Interference
Interference
Interference
Introduction to Optics
Coherent source
Two Slit Interference
Thin film interference
Interference from a Grating
Reading Question
What was the first experiment to show that light is a
wave?
1. Young’s double slit experiment
2. Galileo’s observation of Jupiter’s moons
3. The Michelson-Morley interferometer
4. The Pound-Rebka experiment
5. Millikan’s oil drop experiment
Reading Question
What was the first experiment to show that light is a
wave?
1. Young’s double slit experiment
2. Galileo’s observation of Jupiter’s moons
3. The Michelson-Morley interferometer
4. The Pound-Rebka experiment
5. Millikan’s oil drop experiment
Reading Question
What is a diffraction grating?
a a
Interference
Coherence and Monochromatic
No coherence between two light bulbs
Coherence time
Coherence length
Some later time or distance
-3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Interference
Double Slit Interference
Below we have reproduced Figure 37.5 on page 975. On the
figure label the points that corresponds to the orders -2, -1, 0,
+1, and +2. If the lines represent a crest then where two crest
cross is a bright spot.
+1
-1
Interference
Interference
This is a little misleading
Bright spot
d sin m ym
m = 0, 1, 2, 3
d tan m…
ym
d m
L
L
ym m
d
Interference
Double Slit Interference
Can you explain what the two patterns look like for a
red and green laser?
+1
-1
Interference
Ideal Real
Interference
Double-Slit Interference (Young’s Experiment)
Measure the distance from the slits to the screen and calculate
the wavelength for the laser. The separation between the slits is
0.6 mm. L
d sin m ym m
d = 0.6 mm d
L=8m L
ym 1 m 1
ym+1 - ym = 910 mm d
L L L L
ym 1 ym m 1 m m 1 m
d d d d
d ym1 ym 0.6mm 10mm
700nm
L 8m
Student Workbook
Student Workbook
Student Workbook
Student Workbook
Class Question
Suppose the viewing
screen in the figure is
moved closer to the
double slit. What
happens to the
interference fringes?
1. They get brighter but otherwise do not change.
2. They get brighter and closer together.
3. They get brighter and farther apart.
4. They get out of focus.
5. They fade out and disappear.
Class Question
Suppose the viewing
screen in the figure is
moved closer to the
double slit. What
happens to the
interference fringes?
1. They get brighter but otherwise do not change.
2. They get brighter and closer together.
3. They get brighter and farther apart.
4. They get out of focus.
5. They fade out and disappear.
Class Question
Light of wavelength 1 illuminates a double slit, and
interference fringes are observed on a screen behind the
slits. When the wavelength is changed to 2, the fringes
get closer together. How large is 2 relative to 1?
1. 2 is larger than 1.
2. 2 is smaller than 1.
3. Cannot be determined from this information.
Class Question
Light of wavelength 1 illuminates a double slit, and
interference fringes are observed on a screen behind the
slits. When the wavelength is changed to 2, the fringes
get closer together. How large is 2 relative to 1?
1. 2 is larger than 1.
2. 2 is smaller than 1.
3. Cannot be determined from this information.
Interference
Thin Film Interference
string
fixed end
light
medium with
smaller index
Interference
Do the same for light reflected from a medium with a
smaller index of refraction. Draw the reflected light wave
on the lower diagram. This is like a wave on a string being
reflected from a free end.
0 degree phase shift on reflection
string
free end
light
medium with
larger index
Interference
Does the light wave come back in phase or out of phase?
Discuss this in your group.
air
oil
water
Interference
Multi-slit Interference
Next we would like to see what happens if we increase the
number of slits from 2 to 3, 4, 5, etc. We will setup a slide
(1 inch X 5 inches) with different slit patterns. The
numbers across the top indicate the number of slits. Thus
4 indicates four slits. We will use the same set-up as
before and observe the slit pattern for the double and triple
slits. Do you see any difference between the two patterns?
Discuss this and write your answer.
Interference
Draw the triple slit interference pattern below.
-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3
-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3
Interference
Observe the pattern for 4 and 5 slits. Do you see any
pattern developing between the number of slits and the
interference pattern? Explain.
Interference
Diffraction Grating
What is a diffraction grating?
laser
white
light
Interference
You should see at least two spectra, one to the right and one
to the left. If you look real far the the right and left you will
see two more. The different spectra are the different orders.
Look at Figure 37-23 (page 971) and compare the figure
with what you see.
Interference
d sin m m
m 0, 1, 2, 3,
Student Workbook
Student Workbook
Student Workbook
Student Workbook
Class Question
White light passes through a diffraction grating and forms
rainbow patterns on a screen behind the grating. For each
rainbow,
1. the red side is on the right, the violet side on the left.
2. the red side is on the left, the violet side on the right.
3. the red side is closest to the center of the screen, the
violet side is farthest from the center.
4. the red side is farthest from the center of the screen,
the violet side is closest to the center.
Class Question
White light passes through a diffraction grating and forms
rainbow patterns on a screen behind the grating. For each
rainbow,
1. the red side is on the right, the violet side on the left.
2. the red side is on the left, the violet side on the right.
3. the red side is closest to the center of the screen, the
violet side is farthest from the center.
4. the red side is farthest from the center of the
screen, the violet side is closest to the center.
Class Question