transfer function, and represents itself as a shift by half a period for some periodic patterns."
I realize that this (optical system with aberrations) does not apply exactly to the problem here (defocus), but the effect certainly does look close.
Further, I'd be interested in your explanation of the half (or quarter, by your account) period shift between the star shape inside and outside the ring of zero contrast/destructive interference if there is indeed no such thing as contrast inversion.
Lastly, I'd be interested whether this is the product used for the test shoot:
http://cvp.com/index.php?t=product/carl_zeiss_1849-755
And if so, why the center point in the shot shown in this thread is white, while it is black in the original chart (would be nice if the original poster could confirm this), assuming that, as you say, "no imaging function will invert anything".
I might be totally off with my interpretation, but I don't think so.