Lecture #3
Content to be covered
❑ Principle of optical reversibility
❖ Phase change at reflection
❖ Stokes’ law
❑ Interference by division of amplitude
❑ Thin films Interference
❖ Path difference (Cosine Law)
❖ Some case study
Resources to be consulted
❑ OPTICS by Ajay Ghatak
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 1
Principle of optical reversibility
In the absence of any absorption, a light ray that is reflected or
refracted will retrace its original path if its direction is reversed.
a → amplitude of incident ray
r1 → reflection coefficient
t1 → transmission coefficient r1, r2 → reflection coefficients
ar1 → amplitude of reflected ray t1, t2 → transmission coefficients
at1 → amplitude of refracted ray n1, n2 → refractive index of two media
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 2
Optical Reversibility
According to principle of optical reversibility the two rays of amplitudes ar12 and
at1t2 must combine to give the incident ray of figure 1.
So, ….(1) Stokes’ relation
The two rays of amplitudes at1r1 and at1r2 must cancel each other.
So, ….(2) Stokes’ relation
Phase change π occurs when light gets reflected from denser medium.
no phase change will occur when light gets reflected by a rarer medium.
❑Eq.(2) represents that the coefficient of reflection from the surface of a denser
medium is equal in magnitude to the coefficient of reflection from the surface of a
rarer medium but opposite in sign.
❑Intensity of reflected light is the same for a ray incident from either side of the
boundary.
❑Eq.(2) does not give any information as to which of the two reflection gives the phase
change.
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 3
Reflection and Transmission coefficients
Assuming a light beam is incident normally on a interface. Then
the amplitudes of the reflected and transmitted beams are related μ
1
to that of the incident beam through the following relations:
where ai, ar, and at are the μ2
amplitudes of the incident beam,
reflected beam, and transmitted
beam, respectively.
One can observe that when µ2>µ1 amplitude ar is
negative, showing that when a reflection occurs at a
denser medium, a phase change of π occurs. The
reflection and transmission coefficients are given by:
If r’ and t’ are the reflection and transmission coefficients μ
when light is incident on a medium of refractive index µ1 then 1
μ
2
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 4
Interference by Division of Amplitude
Suppose a light wave is incident on a half silvered mirror or simply a sheet of glass,
a part of the wave is transmitted and part reflected. Both the transmitted and
reflected waves have lower amplitudes than the original one. It can be said
figuratively that the amplitude has been split.
Examples
❖Interference by thin films
❖Newton’s Ring
❖Michelson’s Interferometer Anti-reflecting thin films
❖Febry Perot’s Interferometer
Colours of soap bubble
Colours of oil film on water
For thin-film optics: If plane wave falls on a thin film then the wave
tthin-film ∼1 μm reflected from the upper surface interferes with
(tthin-film→ order of the λ visible light) the wave reflected from the lower surface.
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 5
Interference In Thin Films below explains why interference of light from thin films is just interference of two
reflected beams ,beacuse amplitude of all other beams will be very small.
ar1 at r t From Stokes relation
1 2 2
a
For next wave, amplitude is
Thus, under above condition, Interference in
the thin film would essentially be two beam
interference. But if the reflectivity is large,
amplitude of all other waves
one obtains a multiple beam interference.
would be very-very small.
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 6
Multiple Beam Interference In Thin Films
as per principle of reversibility
&
So, the resultant amplitude of rays reflected from the bottom surface of thin film
(2,3,4,… )is equal in magnitude of the amplitude of ray 1 but out of phase with it.
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 7
remember the path difference which is derived here.
Interference In Thin Film of Uniform thickness ‘t’ Reflection
THIS IS INTERFERENCE OF REFLECTED BEAMS.
The optical path difference between AT
and CQ π phase change
(here ,we are proving ,triangles ADB ,A'DB
are congruent.)
No phase change
(from
triangle
AA'M')
snell's law
COSINE LAW
this is not net path difference
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 8
Interference In Thin Films
Considering a phase change π equivalent to a path difference λ/2 due to reflection
from the surface of optically denser medium.
The net path difference will be
So condition for maxima will be for destructive interference
❑Here, interference pattern will not be perfect because intensities AT and CQ will
not be the same and their amplitude are different. amplitudes :: AT :ar1 ,CQ:at1t2r2
❑Amplitude depends on amount of light reflected and transmitted through the
films.
❑Intensity never vanishes completely and perfectly dark fringes will not be
observed. But, for multiple reflection intensity of minima will be zero.
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 9
Interference In Thin Film of Uniform thickness ‘t’ Transmission
THIS IS INTERFERENCE OF TRANSMITTED BEAMS.
in transmission ,light beams doesn't suffer reflection from denser medium so
there is no phase change of pi.
for constructive interference
for destructive interference
n = 0,1,2,3….
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 10
Excessively thin film in air i.e. t<<λ
General conditions for constructive and destructive interference are,
respectively,
But under the given condition i.e. t<<λ Thus film will appear dark
Excessively thick film in air i.e. t>>λ
Thus conditions for constructive and destructive interference would be, respectively,
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 11
Need of Extended source
❑When a thin film is illuminated by a point source then, for different incident
rays, different pairs of interfering rays are obtained along widely different
angles. All these pairs can't be received by the eye. The rays only from a
small portion of the film can enter the eye. Hence the entire film can't be
seen by the eye placed in a fixed position.
❑When the film is illuminated by an extended source, the rays from different
points of the source are reflected from different parts of the film so as to
enter the eye placed in a fixed position. Hence one can see the entire film
simultaneously.
An extended source is
necessary to enable
the eye to see a large
area of the film
simultaneously.
15B11PH111 ODD2020 Physics-1 12