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On Babinet's principle and diffraction associated with an arbitrary particle.

Bingqiang Sun, Ping Yang, George W Kattawar

|December 8, 2017

Summary

Babinet's principle accurately simulates diffraction for some particles. This study presents a surface integral equation to precisely calculate diffraction by any particle, defining when Babinet's principle applies.

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Area of Science:

Optics and electromagnetics
Wave phenomena
Computational physics

Background:

Babinet's principle is a common method for calculating diffraction patterns.
Existing methods may not accurately represent diffraction by three-dimensional objects.
There is ongoing debate regarding the precise formalism for diffraction calculations.

Purpose of the Study:

To exactly formulate the diffraction by an arbitrary particle using a surface integral equation.
To determine the conditions under which Babinet's principle is applicable for diffraction calculations.
To provide a definitive conclusion on diffraction formalism.

Main Methods:

Development of a surface integral equation for exact diffraction formulation.
Analytical investigation of diffraction by arbitrary particles.
Comparison of results with predictions from Babinet's principle.

Main Results:

The study provides an exact formulation for particle diffraction.
Conditions for the validity of Babinet's principle in diffraction are clearly illustrated.
Deviations from Babinet's principle for 3-D objects are highlighted.

Conclusions:

The surface integral equation offers a precise method for calculating particle diffraction.
Babinet's principle has specific applicability limits that are now defined.
This work resolves ambiguities in diffraction theory and formalism.