WAVE THEORY OF LIGHT

PROPOSED
BY
HUYGENS

PREPARED BY – J. vishwakarma
 Outlines
• Intoduction
• Newtons corpuscular theory
• Huygens wave theory of light
• Polarisation
• Doppler Effect in light
 Introduction
Electromagnetic Waves
 What is nature of light?
Pioneers in Visible light Physics

Sir Issaac Newton Christiaan Huygen

 Newtons Corpuscular Theory
Newton’s corpuscular theory of light is based on
the following points

• Light consists of very tiny particles known as

“corpuscular”.

• These corpuscles on emission from the source

of light travel in straight line with high velocity.

• When these particles enter the eyes, they

produce image of the object or sensation of
vision.

• Corpuscles of different colours have different

sizes.
 Drawback’s of Newton’s corpuscular theory
• If light is incident on a transparent material like glass or water, some part of
light is reflected and some part of light is refracted. This partial reflection and
partial refraction cannot be explained on the basis of corpuscular theory.

• According to Newton different colors of light are due to the different sizes and
masses of the particles. But this fact was not experimentally proved.

• Velocity of light in air medium is less than velocity of light in denser medium
but experimentally it was found to be wrong.

• Several phenomena of light such as double refraction, interference, diffraction

and polarization of light cannot be explained on the basis of corpuscular
theory.
Wavefronts and Rays
Wavefronts and Rays
 Huygen’s wave theory of light

According to Huygen’s wave theory of light:

• Each point in a source of light sends out waves in all directions in hypothetical
medium called "ETHER“.

• A medium is necessary for the propagation of waves & the whole space is filled
with an imaginary medium called Ether.

• Different colors of light is because of different wavelength.

• Light travels in the form of waves.

• Light is a form of energy .

 Huygens principle and construction of wavefront
• Every point on a wavefront
acts as a secondary source of ct1
light and emits secondary
wavelets in all direction. ct 1

• The envelope drawn to all the

secondary wavelets gives the
position of the new wavefront
at that instant.

• Secondary wavelets are

assumed to be effective only in
forward direction. Spherical Wavefront Plane wavefront
 Construction of Spherical wavefront
If the source of light is point source then the locus formed at any instant is a
spherical wavefront

This is the radius of wave of a wavefront at any instant (t).

 Construction of plane wavefront

If the source of light is at infinite distance, then any of the wavefront

appears is a plane wavefront
 The Laws of Reflection (Plane wavefront)
The laws of reflection of light.
1) The angle of incidence is equal to
angle of reflection i.e. <i=<r.
2) The incident ray, reflected ray and
normal lie on the same plane.

Proof:-
• Consider a plane wave fronts A1B1 and AB is incidenting
towards the reflecting surface XY making the angle of
incidence ‘i’. X A C Y
• The perpendicular line MA is drawn to this wave front. Consider ∆ABC and ∆CDA
• According to the Huygen’s principle, every point of the Seg AC = Seg CA (common base)
wave front acts as source of secondary wavelets. Hence Seg BC = Seg AD = ct
the point B of wave front AB forms the secondary wavelets
at any time’t’ whose surface just touches the point ‘C’ of <ABC = <CDA = 900
reflecting surface XY. Such that BC = ct where c is the
velocity of light.
∆ABC ≈ ∆CDA Hypotenuse side theorem
• At the sometime the point A of AB forms a secondary <BCA = <DAC
wavelets such that AD = ct another points of wave front AB
form the secondary wavelets such that the sum of the Also, <BCA = <A1AX corresponding angels
tangents drawn to their wavelets gives the new position of <A1AX = <DAC
wave front i e. A D is the reflected wave front which makes
angle of reflection ‘r’. 90 - < i = 90 - < r
• < i and < r are angle of incidence and angle of reflection.
<I=<r
The Laws of Refraction (Plane wavefront)

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 Polarisation of Light
The phenomenon of restriction of the vibrations of light waves in a particular plane is
called the polaristion of light
Unpolarised Light

Polarised Light

• Superposition of many
beams, in the same
• Vibration lie on one
direction of propagation,
single plane
but each with random A ray of Unpolarised
polarization Light
Types of Polarisation
Transverse Nature of Light

Amplitude
Unaffected

(A) (B)
Transverse Nature of Light

(a)

(b)
 Plane Polarised Light
When vibration of electric vectors are confined in one plane, the light is called Plane Polarised
Light

Plane of Vibration :
The plane in which the vibrations of light take
place is called Plane of vibration

Plane of Polarisation:
The plane perpendicular to the plane of
vibration in which there are no vibrations of
polarised light
 Brewster’s Law
The tangent of the polarising angle is equal to the refractive index of the refracting
medium at which partially reflection takes place
From fig. Unpolarised Completely
Light Polarised
Ip+90+rp = 180 ip
rp = 90-ip
rp
From Snell’s law
Polarised
µ=

µ= Brewster’s angle
condition
µ= P polarised light, parallel to plane of
incidence
Polarised light, perpendicular to plane of
µ = tan ip incidence
Polaroid
 ro i d
Pol a
Doppler Effect in light