I Does a Polarizer Alter the Shape of Airy Disks in Optical Systems?

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Using a polarizer in front of a pinhole does not change the shape of an airy disk, as scalar diffraction is sufficient for a circular aperture. However, if a lens or focusing mirror is involved, the situation becomes more complex, and vector diffraction may alter the disk's shape, especially with a large numerical aperture. The discussion emphasizes the importance of the aperture type and the diffraction model used. Testing with a telescope and lunar filter could provide practical insights. Overall, the impact of a polarizer is contingent on the optical setup used.
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When an airy disk is formed, does using a polarizer in front of the pinhole change the shape of the disk?
 
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zincshow said:
When an airy disk is formed, does using a polarizer in front of the pinhole change the shape of the disk?
No responses? Well I'm going to guess yes, and hourglass shaped. I might be able to test this for you with my telescope and a lunar filter...
 
It shouldn't make any difference. The far field diffraction pattern is just the Fourier transform of the aperture function, which in this case is a circular hole. Unless there's spatially varying polarisation in the incident radiation.

I'm not completely certain - I'd be interested in seeing your test, Russ.
 
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zincshow said:
When an airy disk is formed, does using a polarizer in front of the pinhole change the shape of the disk?

If it just a pinhole aperture, then no, scalar diffraction suffices. If you are using a lens (or focusing mirror), then yes, especially if the numerical aperture is large. Vector diffraction is considerably more complex than scalar diffraction, here's a few links:

https://www.osapublishing.org/josaa/abstract.cfm?URI=josaa-35-4-526
https://www.osapublishing.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-12-12-2670
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-540-48471-4_6.pdf
https://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/bitst...a high numerical aperture focusing system.pdf
 
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