Fresnel diffraction by circular and serrated apertures illuminated with an ultrashort pulsed-laser beam

Fresnel diffraction patterns by circular and serrated apertures under ultrashort pulsed-laser illumination are investigated in detail. A comparison of the diffraction patterns for pulsed and continuous wave illuminations reveals that an ultrashort pulsed beam of 10 fs can result in a significant effect on the distribution of the intensity. As a result a uniform intensity distribution in the transverse direction of the beam can be achieved as a result of the interference of the different frequency components within the pulsed beam. The interference fringes caused by the wavelets originating from the diffraction aperture can be further reduced when a serrated aperture is used.

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