Monte Carlo Ray-Trace Diffraction Based On the Huygens-Fresnel Principle

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the accuracy of the Huygens-Fresnel principle in Monte Carlo ray-trace simulations of diffraction, comparing analytical, numerical, and experimental results for single slit and circular apertures.

Contribution

It systematically assesses the conditions under which the Huygens-Fresnel principle accurately predicts diffraction in Monte Carlo ray-tracing environments.

Findings

Accurate diffraction modeling requires careful parameter tuning.

The study validates the Huygens-Fresnel principle through multiple comparison methods.

Statistical analysis confirms the conditions for reliable diffraction simulation.

Abstract

The goal of this effort is to establish the conditions and limits under which the Huygens-Fresnel principle accurately describes diffraction in the Monte Carlo ray-trace environment. This goal is achieved by systematic intercomparison of dedicated experimental, theoretical, and numerical results. We evaluate the success of the Huygens-Fresnel principle by predicting and carefully measuring the diffraction fringes produced by both single slit and circular apertures. We then compare the results from the analytical and numerical approaches with each other and with dedicated experimental results. We conclude that use of the MCRT method to accurately describe diffraction requires that careful attention be paid to the interplay among the number of aperture points, the number of rays traced per aperture point, and the number of bins on the screen. This conclusion is supported by standard statistical analysis, including the adjusted coefficient of determination, the root-mean-square deviation, and the reduced chi-square statistics.