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Write $p$ and $q$ for the axial source and observation distances, and put $R_{\mathrm{eff}}=pq/(p+q)$. The aperture is $-d/2<x,y<d/2$. Under the Fresnel diffraction, the spherical incident wave amplitude is effectively constant over this small aperture, while its quadratic wave phase must be retained. Therefore the two transverse integrals separate:where $K$ contains the source strength, the propagation distances and a common phase factor.

Use the dimensionless variable $u=x\sqrt{2/(\lambda R_{\mathrm{eff}})}$ and define the optical normalization of Fresnel integralsThe oddness of $F$ makes the bracket $\sqrt{2\lambda R_{\mathrm{eff}}}F(w)$, soThis square-aperture Fresnel diffraction normalization is especially useful for comparing with no aperture. In the same Fresnel diffraction, the unrestricted one-dimensional Fresnel integral is $\sqrt{\lambda R_{\mathrm{eff}}}{e}^{i\pi /4}$; its square is $i\lambda R_{\mathrm{eff}}$. Thus, writing ${\psi }_0$ for the unobscured field at the same point,The normalization has the correct no-aperture limit because $C(\infty )=S(\infty )=1/2$ in this convention.

Use SI units throughout: $d=1.0\times 10^{-3}\mathrm{m}$, $\lambda =1.0\times 10^{-6}\mathrm{m}$, and $p=q=1.0\mathrm{m}$. The effective propagation distance is $R_{\mathrm{eff}}=0.50\mathrm{m}$, givingIn the supplied Cornu spiral, the endpoint at $w=1$ is approximately $(C,S)=(0.78,0.44)$. HenceMore accurate Fresnel integrals, $C(1)=0.7798934$ and $S(1)=0.4382591$, give $I_P/I_0=2.562$. The central light intensity is increased to about $2.6$ times the unobscured value, an increase of roughly $160\%$.

There is no violation of conservation of energy: the aperture reduces the total transmitted power, while removing contributions that partly cancel the central field redistributes the transmitted power across the observation plane. In particular, the square aperture does not give the same central field as a circular aperture of a superficially similar size.

The Fresnel convolution of free-particle time slices follows by completing the square:The second term is independent of $x_k$. The shifted Fresnel integral in the first term givesHere $k$ is the positive slice index, not a wave number. The phase is fixed by the same convergence prescription as the short-time kernel.

Institutional recommendation titled “Propagation by diffraction”; Annex 1, Section 2.7 defines the Fresnel integrals and Section 4.1 treats a single knife edge. These normalize diffraction relative to the unobstructed field at the same receiver position.

For $\alpha >0$, polar coordinates reduce the integral to $2\pi {\int }_0^{\infty }r{e}^{-(\alpha -i\lambda )r^2}dr$. The result is $\pi /(\alpha -i\lambda )$. Its damped limit for real $\lambda >0$ is $i\pi /\lambda$, which fixes the sign of the oscillatory complex Gaussian integral. The Fresnel integral convention can be compared with NIST definitions.

For a Neumann screen on the negative horizontal axis, the Helmholtz equation has an exact solution in Fresnel integrals. With time dependence $e^{i\omega t}$, a wave incident from angle $0<{\theta }_0<\pi$ has total field $e^{ikr\cos (\theta -{\theta }_0)}\mathcal{F}(s_{-})+e^{ikr\cos (\theta +{\theta }_0)}\mathcal{F}(-s_{+})$, where $s_{\pm }=\sqrt{2kr}\cos [(\theta \pm {\theta }_0)/2]$ and $\mathcal{F}(s)=\frac{1}{2}\mathrm{erfc}(-e^{i\pi /4}s)$. The angular derivatives cancel on both faces of the screen. Away from the two shadow boundaries, the Fresnel tail expansion splits this into incident/reflected geometrical optics fields and an outgoing edge wave proportional to $r^{-1/2}{e}^{-ikr}$.

For an axial point source a distance $p$ before a square aperture and an observer a distance $q$ beyond it, source and observation wave phase curvatures add: $R_{\mathrm{eff}}^{-1}=p^{-1}+q^{-1}$. With aperture side $d$, put $w=(d/2)\sqrt{2/(\lambda R_{\mathrm{eff}})}$. Separation into two one-dimensional Fresnel integrals gives the field normalized to its unobscured value,At an off-axis observer $(X,Y)$, centre the dimensionless coordinates on $x_0=pX/(p+q)$ and $y_0=pY/(p+q)$. If $D_x,D_y$ are the directed Cornu spiral chords between the corresponding aperture-edge parameters, $\psi /{\psi }_0=D_x{D}_y/(2i)$. This is a product of complex interval factors, rather than a sum of two intensities. The unobscured field is evaluated at the same observation point and includes its common propagation wave phase.

For a smooth real phase with an isolated nondegenerate interior critical point $q$, smooth amplitude $a$, and no competing boundary contribution, the leading contribution is $2\pi {\lambda }^{-1}a(q)|\det H{|}^{-1/2}{e}^{i\lambda \varphi (q)+i\pi \mathrm{sgn}(H)/4}$, where $H$ is the Hessian matrix. Orthogonal diagonalization gives two one-dimensional Fresnel integrals. A degenerate critical point or a stationary boundary needs its own local analysis.

Under the magnetic-only Lorentz force, planar velocity has constant magnitude and an accumulated phase determined by the time integral of the axial field. For $B_z(t)=\beta t$, the planar position involves Fresnel integrals. With initial planar velocity $(1,0)$ and zero initial position, its limit is $(\sqrt{\pi m/(4q\beta )},-\sqrt{\pi m/(4q\beta )})$. The model prescribes a magnetic-only force; a physical time-dependent field may also produce an induced electric field.

// Target: number-theory.bigb