0
votes
0answers
29 views

Diffraction grating efficiency in terms of QM

I am working with trying to find diffraction efficiencies of multilayered coatings. I am not a huge fan of getting into the tensor calculus most of the papers (Li, Chandezon) address, so I was ...
4
votes
0answers
47 views

Is it possible to surpass the diffraction limit for telescopes?

Telescopes have angular diffraction limit depending on the observed wavelength and aperture diameter. I've read that it's possible to go beyond the limit for microscopes. But is it possible to do the ...
5
votes
2answers
165 views

What's the physical significance of using fourier transform for diffraction?

I am studying some basic idea of diffraction and there mention in far field, the diffraction pattern could be understood by Fourier transform. But I just don't understand what's the physical fact for ...
9
votes
0answers
145 views

Optimal telescope size?

Consider a diffraction-limited telescope with unobstructed aperture $D$. Such a scope is capable of yielding an angular resolution $\alpha$ that scales as $\lambda/D$, with $\lambda$ denoting the ...
4
votes
1answer
132 views

Young's double slit experiment viva question

My professor asked me (in my viva exam), "If, in the Fraunhofer single slit diffraction experiment, if we have 2 slits instead of one (at very short distances), What would happen?" I answered with ...
2
votes
0answers
39 views

Smaller Airy disk with another lens?

Is it possible to reduce the airy disk size produced by one lens with another lens placed after the previous one? For example, parallel ray incident on first lens L1 (without aberration), then there ...
2
votes
1answer
87 views

Factors that make beam divergence worse after refocusing

A beam of light of width $W$ and wavelength $\lambda$ with divergence that is diffraction-limited is refocused with an optical element placed at a distance $D$ from the beam source. Will the refocused ...
1
vote
3answers
165 views

Beam waist at extremely long distances

A beam of light of wavelength $\lambda$ and width $W$ needs to be focused at a distance $D$ to a spot not bigger than $w_S$, which stands for 'width of sail'. Now, the diffraction limit says it ...
0
votes
0answers
47 views

Resolving power [closed]

In strong light, the pupil of a cat narrows to a vertical slit about 0.5mm across. Can a cat resolve two white mice sitting 5 cm apart a distance of 20m away under these conditions? And why? Its to ...
2
votes
1answer
396 views

Application of diffraction problem!

Here is a problem that I am working on, which is the applying the concepts of diffraction to the setting of the sun: Air has a small, usually negligible index of refraction. It is 1.0002926. This ...
3
votes
2answers
196 views

Effect of a wavefront deformation on the far-field diffraction pattern of a TEM00

By performing Matlab simulations on a TEM00 mode (approximated by a gaussian intensity profile with a flat wavefront), I got the impression that applying wavefront deformations (such as a single ...
2
votes
1answer
296 views

What's the mathematical background to the representation for Gaussian beams?

Background A general optical system (not necessarily having an axis of rotational symmetry) can be represented, for small deviations from a base ray, by the matrix transfer equation, $$ ...
3
votes
1answer
285 views

Calculating Fraunhofer diffraction patterns

How does one calculate the Fraunhofer diffraction pattern for the following arrangement of slits: |...|...........|...| ..a.....3a......a (Four slits arranged linearly, spaced a distance a, 3a and ...
2
votes
1answer
197 views

Why is the diffraction pattern for an annular aperture the difference of the two Bessel functions?

Inspired by this question, the pattern for the annular intensity is given by the square of the difference of the two Bessel functions. I would have thought the sum was more appropriate, could someone ...