G-20 Papai Shaha (210101061030)

DIFFRACTION
FRESNEL DIFFRACTION
➢ INTRODUCTION
Diffraction refers to various phenomena that occur when a
wave encounters an obstacle or a slit. It is defined as the
bending of waves around the corners of an obstacle or through
an aperture into the region of geometrical shadow of the
obstacle/aperture. The diffracting object or aperture effectively
becomes a secondary source of the propagating wave. Italian
scientist Francesco Maria Grimaldi coined the word
“diffraction” and was the first to record acuurate obesevations
of the phenomenon in 1660.
➢ FRESNEL DIFFRACTION
In optics, the Fresnel diffraction equation for near-field diffraction is
an approximation of the Kirchhoff-Fresnel diffraction that can be
applied to the propagation of waves in the near field. it is used to
calculate the diffraction pattern created by waves passing through an
aperture or around an object, when viewed fro relatively close to
the object. In contrast the diffrction pattern in the far field region is
given by the Fraunhofer diffraction equation.
➢ THE FRESNEL DIFFRACTION INTEGRAL
➢ THE FRESNEL APPROXIMATION
Fresnel diffraction I
• In Fresnel diffraction, the complex wave amplitude downstream of the
aperture is computed using the Fresnel approximation

• The intensity is given by

Fresnel diffraction II
• Written in a normalized coordinate system

• This is the convolution of the transmission function p(X,Y) of the

considered aperture with the function

cos(πx2)

sin(πx2)
 Fresnel diffraction III
• In the equation

The result of this convolution is governed by the Fresnel number

NF=a2/(λd
• If NF is large the convolution is going to yield a function similar to
p(X,Y).• In the limit NF→∞, ray optics is applicable (λ→0) and the
pattern is the shadow of the aperture
• In the opposite limit Fresnel diffraction pattern converge to the
Fraunhofer pattern.
➢ Comparison between the diffraction obtained with the Rayleid
Sommerfeld equation, (paraxial) Fresnel approximation, and the
(far-field)Fraunhofer approximation.