Comparison of two approximate flat-topped methods for hard-edged diffracted light beams

The integral resulted in an infinite series of Bessel functions and expanding a hard aperture into a complex-Gaussians shape are proposed as two methods for studying the propagation properties of the hard-edged diffraction flat-topped light beam. Using the two methalods, the corresponding analytical propagation equations of flat-topped light beams through a circular apertured ABCD optical system are obtained. Some numerical calculations and comparative analyses by using the two methods and the diffraction integral formulae are made. It is shown that the first method of an infinite series of Bessel functions is superior to the second of expanding a hard aperture function into a complex-Gaussians shape at the aspect of calculation accuracy, but the second method is superior to the first method at the aspect of the improvement in the calculation efficiency. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.