Chapter 42 - Diffraction

Topic 42.4
 Diffraction at a circular aperture
• In focusing an image, a lens passes only the light that falls within its
circular perimeter.
• From this point of view, a lens can be considered as a circular
aperture in an opaque screen.
• Such an aperture forms a diffraction pattern analogous to that of a
single slit.
• Diffraction effects often limit the ability of telescopes and other
optical instruments to form precise images.
• The image formed by a lens can be distorted by other effects too such
as chromatic and spherical aberrations. These effects can be reduced
or eliminated by suitable shaping of lens or by introducing correcting
elements into the optical system.
 Diffraction at a circular aperture
• However, no amount of design can
eliminate the effects of diffraction, which
are only determined by the size of the
aperture (i.e. the diameter of the lens)
and the wavelength of light.
• The adjoining figure shows the image of a
distant point source of light (for example
a star) formed on a photographic film
placed in the focal plane of the
converging lens of a telescope.
• It is not a point image but a circular disk
surrounded by several progressively
fainter secondary rings.
 Diffraction at a circular aperture
• The mathematical analysis of diffraction by a circular aperture shows
that the first minimum occurs at an angle from central axis given by
sin θ = 1.22 λ 𝑑
where d is the diameter of the aperture.
• Comparing this equation with the equation for the first minimum of
single-slit diffraction pattern i.e.
𝑎 sin θ = λ or sin θ = λ 𝑎
we get to know that these expressions differ by the factor 1.22.
 Diffraction at a circular aperture
• The fact that the images formed by
lens are actually diffraction patterns is
important when we wish to
distinguish between two distant
objects whose angular separation is
small.
• The figure shows the visual
appearances of two distant point
objects (for example stars).
• In fig. (a) the objects are not resolved,
they can not be distinguished from a
single point object. In fig. (b) they are
barely resolved and in fig. (c) they are
fully resolved.
 Diffraction at a circular aperture
• In fig. (b) the angular separation of the two point sources is such that the
central maximum of the diffraction pattern of one source falls on the first
minimum of the diffraction pattern of the other. This is called as Rayleigh’s
criterion for resolving images.
• Two objects that are barely resolvable by Rayleigh’s criterion must have an
angular separation θR given as
sin θ𝑅 = 1.22 λ 𝑑
Which, for very small angles becomes
θ𝑅 = 1.22 λ 𝑑
• If the angular separation θ between the objects is greater than θ𝑅 , we can
resolve the two objects. If it is less, we cannot.
• The angle θ𝑅 is the smallest angular separation for which resolution is
possible using Rayleigh’s criterion.