The Wave Nature of Light - Sections 24.4 - 24.6
The Wave Nature of Light - Sections 24.4 - 24.6 The Wave Nature of Light - Sections 24.4 - 24.6
Announcements Review Diffraction by a Single Slit Final QuestionsSingle-slit diffractionPreviously we saw what happens when monochromatic light from a distant source passes through twonarrow slits (an interference pattern is formed)Now we will examine what happens when monochromatic light from a distant source passes through onenarrow slitRemarkably, the diffraction pattern formed on a viewing screen consists of a very bright central maximumand a number of narrower and less bright secondary maxima to both sidesThis pattern would be total unexpected in geometrical opticsKeep in mind that the diffraction of light is not limited to situations of light passing through a narrowopening; it also occurs when light passes an edgeThe Wave Nature of Light
Announcements Review Diffraction by a Single Slit Final QuestionsSingle-slit diffraction: locating the minimaWe will now examine how coherent, monochromatic light is diffracted by a single narrow slit of width aWhen the diffracted light reaches the viewing screen, waves from different points within the slit undergointerference and produce a diffraction pattern of bright and dark fringesThe single-slit experiment is more mathematically challenging than the double-slit experiment; as a result,we will find equations for the dark fringes onlyTo find the dark fringes, we will pair up all of the rays coming through the slit in a clever way, and thendetermine what conditions cause each pair to cancel each otherUsing this procedure, we find that the condition for minima (dark fringes) isasinθ = mλ m = 1,2,3,...In other words, in a single-slit diffraction experiment, dark fringes are produces when the path lengthdifferences (asinθ) between the top and bottom rays are positive integer multiples of λThis result may seem counterintuitive, because the waves of those two particles rays will be exactly inphase with each otherHowever, the result holds, because each of these rays will be part of a pair of waves that are exactly out ofphase with each otherThe Wave Nature of Light
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Announcements Review Diffraction by a Single Slit Final QuestionsSingle-slit diffraction: locating the minimaWe will now examine how coherent, monochromatic light is diffracted by a single narrow slit <strong>of</strong> width aWhen the diffracted light reaches the viewing screen, waves from different points within the slit undergointerference and produce a diffraction pattern <strong>of</strong> bright and dark fringes<strong>The</strong> single-slit experiment is more mathematically challenging than the double-slit experiment; as a result,we will find equations for the dark fringes onlyTo find the dark fringes, we will pair up all <strong>of</strong> the rays coming through the slit in a clever way, and thendetermine what conditions cause each pair to cancel each otherUsing this procedure, we find that the condition for minima (dark fringes) isasinθ = mλ m = 1,2,3,...In other words, in a single-slit diffraction experiment, dark fringes are produces when the path lengthdifferences (asinθ) between the top and bottom rays are positive integer multiples <strong>of</strong> λThis result may seem counterintuitive, because the waves <strong>of</strong> those two particles rays will be exactly inphase with each otherHowever, the result holds, because each <strong>of</strong> these rays will be part <strong>of</strong> a pair <strong>of</strong> waves that are exactly out <strong>of</strong>phase with each other<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wave</strong> <strong>Nature</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Light</strong>
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