Superposition of

waves
Superposition of waves
Superposition of waves is the common conceptual basis
for some optical phenomena such as:
Polarization
Interference
Diffraction
What happens when two or more waves overlap in some
region of space.
How the specific properties of each wave affects the
ultimate form of the composite disturbance?
Can we recover the ingredients of a complex
disturbance?
Linearity and superposition
principle
∂ 2ψ (r , t ) 1 ∂ 2ψ (r , t )
The scaler 3D wave equation = 2 is a linear
∂r 2
V ∂t 2

differential equation (all derivatives apper in first power). So any

n
linear combination of its solutions ψ (r , t ) = Ciψ i (r , t ) is a solution.
i =1

Superposition principle: resultant disturbance at any point in a

medium is the algebraic sum of the separate constituent waves.
We focus only on linear systems and scalar functions for now.
At high intensity limits most systems are nonlinear.
Example: power of a typical focused laser beam=~1010 V/cm
compared to sun light on earth ~10 V/cm. Electric field of the
laser beam triggers nonlinear phenomena.
 Superposition of two waves
Two light rays with same frequency meet at point p traveled by x1 and x 2
E1 = E01 sin [ωt − (kx1 + ε1 ) ] = E01 sin [ωt + α1 ]
E2 = E02 sin [ωt − (kx2 + ε 2 )] = E02 sin [ωt + α 2 ]
Where α1 = −(kx1 + ε1 ) and α 2 = −(kx2 + ε 2 )
Magnitude of the composite wave is sum of the magnitudes at a point in
space & time or: E = E1 + E2 = E0 sin (ωt + α ) where
E01 sin α1 + E02 sin α 2
E02 = E012 + E022 + 2 E01 E02 cos(α 2 − α1 ) and tan α =
E01 cos α1 + E02 cos α 2
The resulting wave has same frequency but different amplitude and phase.
2 E01 E02 cos(α 2 − α1 ) is the interference term
δ ≡ α 2 − α1 is the phase difference.
Phase difference and interference
2π
δ ≡ α 2 − α1 = (kx1 + ε1 ) − (kx2 + ε 2 ) = ( x1 − x2 ) + (ε1 − ε 2 ) = δ1 + δ 2
λ
Total phase difference between the two waves has two different origins.
a) δ 2 = ( ε1 − ε 2 ) phase difference due to the initial phase of the waves.
Waves with constant initial phase difference are said to be coherent.
2π
b) δ1 = n( x1 − x2 ) = k0 Λ is pahse difference due to the Optical Path
λ0
Difference or OPD ≡ Λ = n ( x1 − x2 )
Waves in-phase: δ ≡ α 2 − α1 = 0, ±2π , ±4π ,... then E0 is mximum
Waves out of phase: δ ≡ α 2 − α1 = ±π , ±3π ,... then E0 is minimum
Waves in-phase interfere constructively E = Emax = ( E01 + E02 ) 2
Waves out of phase interfere destructively E = Emin = ( E01 − E02 ) 2
If E01 = E02 then Emax = (2 E01 ) 2 and Emin = 0
Λ x1 − x2
= is the number of waves in the medium
λ0 λ
 Addition of Two waves with same
3
frequency Superposition of two waves
Superposition of two waves
2

2 1.5

1
1
0.5
Amplitude

Amplitude
0 0

-0.5
-1

-1

-2
-1.5

-3 -2
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Distance -6 Distance -6
x 10 x 10
Superposition of two waves Superposition of two waves
2 1

0.8
1.5
0.6
1
0.4

0.5 0.2
Amplitude
Amplitude

0
0

-0.2
-0.5
-0.4
-1
-0.6

-1.5 -0.8

-1
-2 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 Distance -6
Distance -6 x 10
x 10
 Two waves with path difference
For two waves with no initial phase difference (ε1 = ε 2 = 0) but
a path difference of ∆x we have:
E1 = E01 sin (ωt − k ( x + ∆x) ) = E01 sin [ωt + α1 ]
E2 = E02 sin (ωt − kx ) = E02 sin [ωt + α 2 ]
α 2 − α1 = k ∆x
Amplitude is a function of path difference
The resulting wave is
k ∆x ∆x
E = 2 E0 cos sin ωt − k x +
2 2
Constructive interference: if ∆x << λ, or ∆x/λ ≈ ±2m then the
resulting amplitude is ~2 E0
Destructive interference: ∆x ≈ ± mλ / 2 then E ≈ 0
Exercise
RV2-1) Plot E1, E2 , E1+E2 , and (E1+E2 )2 for the following two
sinusoidal waves for 0 < x < 5λ with λ = 500 nm:
E1=E01 sin(ωt − (kx + ε1 )) and E2 =E02 sin(ωt − (kx + ε 2 ))
a) same frequency, E01=E02 =2, zero initial phase, both forward.
b) same frequency, E01=E02 =2, ε1 = 0, ε 2 = π , both forward.
c) same frequency, E01=E02 =2, ε 1 = 0, ε 2 = π / 2, both forward.
d) same frequency, E01=E02 =2, ε 1 = 0, ε 2 = π , E1 forward, E2
backward.
e) same frequency, E02 =2E01=2, ε 1 = 0, ε 2 = 0, both forward.
f) same frequency, E02 =2E01=2, ε 1 = 0, ε 2 = π , both forward.
g) Compare the results of direct superposition with the formula
derived in text for case a (slide 4). (Notice the difference
between a tan and a tan 2 functions in MATLAB
Phasors and complex number
representation
Each harmonic function is shown as a rotating vector
(phasor)
projection of the phasor on the x axis is the
instantaneous value of the function,
length of the phasor is the maximum amplitude
angle of the phasor with the positive x direction is the
phase of the wave. y

E0
i (ωt +α ) E(t)=E0 sin(ωt+α1)
E = E0 e
α1

ωt
x
E(t)=E0 cos(ωt+α1)
 Superposition using phasors
E1 (t ) = E cos(ωt + φ ) E2 (t ) = E cos(ωt )
E p = E1 + E2 a vector sum of E1 and E2
Magntude of E p (from triangonomety)
E 2p = E 2 + E 2 − 2 E 2 cos(π − φ )
E p2 = E 2 + E 2 + 2 E 2 cos φ
Using 1+cosφ =2cos 2 (φ / 2)
E p2 = 2 E 2 (1 + cos φ ) = 4 E 2 cos 2 (φ / 2)
Amplitude of two wave interference ωt
independent of time:
φ
E p = 2 E cos
2
Superposition of many waves
Superposition of any number of coherent harmonic waves with a
given frequency, ω and traveling in the same direction leads to a
harmonic wave of that same frequency.
N
E= E0i cos(α i ± ωt ) = E0 cos(α ± ωt )
i =1
N

n N N
E0i sin α i
E02 = E02i + 2 E0i E0 j cos(α i − α j ) and tan α = i =1
N
i =1 j >i i =1
E0i cos α i
i =1
N N N
E0i E0 j = ( NE0i )
2
For coherent sources α i = α j and E02 = E02i + 2
i =1 j >i i =1

For incoherent sources (random phases) the second term is zero.

Flux density for N emmiters: E02 ( ) incoherent
= NE012 ; ( )
E02
coherent
= ( NE0i )
2
 Exercise
RV2-2) Write a MATLAB routine to calculate the amplitude and phase
of N harmonic waves (cosine) with same frequencies but varying initial
phase and amplitudes. Assume the wavelength is 500 nm and V = c
a) The program should read the phase and amplitude of the waves
from a file that has two columns and N rows. Test the program for
the following waves E1=1, ε 1=0, E2 =1, ε 2 =π /4. Once made sure it is
working, create a file with the folloing waves and polot their
superposition from 0 to 5λ.
E1=1, ε 1=0, E2 =1, ε 2 =10, E3 =2, ε 3 =200 , E4 =3,
ε 4 =300 , E5 =2, ε 5 =400 , E6 =1, ε 6 =500 , E7 =1, ε 7 =600
i π
b) Next run the program for N=100 and ε i =ε 1+ π , where ε1=
100 2
and Ei = 2. This time create the phases and amplitudes inside the
routine and don't read from a file.
Addition of waves: different
frequencies I
Mathematics behind light modulation and light as a carrier of
information. Two propagating waves are superimposed
E1 = E01 cos(k1 x − ω1t )
E2 = E01 cos(k2 x − ω2t )
k1 > k2 and ω1 > ω2 with equal amplitudes and zero inital phases
E = E1 + E2 = E01[cos(k1 x − ω1t ) + cos(k2 x − ω2t )]
1 1
using cos α + cos β = 2 cos (α + β ) cos (α − β )
2 2
1 1
E = 2 E01 cos ( k1 + k2 ) x − (ω1 + ω2 ) t × cos ( k1 − k2 ) x − (ω1 − ω2 ) t
2 2
Need to simplify this
Addition of waves: different
frequencies II
E = 2 E01 cos [ km x − ωm t ] × cos kx − ωt with the following definitions
1
Average angular frequency ≡ ω = (ω1 + ω2 )
2
1
Average propagation number ≡ k = ( k1 + k2 )
2
1
Modulation angular frequency ≡ ωm = (ω1 − ω2 )
2
1
Modulation propagation number ≡ km = ( k1 − k2 )
2
Time-varying modulation amplitude ≡ E0 ( x, t ) = 2 E01 cos [ km x − ωmt ]
Superimposed wavefunction: E = E0 ( x, t ) cos kx − ωt

For large ω if ω1 ≈ ω2 then ω >> ωm we will have a slowly varying

amplitude with a rapidly oscillating wave
 Irradiance of two superimposed
waves with different frequencies
E02 ( x, t ) = 4 E012 cos 2 [ km x − ωmt ] = 2 E012 1 + cos ( 2km x − 2ωmt )
Beat frequency ≡ 2ωm = ω1 − ω2 or oscillation frquency of the E02 ( x, t )

Amplitude, E0 , oscilates at ωm , the modulation freuency

Irradiance, E02 , varies at 2ωm , twice the modulation frequency

Two waves with different amplitudes produce beats with

less contast.
Beats 4
Superposition of two waves

4E012 λ1λ2
λ1 − λ2
3

λm
2
2E01
λ2
Amplitude

-1
λ1

-2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Distance -6
x 10
Group velocity
In nondispersive media velocity of a wave is independent of its frequency.
ω
For a single frequency wave there is one velocity and that is V phase =
k
When a vave is composed of different frequency elements, the
resulting disturbance will travel at a differnt velocity than phase
velocity of its components.
E = 2 E01 cos [ km x − ωmt ] × cos kx − ωt
ω
V phase = velocity of a constant phase point on the high frequency wave
k
ωm dω
Vgroup = = velocity of the modulation envelope
km dk ω

Vg may be smaller, equal, or larger than v p

To calculate the V p and Vg we need the dispersion relation ω = ω (k )
Finite waves
Finite wave: any wave starts and ends in a certain time interval
Any finite wave can be viewed as a really long pulse
Any pulse is a result of superposition of numerous different frequency
harmonic waves called Fourier components.
Wave packet is a localized pulse that is composed of many waves that
cancel each other everywhere else but at a certain interval in space.
We need to study Fourier Analysis to understand actual waves, pulses,
and wave packets.
Range of km is proportional to the wave packet width
Since each component of the wave packet has different phase velocity
in the medium, through the relationship Vp=ω/k, k of the components
change in the dispersive media.
As a result km of the modulation disturbance changes and consequently
group velocity changes. This results change of the width of the wave
packet.