Semester1 Manual Exp4

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Experiment No: 4
Aim: To determine the wave length of He-Ne Laser source using transmission diffraction grating.
Apparatus: He-Ne Laser source, diffraction grating, optical bench with stands, meter scale, graphs.
Theory:
The diffraction grating consists of a large number of equally spaced parallel slits. A grating can
be made by cutting parallel lines on a glass plate with a precision ruling machine. In a
transmission grating, the space between any two lines is transparent to the light and hence acts as
a separate slit.
It is generally assumed that light travels in a straight line but it suffers some deviation from its
straight path in passing close to edges of opaque obstacles and narrow slits. Some of the light
does bend into the region of geometrical shadow and its intensity falls of rapidly. This bending of
light which is not due to reflection/refraction is called as DIFFRACTION.
Two main classes of diffraction are:

Fresnel Diffraction: In this case, the source of light or the screen or the both are at a finite
distance from obstacle. Here no lenses are employed for rendering the rays parallel or
convergent. Therefore the incident wave front is spherical or cylindrical instead of being plane.
Fraunhoffer Diffraction: In this case, the source and the screen are effectively at infinite
distance from the obstacle causing diffraction. This means that the wave front incident on the
obstacle is plane and all secondary wavelets at every point of aperture are in phase. This can be
achieved by placing the source on the focal plane of convex lens and placing the screen on the
focal plane of another convex lens.
Figure 1: Experimental Setup for determining the wavelength of He-Ne Laser source
The wavelength of the laser source is given as:
where is the wavelength of He-Ne laser source, n is the order of diffraction, is the angle of
diffraction.
LASER (from the acronym Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is an optical source
that emits photons in a coherent beam. Laser light is typically near-monochromatic, i.e., consisting of
a single wavelength or color, and emitted in a narrow beam. This is in contrast to common light
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sources, such as the incandescent light bulb, which emit incoherent photons in almost all directions,
usually over a wide spectrum of wavelengths.
Consider a plane wavefront incident on a grating surface. Portions of the wavefront falling on the slits
will be transmitted through the grating. Now each point on a wavefront falling on a slit will act as a
source of secondary wavefront.
Figure 2: Plane wavefront incident on a grating surface
Rays coming out from these points interfere with each other producing a diffraction pattern on a
viewing screen placed behind the grating. Moreover, beams coming from different slits also interfere
with each other producing a net intensity distribution of light which is resultant of both the
diffraction effect due each single slit and interference effect due to all the N slits. Now consider a
setting in which the viewing screen is placed at ‘large distance’ from the grating (Fraunhoffer
diffraction class) so that the interfering rays can be considered almost parallel. Consider parallel rays
emerging at an angle  with the horizontal line from identical points in each slit as shown below. The
path difference between two such adjacent rays will be ‘(a+b) sin’, where ‘a+b’ is the grating
constant. It can shown that the intensity of the resultant wave obtained as a result of superposition
of all such rays (emerging from all points from all slit wavefronts) is given by,
where and = . Thus the intensity will vary as a function of angle .

For very large N, points of highest intensity, called principal maxima will be obtained when = ±nπ
that is when, (a+b) sin  = ±nλ , n = 0; ±1; ±2. The maxima for n = 0; ±1; ±2 are called zeroth order,
first order, second order maxima and so on, respectively.

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Figure 3: Diffraction pattern on screen
Procedure:
1. Mount a diffraction grating on a stand and illuminate it with the laser beam coming from the
He-Ne laser source. Place graph paper pasted on a screen S vertically at a distance of 1 to 2 m
from the grating. Adjust the distance of screen from the grating till a sharp diffraction pattern
in the form of several bright spots of diminishing intensity is obtained. Mark the centre of the
spots with a pencil.
2. Measure the distance L between the grating and the screen with a meter scale. Also measure
the distance of maxima x from the central maxima with the help of the scale on the graph
paper or a travelling microscope.
3. The distance y can be measured with the help of meter scale.
4. Repeat above step for different distances of the screen from the laser.
Observation Table:
Number of lines per inch on the grating (N) = 500 lines/inch.
Grating constant (a+b) = = cm = …………….cm
S.No. Distance Order of Distance between the central bright

between the diffraction spot to concern order of diffraction
screen and pattern pattern
grating (n) (y) cm
(x) cm
Left (y1) Right (y2) Mean

y (cm)
1. 100 1
2
3
2. 120 1
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2
3
Mean λ =……………….Å
Calculations:
Result:
The standard value of wavelength of He-Ne laser light is: 6320 Å
The calculated value of wavelength of He-Ne laser light is ………… Å with percentage error…………%
Precautions and Sources of Error:

1. Do not see at the laser source directly as it may causes damage to the eye.
2. The graph used at the screen should be vertically straight.
3. The diffraction grating should be very near to the laser source.

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Applied Physics-I

Two main classes of diffraction are:

The wavelength of the laser source is given as:

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Figure 2: Plane wavefront incident on a grating surface

where and = . Thus the intensity will vary as a function of angle .

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Figure 3: Diffraction pattern on screen

Number of lines per inch on the grating (N) = 500 lines/inch.

Grating constant (a+b) = = cm = …………….cm

S.No. Distance Order of Distance between the central bright

Left (y1) Right (y2) Mean

The standard value of wavelength of He-Ne laser light is: 6320 Å

Precautions and Sources of Error:

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