The influence of propagating and evanescent waves on the focusing properties of zone plate structures
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Fabrication and Operation of Acoustofluidic Devices Supporting Bulk Acoustic Standing Waves for Sheathless Focusing of Particles
Published on: March 6, 2016
Jia-Han Li1, Yi-Wei Cheng, Yu-Cheng Chue
1Department of Engineering Science and Ocean Engineering, National Taiwan University, No 1, Sec 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan. jiahan@ntu.edu.tw
Abstract:
The field properties of Fresnel zone plates with wavelength-scale focal distances were numerically investigated using the finite-difference time-domain method. The fields in the focal planes are analyzed using the angular spectrum representation, and the components of the propagating and evanescent waves are reconstructed. It was found that, in the focal plane of silver zone plates, there were more evanescent waves and the propagating waves occurred at higher spatial frequencies relative to glass zone plates. The propagating and evanescent wave components vary with the material and the number of zones in the zone plate structures. Our findings suggest that more evanescent waves and higher spatial frequency components of propagating waves can shape the field and obtain a smaller focus.
Related Concept Videos
Propagation of Waves
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
Interference and Diffraction
Reflection of Waves
Standing Waves in a Cavity
Plane Electromagnetic Waves I
The EM field is assumed to be a...
Standing Electromagnetic Waves
Suppose a sheet of a perfect conductor is placed in the yz-plane, and a linearly polarized electromagnetic wave traveling in the...

