Introduction to Diffraction

Ivan Bazarov
Cornell Physics Department / CLASSE

Outline
• Gaussian beams in optical resonators (contd.)
• He-Ne laser spectrum (contd.)
• Introduction to diffraction
• Fresnel vs. Fraunhofer diffraction

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 Two-mirror resonator

A Gaussian beam must match

wavefront curvature radii to
those of the mirrors
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 Gaussian mode in 2-mirror cavity

Recall Gaussian mode curvature:

⇤2
R(z) = z +
z
d

z1 z2
-R1 R2

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 Solution: Rayleigh range & waist position in the cavity

Recall that the rms waist is given by:

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 Actual wave equation to solve

Fourier
Or equivalently Helmholtz equation: transform

k = !/c

This is usually solved using the paraxial approximation

p x 2
+ y 2
r= x2 + y 2 + z 2 ⇡ z +
2z

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 Infinite number of solutions!

There are infinite solutions to the Helmholtz equation in free

space.

E.g. Hermite-Gaussian TEMnm modes (E-field, not intensity!)

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 He-Ne laser energy levels

95% of laser power is in the

TEM00 (Gaussian mode)

Width of the resonance

(medium gain) ~1.5 GHz,
i.e. only 2 axial modes are
typically present

Can use Michelson’s

interferometer to “see” the
individual axial modes

10:1 He-Ne mixture

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 Diffraction

Geometrical optics…

I
…light can’t turn a corner.

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 Diffraction

Physical optics…

Francesco Maria Grimaldi

(1618 - 1663)
I
…actually, it can.

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 Hyugens-Fresnel principle

every point on a wavefront may be regarded as a secondary source of

spherical wavelets

The propagated
wave follows the
periphery of the
wavelets.

Huygens, just add the

wavelets considering
interference!

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 Hyugens-Fresnel principle

If one perturbs a plane wavefront, the Huygens wavelets will no longer

constructively interfere at all points in space. Adding the wavelets by
physical optics explains why light can turn corners and create fringes
around images of objects.

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 Diffraction: a generic wave phenomenon

Key-hole
Sea waves
Incoherent Coherent illumination

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 Diffraction theory

Wavefront E
What is E here?
We
know
this

Note: the wavefront is considered to be perfectly coherent (i.e. fixed relationship

between E phases for any 2 points)

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 Obliquity factor

- wavelets propagate isotropically—in forward and reverse

directions
- to use the Huygens approach, modify amplitude of wavefront
as a function of q :

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 Calculating the diffracted wave amplitude

spherical waves:

Es i ( kr ¢-wt )
EO = e
r¢

Fresnel-Kirchhoff diffraction integral:

- ikES -iwt eik ( r + r¢)

EP = e òò F (q ) dA
2p rr ¢
phase shift obliquity factor
- i = e -ip / 2 1 + cosq
F (q ) =
2
great for evaluation by a computer
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 Fresnel vs. Fraunhofer

Contemporaries, but not collaborators (nor competitors).

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 Fresnel vs. Fraunhofer diffraction

• Fresnel regime is the near- • Very far from a point source,

field regime: the wave fronts wavefronts almost plane waves.
are curved, and their • Fraunhofer approximation valid
mathematical description is when source, aperture, and
more involved. detector are all very far apart (or
when lenses are used to convert
spherical waves into plane waves)

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 Aperture size matters

Fraunhofer-like Fresnel-like
(or “far field”) (or “near field”)

the amount of wavefront curvature decides whether to use

Fresnel or the simplified Fraunhofer diffraction
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 Fresnel number definition

How many half-wavelength are

contained in the curvature of the
wavefront?
aperture size (radius)

a 2
N= D =
a
λ / 2 λL
L Fresnel number

a2
Δ≅ screen-aperture distance
2L

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 Regions of validity for diffraction calculations

Math simplifies: Ep is simply a

2D FT of the Es at the aperture!

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 An example

mask

Credit: Bill Molander, LLNL

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 Links/references

http://www.optique-
ingenieur.org/en/courses/OPI_ang_M01_C03/co/Grain_OPI_ang_M01_
C03.html

http://edu.tnw.utwente.nl/inlopt/overhead_sheets/Herek2010/week7/13.Fr
esnel%20diffraction.ppt

http://www.ucolick.org/~max/289/Lectures%20Final%20Version/Lecture
%203%20Physical%20Optics/Lecture3%20Physical%20Optics_v2.ppt

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