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As a high accurate measurement for wavefront metrology, the point diffraction interferometer(PDI) has been developed to overcome the accuracy limitation in traditional interferometers enabling the measurement precision in the order of a subnanometer. The PDI employs a nearly ideal spherical wavefront generated by pinhole diffraction as the reference wavefront, and is expected to be a powerful tool for high-precision optical testing. The diffraction reference wavefront is the key factor which determines the achievable precision in the measurement. In order to achieve high measurement accuracy precise characterization of the properties of diffraction wave is required. The structure of the pinhole functions as a cylinder waveguide and the fields in the pinhole are described as sums over waveguide modes whose behavior are determined by the interaction between the sidewall and the light. The pinhole functions as a cylindrical waveguide, in the way it determines the light field in the hole and the properties of the diffraction wave. In the paper, we make clear the physical mechanism of pinhole diffraction. The vector diffraction theory and the field equivalence principle are discussed. The field in the pinhole is analyzed according to the waveguide theory, and the waveguide effect on pinhole diffraction transmittance is discussed. Our results provide an important theoretical reference for design of the PDI system.
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