Rectangular-aperture dimensions from diffraction zeros

ID: rectangular-aperture-dimensions-from-diffraction-zeros

A uniformly illuminated rectangle of width and height has field proportional to , with angular spatial wavenumbers measured in inverse length. The first envelope zeros give and . Two identical rectangles with horizontal centre separation introduce an additional factor, so the interference period is .
The factors depend on using angular spatial frequency; axes in cycles per length would use the reciprocal widths directly. Fourier light intensity alone cannot determine an overall aperture translation or distinguish a mask from its inverted copy. Extra assumptions about shape and coherent illumination are necessary for a unique geometrical reconstruction.

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