Analytical solution of diffraction by planar periodic structures

In my research work, I study diffraction by planar periodic structures (diffraction grating). In the first chapter, I try to familiarize the importance of diffraction gratings in spectroscopy. The second chapter explains the basic principle of diffraction without involving difficult mathematical tools. In the third chapter, I deduce Fourier modal method from Maxwell equations, a modern mathematical approach used for calculating the electromagnetic response of diffraction. The most important part of my work consists of the fourth and fifth chapter. At first, I try to utilize Fourier modal method for deriving formulas involving just 0th and (-1)st diffraction orders. Because of the unreasonable difficulty of uncovered formulas, I decided to consider only a special case - so-called Littrow configuration, in which the solution can be superposed from symmetric and antisymmetric couples of rays. I further develop so-called Local modal method - very inaccurate, but mathematically fairly simple, and discuss its physical limitations. Whole work is finished by the sixth chapter, which compares accurate computations gained from simulation and derived analytical formulas for both methods