PHYS 352, Spring 2013
Diffraction Problems
1. Use the Rayleigh criterion to find the smallest resolvable angular separation
between two stars using the huge 500 cm diameter telescope on Mt. Palomar.
Hint: telescopes are made out of cylindrical tubes.
2. What is the peak irradiance, I/I(0), of the 3rd bright spot (where the central
maximum is the 1st bright spot) formed along the diagonal (e.g. X=Y) by a square
aperture in the Fraunhofer limit. See Figure 10.20 and Table 1 on Page 653.