Diffraction Patterns of Apertures Shaped as National Borders

Abstract

How aesthetically pleasing is your country's diffraction pattern? This work summarizes the calculated and experimental Fraunhofer diffraction patterns obtained from using apertures lithographically formed into shapes of national borders. Calculations are made based on the fast Fourier transform of the aperture images. The entropy of each of the 113 nations' diffraction patterns was also computed based on its two-dimensional gradient. Results suggest that most nations' diffraction patterns fall under one of two prominent trends forming as a function of geographical area, with one trend being less entropic than the other.