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Understanding Light Interference and Waves

The document discusses key concepts in optics, including Huygens' principle, which describes how wavefronts propagate through secondary wavelets. It also explains the interference of light, detailing constructive and destructive interference, and describes Young's Double-Slit Experiment that demonstrates these principles through the formation of interference patterns. Additionally, it defines coherent sources as those that emit light waves of the same frequency and phase, essential for observing interference effects.

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12 views7 pages

Understanding Light Interference and Waves

The document discusses key concepts in optics, including Huygens' principle, which describes how wavefronts propagate through secondary wavelets. It also explains the interference of light, detailing constructive and destructive interference, and describes Young's Double-Slit Experiment that demonstrates these principles through the formation of interference patterns. Additionally, it defines coherent sources as those that emit light waves of the same frequency and phase, essential for observing interference effects.

Uploaded by

kabbow28
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Optics

 Huygens’ principle
 Interference of light

 Young’s Double-Slit Experiment


 Coherent Sources
1
Optics
Huygens’ principle
All points on a wavefront serve as point sources of spherical
secondary wavelets. After a time t, the new position of the
wavefront will be that of a surface tangent to these secondary
wavelets.

Fig.1 shows the propagation of a


plane wave in vacuum, as portrayed
by Huygens’principle.

Fig.1
2
Optics
At the left in Fig.1, the present location of a wavefront of a plane
wave traveling to the right in vacuum is represented by plane ab,
perpendicular to the page.
We let several points on plane ab (the dots) serve as sources of
spherical secondary wavelets that are emitted at 𝑡 = 0.
At time t, the radius of all these spherical wavelets will have
grown to ct, where c is the speed of light in vacuum.
We draw plane de tangent to these wavelets at time t. This plane
represents the wavefront of the plane wave at time t; it is parallel
to plane ab and a perpendicular distance ct from it.

3
Optics
Interference of light
A phenomenon in which two or more light waves having same
amplitude and frequency overlap each other to form a resultant
light wave whose intensity is great or less than that of individual
waves is called the interference of light.
When the intensity of resultant wave is great than that of the
individual interfering waves then the phenomenon is called
constructive interference.
When the intensity of resultant wave is less than that of the
individual interfering waves then the phenomenon is called
destructive interference.

4
Optics
Young’s Double-Slit Experiment

s1
s0
s2

Fig.2
5
Optics
Young allowed sunlight to fall on a pinhole S0 and then at some
distance away on two pinholes S1and S2. S1and S2 are equidistant
from S0 and are close to each other. Spherical waves spread out
from S0. Spherical waves also spread out from S1and S2. These
waves are of the same amplitude and wavelength. On the screen
interference bands are produced which are alliteratively dark and
bright. The points such as A are bright because the crest due to
one wave coincides with the crest due to the other and therefore
they reinforce with each other. The points such as B are dark
because the crest of one falls on the trough of the other and they
neutralize the effect of each other. Points, similar to A, where the
trough of one falls on the trough of the other, are also bright
because the two waves reinforce.

6
Optics
Coherent Sources
Two sources are said to be coherent if they emit light waves of
the same frequency, nearly the same amplitude and are always in
phase with each other. It means that the two sources must emit
radiations of the same colour (wavelength).
In actual practice it is not possible to have two independent
sources which are coherent. But for experimental purposes, two
virtual sources formed from a single source can act as coherent
sources.

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