Vectorial ray-based diffraction integral

Laser interferometry, as applied in cutting-edge length and displacement metrology, requires detailed analysis of systematic effects due to diffraction, which may affect the measurement uncertainty. When the measurements aim at subnanometer accuracy levels, it is possible that the description of interferometer operation by paraxial and scalar approximations is not sufficient. Therefore, in this paper, we place emphasis on models based on nonparaxial vector beams. We address this challenge by proposing a method that uses the Huygens integral to propagate the electromagnetic fields and ray tracing to achieve numerical computability. Toy models are used to test the method's accuracy. Finally, we recalculate the diffraction correction for an interferometer, which was recently investigated by paraxial methods.