Phase singularity in the diffracted field from Fresnel's double mirror

It is shown that when a coherent beam of light illuminates a Fresnel's double mirror, Fresnel diffraction becomes appreciable. The subject fundamentally differs from interference. We calculate the diffracted field by applying Fresnel-Kirchhoff integral. We modified the common Fresnel's double mirror by imposing an initial height between the mirrors, as the height is chosen small enough so that the application of Fresnel's double mirror is maintained. We show by simulation and experiment that a phase singularity causes from the initial height and modifies the diffracted field from the Fresnel's double mirror. One can adjust the location of the line singularity by changing the angle between the mirrors. Also, the anomalous behavior of a polychromatic beam diffracted from the modified Fresnel's double mirror at the neighborhood of the line singularity, is investigated by simulation.