10.

DIFFRACTION
Deviation of light from rechtilinear propagation
An opaque body between a screen and a point light source
=> geometrical optics: shadow of body
=> in reality: some pattern around edge!

Shadow of a hand holding a coin

Fresnel diffraction of electrons by zinc oxide crystals

The Hyugens-Fresnel Principle

Hyugens’s principle
 A general phenomena of wave
(diffraction, e.g. maxima and minima of intensity)

Simple experiment :
use intensive light
source and a small
pinhole.

When  > AB (Fig. 10.1(b) case),

 > max  phase almost equal  at any P constructive interference (photo (c))

When < AB (photo (a)), the area where  > max is limited to a small region
directed in front of the aperture. Only there constructive interference
 Fraunhofer diffraction
Light source and observer in a large distance from diffracting object
or each in the focus point of lens.
 Fresnel diffraction
Light source and observer not far and very close to object (or aperture)
or each in the focus point of lens.
=> the pattern at decreased distance.
=> complicated analytical expression needed.

(In this course; mainly Fraunhofer diffraction treated.)

Several Coherent Oscillators
Consider a linear array of N coherent point oscillators
(or radiating antennas), all identical, even polarization

- We assume that they have no intrinsic phase difference and

almost parallel and meet at some very distant point P.
- If the spatial extent of the arry is comparatively small,
the separate wave amplitude at P is almost equal, traveling nearly
equal distance

 We are able to calculate the E-field at P, phase difference,

intensity distribution etc. based on Chapter 9.
……..
Phase array antenna
Several Coherent Oscillators
 R >> D

Each points in the line => sources of secondary wavelets.

Each point emits a spherical wavelet:

The contribution of i-th segment to E-field at P:

The electric field (refer to 10.2.1):
with

The intensity of light:

Using sinc function,

See Fig. 10. 7 (e)

Diffraction at slit and aperture
a) Single slit:
Consider an “infinite” long slit.
(=> only 1-dim. calculation needed!)

Remember Huygen’s principle:

“Each point on a wavefront can be regarded as a source of secondary

spherical wavelets with same frequency. The amplitude at any time
afterwards is the superposition of all these wavelets.”

 Aperture (slit) as starting point of the elementary waves

=> superposition.

Single-slit Fraunhofer diffraction

 The Fraunhofer diffraction pattern of a single-slit.
(the most intensive maximum in the center and on both sides a sequence of
minima and maxima with rapidly decreased intensities.
=> Diffracted light at different slit positions => destructive interference!)

For small angle :    kb  sin    b

 2  

 n
Minima, if b  n   min 
 min b
n = ±1, ±2…

For   0, it means  = 0  sin/goes to 1.

Main peak for  = 0.

Position of subsidiary maxima, if

  1   1
b max   n       max  n  
  2 b  2
n = ±1, ±2…
 b) Double-slit:

Thomas Young => interference and diffraction.

A double-slit pattern (a=3b)

(Mixture of Fig. 9.12 and Fig. 10.6)

/b
b
/a
a 

How to emerge diffraction pattern ?

=> Modulation of interference pattern of 2 very narrow slits with
diffraction pattern of single slit.
=> a double-slit pattern
(see Fig. 10.14 (for a = 10b))
c) Many slits:
Flux density distribution function:

Between primary maxima: => N-2 subsidiary maxima

=> N-1 minima
c) Many slits:

Diffraction patterns for slit systems at left

Review
Between primary maxima: N-2 subsidiary maxima &
N-1 minima
https://www.geogebra.org/m/ZSbeWGbe
The Rectangular Aperture
The Rectangular Aperture
The Circular aperture:
The Circular aperture:

Airy disk
(Bessel function…)
The Resolution of Imaging System
The Resolution of Imaging System
Diffraction of Light
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mNQW5OShMA&feature=related

A transmission grating

Grating equation:
A reflection grating
Section of a blazed reflection phase grating

Blazed grating
Diffraction grating, consisting of lots of parallel slits, is widely
used for analyzing diverse light sources.

d sinbright  m m  0, 1,  2,  3,

Application of Diffraction Gratings

회절 격자 분광기
결정에 의한 X-선의 회절
(Diffraction of X-Rays by Crystals)

X-ray diffraction is used to analyze crystal structures and to

understand the related physical properties.

(a) 무기 녹주석(beryllium aluminum silcate) 단결정의 Laue pattern.

각 점은 보강 간섭을 나타내는 점.
(a) 루비스코(Rubisco) enzyme의 Laue pattern.
넓은 밴드의 X－선 스펙트럼으로 만들어짐.

2d sin  m
(m  1, 2, 3,)
브래그의 법칙
(Bragg’s law)
Diffraction grating, monochromator, spectrometer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D8EVNZdyy0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pIjSuK23RM

http://physica.gnu.ac.kr/phtml/optics/diffraction/various/various2.html# 회절격자
Chap. 11 Fourier Optics
Chap. 11 Fourier Optics