PYN1101- Introduction to Diffraction

Ajoy Ghatak
 Diffraction Through a Tiny Hole / gratings
Important Points

• When light falls on obstacles or small apertures whose size is comparable with the wavelength of light, there is a
departure from straight lines propagation, the light bends round the corner of the obstacles or apertures and enters in the
geometrical shadow.
• This bending of light is called diffraction. Diffraction produces bright and dark fringes as diffraction bands or fringes.
• The correct interpretation of diffraction was given by Fresnel: The diffraction is due to mutual interference of secondary
wavelets originating from various points of the wavefronts which are not blocked off by the obstacle.
• Fresnel applied Huygen’s principle of secondary wavelets in conjunction with the principle of interference and
calculated the position of fringes.
• Huygens– Fresnel Principle: Every unobstructed point of a wavefront, at a given instant, serves as a source of spherical
secondary wavelets (with the same frequency as that of the primary wave). The amplitude of the optical field at any point
beyond is the superposition of all these wavelets.
• Diffraction effects are observed only when a portion of the wavefront is cut off by the obstacle.
 Types of Diffraction

Spherical/Cylindrical
wavefront Planar
wavefront

Source and screen :Finite distance Source and screen :Infinite distance

Near field Far field

 Diffraction Through a Tiny Hole / gratings
Fraunhofer Diffraction at single slit
What if we let the wave pass
through a tiny hole?
• what happens it diameter of
the hole is smaller than the
wavelength (a < 𝝀) ?

PY 1101 Laboratory:
The diffraction pattern is taken with a He-Ne laser and a narrow single slit
Will discuss in a while in coming slides
 Difference between Interference and Diffraction
Interference Diffraction
1 Takes place between two separate wavefronts The interaction takes place between secondary
originating from the two coherent sources wavelets originating from different points of the
exposed parts of the same wavefront
2 Regions of minimum intensity are usually Its not so in diffraction
almost perfectly dark
3 Widths of the fringes may or may not be equal Pattern fringe width of various fringes are never
equal
4 All maxima are of same intensity They are of varying intensity
 Fraunhofer Diffraction at single slit in detail

W’
WW’ is plane wavefront of monochromatic light
• Light of wavelength 𝜆 propagating normally to the slit (width, e).
• The diffracted light is focused by convex lens on screen, According to Huygen-Fresnel, every point of the
wavefront in plane of slit is source of secondary spherical wavelets.
• The secondary wavelets travelling normally to the slit, OP0, focused to P0 , P0 is a bright central image.
• The secondary wavelets travelling at an angle 𝜃 with the normal are focused at P1, minimum intensity
depending on the path difference between secondary waves originating from corresponding points of the
wavefront.
Let AC be the perpendicular at BR.
The path difference between A and B Condition for minima :
= BC= AB Sin 𝜃 e Sin 𝜃 = n 𝜆 ; n = ±1, ±2 … …
Path difference = e Sin 𝜃,
2𝜋
And phase difference = 𝜆 (path difference) Condition for maxima:
1
2𝜋 Path difference = (n+2) 𝜆; n= ±1, ±2……
= (e Sin 𝜃 )
𝜆
 Diffraction at single slit: Intensity distribution graph

Lets us consider that the width of the slit is divided into n equal parts and the amplitude of the
wave from each part is x.
1 1 2𝜋 𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
(total phase) = ( ) =d
𝑛 𝑛 𝜆
sin 𝑛𝑑/2
The resultant amplitude (from vector addition), R = x
sin 𝑑/2
𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
sin(𝜋 𝑒 𝜆 )
R=x 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
sin(𝜋 𝑒 𝑛𝜆 )
sin 𝛼 𝜋 𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
R=x here, 𝛼 =
sin 𝛼/𝑛 𝜆
sin 𝛼
R =x , 𝛼/n, is very small
𝛼/𝑛
sin 𝛼
R = nx
𝛼
sin 𝛼
R=A (here n tends to infinity, x tends to zero but nx = A remains finite)
𝛼

𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜶 𝟐
Intensity, I = R2 = A2
𝜶
 Diffraction at single slit: Intensity distribution graph
Principal/Central Maxima

𝜋 𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
𝛼=
𝜆

Ques: Calculate the angular separation between the first order

minima on the either side of central maximum when the slit is 6
X 10-4 cm. width and light illuminating it has a wavelength
6000 Å.
Here slit width is a
Ans: 2 𝜃 = 36o 52’
 Plane Diffraction grating (Diffraction at N parallel slits)

Transmission grating: Equidistant parallel lines on

transparent materials such as glass with fine diamond
point. The ruled lines are opaque while the space between
lines is transparent to light and acts as slits.

Plane/Concave reflection grating: When lines are drawn on

silver surface (plane or concave) the light is reflected from
the positions of mirrors in between any two lines

Let, e be the slit width and d be the width of opaque part:

(e+d) is called as grating element
An arrangement consisting of large number of parallel slits of
the same width and separated by equal opaque spaces is The intensity at P1 many be considered by Fraunhofer
known as diffraction grating. single slit diffraction,
For N slits the path difference will be (e+d) sin 𝜃.
sin 𝑛𝑑/2
Let, e be the slit width and d be the width of opaque part: The resultant amplitude, R = x here n=N and d= 2𝛽
sin 𝑑/2
(e+d) is called as grating element sin 𝛼
And x= A 𝛼
 Plane Diffraction grating (Diffraction at N parallel slits): Variation of intensity

Intensity Intensity distribution due

distribution due to to combine effect of all
single slit the slits
For principle maxima in a grating,
(e + d) Sin 𝜃 = ± n𝜆 ; n = 0, 1, 2 …
n = 0 corresponds to zero order maxima and 1,2,3 first, second, and third Secondary maxima: As there are (N-1)
maxima, respectively. minima between two adjacent principal
For Minima: maxima, there must be two (N-2) other
N (e + d) Sin 𝜃 = ± m𝜆 maxima between two principle maxima.
; m has all integral values except 0, N, 2N, nNm = 1,2,3 … . (N − 1) These are known as secondary maxima.
 Formation of multiple spectra with grating

For principle maxima in a grating,

(e + d) Sin 𝜃 = ± n λ
 Formation of multiple spectra with grating
Maximum Number of orders available with a grating

Only the first order is possible.

Note: Larger the width of the ruled surface (e + d), the smaller is the angular half width and sharper are the maxima.
 Determination of Wavelength

The diffraction grating can be used to measure the

wavelength of light.
The principle maxima for a diffraction grating is given by
(e + d) Sin 𝜃 = ± n λ

N(e+d) = 1’’= 2.54 cm

Or e+d = 2.54/N

The determination of wavelength involves the

measurements of angle of diffraction (𝜃) for a given
wavelength in a particular order n. The grating spectrum
of a given source of light is is obtained by the
spectrometer.
To determine the wave length of sodium light using a diffraction grating.

Procedure for adjustment of apparatus : refer to the lab manual.

Procedure for adjustment of apparatus and measurements of 𝜃 :

refer to the lab manual.
Question: How many orders will be visible if the wavelength of the incident radiation is 5000 Å and the number of the lines on
the grating is 2620 in one inch.
Ans: 19
Extra Slides
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