Due to analytical and numerical difficulties, the propagation of optical fields in any state of spatial coherence is conventionally computed through severe approximations; Fresnel-Fraunhofer approach is one of the most widely used. These approximations provide in many cases a rough knowledge of the actual light behavior as it propagates. However, the complexity of the actual developments requires non-approximated procedures capable of modeling the propagation of optical fields in any state of spatial coherence. The proposed model bases on expressing the classical cross-spectral density in center-difference coordinates, which allows for its exact calculation in very practical cases. The results reveal unaware behavior of light as it propagates, and equal those obtained with the conventional computation approaches as approached to the Fresnel-Fraunhofer regime. Light behavior close to the diffraction transmittances can also be learned with the aid of the proposed modeling tool.

Date Published: 25 October 2011
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 8011, 22nd Congress of the International Commission for Optics: Light for the Development of the World, 80115S (25 October 2011); doi: 10.1117/12.901203

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8011:
22nd Congress of the International Commission for Optics: Light for the Development of the World
Ramón Rodríguez-Vera; Ramón Rodríguez-Vera; Ramón Rodríguez-Vera; Rufino Díaz-Uribe; Rufino Díaz-Uribe; Rufino Díaz-Uribe, Editor(s)