Lab O4 Single and Multiple Slit Diffraction实验室O4单与多缝衍射.docVIP

Experiment 5. Diffraction and Interference Light is a wave, an electromagnetic wave, and under the proper circumstances, it exhibits wave phenomena, such as constructive and destructive interference. The wavelength of visible light is roughly 600?nm = 0.0006?mm, and this wavelength ( sets the scale for the appearance of wave-like effects. For instance, if a broad beam of light partly passes through a wide slit, a slit which is very large compared to (, then the wave effects are negligible, the light acts like a ray, and the slit casts a geometrical shadow. However, if the slit is small enough, then the wave properties of light become apparent and a diffraction pattern is seen projected onto a screen illuminated by the light from the narrow slit. We now ponder the light from two coherent light sources a distance d apart. Coherent sources emit light waves that are in phase, or in sync. If we think of light like a water wave, we can imagine that two coherent sources each emit an identical succession of wave crests and troughs, with both emitting crests at the same time. One way to create such coherent sources is to illuminate a pair of narrow slits with a distant light source. Consider the light rays from the two coherent point sources made from infinitesimal slits a distance d apart (diagram below). We assume that the sources are emitting monochromatic (single wavelength) light of wavelength (. The rays are emitted in all forward directions, but let us concentrate on only the rays that are emitted in a direction ( toward a distant screen (( measured from the normal to the screen, diagram below) . One of these rays has further to travel to reach the screen, and the path difference is given by . If this path difference is exactly one wavelength ( (or any integer number of wavelengths), then the two waves arrive at the screen in phase and there is constructive interference, resulting in a bright area on the screen. If the path difference is etc., the