CHAPTER

22

Wave Optics
22 22.1
Interference
2. Double Slit
Interference

3. Diffraction

4. Polarization and
scattering

The wave nature of light is

needed to explain various
phenomena
Interferen
ce
Diffraction
Polarizatio
n
22.1

Interferen
ce
22.1 Interference
Chapter 21:
Geometrical optics
Although light is a wave, we can often neglect
its wave properties and consider that light
generally travels in straight lines called rays.
This is the approximation of, and it is valid when
we consider only light’s interactions with objects
much larger than its wavelength.

Chapter 22:
Wave optics
Objects are comparable to the dimension of the
wavelength
PHY 305
Ch 21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
R5EdLv3NS7Y
Ch 22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
8NoLUrcG7J4
22.1 Interference
 Light waves interfere with each other
much like mechanical waves do.

 The sources must be coherent (They must

maintain a constant phase with respect to
each other -The waves must have identical
wavelengths)

PHY 305
22.1 Interference

Constructive interference occurs when the phase difference

between the waves is a multiple of 2π, whereas destructive
interference occurs when the difference is an odd multiple of π.

PHY 305
22.2 Double Slit Interference
 Thomas Young first demonstrated interference in light waves from two
sources in
1801
 Light is incident on a screen with a narrow slit
 The light waves emerging from this slit arrive at a second screen that
contains two
narrow, parallel slits, S1 and S2

The narrow slits, S1 and S2 act as sources of waves

The waves emerging from the slits originate from the same wave front and
therefore are always in phase
The phase
difference
between two
waves can change
if the waves travel
paths of different
lengths
The waves emerging
from the slits are in
phase.

PHY 305
22.2 Double Slit
Interference
The light from the two slits form a visible pattern on a screen
The pattern consists of a series of bright and dark parallel bands
called fringes
Constructive interference occurs where a bright fringe appears
Destructive interference results in a dark fringe

This is how it
would look
like

The bright
areas
represent
constructi
ve
interferen
ce

The dark
areas
represent
PHY 305 destructiv
Light is usually thought of as wave-like in nature and electrons as particle-like. In
which one of the following instances does light behave as a particle or does an
electron behave as a wave?
A) A Young's double slit experiment is conducted using blue light.
B) X-rays are used to examine the crystal structure of sodium chloride.
C) Water is heated to 99.0 oC in a microwave oven.
D) An electron enters a parallel plate capacitor, which deflects the electron
downward.
E) A beam of electrons is diffracted as it passes through a narrow slit.
Which one of the following statements best explains why interference patterns are not
usually observed for light from two ordinary light bulbs?
A) Diffraction effects predominate.
B) The two sources are out of phase.
C) The two sources are not coherent.
D) The interference pattern is too small to observe.
E) Light from ordinary light bulbs is not polarized.
22.2 Double Slit Interference

Interference
Patterns
 Constructive
interference occurs at
the center point
 The two waves travel
the
same distance
 Therefore, they
arrive in phase

PHY 305
22.2 Double Slit Interference

Interference
Patterns
 The upper wave has to
travel
farther than the lower
wave
 The upper wave travels
one wavelength farther,
therefore, the waves
arrive in phase
 A bright fringe occurs

PHY 305
22.2 Double Slit Interference

Interference
Patterns
 The upper wave
travels one-half of a
wavelength farther
than the lower wave
 The trough of the
bottom wave
overlaps the crest
of the upper wave
 This is
destructive
interference
 A dark fringe
occurs
PHY 305
Two identical light waves, A and B, are emitted from different sources and meet at a point P.
The distance from the source of A to the point P is LA; and the source of B is a distance LB
from P. Which one of the following statements is necessarily true concerning the
interference of the two waves?
A) A and B will interfere constructively because their amplitudes are the same.
B) A and B will interfere constructively if L A = LB.
C) A and B will interfere destructively if L A – LB = ml where m = 0, 1, 2, 3, ...
D) A and B will interfere destructively if L A is not equal to LB.
E) A and B will interfere constructively because their wavelengths are the same.
22.2 Double Slit
Interference
Interference
Equations

PHY 305
22.2 Double Slit Interference
 The path difference, δr, is found from the yellow
triangle
 δr = r2 – r1 = d sin θ
• This assumes the paths are parallel
• Not exactly parallel, but a very good approximation since L
is much
greater than d

PHY 305
22.2 Double Slit Interference

 For a bright fringe, produced by

constructive interference, the path
difference must be either zero or some
integer multiple of the wavelength

δr = d sin θbright = n λ
n = 0, ±1, ±2, …
n is called the order number

When n = 0, it is the zeroth order

maximum When n = ±1, it is called
the first order fringes

PHY 305
The figure shows the interference pattern produced when light of wavelength 500 nm is incident on two slits. Fringe A is equally
distant from each slit. By what distance is fringe B closer to one slit than the other?

A) 250 nm
B) 500 nm
C) 750 nm
D) 1000 nm
E) 1500 nm
 The figure shows the interference pattern obtained in a double-slit experiment using light of wavelength 600 nm.
v
15. Which fringe is the same distance from both slits?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) E

16. Which fringe is the third order maximum?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
F) E

17. Which fringe is 600 nm closer to one slit than to the other?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
G) E

18. Which fringe results from a phase difference of 4π?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) E
22.2 Double Slit Interference

 When destructive interference occurs, a dark

fringe is observed
 This needs a path difference of an
odd half wavelength
δr = d sin θdark = (n + ½) λ
n = 0, ±1, ±2, …

δr = d sin θdark = n 𝝀�
n �
odd

PHY 305
22.2 Double Slit Interference
 The positions of
the fringes can
be measured
vertically from
the zeroth
order maximum
 Approximation:
θ is small and
therefore the
approximation
tan θ  sin θ
can be used

y = L tan θ  L
sin θ
Assumptions
L>>d & d>>λ
PHY 305
A double slit is illuminated with monochromatic light of wavelength 6.11 × 10 2 nm.
The m = 0 and m = 1 bright fringes are separated by 1.8 cm on a screen which is
located 3.5 m from the slits. What is the separation between the slits?
A) 4.0 × 10–5 m
B) 8.0 × 10–5 m
C) 1.2 × 10–4 m
D) 1.6 × 10–4 m
E) 2.4 × 10–4 m
In a double slit experiment, the distance between the slits is 3 mm and
the slits are 2 m away from the screen. Two interference patterns can be
seen on the screen one due to light with wavelength 480 nm, and the
other due to light with wavelength 600 nm. What is the separation on the
screen between the fifth order bright fringes of the two interference
patterns?
Single wave Overlapping waves
(interference)
22.3

Diffracti
on
Ch 22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
8NoLUrcG7J4
Bending of light through barriers and openings (Diffraction)
22.3 Diffraction
 Huygen’s principle requires that the
waves spread out after they pass
through slits. This spreading out of
light from its initial line of travel is
called diffraction.

 In general, diffraction occurs when

waves pass through small openings,
around obstacles or by sharp edges
A single slit placed between a distant
light source and a screen produces a
-diffraction pattern:
It will have a broad, intense
central Diffraction is the
band bending of waves as
- The central band will be flanked they pass by an
obstacle
by a series of narrower, less
intense secondary bands called
secondary maxima
- The central band will also be
flanked by a series of dark bands
PHY 305
(minima)
Light diffracts through a very thin
opening in the door. Otherwise,
diffraction is insignificant. You
should see a single band of light
passing through.
22.3 Diffraction
This idea that each point on a wavefront acts like a source of
circular waves is
Huygens principle, after the Dutch physicist Christian Huygens (1629
1695).

Large Small
gap gap

 Huygen’s principle requires that the waves

spread out after they pass through slits. This
spreading out of light from its initial line of
travel is called diffraction.
PHY 305
22.3 Diffraction

Diffraction occurs at the object’s edges, and if the

object is comparable in size to the wavelength,
diffraction fills in the region behind the object.
 If the object is much larger, there is a shadow behind
the object, where waves can’t penetrate.
As a consequence, it s impossible to image objects whose size
is significantly less than the wavelength of the light being used.

PHY 305
22.3 Diffraction

PHY 305
22.3 Diffraction

Diffraction is essential in two-slit

interference, since diffraction at
each slit results in the interfering
circular wavefronts.

In fact, two-slit interference is

sometimes called two-slit
diffraction.

Interference also arises with

multiple slits, and here the term
diffraction is generally used.

PHY 305
22.3 Diffraction Grating
 The diffracting
grating consists of
many equally spaced
parallel slits
 A typical grating
contains several
thousand lines per
centimeter
 The intensity of the
pattern on the screen is
the result of the
combined effects of
interference and
diffraction
The condition for maxima
is
d sin θbright = n λ
n = 0, 1, 2, …
If the incident radiation contains several
wavelengths,
PHY 305 each wavelength deviates
Having multiple slits, gives more
clear patterns, with the same
equation for constructive
interference.
22.3 Diffraction Grating

PHY 305
22.3 Reflection Grating
The gratings we have described are
transmission gratings, because light goes
through them.

Reflection gratings are similar, but consist

of a shiny surface ruled with parallel lines.
You have probably noticed colors when
light reflects from the underside of a CD or
DVD, as shown in the photo. That is a
result of diffraction from the closely spaced
tracks about 1 μm apart that store
information on the disk.

PHY 305
22.3 Single-slit Diffraction
According to Huygen’s principle, each portion of the slit
acts as a
source of waves
The light from one portion of the slit can interfere with
light from another portion

d~λ

PHY 305
A monochromatic beam of microwaves with a wavelength of 0.052 m is directed at
a rectangular opening of width 0.35 m. The resulting diffraction pattern is
measured along a wall 8.0 m from the opening. What is the distance between the
first- and second-order dark fringes?
A) 1.3 m
B) 1.8 m
C) 2.1 m
D) 2.5 m
E) 3.7 m
22.3 Single-slit Diffraction
Diffraction pattern produced by a circular aperture
(eyes,
telescopes, microscopes, … )

In circular geometry, the angular position of the first order

dark ring for diffraction through a circular aperture of
diameter D is given by:
sinθ = 1.22 λ/D
PHY 305
22.3
Diffraction ‘smears out’ light that enters
Diffraction
your eyes, telescopes, microscopes,
limiting your ability to form clear images,
and resolve closely spaced objects.
The minimum angular separation between
two objects that can be resolved through
an aperture of diameter D is:

θ sin θ
We can just barely resolve two light
sources if the peak of one central
maximum lies on the first minimum of the
other.

Since that angle is the separation

between the central maximum and the
first-order dark fringe, it is also the
minimum angular separation between
two objects that can be resolved through
an aperture of diameter D
PHY 305
22.3 Diffraction

PHY 305
22.3 Good to know ! (General Knowledge)
Diffraction

PHY 305
22.4

Polarization of
light
23.4 Polarization of light
 All directions of the
electric field vector
are equally possible
and lie in a plane
perpendicular to the
direction of
propagation
 This is an
unpolarized wave

Since the two fields are always perpendicular, it s sufficient to mention only the
electric field when discussing polarization.

PHY 305
23.4 Polarization of light

• A wave is said to be linearly

polarized if the resultant electric
field vibrates in the same
direction at all times at a
particular point
• Polarization can be obtained
from an unpolarized beam by
– Selective absorption
– Reflection
– Scattering

PHY 305
23.4 Polarization of light

Polarization filter
• A polarizing filter contains long organic polymers
oriented
linearly.
• These molecules block electric field component that
are parallel to their long dimensions and transmit
only component of E perpendicular to fibers.

PHY 305
23.4 Polarization of
•light
Polarization limits the electric field of the
electromagnetic wave to a single axis.
• Thus, horizontally oriented molecules transmit only
vertically
polarized light and vice versa.
• Nomenclature:

- Horizontal polarizer passes horizontally polarized light

- Veritcal polarizer passes vertically polarized light

PHY 305
PHY 305
 Scatterin
g
Why does the sky look
blue?
Our eyes are more sensitive to blue

During day less scattering occurs, because light is

coming perpendicular to earth, hence at minimal
distance.
thus blue passes through the atmosphere.

At sunsets, light travels longer distances and scatters

more, blue scatters more than red, and red reaches
more to earth. Hence sunsets appear red

PHY 305
 Scattering
Why does the sky look blue?

PHY 305
 Why does the ocean look
blue?
It’s not the sky that makes open water appear blue. It’s once again due
to how different wavelengths of light interact with different substances.
Water molecules are good at absorbing longer wavelengths of light, so
when sunlight hits the water the reds and oranges get absorbed.
The shorter wavelength blue light is absorbed very little and much of it
is reflected back to our eyes. It’s possible to see hues of green and
sometimes other colours in the water, but that’s due to sunlight
bouncing off other particles or sediments within it.