Today in Physics 218: diffraction by a circular

aperture or obstacle
Circular-aperture diffraction and the Airy pattern
Circular obstacles, and Poissons spot.

V773 Tau: AO off V773 Tau: AO on

(and brightness Neptune orbit diameter,
turned way up) seen from same distance

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 1

 The circular aperture

Most experimental situations in optics (e.g. telescopes) have

circular apertures, so the application of the Kirchhoff integral
to diffraction from such apertures is of particular interest.
We start with a plane wave incident normally on a circular
hole with radius a in an otherwise opaque screen, and ask:
what is the distribution of the intensity of light on a screen a
distance R >> a away? The field in the aperture is constant,
spatially:
EN ( x , y , t ) = EN 0 e it ,

and the geometry is as follows:

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 2

x = r cos x The circular aperture
y = r sin (continued)
da = r dr d
da X = q cos

r Y = q sin
a
X
r
y
R

q
Small angles:
X kq cos
kx k = z,Z
r r
kq sin
ky Y
r
2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 3
 The circular aperture (continued)

Thus,
ikr
( ) dxdy
(
EF kx , ky , t = ) e
r EN ( x , y , t )e
i kx x + k y y

ikr a
e
=
r dr r
0
2
it ikr q
d EN 0 e exp ( cos cos + sin sin )
r
0
i ( kr t ) a 2
EN 0 e ikr q
= dr r d exp cos ( ) ,
r r
0 0
2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 4
 The circular aperture (continued)

The aperture is symmetrical about the z axis, so we expect

that the answer will be independent of the screen
azimuthal coordinate ; without loss of generality, then, we
can take = 0. The integral over becomes
2
ikr q

I = d exp
r

cos .

0
Dont try to integrate that directly; its a Bessel function of the
first kind, order zero:
2
1 kr q
J 0 ( u ) = J 0 ( u ) = e
iu cos v
dv I = 2 J 0 .
2 r
0

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 5

 Flashback: Bessel functions

The Bessel function of the first kind, of order m, can be

represented by the integral
m 2
i
e(
i mv + u cos v )
Jm ( u ) =
2 dv .
0
Bessel functions of different order are related by the
recurrence relation
u
d m
u J m ( u ) = um J m 1 ( u ) um J m ( u ) = vm J m1 ( v ) dv .
du
0
Recurrence relations of special functions are very useful
when one has to integrate those special functions, as youre
about to see.
2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 6
 Flashback: Bessel functions (continued)

J0 ( u )
1 Zeroes of the
Bessel functions
J1 ( u )
J0 J1 J2
0.5 J2 ( u )
2.405 0 0

5.520 3.832 5.136

0 8.654 7.016 8.417

11.792 10.174 11.620

0.5 14.931 13.324 14.796

10 5 0 5 10
u

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 7

 The circular aperture (continued)

So the far field is

2 EN 0 e (
i kr t ) a
kqr
EF ( q , t ) = dr r J 0
r r
0
i ( kr t ) 2 kaq / r
2 EN 0 e r
=
r

kq
vJ 0 ( v ) dv .
0
Now use the recurrence relation, with m = 1:
u
uJ 1 ( u ) = vJ 0 ( v ) dv ;
0
i ( kr t ) 2
2 EN 0 e r kaq kaq
EF ( q , t ) = J1 .
r kq r r
2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 8
 The circular aperture (continued)

Rearrange the field in a somewhat more convenient form:

a2 EN 0 ei( kr t ) r kaq
EF ( q , t ) = 2 J1 ,
r kaq r
EN 0 Ae (
i kr t )
2 J 1 ( ka )
or EF ( , t ) = ,
r ka
2
c 2
cEN A 2 2 J 1 ( ka )
whence I F ( ka ) = EF ( , t ) EF ( , t ) = 0
.
8 8 r 2 2
ka
This leaves a minor problem: the expression is indeterminate
at ka = 0. But the recurrence relation can help us again:

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 9

 The circular aperture (continued)

Take the recurrence relation at m = 1 and use the chain rule:

d dJ 1
uJ 0 (u) = uJ 1 ( u ) = J 1 ( u ) + u (u)
du du
dJ 1 J1 ( u )
J0 ( u ) = (u) + .
du u
Note that J 0 ( 0 ) = 1 and J 1 ( 0 ) = 0 : dJ 1
dJ J ( u ) dJ ( u)
1 = 1 ( 0 ) + lim 1 = 1 ( 0 ) + lim du
du u 0 u du u 0 1
dJ
= 2 1 ( 0 ) , or
du
J 1 ( u ) dJ 1 1
lim = ( )
0 = .
u 0 u du 2
2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 10
 The circular aperture (continued)

This resolves the indeterminacy:

2 2 2 2 2
cEN A 1 cE A
IF ( 0 ) = 0
2
= N0
,
8 2 r 2 2 8 2 r 2
2
2 J 1 ( ka )
I F ( ka ) = I F ( 0 ) . Airy pattern
ka

Because J 1 also has zeroes at finite values of ka , I F ( ka )

has a set of concentric rings for which the intensity is zero
(dark rings) The first of these lies at ka1 = 3.832, or
3.832 3.832 First
1 = = = 1.22 .
ka 2a D dark ring

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 11

 The Airy pattern

Linear scale Logarithmic scale

1 1

0.8
0.1

I ( ka ) 0.6

I (0) 0.01
0.4
3
10
0.2

4
0
10 5 0 5 10 10 10 5 0 5 10

ka

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 12

 The Airy pattern (continued)

Linear scale Logarithmic scale

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 13

 The Airy pattern (continued)

A young triple-star
system, T Tau,
observed at = 2.2 m
with adaptive optics
on the Palomar 200-
inch telescope. The
brightest star has
saturated the detector
in the Airy disk. Note
the extensive nest of
concentric dark rings
around it. (Linear
scale.)
2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 14
 The opaque circular obstacle

We can handle the case of diffraction by a circular obstacle

quite easily, using the result just obtained. For the field,
2 EN 0 e (
i kr t )
kqr
EF ( q , t ) = dr r J 0
r r
a

2 EN 0 e (
i kr t )
kqr
=
r dr r J0 r
0

2 EN 0 e (
i kr t ) a
kqr

r dr r J0 r
0
2 ( i kr t )
i ( kz t ) EN0 a e r kaq
= EN 0 e 2 J1 ,
r kaq r
2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 15
 The opaque circular obstacle (continued)
= 2 cos kr ( 1 z r )
and for the intensity,
= 2 cos kr ( 1 cos )
c
IF ( q , t ) =EF EF
8 2 kq 2
2 cos kr = 2 cos
2 2 2 2r
c 2 ka r kaq
= EN 0 1 + 2 J1
8 2r kaq r

( )
ka2 r kaq ik ( r z ) ik ( r z )
2 J1 e +e
r kaq r
2 2
c 2 ka r kaq 2 ka2 r kaq kq 2
= EN 0 1 + 2 J1 2 J1 cos .
8 2r kaq r r kaq r 2r

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 16

 The opaque circular obstacle (continued)

This result has the curious property of not being zero inside
the shadow of the obstacle. In fact, theres a sharp peak
exactly in the center, with peak intensity
2
c 2 ka2 2 ka2
IF ( q , t ) = EN 0 1 + .
8 2r r

And there are concentric bright and dark rings that also lie
within the shadow, though generally it is much darker there
than it is outside the shadow.

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 17

 The opaque circular obstacle (continued)

Diffraction patterns at
= 0.635 m, seen 5 m
away from 0.09375 inch,
0.15625 inch, and 0.1875
inch diameter spheres
(Ioan Feier, Horst
Friedsam and Merrick
Penicka, Argonne
National Laboratory).

2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 18

 Poissons spot

Not all effects named after famous physicists are meant to

honor their namesakes.
In 1818, the French Academy, led by neo-Newtonians like
Laplace, Biot and Poisson, offered a prize for the best
work on the theme of diffraction, expecting that the result
would be a definitive refutation of the wave theory of
light.
Fresnel, supported by Ampre and Arago, offered a paper
in which he developed the scalar theory of diffraction in
much the same way we did, based on the wave theory.
During Fresnels talk, Poisson pointed out that one of the
consequences of Fresnels theory was the intensity peak in
the center of circular shadows that we just found.
2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 19
 Poissons spot (continued)

Poisson did this, of course, because he thought such a

result was ridiculous; he meant it as a fatal objection to
Fresnels theory.
But right after the talk, Arago went
into his lab, observed the intensity
peak and concentric rings in the
shadow directly, and proceeded to
demonstrate it to the judges.
Thus Fresnel was awarded the prize,
the corpuscular theory of light stood
refuted (until Einstein and Planck came Nick Nicola
along), and the intensity peak has been (University of
known ever since as Poissons spot. Melbourne)
2 April 2004 Physics 218, Spring 2004 20