How does an optical spatial filter work?

on2t1inf8b

on2t1inf8b

Answered question

2022-07-20

How does an optical spatial filter work?

Answer & Explanation

Bubbinis4

Bubbinis4

Beginner2022-07-21Added 8 answers

The principle behind the use of a pinhole in the way that you describe is simply to create a subresolvable source of light, thus destroying all wavefront information. You are correct that the exact diffraction pattern from a subresolvable point source is not Gaussian, but it is very nearly so and indeed Gaussian modes are the eigenfunctions of an approximation to the wave equation that holds for paraxial fields, i.e. fields of very small numerical aperture and with wave vectors all directed to within about 0.1 radians of the nominal beam propagation direction.
So in practice the beam will become more Gaussian after passage through a subresolvable pinhole, i.e. one of diameter that is smaller than approximately λ/NA, where NA is the beam's numerical aperture.

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