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G12 STS Interference and Diffraction

The document discusses diffraction and diffraction gratings. Diffraction is the bending of waves around obstacles or through openings. A diffraction grating consists of a series of slits or lines that produce an interference pattern of bright and dark fringes when illuminated by light. The spacing of the fringes follows the diffraction grating equation and can be used to determine characteristics of the grating such as slit spacing. Diffraction gratings are commonly found in nature in structures like butterfly wings and beetle shells that produce iridescent colors through diffraction.

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28 views17 pages

G12 STS Interference and Diffraction

The document discusses diffraction and diffraction gratings. Diffraction is the bending of waves around obstacles or through openings. A diffraction grating consists of a series of slits or lines that produce an interference pattern of bright and dark fringes when illuminated by light. The spacing of the fringes follows the diffraction grating equation and can be used to determine characteristics of the grating such as slit spacing. Diffraction gratings are commonly found in nature in structures like butterfly wings and beetle shells that produce iridescent colors through diffraction.

Uploaded by

aliahmed201026
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Diffraction

Diffraction as wave bending around


obstructions.
The bending of a wave around a barrier or through an
opening is known as diffraction.

A common result
of diffraction is the
ability to hear a
person talking
even when the
person is out of
sight around a
corner.
© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
Single-Slit Experiment

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.


Determine the width of the central bright
band (2x1), as in the following equation

The distance of the first dark band from the central bright band is
x1

The width of the central bright band is given by 2x1


Single slit experiment :

• Thus, the first dark fringe


W sin θ = λ
• second dark fringe occurs at the angle given by
W sin θ = 2λ
The conditions for dark fringes in a single slit of
width W

𝑊 sin 𝜃=𝑚𝜆

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.


© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
Single slit and Double slit :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D8cPrEAGyc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjvYVCUfkcg

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.


Diffraction Gratings

• The interference
pattern formed by a
diffraction grating
consists of a series of
sharp, widely spaced
bright fringes called
principal maxima,
separated by relatively
dark regions, which
contain a number of
secondary maxima.

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.


Diffraction Gratings

• Such a pattern is shown in the figure below for


the case of five slits. As the number of slits
becomes larger, the principal maxima become
brighter, and the secondary maxima become
insignificant.

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.


Diffraction Gratings

• As before, constructive interference (and hence


principle maxima) occurs when the path-length
difference is an integer number of wavelengths,
mλ.
• That is,
path-length difference = integer x wavelength
d sin θ = mλ m = 0, ±1, ±2,…
Diffraction Gratings

• The following example illustrates how the diffraction


grating equation may be applied to find the slit spacing.

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.


© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
The interference pattern formed by a diffraction grating consists of a
series of sharp, widely spaced, strong fringes of bright light called
principal maxima, separated by relatively dark regions, which contain a
number of weak secondary maxima.
Diffraction Gratings

• When a laser beam shines on a CD, a number


of reflected beams are observed. The most
intense of these is the specular beam, whose
angle of reflection is equal to its angle of
incidence—the same as if the CD were a mirror.

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.


Diffraction Gratings

• Diffraction gratings are common in nature. Bird


feathers and butterfly wings are examples.
• The figure below shows the beautiful wing of a
blue morpho butterfly.

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.


Diffraction Gratings

• A microscopic examination of a butterfly wing shows that


it is covered by thousands of tiny tiles, like shingles on a
roof, as shown in the following figure.

• Each of these tiles has a series of closely spaced ridges.


These ridges act just like the lines on a CD, producing
reflected light of different colors in different directions.
© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
Diffraction Gratings

• Coloration that is produced by the interference of light is


referred to as iridescence. In fact, many colors seen in
nature are produced by iridescence rather than by
pigments.
• Feathers, seashells, and insects—such as the beetle in
shown in the figure below—often exhibit iridescence.

• The next time you examine an iridescent object, notice


how its color changes as you change your viewing angle.
This is a key feature of iridescence.
© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

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