End game notes

Quiz 5, this Friday, Dec. 2, at 4:30PM in CW101,102,103.

Review, this Wednesday, Nov. 30, 7:30 PM, CW102.
The Final Exam is FRIDAY, DEC 16 at 7:30 AM. I will
reserve up to one problem and up to five conceptual
questions on the final for topics in light and matter. The
remainder of the test will be drawn from small modifications
to problems and questions from Quizzes 1-5.

Interference Phenomea
The two main things you need to know:
1. Two equal-amplitude coherent waves that reach a
point with a phase difference of 2pn or a path
difference of nl, where n is any integer,
constructively interfere. The resultant wave has
twice the amplitude of either constituent wave, and
four times the intensity.
2. Two equal-amplitude coherent waves that reach a
point with a phase difference of 2p(n+1/2) or a path
difference of (n+1/2)l, where n is any integer,
destructively interfere. The resultant wave has zero
amplitude and zero intensity.

Constructive/Destructive

Constructive: peaks align with

peaks, valleys aligns with
valleys.
Destructive: peaks align with
valleys; valleys align with peaks.

Beats, Phase difference from frequency

difference

Suppose we have two sources of

equal amplitude and slightly
different frequency at the same
location.
For E1,2=E0cos(2pf1,2t), the resultant
field is E1+2=2E0cos[2p(f1f2)t/2]cos[2p(f1+f2)t/2].
For small |f1-f2|, the factor cos[2p(f1f2)t/2] modulates the amplitude
rather than contributing any tone.

Path length interference

Consider two nearly point-like wave sources as shown in

the figure. White represents peaks, black valleys.
Along a line far from the sources, whites cross blacks at
nearly equal intervals. These will be positions of
interference minima.
A similar effect occurs for white crossing white and black
crossing black. These will be the positions of maxima.

Constructive?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Suppose one of two beams of green light(l=510 nm)

split equally from the same laser travels 5.1 mm farther
in reaching the same spot than the other. The intensity
of light at this spot will be?
Zero.
The same as that of either beam by iteslf.
Double that of either beam by itself.
Four times that of either beam by itself.

Constructive--2?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Suppose one of two beams of red light(l=650 nm) split

equally from the same laser travels 4.875 mm farther in
reaching the same spot than the other. The intensity of
light at this spot will be?
Zero.
The same as that of either beam by iteslf.
Double that of either beam by itself.
Four times that of either beam by itself.

Constructive--3?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Suppose one beam of red light (l=650 nm) and one

beam of green light (l=510 nm) with the same intensity
reach the same point on a screen with the red light
travelling 33.150 mm farther than the green. The
intensity of light at this spot will be?
Zero.
The same as that of either beam by iteslf.
Double that of either beam by itself.
Four times that of either beam by itself.

Coherence
For interference between two or more sources to be
detectable, the phase difference between the two
sources must be constant, or at worse, change very
slowly in a predictable way.
Sources with very different frequencies (red and green
light) or a random phase difference (red light from two
independent laser pointers) will not display interference.

Double slit interference

The path difference between the top
slit and bottom slit will be
(corresponding to nearly parallel
rays) D=dsinq, where for small
angles, sinqtanqq=y/L, with y the
vertical position on the screen, d the
slit separation, and L the distance to
the screen.
Maxima will occur whenever D=nl,
where n is any integer, or for
sinqy/L=nl/d.
Corresponding minima will occur at
sinq y/L=(n+1/2)l/d.

Is this of any practical importance?

Yes!!!
Heres how you measure the wavelength of a coherent
light source:
Pass the light through two slits.
Measure the slit separation distance d with a ruler.
Measure the bright spot separation distance Dy with a
ruler.
Measure the slit to screen distance separation L with a
ruler.
The wavelength of light is then l=dDy/L, using only a
ruler.

Double slit

A.
B.
C.
D.

What would happen to the separation between maxima

if the intensity of green light increased by 10?
Nothing.
It would increase.
It would decrease.
The pattern would disappear.

Double slit 2

A.
B.
C.
D.

What would happen to the separation between maxima

if the light were switched from green to red?
Nothing.
It would increase.
It would decrease.
The pattern would disappear.

Double slit 3

A.
B.
C.
D.

What would happen to the separation between maxima

if the red light only came through the top slit and green
slight only through the bottom slit?
Nothing.
It would increase.
It would decrease.
The pattern would disappear.

Diffraction
Imagine passing light through a single
slit.If the slit has any width to it, the light
from on side can interfere with light from
the other.
This self-interference is called diffraction.
We will skip the derivations and just state
the main results:
Interference minima will occur when

a sin m

The brightest maximum occurs at q=0.

Secondary maxima occur approximately halfway between the minima.
The secondary maxima diminish in intensity
relative to the central maximum as q increases.

Intensity Patterns
2-slit interference.

1-slit diffraction.

2-slit interference with

diffraction at each slit.