Reflection gratings in conical diffraction mounting

Abstract

An experimental study of light diffraction from an aluminium holographic grating is carried out in conical diffraction mounting. Angular dependences of the efficiency and ellipticity of the first diffraction order are measured and some peculiar features are pointed out. The results are in good agreement with the calculations based on the rigorous electromagnetic theory. The ellipticity of the diffracted wave changes strongly in the presence of an oxidised layer.