Exact and approximate solutions for focusing of two-dimensional waves. I. Theory

摘要

We consider the focusing of two-dimensional scalar and electromagnetic waves through a slit aperture in a perfectly reflecting screen and derive exact solutions that are valid everywhere in the region behind the diffracting slit. Corresponding solutions based on various approximate theories are also presented. Numerical comparisons between exact and approximate results are presented in the special issue on mathematics and modeling in modern optics, J. Opt. Sec. Am. A 15(5), (1998). (C) 1998 Optical Society of America. [References: 34]