Fresnel diffraction patterns  thumbnail
Fresnel diffraction patterns

The picture shows Fresnel diffraction patterns of a radial spoke mask with 4 degree period. The three patterns are photographed at different distances from the mask. They have a natural explanation in terms of the Talbot re-imaging phenomenon, and might be called “Talbot Rugs.”

—Stephen G. Lipson, Physics Dept., Technion, Haifa, Israel