Waves in Focal Regions

Including numerous results and many illustrations, this book describes waves in focal regions. After an introductory section, it discusses approximate diffraction theories, efficient numerical methods, the physical interpretation of the theories, their accuracy, and the computational savings obtained. The next part deals with the focusing of scalar waves, followed by the diffraction and focusing of electromagnetic waves. The following part examines the focusing of sound and water waves by means of zone-plate lenses. The book concludes with a study of the diffraction and focusing of water waves and a comparison of the results of both linear and nonlinear theories with those of experiments.