Interference of diffracted multiple wavefronts in the geometric shadow of the Fresnel region.

A general diffraction analysis is presented to determine the irradiance distributions produced by the interference of diffracted wavefronts from multiple pupil configurations. Specifically, interference phenomena in the geometrical shadows of the Fresnel region close to the diffracting apertures are considered. The effects of multiple pupil geometry variations and preliminary impact of phase errors are considered. Finally, physical insights are offered for the phenomena of diffractive interference in the geometric shadow.