PHENOMENON OF DIFFRACTIONContents . Introduction . Diffraction . Diffraction patterns . Single slit diffraction . Single slit interference . Diffraction GratingINTRODUCTIO The phenomenon of diffraction was first documented in 1665 by the Italian Francesco Maria Grimaldi. The laser's ability to produce a narrow beam of coherent monochromatic radiation in the visible light range makes it ideal for use in diffraction experiments. The diffracted light forms a clear pattern. As light, or any wave, passes a barrier, the waveform is distorted at the boundary edge. If the wave passes through a gap, more obvious distortion can be seen. As the gap width approaches the wavelength of the wave, the distortion becomes even more obvious. This process is known as diffraction. If the diffracted light is projected onto a screen some distance away, then interference between the light waves create a distinctive pattern (the diffraction pattern) on the screen. The nature of the diffraction pattern depends on the nature of the gap (or mask) which diffracts the original light wave. The symmetry of the pattern can reveal useful information on the symmetry of the mask. In conventional image formation, a lens focuses the diffracted waves into animage. Since the individual sections (spots) of the diffraction pattern each contain information, by forming an image from only particular parts of the diffraction pattern, the resulting image can be used to enhance particular is used in bright and dark field imaging.DIFFRACTION WHAT IS DIFFRACTION ? When parallel waves of light are obstructed by a very small object (i.e.sharp edg slit, wire, etc.), the waves spread around the edges of the obstruction and interfere, resulting in a pattern of dark and light fringes. WHAT DOES DIFFRACTION LOOK LIKE ? When light diffracts off of the edge of an object, it creates a patternof light referred to as a diffraction pattern. If a monochromatic light source, such as a laser, is used to observe diffraction, below are some examples of diffraction patterns that are created by certain objects. A diffraction pattern of a red laserFORMULA OF DIFFRACTION tang = D tan@~sin@=O=> 5 Condition tor minimum asin@ =mA mAD ye a dsin@=na d = distance between slits @ = diffraction angle n= order number for the maximum A = wavelength e In Classical Physics, the diffraction phenomenon is described by HUYGENS — FRESNEL principle that treats each point in a propagating wavefront as a collection of individual spherical wavelets.e The characteristic bending pattern is most pronounced when a wave from a coherent source (such as Laser) encounters a slit / aperture that is comparable in size to its wavelength. (as shown in the inserted ii ge). © — This is due to the addition or interference of different points on the wavefront that travel by paths of different lengths to the registering surface.© However if there are multiple closely spaced openings, a complex pattern of varying intensity can result. © = These effects so occur when a light wave travels through a medium with varying acoustic impedance - all waves diffract, including gravitational waves, water waves and other electromagnetic waves such as X — rays and radio waves. © Furthermore, quantum mechanics also demonstrates that matter pos: s wave like properties and hence undergoes diffraction (which is measurable at subatomic to molecular levels). AN NK} NK NAA } i NN ih HHH HW yi H Hy I] ZAM oy) Sketch of Two- Slit diffraction for water waves by Thomas YoungDIFFRACTION PATTERN; OBJECT DIFFRACTION PATTERN ‘© Sharp edge (ie. razor blade) 7 Shap edge - « Slit * Wire © Circular holeMECHANISM In classical physics diffraction arises because of the way in which waves propagate; this is described by the Huygens — Fresnel principle and the principle of superposition of waves. The propagation of a wave can be visualized by considering every particle of the transmitted medium on a wavefront as a point source for a secondary spherical wave. The wave displacement at any subsequent point is the sum of these secondary waves, When waves are added together, their sum is determined by the relative phases as well as the amplitudes of the individual waves so that the summed amplitude of the waves can have any value between zero and the sum of the individual amplitudes. Hence, diffraction patterns usually have a series of maxima and minima.SINGLE SLIT DIFFRACTION In our consideration of the Young’s double-slit experiments, we have assumed the width of the slits to be so small that each slit is a point source. In this section we shall take the width of slit to be finite and see how Fraunhofer diffraction arises. Let a source of monochromatic light be incident on a slit of finite width a, as shown in Figure 1 ory We eee tre In diffraction of Fraunhofer type, all rays passing through the slit are approximately parallel. In addition, each portion of the slit will act as a source of light waves according to Huygens’s principle. For simplicity we divide the slit into two halves. At the first minimum, each ray from the upper half will be exactly 180 out of phase with a corresponding ray form the lower half. For example,suppose there are 100 point sources, with the first 50 in the lower half, and 51 to 100 in theupper half. Source 1 and source 51 are separated by a distance and are out of phasewith a path difference °a/26=2/2. Similar observation applies to source 2 and source 52, as well as any pair that are a distance a / 2 apart. Thus, the condition for the first minimum is $sing=4 (14.5.1) Applying the same reasoning to the wavefronts from four equally spaced points a distance a / 4 apart, the path difference would be 6 = a sin0 / 4 , and the condition for destructive interference is sing = 24 (14.5.3) @ The argument can be generalized to show that destructive interference will occur when jasind=mA, m=+l, +2, +3, ... (destructive interference)| (14.5.4) Figure 2 illustrates the intensity distribution for a single-slit diffraction. Note that 0 = 0 is a maximum.sina 2A/la Ala -Ala -2ala sind=— (14.5.2) By comparing Eq. (14.5.4) with Eq. (14.2.5), we see that the condition for minima of a single-slit diffraction becomes the condition for maxima of a double-slitinterference when the width of a single slit ‘a’ is replaced by the separation between the two slits d. The reason is that in the double-slit c: the are taken to be so small that each one is considered as a single light source, and the interference of waves originating within the same slit can be neglected. On the other hand, the minimum condition for the single- slit diffraction is obtained precisely by taking consideration the interference of waves that originate within the same slit.SINGLE SLIT INTERFERENC How do we determine the intensity distribution for the pattern produced by asingle-slit diffraction? To calculate this, we must find the total electric field by adding the field contributions from each point. Let’s divide the single slit into N small zones each of width Ay a =/N , as shown in Figure 14.6.1. The convex lens is used to bring parallel light rays to a focal point P on the screen. We shall assume that Ay << 2 so that all the light from a given zone is in phase, Two adjacent zones have a relative path length 6 = Ay sin 0. The relative phaseshift AB is given by the ratio Ap _ 5 _Aysind 14.6.1 ae aia ‘ y i Suppose the wavefront from the first point (counting from the top) arrives atthe point P on the screen with an electric field given by E,=E,ysinax (14.6.2)The electric field from point 2 adjacent to point 1 will have a phase shift Ap ,and the field is E,=E,sin(or+Ap) (1463)Examples of Diffra¢ © The effects of diffraction are often seen in everyday life. The most striking examples of diffraction are those that involve light; like the closely spaced tracks on a CD or DVD act as a diffraction grating to form the familiar rainbow pattern seen when looking at a disc. © Diffraction in the atmosphere by small particles can cause a bright ring to be visible around a bright light source like the sun or the moon. © Diffraction can occur with any kind of wave. Ocean waves diffract around any obstacle. © Sound waves can diffract around objects, which is why one can still hear someone calling even when hiding behind a tree. © Diffraction also sets a fundamental limit to the resolution of a camera, telescope or microscope. — Circular waves generated by diffraction from narrow entrance of a flooded coastal quarrymore intense as N is increased. The width of the maxima can be shown to be inversely proportional to N. In Figure 14.8.2, we show the intensity distribution as afunction of / 2 for diffraction grating with N =10 and N=30. Notice that the principal maxima become sharper and narrower as N increases. The observation can be explained as follows: suppose an angle 0 (recall that B= 2 xa sin 0 / 2 ) which initially gives a principal maximum is increased slightly, if there were only two slits, then the two waves will still be nearly in phase and produce maxima which are broad. However, in grating with a large number of slits, even though 0 may only be slightly deviated from the value that produces a maximum, it could be exactly out of phase with light wave from another slit far away. Since grating produces peaks that are much sharper than the two- slit system, it gives a more precise measurement of the wavelength.BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. www.google.com 2. En.m.wikipedia.org 3. Neert text book {CLASS 12} 4. Study Materials 5. Reference Books {PHYSICS} THANK YOU