Fresnel Diffraction Phenomena as a Classroom Experiment

Abstract

Fresnel diffraction phenomena can be demonstrated using inexpensive laser diodes by directly projecting a pin shadow onto a white screen. A photographic record can be achieved using a full-frame CCD camera without an objective. With little care, it is possible to use a half-frame camera. Without an obscured room (as in the pioneering experiments of Thomas Young and Augustin Fresnel), the demonstration experiment is difficult. This note describes the feasibility of showing diffraction phenomena in sunlight in a partially obscured camera.