Abstract

Kirchhoff diffraction formulations that use the wave front and the aperture plane for the surfaces of integration were compared. The full Kirchhoff obliquity factor terms distinguishing these two formulations are presented for spherical waves and for Gaussian laser beams. When they are used, identical results are obtained for the two formulations in both the spherical-wave and the Gaussian laser-beam cases. The reason that this must be true for any diffracted wave is explained. Simplified versions of these obliquity factor terms are used to place two previous papers by this author [ J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 6, 1196 ( 1989); J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 7, 47 ( 1990)] into the proper context. This in turn provides the basis for errata to these articles.

© 1992 Optical Society of America

Huygens–Fresnel–Kirchhoff wave-front diffraction formulation: paraxial and exact Gaussian laser beams

Hal G. Kraus
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Huygens–Fresnel–Kirchhoff wave-front diffraction formulation: spherical waves

Hal G. Kraus
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