Imaging properties of sector-shaped apertures

In this paper, the structures of the diffracted far field due to sector-shaped apertures have been studied theoretically and experimentally. These apertures play a key role in a holographic multiplexing technique introduced by the authors. Isophot diagrams showing the structure of the diffracted far field due to a number of such apertures are shown, discussed, and compared with experimental results. Numerical results concerning the distribution of the encircled energy in the diffracted field are also presented. The expected performance of such apertures in respect of image resolution is briefly discussed on the basis of the encircled energy distribution.