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Diffraction 2

The document provides an overview of diffraction, including its historical context, types (Fraunhofer and Fresnel), and key principles such as the Huygens-Fresnel principle. It discusses various diffraction patterns, including single slit and circular apertures, as well as the concept of diffraction gratings and their applications. Additionally, it highlights the mathematical calculations involved in analyzing diffraction phenomena.

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19 views21 pages

Diffraction 2

The document provides an overview of diffraction, including its historical context, types (Fraunhofer and Fresnel), and key principles such as the Huygens-Fresnel principle. It discusses various diffraction patterns, including single slit and circular apertures, as well as the concept of diffraction gratings and their applications. Additionally, it highlights the mathematical calculations involved in analyzing diffraction phenomena.

Uploaded by

mon mon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Diffraction

M. Creech-Eakman
Radiation and Optics
Overview

• Basis for Diffraction


• Fraunhofer Diffraction
• Diffraction Gratings
• Fresnel Diffraction
• Fresnel Lenses
Diffraction
• The wave/physical optics behavior of any wave
that encounters an obstacle
• It is closely related to interference in terms of
how the downstream waves, after the obstacle,
interact with one another
• Diffraction occurs when obstacle is of the order
of the wavelength of the wave
• Sometimes we differentiate based on the number
of sources: i.e. two slits = interference; many slits
= diffraction
Diffraction History
• First carefully discussed by Grimaldi ~ 1665
• Term diffraction comes from Latin diffringere
meaning to break into small pieces
• Others who studied it included Newton, Gregory,
Young, Fresnel
• Large fight at the time as Newton was a
proponent of corpuscular theory and Young re-
invigorated wave theory with double-slit
experiment
• Not until Einstein proposed wave-particle duality
that this was settled
Huygens-Fresnel Principle
• Multiple points on the
wavefront act as
sources for the
secondary wavelets
• These sources at the
opening are able to
create a wave which
expands past the edge
of the opening
Types of Diffraction
• Far-field – Called • Near-field – Called
Fraunhofer Fresnel
– When diffraction pattern – When diffraction pattern
is viewed far from is viewed very close to
diffracting obstacle diffracting obstacle

2
W
≥1
W –aperture size, L – distance away
Lλ
Simplest – Single Slit Diffraction
• There is a downstream
spreading of the wave
for slits ~ wavelength of
the wave
• As the slit gets wider,
the diffraction pattern
narrows
• Treat the slit as made
up of multiple half-
wavelength pieces
Fraunhofer Diffraction Concept

• Assume intensity is
measured in the far
field
• Break up the slit into
λ/2 sections and look at
how parts combine in
the far field

λ/2 λ/2
The Calculations
• The path difference is • From the Fraunhofer
given by: d sin θ diffraction equation you
2 can calculate the
• Minimum intensity at intensity:
an angle Θmin given by:

d sinθmin = λ 2  dπ 
I (θ ) = I o sin c  sin θ 
 λ 
• Divide the slit into an
even number of n
sections:
d sin θ n = nλ
A Circular Aperture
• Think of projecting your
slit into a circle by
spinning it about the
midpoint
• You produce a
diffraction pattern with
a series of decreasing
intensity rings around it
• This is called an Airy
disk
k is wavenumber, J1 is Bessel function
Other Types of Patterns
Airy
function
• Rectangular aperture • Young’s Double slit

Spreading is inversely
proportional to the size of the
slit relative to the wavelength Interference fringes
of the light. It is also
perpendicularly directed.
Many Slit Diffraction
• As you add more slits,
you need to account for
extra interference terms
• The single slit
diffraction envelope
remains the same interference
diffraction
2 2
 sin β   sin Nα 
I = I o    
 β   sin α 
1
β = kb sin θ b is slit width, a is
2 slit separation, k is
1 the wavenumber
α = ka sin θ
2
Notes about Many Slit Diffraction
• If a “zero” from the diffraction envelope lands
on top of a “max” from the interference, you
may appear to have missing orders in your
intensity plot
– See discussion pages 286-288 in your text
• The many-slit diffraction is the basis for an
often used device for resolving spectral lines
called a diffraction grating
Diffraction Grating Reflection grating

• Gratings use either


reflection or etching in
a substrate to produce
“multiple slits”
• Dispersion and spectral
resolution use the same
defn. as with prisms –
table 12-1
• Orders, m, go to Transmission
grating
different locations on
your screen
Grating Equation and Blaze
• For normal incidence • Grating blaze is an angle
the equation is simple you add to the face of
• We need an equation the grating to improve
for arbitrary incidence its efficiency
angle, Θi, on the grating • A blazed grating works
best for a particular
waveband and order, m
• Littrow is a term used
Θm is order maximum angle, m is
when the incident light
order and d is separation between is brought in along the
grooves groove face normal
Blazed Grating con’t
• Grating equation for
Littrow configuration is a
little simpler
– d is line spacing
– α is incidence angle
– β is diffraction angle
– m diff. order
• Can have a blaze angle on
a reflection or
transmission grating
• Often referred to as
echelle gratings if the
blaze angle is > 45 deg.
Fresnel Diffraction
• Near-field diffraction
• Dealt with by
calculating the detailed
E field using a Fresnel-
Kirchoff integral and
usually not with “nice”
geometry
• Can be calculated with
convolution and a FT
• Can be approximated by aperture
considering phase zones
Story of Fresnel, Arago and Poisson
One Way to Do This
• Using an Euler or Cornu
Spiral
• There are examples
shown for you in
sections 13.7 to the end
of that chapter in your
text
• If you ever find yourself
in need of doing this,
consult an expert as the
math is not for the faint
of heart
Fresnel Zone Plate
• Device manipulating
phase in an aperture to
get it to perform like a
lens or other optic
• It is in some sense the FT
complement of the
Poisson spot
• Huge advantage of being
compact and light weight
• Used in situations where
“glasses” are hard to
manufacture
Applications
• Non-destructive testing • New types of diffraction
of optics or edges for gratings
smoothness on • Changes in seismic
wavelength scale structure of ground at
• Fresnel optics radar wavelengths
• Use in precision • Laser speckle
controlled systems and applications – beam
for microscopic cutting shaping
• Scattering experiments

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