Diffraction Effects in Interferometry

Optical interferometry – experimental measurement techniques based on the extraction of information from the interaction of light with itself, mostly through the intensity modulation that results from relative phase differences between coherent overlapping fields – is used in many different fields of application, ranging from microscopy to astronomy. While many of those applications can be modeled accurately enough while ignoring diffractive effects, in certain cases, such as when sharp edges or narrow apertures are present in the system, a model capable of taking into account the evolution of diffraction needs to be selected.

VirtualLab Fusion’s flexible pool of interoperable modeling techniques on a single platform helps you achieve the appropriate accuracy-speed balance for your simulation: diffraction effects can be taken into account only when necessary. As a demonstration example, please find below an analysis of a rectangular object sample in an interferometric system. This example includes a comparison of how the result looks depending on whether diffraction is considered or not. Staying with interferometry, we also showcase a demonstration of the working principle of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), one of the most important forms of medical imaging.