Session-2022-23 (Odd Sem)
Assignment (Wave optics-Diffraction)
C4- Relate physical optics with its application in optical devices.
Conceptual Questions
1. What is diffraction? Why diffraction of sound is more evident in daily life than in light ?
2. A sharp razor blade is held vertically in a beam of white light diverging from a point
source. What kind of a pattern is observed on a screen placed behind the blade.
3. Distinguish between Fresnel and Fraunhofer class of diffraction.
4. State the essential condition for diffraction of light to occur. Why diffraction pattern
becomes invisible if slit is very wide.
5. What is the basic difference between interference and diffraction?
6. Colored spectrum is seen when we look through a muslin cloth, why?
7. Why optical diffraction grating cannot be employed to study the diffraction of X-rays.
8. Define the limit of resolution and resolving power of an optical instrument.
9. In diffraction pattern due to n slit for certain values of opaque space width (d) certain
interference maxima become absent. Why ?
10. How many maximum number of orders are obtained by grating ?
11. What is the effect of wavelength on the resolving power of an optical instrument?
12. Define grating and grating element ?
13. On what factors does dispersive power of diffraction grating depend?
14. Give any two differences between dispersive power and resolving power of a grating
15. What is Rayleigh’s criterion of resolution?
Numerical Problems:
1. A single slit of width 0.14mm is illuminated normally by monochromatic light and
diffraction bands are observed on a screen 2 m away. If the centre of second dark band is
1.6 cm from the middle of the central bright band , deduce the wavelength of
light.(5600A)
2. A plane transmission grating has 1500 lines per inch. Find the resolving power of the
grating and the smallest wavelength difference that can be resolved with a light of
wavelength 6000A in the second order (0.2A)
3. Can D1 and D2 lines of Na (sodium) light be resolved (for λD1 = 5890A, λ D2 = 5896A)
in second order. Number of lines in grating of 2.0cm wide = 4500. (yes).
4. In obtaining the diffraction of a single slit the focal length of the lens used is 100cm,
wavelength of light 4500A and width of slit 10-2 cm. Find the width of central maximum.
(= 0.9 cm)
5. A single slit is illuminated by light composed of two wavelengths λ1 and λ2 one
observes that due to fraunhofer diffraction , the first minima obtained for λ1 coincides with
the second diffraction minima of λ2 . What is the relation between λ1 and λ2. (λ2 = λ1/2)
6. In a double slit Fraunhofer diffraction pattern, the screen is placed 170cm away from
the slits. The width of the slits is 0.08mm and they are 0.4mm apart. Calculate the
wavelength of light if the fringe width is 0.25cm and missing order.
7. A diffraction grating used at normal incidence gives a yellow line λ=6000A0 in a
certain spectral order superimposed on blue line λ=4800A0 of next higher order. If the angle
of diffraction is sin-1(3/4), find grating element.
8. A diffraction grating is just able to resolve two lines of wavelength 5140.34A0 and
5140.85A0 in first order. Will it resolve the lines 8037.20A0 and 8037.50A0 in the second
order?
9. A plane transmission grating has 15000 lines to an inch over a length of 5 inches.
Find resolving power of grating in second order and smallest wavelength difference that can
be resolved for light of wavelength 6000A0.
Long Questions:
Long Answer Question-
1. Derive an expression for the intensity distribution due to Fraunhofer’s diffraction at a
single slit. Show that the intensity of the first subsidiary maximum is about 4.5% of that
of principal maximum.
2. Discuss Fraunhofer diffraction at a double slit. What is the effect of increasing the slit
width, slit separation and wavelength? Also explain missing orders.
3. Give the construction and theory of plane transmission grating and explain the formation
of spectra by it. Explain what are absent spectra in the grating?
4. Show that the angular width of a principal maxima in a plane transmission grating does
not depend upon the number of lines per unit length but it does depend on the total
number of lines present on the grating
5. What is diffraction grating? Derive an expression for dispersive power of grating and
explain it.
6. Explain Rayleigh criterion of resolution. Show that the intensity at the dip in the middle
of the pattern is 8/p^2 times the intensity at either maxima
7. What do you understand by the resolving power of a grating? Derive the necessary
expression.
8. Two spectral lines have wavelengths λ and λ+d λ respectively. Show that if d λ <<< λ,
their angular separation dθ in a grating spectrometer is given by:
9. A diffraction grating has a resolving power R=λ/Δλ = Nm. Show that the
corresponding frequency range Δν that can be just resolved is given by
