Self-image effects in diffraction and dispersion

Excerpt: We apply the wavelet transform to the fractal Talbot effect in both diffraction and fiber dispersion. In the first case, the self similar character of the transverse paraxial field at irrational multiples of the Talbot distance is confirmed, whereas in the second case it is shown that the field is not self similar for supergaussian pulses. Finally, a high-precision measurement of irrational distances employing the fractal index determined with the wavelet transform is pointed out