TOTAL
INTERNAL
REFLECTION
CONTENTS
Introduction
Optical description
Critical angle
Phase shift upon total internal
reflection
Total internal reflection in
diamond
Applications of total internal
reflection
Examples in everyday life
Bibliography
INTRODUCTION
Total internal reflection is an optical phenomenon
that happens when a ray of light strikes a medium
boundary at an angle larger than a particular critical
angle with respect to the normal to the surface. If the
refractive index is lower on the other side of the
boundary and the incident angle is greater than the
critical angle, no light can pass through and all of the
light is reflected. The critical angle is the angle of
incidence above which the total internal reflectance
occurs.
When a light beam crosses a boundary between
materials with different kinds of refractive indices,
the light beam will be partially refracted at the
boundary surface, and partially reflected. However, if
the angle of incidence is greater (i.e. the ray is closer
to being parallel to the boundary) than the critical
angle – the angle of incidence at which light is
refracted such that it travels along the boundary –
then the light will stop crossing the boundary
altogether and instead be totally reflected back
internally. This can only occur where light travels
from a medium with a higher [n1=higher refractive
index] to one with a lower refractive index [n2=lower
refractive index]. For example, it will occur when
passing from glass to air, but not when passing from
air to glass.
OPTICAL DESCRIPTION
Total internal reflection can be demonstrated using a
semi-circular block of glass or plastic. A "ray box" shines
a narrow beam of light (a "ray") onto the glass. The semi-
circular shape ensures that a ray pointing towards the
centre of the flat face will hit the curved surface at a right
angle; this will prevent refraction at the air/glass
boundary of the curved surface. At the glass/air boundary
of the flat surface, what happens will depend on the
angle? Where is θC the critical angle measurement which
is caused by the sun or a light source (measured normal
to the surface):
• if θ < θC, the ray will split. Some of the ray will reflect
off the boundary, and some will refract as it passes
through. This is not total internal reflection.
• If θ > θC, the entire ray reflects from the boundary.
None passes through. This is called total internal
reflection.
This physical property makes optical fibres useful and
prismatic binoculars possible. It is also what gives
diamonds their distinctive sparkle, as diamond has an
unusually high refractive index.
CRITICAL ANGLE
The critical angle is the angle of incidence above
which total internal reflection occurs. The angle of
incidence is measured with respect to the normal at
the refractive boundary (see diagram illustrating
Snell's law). Consider a light ray passing from glass
into air. The light emanating from the interface is
bent towards the glass. When the incident angle is
increased sufficiently, the transmitted angle (in air)
reaches 90 degrees. It is at this point no light is
transmitted into air. The critical angle is given by
Snell's law.
n1 sin θi=n2 sin θt
Rearranging Snell's Law, we get incidence
n2
sin θ = sin θ
i t
n1
To find the critical angle, we find the value for
θi
θt =90 ° sin θt =1
when and thus .The resulting
value of is equal to the critical angle θc
Now, we can solve for θi
, and we get the equation
for the critical angle:
( )
n2
θc =θ i=sin −1 n
1
If the incident ray is precisely at the critical angle,
the refracted ray is tangent to the boundary at the
point of incidence. If for example, visible light were
travelling through acrylic glass (with an index of
refraction of 1.50) into air (with an index of refraction
of 1.00), the calculation would give the critical angle
for light from acrylic into air, which is
1.00
θc =sin−1
(1.50 =41.8
)
PHASE SHIFT UPON TOTAL
INTERNAL REFLECTION
A lesser-known aspect of total internal reflection is
that the reflected light has an angle dependent
phase shift between the reflected and incident light.
Mathematically this means that the Fresnel reflection
coefficient becomes a complex rather than a real
number. This phase shift is polarization dependent
and grows as the incidence angle deviates further
from the critical angle toward grazing incidence.
The polarization dependent phase shift is long known
and was used by Fresnel to design the Fresnel rhomb
which allows transforming circular polarization to
linear polarization and vice versa for a wide range of
wavelengths (colours), in contrast to the quarter
wave plate. The polarization dependent phase shift is
also the reason why TE and TM guided modes have
different dispersion relations.
TOTAL INTERNAL
REFLECTION IN DIAMOND
From glass to air the critical angle is about 42o but it
varies from one medium to another. The material
that gives the smallest critical angle is diamond. That
is why they sparkle so much! Rays of light can easily
be made to 'bounce around inside them' by careful
cutting of the stone and the refraction at the
surfaces splits the light into a spectrum of colours!
Relatively speaking, the critical angle 24.4o for the
diamond-air boundary is extremely small. This
property of the diamond-air boundary plays an
important role in the brilliance of a diamond
gemstone. Having a small critical angle, light has the
tendency to become "trapped" inside of a diamond
once it enters. Most rays approach the diamond at
angles of incidence greater than the critical angle (as
it is so small) so a light ray will typically undergo TIR
several times before finally refracting out of the
diamond. This gives diamond a tendency to sparkle.
The effect can be enhanced by the cutting of a
diamond gemstone with a 'strategically' planned
shape. The diagram to the left depicts the total
internal reflection within a diamond gemstone with a
'strategic' and a 'non-strategic' cut.
APPLICATIONS OF TOTAL
INTERNAL REFLECTION
Total internal reflection is the operating principle of optical
fibres, which are used in endoscopes and
telecommunications.
Total internal reflection is the operating principle of
automotive rain sensors, which control automatic
windscreen/windshield wipers.
Another application of total internal reflection the spatial
filtering of light.
Prismatic binoculars use the principle of total internal
reflections to get a very clear image
Gonioscopy employs total internal reflection to view the
anatomical angle formed between the eye's cornea and
iris
.
Optical fingerprinting devices use frustrated total internal
reflection in order to record an image of a person's
fingerprint without the use of ink.
A Total internal reflection fluorescence microscope uses
the evanescent wave produced by TIR to excite
fluorophores close to a surface.
This is useful for the study of surface properties of
biological samples.
EXAMPLES IN
EVERYDAY LIFE
Total internal reflection can be observed while swimming,
when one opens one's eyes just under the water's
surface. If the water is calm, its surface appears mirror-
like.
One can demonstrate total internal reflection by filling a
sink or bath with water, taking a glass tumbler, and
placing it upside-down over the plug hole (with the
tumbler completely filled with water). While water
remains both in the upturned tumbler and in the sink
surrounding it, the plug hole and plug are visible since
the angle of refraction between glass and water is not
greater than the critical angle. If the drain is opened and
the tumbler is kept in position over the hole, the water in
the tumbler drains out leaving the glass filled with air,
and this then acts as the plug. Viewing this from above,
the tumbler now appears mirrored because light reflects
off the air/glass interface.
This is different phenomenon from reflection and
refraction. Reflection occurs when light goes back in
same medium. Refraction occurs when light travels from
different mediums. Here both are not happening. This is
due to both and a mixture of both.
Another common example of total internal reflection is a
critically cut diamond. This is what gives it maximum
spark
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Following Books were a source for my project :-
APC Laboratory Manual Physics for class XII
by [Link] & [Link].
NCERT Physics Textbook for class 12
Feynman Lectures on Physics
Robert Ehrlich, “Why toast lands jelly-side down:
Zen and the art of physics demonstrations”.
