Single-Slit Diffraction

Diffraction occurs when light passes through an

aperture or around an edge

Diffraction is the bending of light around an

obstacle

No fundamental distinction between interference

and diffraction

Diffraction is a result of a very large number of

sources or apertures

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 Single-Slit Diffraction

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 Single-slit diffraction
When monochromatic light emerges from a long
narrow slit

The diffraction patterns are formed

The beam spread out vertically after passing

through the slit

About 85% of the power transmitted is in the

central maximum

Whose width is inversely proportional to the width

of the slit
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 Divide slit into infinite # of strips or sources

Path difference between top and

bottom ray
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 Divide slit by a/2

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 Single Slit Diffraction
Since the path difference equals to  2

The light from the strips arrives at “P” with a half

a cycle phase difference – full cancellation

Destructive interference occurs when:

a  a sin  
sin   or
2 2

(dark fringes in a
asin  m m 1, 2, 3,... single slit diffraction)

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 Single-Slit Diffraction

dark fringes

m 1, 2, 3,...

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 Single-slit diffraction, small angle
The central bright fringe is wider than the other
bright fringes,

The central maximum is exactly twice as wide as

each side maximum (small angle)

For small angle approximation: sin  


 m m 1, 2, 3,...
a
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 x – distance from slit to screen
ym - vertical distance to mth dark fringe

ym  x
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 Single-Slit diffraction
For small angle approximation

tan  sin  (small angle)

ym m
 tan   
x a

m
ym  x (single slit diffraction)

a
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Intensity in a single slit diffraction

 
2
 sin  
 2 
I I o   2 2
  r2  r1   a sin 
 2   
 

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 Example 1
A 633nm laser light passes through a narrow slit and
observe the diffraction patter on a screen 6.00 m away. The
distance on the screen between the centers of 1st minima
outside the central bright fringe is 32mm.

a. How wide is the slit?

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Intensity in a single-slit pattern at m = 0

x  a

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 Intensity Single Slit Diffraction

Consider waves arriving from different strips at Point “P,”

at some angle  from the normal

Because of the differences in path length, there are phase

differences between wavelets coming from adjacent strips

The angle β is the total phase difference between the wave

from the top strips and the bottom strips.

The vector sum of the phasors is – the perimeter of a

many-sided polygon, as shown (on next page)

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 Intensity Single Slit Diffraction
We divide the slit into an infinite number of infinitesimally
narrow strips, the curled trail of phasors become an arc
of a circle

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 Intensity in a single Slit
The center of C is found perpendiculars at A & B. The
resultant at “P” is equal to the cord AB

sin(  / 2)
E p Eo amplitude in a single slit
 /2
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 Intensity in a single slit
2
Since IE p

 
2
 sin   (single slit diffraction)
 2 
I I o  
 Io – intensity of central maximum
 2 
 

The phase difference between the top and bottom

slit is: 2 2
 r2  r1   a sin 
 
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 Single slit diffraction
2
 a sin  , always measured in radians

2
 sin   a sin   
   (intensity in a single-slit, in
I I o  
  a sin  

  

terms of θ)

It is easier to calculate the phase angle β and than using this

equation to find I

 
2
 sin  
 2  when,  0 I I o
I I o  

 2 
 

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 Single slit diffraction
Intensity goes to “zero” at the minima
a sin  m (destructive interference)

Where,  2 , 4 , 6 ,8 .....

Maxima are half-way between the minima

Maxima occur;  3 , 5 , 7 ,.....

Actual maxima occur;  2.860 , 4.918 ,.....

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 Single Slit diffraction
85% of the intensity is in the central peak

Intensity in the side maxima decrease very rapidly

1st maxima has less than 5% of central maxima

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 Intensity in a single slit diffraction

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 Single slit diffraction
• The angular spread of diffraction pattern is inversely proportional
to the slit width, a

• If a   , sin   , 1  (first minimum, angular spread)
a
• When a   , the central maximum spread of 180o, and the fringe
pattern is not seen at all

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 Double slit modulated by a single slit interference
• If the slits are narrow in comparison to the wavelength
• Light from each slit spreads out uniformly in all directions

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 Double slit modulated by a single slit

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 Two slits interference modulated by a single slit

 
2
 sin  
2   2  (two slits of finite width)
I I o cos  
2 
 2 
 

2 2
 a sin    d sin 
 
Every fourth interference maximum at the sides is missing

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What is the missing maxima for the double slit?

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 Multiple Slits
For N # of slits, there are (N – 1) minima between
each pair of principal maxima

# of minima = N-1, N = # of slits

Minimum occurs whenever  is a multiple of:

2

N
except;  2 (principal maximum)

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 Multiple slits: 3 and 4 slits

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 Interference pattern for N equally spaced slits
Constructive interference occurs; d sin  m , m 0, 1, 2, 3,...

Max intensity for N # of slits

Imax = N2Io

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 MULTIPLE-SLIT INTERFERENCE PATTERN
(N SLITS)

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 Multiple slits, 8 slits
The maxima occur at the same position as for two
slits with the same spacing

Between the maxima,  0 and  2 , are

  3
5 3 7
seven minima,   , , , , , ,
4 2 4 4 2 4

I=0, whenever  is a multiple of 4
, except 2

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 Multiple Slits
The greater the value of N:
- Narrower principal maxima

- Total power is directly proportional to N2

- Width of each principal max is proportional to:

1
N
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 Phasor diagrams for N= 8 slits

  3
5 3 7
  , , , , , ,
4 2 4 4 2 4

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 Example 2
In a double slit experiment, the distance between slits is
measured to be 0.450 mm. A screen is located 1.50 m from
the slits and light of wavelength 600 nm is used to illuminate
the slits. The first diffraction minimum occurs at a distance of
10.0 mm as measured from the center of the diffraction
pattern.

a.What is the width of a slit?

b. How many interference maxima are in the central envelope
of the diffraction pattern?

c. At what angle is the first missing interference maxima?

d. Sketch the intensity pattern as a function of the interference

phase angle, showing the missing order of the interference
pattern.
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 Example 3
The fringe pattern shown below is observed on a
screen that is 4.00 m from a double slit. If light with
wavelength 546 nm is illuminating the double slit,

a) What is the separation of the slits?

b) What is the width of each slit?

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 Example 4
Given the diagram below. Assume the wavelength is 666.6 nm
and distance from the slit to screen is 1.5 m

a. Determine the number of slits

b. Draw the phasor addition for N- rays at 14 mm and 16 mm.

c. Calculate I at 24 mm as a function of Io
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