Doon Public School

INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
Physics
“PHENOMENA OF DIFFRACTION
OF LIGHT”

(Session 2019- 20)

Name – Samruddhi Harne
XII Science –A
 CERTIFICATE
This is hereby to certify that, the original and genuine
investigation work has been carried out to investigate
about the subject matter and the related data collection
and investigation has been completed solely, sincerely,
and satisfactorily by Samruddhi Harne of class XII
Science A Investigatory Project Report entitled
“Phenomena of Diffraction of Light”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This research was supported by our respected Physics Teacher
MR. ANKIT BAHETI. I thank my friends and my teachers
who provided their help and expertise that greatly assisted the
research, although they may not agree with all of the
interpretations/conclusions of this project work.
I thank our physics teacher for assistance and guidance as
provided by him.
I would also like to show my gratitude towards Madam
Principal “MRS. SARIKA SHARMA” for giving me such a
great valuable, interesting and knowledgeable project.

Table of Contents

S.NO. TOPIC
1 Chapter-1
(Introduction)
2 Chapter-2
(Understanding
Diffraction)
3 Chapter-3
 (Experimental
Analysis)
4 Report Conclusion

5 References

Index
 Introduction
 Mechanisms
 Observation
 Prediction
 Uses and Effect
 Photoelectric Effect Explanation
 Results
 Bibliography
 Chapter-1
Introduction to Diffraction
A. What is Diffraction?
“Diffraction is a slight bending of light as it passes around the edge of
an object. The amount of bending depends on the relative size of the
wavelength of light to the size of the opening. If the opening is much
larger than the light’s wavelength, the bending will be almost
unnoticeable.”
Diffraction refers to various phenomena that occur when a wave
encounters an obstacle or a slit. It is defined as the bending of light
around the corners of an obstacle or aperture into the region of
geometrical shadow of the obstacle.
In classical physics, the diffraction phenomenon is described as the
interference of waves according to the Huygens–Fresnel principle.
These characteristic behaviours are exhibited when a wave encounters
an obstacle or a slit that is comparable in size to its wavelength.
Diffraction occurs with all waves, including sound waves, water waves,
and electromagnetic waves such as visible light, rays and radio waves.
If we look clearly at the shadow cast by an opaque object, close to
the region of geometrical shadow, there are alternate dark and
bright regions, just like in interference. This is just due to the
phenomenon of the diffraction, which is a general characteristic
exhibited by all types of the waves.
Since wavelength of light is much smaller than the dimensions of
most of the obstacles, we do not generally encounter the effects of
diffraction of light in the everyday life observations. However the
finite resolution of our eye or of the optical fiber instruments such as
telescopes or microscopes is limited due to the phenomenon of
diffraction
Since physical objects have wave-like properties, diffraction also
occurs with matter and can be studied according to the principles of
quantum mechanics. Italian scientist Francesco Maria Grimaldi coined
the word "diffraction" and was the first to record accurate
observations of the phenomenon in 1660.

B. History of Diffraction
The effects of diffraction of light were first carefully observed and
characterized by Francesco Maria Grimaldi, who also coined the term
diffraction, from the Latin diffringere, 'to break into pieces', referring
to light breaking up into different directions.
Isaac Newton studied these effects and attributed them to inflexion of
light rays. Thomas Young performed an experiment in 1803
demonstrating interference from two closely spaced slits. Explaining
his results by interference of the waves emanating from the two
Different slits, he deduced that light must propagate as waves.

C. When Does Diffraction Occurs

Diffraction occurs whenever propagating waves encounter changes,
its effects are generally most pronounced for waves whose
wavelength is roughly comparable to the dimensions of the
diffracting object or slit. If the obstructing object provides multiple,
closely spaced openings, a complex pattern of varying intensity can
result.
This is due to the addition, or interference, of different parts of a wave
that travel to the observer by different paths, where different path
lengths result in different phases. The formalism of diffraction can also
describe the way in which waves of finite extent propagate in free
space.

CHAPTER-2
UNDERSTANDING DIFFRACTION
A. Mechanism
In traditional 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 wave front 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
B. Types of Diffraction
a) Single-slit diffraction
A long slit of infinitesimal width which is illuminated by light diffracts
the light into a series of circular waves and the wave front which
emerges from the slit is a cylindrical wave of uniform intensity.

A slit which is wider than a wavelength produces interference effects

in the space downstream of the slit. These can be explained by
assuming that the slit behaves as though it has a large number of
point sources spaced evenly across the width of the slit. The analysis
of this system is simplified if we consider light of a single wavelength.
If the incident light is coherent, these sources all have the same
phase.
Light incident at a given point in the space downstream of the slit is
made up of contributions from each of these point sources and if the
relative phases of these contributions vary by 2π or more, we may
expect to find minima and maxima in the diffracted light. Such phase
differences are caused by differences in the path lengths over which
contributing rays reach the point from the slit.
When the double slit in young’s double slit experiment is replaced by
a single narrow slit illuminated by a monochromatic source, a broad
pattern with a central bright region is seen. On both sides there are
alternate bright and dark fringes and regions, the intensity becoming
weaker away from the centre.

We can find the angle at which a first minimum is obtained in the

diffracted light by the following reasoning. The light from a source
located at the top edge of the slit interferes destructively with a
source located at the middle of the slit, when the path difference
between them is equal to λ/2.
Similarly, the source just below the top of the slit will interfere
destructively with the source located just below the middle of the slit
at the same angle. Along the entire height of the slit, the condition
for destructive interference for the entire slit is the same as the
condition for destructive interference between two narrow slits a
distance apart that is half the width of the slit.
If light consisted strictly of ordinary or classical particle, and these
particles were fired in a straight line through a slit and allowed to
strike a screen on the other side we would expect to see a pattern
corresponding to the size and shape of the slit. However when the
single slit experiment is actually performed the pattern on the screen
is a diffraction pattern in which the light is spread out.
The smaller the slit, the greater the angle of the spread.
b) Double Slit Diffraction
If light consisted of classical particles and we illuminated two parallel
slits, the expected pattern on screen simply be the sum of the two
single slit patterns. In reality however, the pattern changes to one
with a series of light and dark bands.

When this phenomenon was studied, it indicated that light consists

of waves as distribution of brightness can be explained by the
alternately constructive and destructive interference of wave fronts.

The modern double - slit experiment is a demonstration that light

and matter can display characteristics of both classically defined
waves and particles. A simpler form of the double-slit experiment
was performed originally by Thomas Young in 1801. He believed it
demonstrated that the wave theory of light was correct, the
experiment in which a wave is split into two separate waves that
later combine into a single wave. Changes in the path lengths of both
waves result in a phase shift, creating an interference pattern.

In the experiment, a coherent light source, such as a laser beam,

illuminates a plate with two parallel slits, and the light passing
through the slits is observed on a screen behind the plate. The wave
nature of light causes the light waves passing through the two slits to
interfere, producing bright and dark bands on the screen. However,
the light is always found to be absorbed at the screen at discrete
points, as individual particles (not waves), the interference pattern
appearing via the varying density of these particle hits on the screen

Other entities, such as electrons, are

found to exhibit the same behavior when fired towards a double slit.
The experiment can be done with entities much larger than electrons
and photons, although it becomes more difficult as size increases.
The largest entities for which the double-slit experiment has been
performed were molecules that each comprised 810 atoms, whose
total mass was over 10,000 atomic mass units.

The double slit experiment for its clarity in expressing the results of
quantum mechanics. Because it demonstrates the fundamental
limitation of the ability of the observer to predict experimental
results, Richard Feynman called it "a phenomenon which is
impossible to explain.
c) Diffraction Events

The amount of bending which occurs is based on the wavelength of

the light or the objects size in relation to light's wavelength. In addition
to bending, light is sometimes broken into its basic components.
These components are the colors of the rainbow red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo and violet (ROYGBIV).Red light has the longest
wavelength, while violet has the shortest. This is why red is typically
the prominent color in a rainbow and appears to be wider than violet
light.
Full lunar eclipses permit light waves to bend around the edges of the
moon to let the side facing earth remain visible, albeit an orange-
brown color instead of the white color. This is a due to the distance of
the moon from earth, allowing the moon to completely cover the sun.

d) Diffraction and Interference

Diffraction is the bending of waves around an obstacle, while

Interference is the meeting of two waves during the diffraction
process and usually happens when there are two or more slits.
Interference of the light waves with each other causes the diffracted
light to become brighter or dimmer during the diffraction process
because of what we call destructive and constructive interference.
Also in diffraction and interference, light energy is redistributed. If it
reduces in one region, producing a dark fringe, it increases in another
region producing a bright fringe. Hence there is no gain or loss of
energy which is consistent with the principle of conservation of
Energy.

e) Examples and Applications of Diffraction

The effects of diffraction are often seen in

everyday life.

i. 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
 ii. This principle can be extended to engineer a grating with a
structure such that it will produce any diffraction pattern
desired; the hologram on a book is an example.

iii. Iridescent clouds are a diffraction phenomenon caused by small

water droplets or small ice crystals individually scattering light.
iii. The setting sun appears to be red because of the diffraction
of light from the dust particle in the atmosphere.

v. DJ/ Party Lights, Diffraction glasses, for Fireworks, Light shows, 3d

movies, Lasers are based on diffraction.
vi. Twinkling stars are another example of diffraction of light. As light
from stars pass through the earth's atmosphere which is laden with
water vapor, the light bends around the water droplets causing the
twinkling effect. The light waves become brighter or dimmer and the
colors constantly change due to constructive and destructive
interference

vii. When light passes through solid objects like diamonds, it diffracts
giving diffraction patterns which depend upon the type, nature and
shape of the material.

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. A shadow of a solid object, using light from a compact source,
shows small fringes near its edges. The speckle pattern which is
observed when laser light falls on an optically rough surface is also a
diffraction phenomenon.
 CHAPTER-3
EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF DIFFRACTION
1. Single Slit Diffraction

Aim: Experiment to study the phenomena of single slit diffraction.

Requirements: Two Razor Blade, One glass electric Bulb, Filter, Black
Paper
Procedure:
a) Hold the two blades so that the edges are parallel and have a
narrow slit in between. This can be done easily with thumb and
forefingers as shown in figure, and cover them with black
paper.

b) Keep the slit parallel to the filament of the bulb which plays the
role of first slit, right in front of eye.

c) Adjust the width of the slit and the parallelism of the edges the
pattern the pattern of light and dark bands is visible.
d) As the position of the bands
(except the central one) depends on the wavelength, they will show
some colours.
e) Use a filter for red and blue to make fringes clearer, Compare the
fringes.

Observations: Since the position of all the bands depends on

wavelength so they will show some colour. More the wavelength,
More they will diffract.
Result: Fringes are wider for red compared to blue.
Precaution: Protect your eyes by using spectacles while performing
the experiment. Don’t use sunlight instead of the bulb as sun also
produces infrared rays harmful to our eyes.

*By repeating the above experiment with aluminium foil we can

easily show double slit diffraction.*
References
 www.google.com
 www.wikipedia.com
 www.youtube.com
 NCERT Part II Class XII