1.

Huygen's Principle
2. Interference & Young’s Double Slit Experiment
3. Optical path in Young’s Double Slit Experiment & Modification in
Young’s Double Slit Experiment
4. Diffraction
5. Polarization
 WAVELET & WAVEFRONTS
Wavelet:
A wavelet is the point of disturbance due to propagation of light.

Wavefront:
A wavefront is the locus of points (wavelets) having the same phase of oscillations.
A line perpendicular to a wavefront is called a ‘ray’.
 DEPICTION OF WAVELETS & WAVEFRONTS

Spherical Wavefront from a point source Cylindrical Wavefront from a point source
Plane Wavefront
Pink Dots –
Wavelets
Blue Envelope–
Wavefront
Red Line – Ray
 ILLUSTRATION
Spherical wavefronts shown in figure, strike a plane mirror. Reflected wavefronts
will be as shown in

(1) (2) (2) (3) (4)

 SOURCES OF LIGHT USED
Coherent Sources : Are those sources of light which emit light waves of same
wavelength, same frequency and in same phase or having constant phase
difference.

Non-Coherent Sources : Are those sources of light which emit light waves of
different wavelength, different frequency and in different phase or having
different phase difference.
 HUYGEN’S PRINCIPLE
Each point on a wavefront acts as a fresh source of disturbance of light.
The new wavefront at any time later is obtained by taking the forward envelope of
all the secondary wavelets at that time.

. . (Wavelets - Red .
. dots on the .
. wavefront)
.
S• . .
. .
. .
. . New
Wavefront New Wave- .
(Spherical) front (Plane) .
LAWS OF REFLECTION ON A PLANE SURFACE

N N

B D
E G
i r
X i r
Y
A F C
AB – Incident wavefront
CD – Reflected wavefront
XY – Reflecting surface
LAWS OF REFRACTION ON A PLANE SURFACE
N N
B Rarer
E c, μ1
i
X i F C
r Y
A Denser
G μ2
r
D

AB – Incident wavefront
CD – Reflected wavefront
XY – Reflecting surface
PLANE WAVEFRONT BEHAVIOUR
ILLUSTRATION
 ASSIGNMENT -1 ON HUYGEN’S PRINCIPLE
1. When light is refracted into a denser medium,
(A) its wavelength and frequency both increase.
(B) its wavelength increases but frequency remains unchanged.
(C) its wavelength decreases but frequency remains unchanged.
(D) its wavelength and frequency both decrease.

2. Using Huygen’s principle, draw a diagram to show propagation of a wave-front originating

from a monochromatic point source.

3. How is a wavefront defined?

4. Using Huygen’s construction draw a figure showing the propagation of a plane wave
refraction at a plane surface separating two media.

5. The inverse square law of intensity is is valid for :

(A) Point source (B) Line source (C) Plane Source (D) Cylindrical Source
 ANSWER KEYS
1. (C)
2. SPHERICAL (CIRCULAR IN 2-D)
3. A wavefront is the locus of points (wavelets) having the same phase of
oscillations.
4. Construct refraction through a glass slab
5. (A)
ASSIGNMENT DISCUSSION
 INTERFERENCE ANIMATIONS
When two light waves of same frequency with zero initial phase difference or constant phase
difference superimpose over each other, then the resultant intensity in the region of
superposition is different from the sum of intensity of individual waves.

E1 + E2 Bright Band
E1

S1 Dark Band
E2
•
S2 Bright Band
•
Constructive Interference E = E1 + E2 Dark Band

Bright Band
E1
E1 - E2

E2
1st Wave (E1) Crest
2nd Wave (E2) Trough
Bright Band
Resultant Wave
Destructive Interference E = E1 - E2 Dark Band
Reference Line
 THEORY OF INTERFERENCE
The waves are with same speed, wavelength, frequency, time period, nearly equal
amplitudes, travelling in the same direction with constant phase difference of Φ.

E1 = A1 sin (ωt+kx)
E2 = A2 sin (ωt +kx + Φ)
ILLUSTRATION ON INTERFERENCE
ILLUSTRATION ON INTERFERENCE
METHODS FOR OBTAINING COHERENT SOURCE
FACTORS ON WHICH PHASE DIFFERENCE DEPENDS
YOUNG’S DOUBLE SLIT EXPERIMENT
 YOUNG’S DOUBLE SLIT EXPERIMENT

S •
Single Slit Double Slit Screen

S1
y
d/2
S • d
d/2
O
S2
D
 POSITIONS OF FRINGES
Positions of Bright Fringes: Positions of Dark Fringes:
FRINGE WIDTH & ANGULAR FRINGE WIDTH
DISTRIBUTION OF INTENSITY

Intensity

0 x
ILLUSTRATION ON YDSE
ILLUSTRATION ON YDSE
ILLUSTRATION ON YDSE
ASSIGNMENT – 2 ON YDSE
 ANSWER KEYS
1. (b)
2. (d)
3. (d)
4. (c)
5. (a)
ASSIGNMENT DISCUSSION
 MODIFIED SETUP OF YOUNG’S DOUBLE SLIT

NOTE-1 : IF ONE SLIT IS COVERED

NOTE-2 : IF THE YDSE SETUP IS KEPT IN SOME MEDIUM

NOTE-3 : IF POLYCHROMATIC LIGHT IS USED

MODIFIED SETUP OF YOUNG’S DOUBLE SLIT (OPTICAL PATH)

S1
Film y
d/2
S • d
d/2
O
S2
D
 ILLUSTRATION ON MODIFIED YDSE
One slit of a double slit experiment is covered by a thin glass plate of refractive index
1.4 and the other by a thin glass plate of refractive index 1.7. The point on the screen,
where central bright fringe was formed before the introduction of the glass sheets, is
now occupied by the 5th bright fringe. Assuming that both the glass plates have same
thickness and wavelength of light used is 4800 Å, find their thickness.
ILLUSTRATION ON MODIFIED YDSE
THIN FILM INTERFERENCE

A C
i

P O B
μ
r t

R
ILLUSTRATION ON THIN FILM
ASSIGNMENT – 3 ON THIN FILM & MODIFIED YDSE
 ANSWER KEYS
1. (c)
2. (b)
3. (a)
4. (a)
5. (d)
ASSIGNMENT DISCUSSION
 DIFFRACTION OF LIGHT
The phenomenon of bending of light around the corners and the encroachment of
light within the geometrical shadow of the opaque obstacles is called diffraction.
Condition – Wavelength should be in the order of width.

X
X

•
S
Slit
S
Obstacle

Y
Y

Diffraction at a slit Diffraction at an obstacle

 FRESNEL’S DIFFRACTION EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

S1
y
d/2
S • O

(a) It results from superposition of secondary

wavelets originating from various parts of single
coherent source.

(b) Diffraction fringes are never of equal width.

(c) Intensity of all the bright fringes is not the same.

(d) Dark fringes are not perfectly dark.

POSITION OF MAXIMA & MINIMA IN SINGLE SLIT DIFFRACTION
FRAUNHOFER DIFFRACTION BY A CIRCULAR APERTURE

D
ILLUSTRATION
ILLUSTRATION
 DIFFERENCE

Interference Diffraction

1. Interference is due to the 1. Diffraction is due to the

superposition of two different superposition of secondary
wave trains coming from wavelets from the different
coherent sources. parts of the same wavefront.
2. Fringe width is generally 2. Fringes are of varying width.
constant. 3. The maxima are of varying
3. All the maxima have the same intensities.
intensity. 4. There is a poor contrast
4. There is a good contrast between the maxima and
between the maxima and minima.
minima.
POLARISATION of LIGHT WAVES
 POLARISATION OF LIGHT WAVES
When unpolarised light is incident on the polariser, the vibrations parallel to
the crystallographic axis are transmitted and those perpendicular to the axis
are absorbed. Therefore the transmitted light is plane (linearly) polarised.

90°

• • • • • •
Unpolarised Plane Polarised
light light
Polariser Analyser

Plane of Vibration Plane of Polarisation

The plane which contains the crystallographic axis and vibrations transmitted
from the polariser is called plane of vibration.
The plane which is perpendicular to the plane of vibration is called plane of
polarisation.
 MALUS LAW
When a beam of plane polarised light is incident on an analyser, the
intensity I of light transmitted from the analyser varies directly as the
square of the cosine of the angle θ between the planes of transmission
of analyser and polariser.

Case I : When θ = 0° or 180°, I = I0

Case II : When θ = 90°, I = 0
Case III: When unpolarised light is incident on the analyser the
intensity of the transmitted light is one-half of the intensity of
incident light (Since average value of cos2θ is ½).
ILLUSTRATION
 BREWSTER’S LAW
At a particular angle θP, the parallel components completely refracted whereas the
perpendicular components partially get refracted and partially get reflected.
The reflected components are all in perpendicular plane of vibration and hence plane
polarised.
The intensity of transmitted light through the medium is greater than that of plane
polarised (reflected) light.

• • •
• • • • a
θP
•
90° μ

• •
r
b

• •
ILLUSTRATION
ASSIGNMENT – 4 ON DIFFRACTION & POLARISATION
ANSWER KEYS
ASSIGNMENT DISCUSSION