PH 201

OPTICS & LASERS

Lec_Fresnel Diffraction_2
 Fresnel Diffraction
 Consider a plane wave of amplitude A incident normally.

A plane wave incident normally on an aperture.

 Field produced at point P is given by

A eikr
u ( P)   dd
i r
where integration is over area of aperture.

 Now, if amplitude & phase distribution on plane z = 0 is given by A(ξ,η),

then above integral is modified as

1 eikr
u ( P)   A( , ) dd
i r
 In Fresnel approximation, above integral takes the form

1 ikz  ik 
u ( x, y, z )  e  A( , )  exp  [( x   ) 2  ( y  ) 2 ]dd
iz  2z 
Diffraction of a Plane Wave Incident Normally on a
Circular Aperture

Diffraction of a plane wave incident normally on a circular aperture of

radius a; point Q is an arbitrary point on periphery of aperture.
 Consider a plane wave incident normally on a circular aperture of radius a.

 Z axis is normal to plane of aperture, & screen SS' is assumed to be

normal to z axis.

 It is obvious from symmetry of problem that we will obtain circular fringes

on screen SS'; however, it is very difficult to calculate actual intensity
variation on screen.

 For the sake of mathematical simplicity, we will calculate variation of

intensity only along z axis. It will be more convenient to use circular system
of coordinates.

 Coordinates of an arbitrary point M on aperture will be (ρ,Φ), where ρ is

distance of point M from centre O & Φ is angle that OM makes with x axis,
& a small element area dS surrounding point M will be ρ dρ dΦ.
2a a
A eikr
u ( P)  
i 0 0 r dd
 Now, 2  d 2  r2
Thus, d  rdr
2 a 2  d 2
iA 2
u ( P)    e drd k
ikr

 0 d

 u ( P)  Ae ikd (1  eip )
where 
k a2  d 2  d   p
p
 QP  OP 
2
where Q is a point on periphery of circular aperture.
Taking intensity,
p
I ( P)  4 I 0 sin 2
2
I0 is intensity associated with incident plane wave.
 Intensity is zero or maximum when p is an even or odd integer, i.e., when
QP-OP is an even or odd multiple of λ/2.

 If aperture contains an even number of half-period zones, intensity at P will

be negligibly small; & conversely, if circular aperture contains an odd
number of zones, intensity at P will be maximum.

 When d << a,
k  a2  
p  d 1  2   d 
   2d  
a2
or p
d
which is known as Fresnel number of aperture.
Intensity variation on an axial point corresponding to a plane
wave incident on a circular aperture of radius a.
 Diffraction by a Circular Disc
 Assuming that observation point lies on the axis of disc.

 Carry out integration over open region of aperture.

Diffraction pattern produced by an opaque disc of radius a.

 If u1(P) & u2(P), respectively, represent fields at P due to a circular aperture
& an opaque disc (of same radius), then

u1 ( P)  u2 ( P)  u0 ( P)

where u0(P) represents field in absence of any aperture. This Eq. is known
as Babinet’s principle. Thus,

u2 ( P)  u0 ( P)  u1 ( P)
 u0 ( P)  u0 ( P)(1  eip )
u2 ( P)  u0 ( P)eip
 Intensity at P on the axis of a circular disc is

I 2 ( P)  u 2 ( P)  I 0 ( P)
2

 Intensity at a point on axis of an opaque disc is equal to intensity at point in

absence of disc! This is the Poisson spot.
 Gaussian Beam Propagation
 When a laser oscillates in its fundamental transverse mode, transverse
amplitude distribution is Gaussian.

 Also, output of a single mode fiber is very nearly Gaussian.

 Assuming a Gaussian beam propagating along z direction whose

amplitude distribution on plane z = 0 is given by

  2  2 
A( , )  a exp   2

 w0 

implying that phase front is plane at z = 0. From this Eq. it follows that at a
distance w0 from z axis, amplitude falls by a factor 1/e (i.e., intensity
reduces by a factor 1/e2).

This quantity w0 is called spot size of beam.

 1 ikz  ik 2 
u ( x, y, z )  e  A( , )  exp  [( x   )  ( y  ) ]dd
2

iz  2z 
  2  2 
A( , )  a exp   2

 w0 

Diffraction of a Gaussian field profile

After substitution & solving integral,
a  x 2  y 2  i
u ( x, y , z )  exp  2 e
1  i  w ( z) 
z
 2
w0
1/ 2
 z 
2 2
w( z )  w0 (1   ) 2 1/ 2
 w0 1  2 4 

  w0 
k
  kz  (x2  y2 )
2 R( z )
 1    2 w04 
R( z )  z 1  2   z 1  2 2 
    z 
Thus, intensity distribution is given by,

I0  2( x 2  y 2 ) 
I ( x, y, z )  exp  
1  2
 w 2
( z ) 
 It is proved that transverse intensity distribution remains Gaussian with
beam width increasing with z essentially implies diffraction divergence.

 For small values of z, width increases quadratically with z, but for large
values of z 2
w0
z 

z z
w( z )  w0 2 
w0 w0
which shows that width increases linearly with z.

 Diffraction angle is defined as,

w( z ) 
tan   
z w0
showing that rate of increases in width is proportional to wavelength &
inversely proportional to initial width of beam.
 Assuming λ = 0.5 μm, For w0 = 1 mm

2θ ≈ 0.018º w ≈ 0.018 mm at z = 10 m

 Similarly, for w0 = 0.25 mm

2θ ≈ 0.073º w ≈ 6.35 mm at z = 10 m

 θ increases with a decrease in w0 (the smaller the size of aperture, the

greater the diffraction).

 For a given value of w0, diffraction effects decrease with λ.

 Fig.: decrease in diffraction divergence for w0 = 0.25 mm as wavelength is

decreased from 5000 to 500 Ǻ; indeed as λ → 0, θ → 0 & there is no
diffraction which is geometric optics limit.
Diffraction divergence of a Gaussian beam whose phase front is plane at z = 0.
Fig. shows increase in diffraction divergence as initial spot size is decreased
from 1 to 0.25 mm; wavelength is assumed to be 5000 Å.
Diffraction divergence of a Gaussian beam whose phase front is plane at z = 0.
Fig. shows decrease in divergence as wavelength is decreased from 5000 to
500 Å; initial spot size w0 is assumed to be 0.25 mm.
 It can be shown that

w02
  I ( x, y, z)dxdy 

2
I0

which is independent of z. This is to be expected, as the total energy

crossing the entire xy plane will not change with z.

 For a spherical wave diverging from origin, the field distribution is given by

1 ikr
u~ e
r
 On the plane z = R
r  ( x 2  y 2  R 2 )1/ 2
1/ 2
 x y 2 2

 R1  2
 Assu min g
 R 
x , y  R
x2  y2
 R
2R
 Thus, on the plane z = R, phase distribution (corresponding to a spherical
wave of radius R) is given by
ik 2 2
(x y )
e ikr
e e
ikR 2 R

 A phase variation of type

 k 2 2 
exp i ( x  y ) 
 2R 
on xy plane represents a diverging spherical wave of radius R.

Comparing two expressions, radius of curvature of phase front

 w4 
R ( z )  z  1 2 02 

  z 
 Thus, as the beam propagates, the phase front which was plane at z = 0
becomes curved.
A spherical wave diverging from Diffraction divergence of a Gaussian
point O. Dashed curve represents a beam whose phase front is plane at z =
section of spherical wave front at a 0. Dashed curves represent phase
distance R from source. fronts.
 Gaussian beam resonating between two identical spherical mirrors of
radius R, plane z = 0, where phase front is plane & beam has minimum
spot size, referred to as waist of Gaussian beam.

 For the beam to resonate, the phase front must have a radius of curvature
equal to R on the mirrors.

 For this to happen, we must have

d  4w4 
R   1 0 
 
2  2 d 2 

where d is the distance between the two mirrors.

Transition from Fresnel to Fraunhofer regimes with increasing distance