On the Diffraction-Figures Due to An Elliptic Aperture

Abstract

Synopsis. Photographs are shown of the diffraction pattern obtained near the focus of a converging pencil of rays from an elliptic aperture. The transiton from the Fresnel to the Fraunhofer class of diffraction figure is traced and attention drawn to the geometric law to which the pattern conforms, namely, that the brightest part of the diffraction pattern outside the elliptic cross-section of the beam lies within the geometric evolute of this cross-section and is bounded by it.