Interference and Diffraction
Lights Nature
Wave nature (electromagnetic wave) Particle nature (bundles of energy called photons)
Past- Separate Theories of Either Wave or Particle Nature
Corpuscular theory of Newton (1670) Light corpuscles have mass and travel at extremely high speeds in straight lines Huygens (1680) Wavelets-each point on a wavefront acts as a source for the next wavefront
Proofs of Wave Nature
Thomas Young's Double Slit Experiment (1807) bright (constructive) and dark (destructive) fringes seen on screen
Thin Film Interference Patterns
Poisson/Arago Spot (1820) Diffraction fringes seen within and around a small obstacle or through a narrow opening
Proof of Particle Nature: The Photoelectric Effect
Albert Einstein 1905 Light energy is quantized Photon is a quantum or packet of energy
The Photoelectric Effect
Heinrich Hertz first observed the photoelectric effect in 1887 Einstein explained it in 1905 and won the Nobel prize for this.
Thomas Youngs Double Slit Interference Experiment
Showed an interference pattern Measured the wavelength of the light
Two Waves Interfering
Youngs Double Slit Interference Pattern
[Link]
Interference of Waves From Two Sources
Simulation Ripple Tank [Link] egacy/college/halliday/0471320005/simula tions6e/[Link]?newwindow=true
Interference
Youngs Double Slit Interference [Link] /109N/more_stuff/flashlets/youngexpt [Link]
For Constructive Interference:
The waves must arrive to the point of study in phase. So their path difference must be integral multiples of the wavelength:
DL= nl n=0,1,2,3,
For destructive interference:
, the waves must arrive to the point of study out of phase. So the path difference must be an odd multiple of l/2:
DL= n l m=1/2,3/2,5/2,.
Typical Question
Where is the first location of constructive or destructive interference?
x=Ltanq
Fo Constructive Interference of Waves from Two Sources
sinq= DL/d
DL=nl
For small angles: Lsinq~Ltanq
d
q
q
L
dsinq=nl nl = dx L
n=0,1,2,3,
Double Slit Interference
dsinq=nl nl = dx L Constructive (brights) n=0,1,2,3,.. Destructive (darks) n=1/2, 3/2, 5/2,.. Note: To find maximum # of fringes set q to 90o for n.
Question
How does x change with wavelength? How does x change with slit distance?
Problem
Two slits are 0.05 m apart. A laser of wavelength 633nm is incident to the slits. A screen is placed 2m from the slits.
a) Calculate the position of the first and second bright fringe. b) What is the maximum number of destructive interference spots there can be on either side of the central maximum?
Diffraction Grating
[Link]
Diffraction Grating
Large number of equally spaced parallel slits. Equations are same as for double slit interference but first calculate the d (slit separation) from the grating density, N. d=1/N , N slits per unit length dsinq=nl nl = dx L Constructive (brights) n=0,1,2,3,.. Destructive (darks) n=1/2, 3/2, 5/2,..
Problem
A neon laser of wavelength 633nm is pointed at a diffraction grating of 3000lines/cm. Find the angle where the first bright occurs. (Hint: slit separation d is inverse of grating density)
Diffraction
Wave bends as it passes an obstacle.
Diffraction through a Narrow Slit
Each part of the slit acts as a point source that interferes with the others. (Based on Huygens Principle)
Pattern of Diffraction of Light through a Narrow Slit
w
L
Intensity of the Diffraction Interference Patterns
Simulation Interference of Light [Link] egacy/college/halliday/0471320005/simula tions6e/[Link]?newwindow=true
Diffraction from Narrow Slit
wsinq=nl l= nw y L w: is the width of the slit
Destructive (dark fringes): m=0,1,2,3,.
Questions
How does x change with the width? How does x change with the wavelength
Diffraction around a Penny and Poison Spot
Example of Diffraction
