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Many standard expositions of Fraunhofer diffraction from a single slit (such as here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction#Single-slit_diffraction) assume that the slit is situated in a baffle or barrier of infinite extent.

What happens when the baffle/barrier is of finite width? For example, what if the apparatus consists of plane waves propagating along the axis of symmetry of a cylinder, and the 'slit' in this context is a hole at the end of the cylinder? Can anyone point to a derivation of the intensity pattern on a screen a long distance from the slit?

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  • $\begingroup$ The situation you describe will be a bit like Youngs slits - but sort of inverted as you now have two parallel barriers rather than two slitt. In cyclindrical symmetry I am not sure. It will really depend on the thickness of the wall of the cylinder and how that compares to the wavelength of the wave. $\endgroup$
    – tom
    Commented Feb 22, 2020 at 16:38

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Light passing the edge of a barrier will also produce a diffraction pattern beyond the barrier. The question then becomes; Do the two patterns overlap? What is their relative intensity? Will they be “washed out” by scattered light from beyond the barrier? What you would like is a well focused plane wave which impacts just the area around the slit.

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