Halliday General Physics

36 - Optical Diffraction

Re-edited by Dr. Tsun-Hsin Wang

[email protected]
Copyright belongs to the original
book which is available on Amazon
https://a.co/d/fLt7Gxi
 Outline
 36-1 What Is Physics?
 36-2 Diffraction and the Wave Theory of Light
 36-3 Diffraction by a Single Slit: Locating the Minima
 36-4 Intensity in Single-Slit Diffraction, Qualitatively
 36-5 Intensity in Single-Slit Diffraction, Quantitatively
 36-6 Diffraction by a Circular Aperture
 36-7 Diffraction by a Double Slit
 36-8 Diffraction Gratings
 36-9 Gratings: Dispersion and Resolving Power
 36-10 X-Ray Diffraction

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 36-1 What Is Physics?
 In former Chapter, we saw how light beams
passing through different slits can interfere
with each other and how a beam after
passing through a single slit flares-diffracts-
in Young's experiment.
 Diffraction through a single slit or past
either a narrow obstacle or an edge
produces rich interference patterns.

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 36-2 Diffraction and the Wave Theory of Light
Side or secondary
maxima

Light

Central
maximum

Light

Bright
spot

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 36-3 Diffraction by a Single Slit: Locating the Minima

a 
sin    a sin   (first minimum)
2 2
a 
sin    a sin  2 (second minimum)
4 2
a sin  m , for m 1, 2,3 (minima-dark fringes)
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 Example 36-1
A slit of width a is illuminated by white light.
(a) For what value of a will the first minimum
for red light of wavelength λ = 650 nm appear
at θ = 15o?
(b) What is the wavelength λ’ of the light whose
first side diffraction maximum is at 15o, thus
coinciding with the first minimum for the red
light?

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 Example 36-1

m 1650(nm)
(a )a  
sin  sin15
2511(nm) 2.5(  m)
(b)a sin  1.5 ' 2511sin15 ,
 ' 430(nm)

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 36-4 Intensity in Single-Slit Diffraction,
Qualitatively

 phase   2   path length   2 

     difference 
   x sin  
 difference        

N=18 1st side

max.
q=0 1st min.
q small

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 36-5 Intensity in Single-Slit Diffraction, Quantitatively

2
 sin  
I   I m  
  
1 a
where     sin 
2 

 m , for m 1, 2,3

a
m  sin  , for m 1, 2,3

or a sin  m , for m 1, 2,3
(minima-dark fringes)
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 Example 36-2

Find the intensities of

the first three
secondary maxima
(side maxima) in the
single-slit diffraction
pattern of Fig. 36-1,
measured as a
percentage of the
10
intensity of the
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 Example 36-2
I sin  2 sin(2m  1) / 2 2
( ) ( )
Im  (2m  1) / 2
I1 sin1.5 2
( ) 4.5%
Im 1.5
I2 I3
1.6%， 0.83%
Im Im
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 36-6 Diffraction by a Circular Aperture

Distant point d
source, e,g., star Image is not a point, as
q expected from geometrical
lens
optics! Diffraction is
responsible for this image
pattern

sin  1.22 (1st min.- circ. aperture)
d
a

Light a
q Light

q

sin  1.22 (1st min.- single slit)
a
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 36-6 Diffraction by a Circular Aperture

    R small

 R sin  1.22   1.22
1
(Rayleigh's criterion)
 d d

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 36-7 Diffraction by a Double Slit

Single slit a~l

Two Single slits a~l

d
 sin  
2   sin 
I   I m cos  
2
 (double slit) 
   a
  sin 

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 36-8 Diffraction Gratings

d sin  m for m 0,1, 2 (maxima-lines)

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 36-8 Diffraction Gratings

Nd sin  hw  , sin  hw  hw


 hw  (half width of central line)
Nd

 hw  (half width of line at  )
Nd cos 
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 36-8 Diffraction Gratings

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 36-9 Gratings: Dispersion and Resolving Power

Dispersion: the angular spreading of different wavelengths by a grating


D (dispersion defined)

m
D (dispersion of a grating)
d cos 

Resolving Power

avg
R (resolving power defined)

R  Nm (resolving power of a grating)

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 36-9 Gratings: Dispersion and Resolving Power

Table 36-1
Grating N d (nm) q D (o/mm) R

A 10000 2540 13.4o 23.2 10000

B 20000 2540 13.4o 23.2 20000

C 10000 1360 25.5o 46.3 10000

Data are for l = 589 nm and m = 1

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 36-10 X-Ray Diffraction
X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with
wavelength ~1 Å = 10 － 10 m (visible light
~5.5x10 － 7 m)

m
1  1 10.1 nm 
 sin sin 0.0019
d 3000 nm

2d sin  m
for m 0,1, 2
(Bragg's law)

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 36-10 X-Ray Diffraction

2
5d  5
4 a
0 or
a0
d  0.2236a0
20

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