Partially coherent Fresnel diffraction by a slit aperture. III. Fresnel diffraction patterns

The intensity distribution in the Fresnel diffraction pattern of a slit aperture illuminated with partially coherent light is obtained, as a function of the coherence condition across the aperture, by evaluating the formula developed in a previous paper. It is shown that the Fresnel diffraction pattern is affected by the coherence condition of illumination across the aperture and its form.