Method and optical means for determining dimensional characteristics of

Abstract

The far-field diffraction pattern produced by illuminating a collection of particles with a coherent light source is spatially modulated by a filter mask having a first aperture. The aperture is shaped to pass a total light flux proportional to a particular moment of the particle distribution over a certain particle size range. Light flux is passed by another aperture at greater or lesser radii and adjacent the first aperture. That flux is effectively subtracted from the flux passed by the first aperture as by subtracting the resulting signals produced by a photo detector at different times in response to the flux passed by the filter. The difference signal provides a measure of the particular moment within the same limits of accuracy but over a wider or narrower particle size range, respectively.