WO.5 · Diffraction envelopes and missing interference orders

For a uniformly illuminated slit of width a, far-field contributions across its opening arrive with a phase gradient k sinθ. Add their complex amplitudes before squaring: the normalised integral over x from −a/2 to a/2 is sinβ/β, where β=πa sinθ/λ. The intensity ratio is (sinβ/β)². At θ=0 take the limit sinβ/β→1, rather than calling the centre undefined or dark. Zeros occur at a sinθ=mλ with nonzero integer m. The central peak lies between the first zeros and is twice as wide as one adjacent zero-to-zero interval in sinθ. Side-peak maxima are not exactly halfway between their zeros.

At small angles on a distant screen L away, y≈Lθ and sinθ≈θ give first zeros y≈±Lλ/a. Thus the central width is 2Lλ/a. Use metres consistently: a millimetre slit and a nanometre wavelength differ by six powers of ten. For a wider angle, use θ=asin(mλ/a) and y=L tanθ; the small-angle y expression then becomes inaccurate. Far-field conditions need nearly parallel rays from different parts of the aperture, for example L much greater than a²/λ, or the equivalent focal-plane arrangement. Near-field Fresnel patterns cannot be assigned this intensity law blindly.

For two coherent identical uniformly illuminated slits of width a and centre separation d, the normalised pattern is (sinβ/β)² cos²α, with α=πd sinθ/λ and central intensity as the normalisation. The cos² factor produces interference orders d sinθ=nλ; the single-slit factor gives the broader envelope zeros. Small-angle neighbouring interference spacing is λL/d. Increasing d narrows fringe spacing; increasing a narrows the envelope. These are separate changes. The equal-height narrow-slit interference formula alone does not predict the diminishing brightness or missing orders of finite apertures. Incoherent sources do not maintain the same phase-dependent cross term.

For two finite slits, separate interference spacing from the single-slit envelope.

If d = 5a, the first envelope zero $a\sin\theta=\lambda$ coincides with order n = 5. Nominal order centres in the central envelope are n = -4 through +4: nine in total. These are interference centres; the envelope can shift the exact product maxima slightly.