Physics

Project Report
On

“Total internal reflection”

Session: 2023-24

Under Supervision of Submitted by

Mr. Nishant Manchanda Bhavishya

Lecturer in Physics Class XII (Non-
Medical)
Roll No:

D.A.V. PUBLIC SCHOOL,

 KURUKSHETRA
CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project titled “TOTAL

INTERNAL REFLECTION”, has been undertaken by

Bhavishya, student of XII (Non-

Medical), Roll no.

This project has been carried out as a part of

Physics projects as prescribed by the Central Board of

Secondary Education. This work is done by candidate’s

own efforts.

Mr. Nishant Manchanda

(Lecturer in Physics)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my deep sense of gratitude to Mr.

Nishant Manchanda (Lecturer of Physics), for his

inspiration, valuable guidance and constant

encouragement in the completion of this report.

Without him it would have been an impossible task for

me. I have put my sincere effort to make this report

interesting. I have fully consulted all the available

books on this subject and I am thankful to esteemed

authors.

Bhavishya
Class- XII (Non-
Medical)
Roll No.
 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
 Total Internal Reflection using
a Soda Bottle{EXPERIMENT}
 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 θi= sinθ t
n1

To find the critical angle, we find the value for θ

i

when θ =90 ° and thus sin θ =1 .The resulting value of

t t

is equal to the critical angleθ . c

Now, we can solve for θ , and we get the equation for

i

the critical angle:

θc =θ i=sin
−1
( )
n2
n1
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

θc =sin−1 ( 1.1 .5000 )=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.
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 is
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
 Total Internal Reflection
using a Soda Bottle

Explanation
In this case, nair = 1.00 nwater = 1.33. Therefore:

In this demo light will continually reflect through the

stream of water creating total internal reflection (TIR).
The stream of water will 'carry' the light though, to the
end of the stream.
 Total Internal Reflection is the principle behind fiber
optics.

Materials
 empty soda pop bottle (2 liter)
 tape
 hand drill
 drill bits
 water
 green laser
 bucket
 old books, etc for stands

Procedure
 First set up the soda bottle by drilling a hole near the
bottom of the bottle. Begin with a drill bit that has a
diameter which is slightly larger than the diameter of
the laser that will be used. We used a 1/4 inch drill bit,
however sizes as small as 7/32 inch worked as well.
 First tape the hole and then fill the bottle with water.
The cap will prevent leaking because it creates a
vacuum in the bottle.
 Stand the soda bottle on top of a stack of books so the
hole is facing the bucket. The laser should be placed in
a binder clip so it stays on, and then set on a stack of
books and papers. The laser should be lined up so that
the laser light goes through the soda bottle, and into
the center of the hole. See for details.
 Carefully remove the tape and then unscrew the top of
the soda bottle. The light should reflect within the
stream of water so that you could see at least a few
points of reflection. The light should be visible through
the entire stream.
 If the reflections of the light aren’t clear, it may be
necessary to expand the hole by drilling through the
 existing hole with a larger drill bit. This process may
need to be repeated several times.

Notes
 This is an messy experiment. Be ready to adjust the
bucket which catches the stream of water.
 Also be aware that the stream's curvature will change
as the water level decreases. It will bend closer to the
bottle, and the bucket may need to be adjusted again.
When the water level is a little above the hole there
will be no total internal reflection although the stream
will continue. Place the cap back on, or put the bottle
inside of the bucket.
 Make sure to have lots of paper towels! Towels or
rags could be useful too. However, this mess is water,
and therefore easy to clean up.
 Some resources suggest putting a drop of food
coloring in the bottom of the bucket to match the
laser light, giving the appearance that the water has
permanently 'trapped' the colored light.