Poisson-spot intensity reduction with a partially transparent petal-shaped optical mask

The presence of a Poisson spot inside a shadow region can best be described as the consequence of constructive interference of light waves diffracted on the edge of the obstruction where its central position can be determined by the symmetry of the object. More recently, the elimination of this spot has received attention in the fields of particle physics, high-energy lasers, astronomy, and lithography. The desired level of intensity suppression is dependent on the type of light source and the field of application. In this paper, we introduce a novel, partially transparent petaled mask shape that suppresses the bright spot by up to ten orders of magnitude in intensity at optical ranges, with potential powerful applications in many of the above fields. The optimization technique formulated in this design can identify mask shapes having partial transparency only near the petal tips.