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Chapter 33 Interference and Diffraction
Chapter 33 Interference and Diffraction
Conceptual Problems
Determine the Concept The phase difference G due to a path difference 'r are
related according to G 2S 'r O . Therefore, the least path length difference
corresponds to the smallest phase difference. a is correct.
2 • Which of the following pairs of light sources are coherent: (a) two
candles, (b) one point source and its image in a plane mirror, (c) two pinholes
uniformly illuminated by the same point source, (d) two headlights of a car, (e)
two images of a point source due to reflection from the front and back surfaces of
a soap film.
Determine the Concept Coherent sources have a constant phase difference. The
pairs of light sources that satisfy this criterion are (b), (c), and (e).
Determine the Concept The thickness of the air space between the flat glass and
the lens is approximately proportional to the square of d, the diameter of the ring.
Consequently, the separation between adjacent rings is proportional to 1/d.
Determine the Concept There are two possible reasons that fringes might not be
observed. (1) The distance between adjacent fringes is so small that the fringes
are not resolved by the eye. (2) Twice the thickness of the air space is greater than
the coherence length of the light. If this is the case, fringes would be observed in
the region close to the point where the thickness of the air space approaches zero.
Determine the Concept Colors are observed when the light reflected off the front
and back surfaces of the film interfere destructively for some wavelengths and
3047
3048 Chapter 33
constructively for other wavelengths. For this interference to occur, the phase
difference between the light reflected off the front and back surfaces of the film
must be constant. This means that twice the thickness of the film must be less
than the coherence length of the light. The film is called a thin film if twice its
thickness is less than the coherence length of the light.
6 • A loop of wire is dipped in soapy water and held up so that the soap
film is vertical. (a) Viewed by reflection with white light, the top of the film
appears black. Explain why. (b) Below the black region are colored bands. Is the
first band red or violet?
(a) The phase change due to reflection from the front surface of the film is 180q;
the phase change due to reflection from the back surface of the film is 0q. As the
film thins toward the top, the phase change due to the path length difference
between the two reflected waves (the phase difference associated with the film’s
thickness) becomes negligible and the two reflected waves interfere destructively.
(b) The first constructive interference will arise when twice the thickness of the
film is equal to half the wavelength of the color with the shortest wavelength.
Therefore, the first band will be violet (shortest visible wavelength).
(a) The distance increases. (b) The distance decreases. (c) The distance remains
the same.
Determine the Concept The relationship between the slit separation d and the
angular position Tm of each maximum is given by d sin T m mO , m 0,1, 2, ...
(Equation 33-2). Because d and sinTm are inversely proportional for a given
wavelength and interference maximum (value of m), decreasing d increases sinTm
and Tm. a is correct.
Determine the Concept The relationship between the slit separation d, the
angular position Tm of each maximum, and the wavelength of the light
illuminating the slits is given by d sin T m mO , m 0,1, 2, ... (Equation 33-2).
Because O and sinTm are directly proportional for a given interference maximum
(value of m) and the wavelength of green light is shorter than the wavelength of
red light, a is correct.
Determine the Concept The relationship between the slit width a, the angular
position Tm of each maximum, and the wavelength of the light illuminating the
slit is given by a sin T m mO , m 1, 2, 3, ... (Equation 33-11). Because a and
sinTm are inversely proportional for a given diffraction maximum (value of m),
narrowing the slit increases sin T m and Tm. a is correct.
Determine the Concept Equation 33-2 expresses the condition for an intensity
maximum in two-slit interference. Here d is the slit separation, O the
wavelength of the light, m an integer, and Tm the angle at which the interference
maximum appears. Equation 33-11 expresses the condition for an intensity
minimum in single-slit diffraction. Here a is the width of the slit, O the
wavelength of the light, and T m the angle at which the minimum appears, and m is
3050 Chapter 33
a nonzero integer.
Picture the Problem We can solve d sin T mO for T with m = 1 to express the
location of the first-order maximum as a function of the wavelength of the light.
Because Ogreen light < Ored light: T green light T red light and (a) is correct.
Because the index of refraction of a vacuum is slightly less than the index of
refraction of air, the removal of air increases On and, hence, ym ym1. (c) is
correct.
Interference and Diffraction 3051
(a) When waves interfere destructively, the energy is converted into heat
energy.
(b) Interference patterns are observed only if the relative phases of the waves
that superimpose remain constant.
(c) In the Fraunhofer diffraction pattern for a single slit, the narrower the slit,
the wider the central maximum of the diffraction pattern.
(d) A circular aperture can produce both a Fraunhofer diffraction pattern and a
Fresnel diffraction pattern.
(e) The ability to resolve two point sources depends on the wavelength of the
light.
(a) False. When destructive interference of light waves occurs, the energy is no
longer distributed evenly. For example, light from a two-slit device forms a
pattern with very bright and very dark parts. There is practically no energy at the
dark fringes and a great deal of energy at the bright fringe. The total energy over
the entire pattern equals the energy from one slit plus the energy from the second
slit. Interference re-distributes the energy.
(b) True.
(c) True. The width of the central maximum in the diffraction pattern is given by
mO
T m sin 1 where a is the width of the slit. Hence, the narrower the slit, the
a
wider the central maximum of the diffraction pattern.
(d) True.
(e) True. The critical angle for the resolution of two sources is directly
O
proportional to the wavelength of the light emitted by the sources ( D c 1.22 ).
D
Determine the Concept The condition for the resolution of the two sources is
given by Rayleigh’s criterion: D c 1.22O D (Equation 33-25), where Dc is the
critical angular separation and D is the diameter of the aperture. The larger the
critical angle required for resolution, the less likely it is that you can resolve the
sources as being two distinct sources. Because Dc and O are directly proportional,
the filter that passes the shorter wavelength light would be most likely to resolve
the sources. d is correct.
Determine the Concept The condition for the resolution of the two sources is
given by Rayleigh’s criterion: D c 1.22 O D (Equation 33-25), where Dc is the
critical angular separation, D is the diameter of the aperture, and O is the
wavelength of the light coming from the objects, in this case headlights, to be
resolved. Because the diameter of the pupils of your eyes are larger at night, the
critical angle is smaller at night, which means that at night you can resolve the
light as coming from two distinct sources when they are at a greater distance.
Picture the Problem We’ll assume that the diameter of the pupil of the eye is
5.0 mm and use the best-case scenario (the minimum resolvable width varies
directly with the wavelength of the light reflecting from the object) that the
wavelength of light is 400 nm (the lower limit for the human eye). Then we can
use the expression for the minimum angular separation of two objects than can be
resolved by the eye and the relationship between this angle and the width of an
object and the distance from which it is viewed to support the claim.
Substitute numerical values and evaluate wmin for an altitude of 250 km:
§ § ··
wmin 250 km tan¨¨1.22¨¨ 400 nm ¸¸ ¸¸ | 24 m
© © 5.0 mm ¹ ¹
This claim is probably false. Because the minimum width that is resolvable from
low-Earth orbit (250 km) is 24 m and the width of the Great Wall is 5 to 8 m high
and 5 m wide, so this claim is likely false. However, it is easily seen using
binoculars, and pictures can be taken of it using a camera. This is because both
binoculars and cameras have apertures that are larger than the pupil of the human
eye. (The Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei reported that he was not able to see the
wall with the naked eye during the first Chinese manned space flight in 2003.)
Picture the Problem If your ears receive the sound exactly out of phase, the
waves arriving at your ear that is farthest from the speaker must be traveling one-
half wavelength farther than the waves arriving at your ear that is nearest the
speaker. The lowest frequency corresponds to the longest wavelength. Assume
that the speaker and your ears are on the same line and let the distance between
your ears be about 20 cm. Take the speed of sound in air to be 343 m/s.
Picture the Problem Assume that the diameter of a pupil at night is 5.0 mm and
that the wavelength of light is in the middle of the visible spectrum at about 550
nm. We can use the Rayleigh criterion for the separation of two sources and the
geometry of the Earth-to-binary star system to derive an expression for the
distance to the binary stars.
For D = Dc: d O Dd
1.22 L
L D 1.22O
Picture the Problem The difference in phase depends on the path difference
'r
according to G 2S . The path difference is the difference in the distances of
O
(0, 15.0 cm) and (3.00 cm, 14.0 cm) from the origin.
incident normally on the glass plates, and interference fringes are observed by
reflection. (a) Is the first fringe near the point of contact of the plates dark or
bright? Why? (b) If there are five dark fringes per centimeter, what is the angle of
the wedge?
Picture the Problem Because the mth fringe occurs when the path difference 2t
equals m wavelengths, we can express the additional distance traveled by the light
in air as an mO. The thickness of the wedge, in turn, is related to the angle of the
wedge and the distance from its vertex to the mth fringe.
(a) The first fringe is dark because the phase difference due to reflection by the
bottom surface of the top plate and the top surface of the bottom plate is 180q
Picture the Problem The condition that one sees m fringes requires that the path
difference between light reflected from the bottom surface of the top slide and the
top surface of the bottom slide is an integer multiple of a wavelength of the light.
3058 Chapter 33
Picture the Problem The light reflected from the top surface of the bottom plate
(wave 2 in the diagram) is phase shifted relative to the light reflected from the
bottom surface of the top plate (wave 1 in the diagram). This phase difference is
the sum of a phase shift of S (equivalent to a O/2 path difference) resulting from
reflection plus a phase shift due to the additional distance traveled.
1 2
Picture the Problem (a) We can use the condition for destructive interference in
a thin film to find the thickness of the film. (b) and (c) Once we’ve found the
thickness of the film, we can use the condition for constructive interference to
find the wavelengths in the visible portion of the spectrum that will be brightest in
the reflected interference pattern and the condition for destructive interference to
find the wavelengths of light missing from the reflected light when the film is
placed on glass with an index of refraction greater than that of the film.
3060 Chapter 33
(b) The condition for constructive 2t 12 O' O' , 2O' , 3O' ,...
interference in the thin film is: or
2t O' , 32 O' , 52 O' ,... m 12 O'
1
2
Substitute numerical values for m and evaluate O to obtain the following table:
m 0 1 2 3 4 5
O (nm) 3600 1200 720 514 400 327
From the table, we see that the only wavelengths in the visible spectrum are 720
nm, 514 nm, and 400 nm.
Substitute numerical values for m and evaluate O to obtain the following table:
m 0 1 2 3 4 5
O (nm) 3600 1200 720 514 400 327
From the table we see that the missing wavelengths in the visible spectrum are
720 nm, 514 nm, and 400 nm.
Express the condition for 2t O' , 2O' , 3O' ,... mO' (1)
constructive interference: where Oc is the wavelength of light in
the oil and m = 0, 1, 2, …
30 •• A film of oil that has an index of refraction 1.45 floats on water. When
illuminated with white light at normal incidence, light of wavelengths 700 nm and
500 nm is predominant in the reflected light. Determine the thickness of the oil
film.
Picture the Problem Because the index of refraction of air is less than that of the
oil, there is a phase shift of S rad ( 12 O ) in the light reflected at the air-oil
interface. Because the index of refraction of the oil is greater than that of the
glass, there is no phase shift in the light reflected from the oil-glass interface. We
can use the condition for constructive interference to determine m for O = 700 nm
and then use this value in our equation describing constructive interference to find
the thickness t of the oil film.
Newton’s Rings
r 2 R t R 2
2
(b) From Figure 33-42 we have:
or
R 2 r 2 R 2 2 Rt t 2
obtain:
Interference and Diffraction 3065
(e) The wavelength of the light in the film becomes Oair/n = 444 nm. The
separation between fringes is reduced (the fringes would become more closely
spaced.) and the number of fringes that will be seen is increased by a factor of
1.33.
33 ••• Suppose that before the lens of Problem 32 is placed on the plate, a
film of oil of refractive index 1.82 is deposited on the plate. What will then be the
radii of the first and second bright fringes?
m 12 OR
Substitute for t to obtain:
r
n
away. Calculate the number of bright fringes per centimeter on the screen in the
region near the center fringe.
Picture the Problem The number of bright fringes per unit distance is the
reciprocal of the separation of the fringes. We can use the expression for the
distance on the screen to the mth fringe to find the separation of the fringes.
OL
Express the distance on the screen to ym m and ym1 m 1 OL
the mth and (m + 1)st bright fringe: d d
Picture the Problem We can use the expression for the distance on the screen to
the mth and (m + 1)st bright fringes to obtain an expression for the separation 'y
of the fringes as a function of the separation of the slits d. Because the number of
bright fringes per unit length N is the reciprocal of 'y, we can find d from N, O,
and L.
OL
Express the distance on the screen to ym m and ym1 m 1 OL
the mth and (m + 1)st bright fringe: d d
evaluate d: 4.95 mm
Picture the Problem We can use the equation for the distance on a screen to the
mth bright fringe to derive an expression for the spacing of the maxima on the
screen. In (c) we can use this same relationship to express the slit separation d.
OL
(a) Express the distance on the ym m and ym1 m 1 OL
screen to the mth and (m + 1)st bright d d
fringe:
(b) According to the Raleigh criterion you could resolve them, but not by much.
Picture the Problem Let the separation of the slits be d. We can find the total
path difference when the light is incident at an angle I and set this result equal to
an integer multiple of the wavelength of the light to obtain the given equation.
Picture the Problem Let the separation of the slits be d. We can find the total
path difference when the light is incident at an angle I and set this result equal to
an integer multiple of the wavelength of the light to relate the angle of incidence
on the slits to the direction of the transmitted light and its wavelength.
m O (nm)
1 1250
2 625
3 417
4 313
From the table we can see that 625 nm and 417 nm are in the visible portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
Interference and Diffraction 3071
ª
1.00 m tan ®sin 1 «
12 343 m/s º ½
y1st min »¾ 37 cm
¯ ¬ 5.0 cm 10 kHz ¼ ¿
Picture the Problem We can use the expression locating the first zeroes in the
intensity to find the angles at which these zeroes occur as a function of the slit
width a.
42 • Plane microwaves are incident on the thin metal sheet that has a long,
narrow slit of width 5.0 cm in it. The microwave radiation strikes the sheet at
normal incidence. The first diffraction minimum is observed at T = 37º. What is
the wavelength of the microwaves?
Picture the Problem We can use the expression locating the first zeroes in the
intensity to find the wavelength of the radiation as a function of the angle at
which the first diffraction minimum is observed and the width of the plate.
Picture the Problem The diagram shows the beam expanding as it travels to the
moon and that portion of it that is reflected from the mirror on the moon
expanding as it returns to Earth. We can express the diameter of the beam at the
moon as the product of the beam divergence angle and the distance to the moon
and use the equation describing diffraction at a circular aperture to find the beam
divergence angle.
dtelescope L dmirror D
ª º
« 1.22500 nm »
D
3.82 u 10 8 m « » 1.53 km
« 6.00 in u 2.54 cm u 1 m »
«¬ in 10 2 cm »¼
Picture the Problem We need to find the value of m for which the mth
interference maximum coincides with the first diffraction minimum. Then there
will be N 2m 1 fringes in the central maximum.
If d = na: d na
m n and N 2n 1
a a
Picture the Problem We can equate the sine of the angle at which the first
diffraction minimum occurs to the sine of the angle at which the fifth interference
maximum occurs to find a. We can then find the number of bright interference
fringes seen in the central diffraction maximum using N 2m 1.
(b) Because m = 5: N 2m 1 25 1 9
3076 Chapter 33
Picture the Problem We can equate the sine of the angle at which the first
diffraction minimum occurs to the sine of the angle at which the mth interference
maximum occurs to find m. We can then find the number of bright interference
fringes seen in the central diffraction maximum using N 2m 1.
47 •• Suppose that the central diffraction maximum for two slits has 17
interference fringes for some wavelength of light. How many interference fringes
would you expect in the diffraction maximum adjacent to one side of the central
diffraction maximum?
Picture the Problem There are 8 interference fringes on each side of the central
maximum. The secondary diffraction maximum is half as wide as the central one.
It follows that it will contain 8 interference maxima.
Interference and Diffraction 3077
48 •• Light that has a wavelength equal to 550 nm illuminates two slits that
both have widths equal to 0.030 mm and separations equal to 0.15 mm.
(a) How many interference maxima fall within the full width of the central
diffraction maximum? (b) What is the ratio of the intensity of the third
interference maximum to one side of the center interference maximum to the
intensity of the center interference maximum?
Picture the Problem We can equate the sine of the angle at which the first
diffraction minimum occurs to the sine of the angle at which the mth interference
maximum occurs to find m. We can then find the number of bright interference
fringes seen in the central diffraction maximum using N 2m 1. In (b) we can
use the expression relating the intensity in a single-slit diffraction pattern to phase
2S
constant I a sin T to find the ratio of the intensity of the third interference
O
maximum to one side of the center interference maximum.
2
(b) Express the intensity for a single- § sin 1 I ·
slit diffraction pattern as a function I I 0 ¨¨ 1 2 ¸¸ (2)
© 2I ¹
of the phase difference I:
2S
where I a sin T
O
3078 Chapter 33
For m = 3: 3O
sin T 3
d
and
2S 2S § 3O · §a·
I a sin T 3 a¨ ¸ 6S ¨ ¸
O O © d ¹ ©d ¹
2
Solve equation (2) for the ratio of I3 I3 § sin 12 I ·
to I0: ¨¨ ¸¸
I0 © 2I ¹
1
2
Substitute numerical values and ª 1 § 6S · º
evaluate I3/I0: I3 « sin 2 ¨ 5 ¸ »
« © ¹» 0.25
I0 « § · »
1 6S
« 2 ¨© 5 ¸¹ »
¬ ¼
49 • [SSM] Find the resultant of the two waves whose electric fields at a
&
given location vary with time as follows: E1 2 A0 sin Zt iˆ and
&
E 3 A sin Zt 3 S iˆ .
2 0 2
y
Picture the Problem Chose the
r
E1
x
coordinate system shown in the δ
& &
The resultant of the two waves is of E E sin Zt G i (1)
the form:
& &
The magnitude of E is: E 2 A0 2 3 A0 2 3.6 A0
50 • Find the resultant of the two waves whose electric fields at a given
& &
location vary with time as follows: E1 4 A0 sin Zt iˆ and E 2 3 A0 sin Zt 16 S iˆ .
Picture the Problem Chose the coordinate system shown in the phasor diagram.
We can use the standard methods of vector addition to find the resultant of the
two waves.
r
E
r
y E2
δ 60°
r x
E1
& &
The resultant of the two waves is of E E sin Zt G i (1)
the form:
&
E 4 A0 2 3 A0 2 24 A0 3 A0 cos120q 6.08 A0
&
Solve for G to obtain: ª E 2 sin 120q º
G sin 1 « & »
« E »
¬ ¼
Remarks: We could have used the law of cosines to find R and the law of
sines to find G.
Picture the Problem We can evaluate the expression for the intensity for a
single-slit diffraction pattern at the second secondary maximum to express I2 in
terms of I0.
2 2
The intensity at the second secondary ª sin 1 I º I ª sin 12 I º
maximum is given by: I I0 « 1 2 » « 1 »
¬ 2I ¼ I0 ¬ 2I ¼
where
2S
I a sin T
O
I ª § 5S ·º
2
Substitute for I and evaluate :
I0 I « sin¨ 2 ¸»
« © ¹» 0.0162
I0 « 5S »
« 2 »
¬ ¼
Picture the Problem We can use phasor concepts to find the phase angle G in
terms of the number of phasors N (three in this problem) forming a closed
polygon of N sides at the minima and then use this information to express the path
difference 'r for each of these locations. Applying a small angle approximation,
we can obtain an expression for y that we can evaluate for enough of the path
differences to establish the pattern given in the problem statement.
spacing of 0.100 mm, calculate the width of the principal interference maxima
(the distance between successive minima) for four sources. Compare this width
with that for two sources with the same spacing.
Picture the Problem We can use phasor concepts to find the phase angle G in
terms of the number of phasors N (four in this problem) forming a closed polygon
of N sides at the minima and then use this information to express the path
difference 'r for each of these locations. Applying a small angle approximation,
we can obtain an expression for y that we can evaluate for enough of the path
differences to establish the pattern given in the problem statement.
The width for four sources is half the width for two sources.
Picture the Problem We can use sin T O a to find the first zeros in the intensity
pattern. The four-slit interference maxima occur at angles given by
d sin T mO, where m = 0,1,2, … . In (c) we can use the result of Problem 53 to
find the angular spread between the central interference maximum and the first
interference minimum on either side of it. In (d) we’ll use a phasor diagram for a
four-slit grating to find the resultant amplitude at a given point in the intensity
pattern as a function of the phase constant G, that, in turn, is a function of the angle
T that determines the location of a point in the interference pattern.
For n = 1: 480 nm
T min 20 mrad
46.00 Pm
(d) Use the phasor method to show the superposition of four waves of the same
2S
amplitude A0 and constant phase difference G d sin T .
O
δ"
A0
A
δ
φ
A0
δ
φ
δ'
f A0
δ" δ
α A0
4 I 0 cos 32 G cos 12 G
2
Because the intensity is I
proportional to the square of the
amplitude of the resultant wave:
The following graph of I/I0 as a function of sinT was plotted using a spreadsheet
2
I § sin 1 I ·
program. The diffraction envelope was plotted using 4 ¨¨ 1 2 ¸¸ , where
2
I0 © 2I ¹
2S
I a sin T . Note the excellent agreement with the results calculated in (a), (b)
O
and (c).
3086 Chapter 33
18
16 intensity
14 diffraction envelope
12
10
I /I 0 8
4
2
0
-2
-0.3 -0.2 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3
sin(theta)
55 ••• [SSM] Three slits, each separated from its neighbor by 60.0 Pm, are
illuminated at the central intensity maximum by a coherent light source of
wavelength 550 nm. The slits are extremely narrow. A screen is located 2.50 m
from the slits. The intensity is 50.0 mW/m2. Consider a location 1.72 cm from the
central maximum. (a) Draw a phasor diagram suitable for the addition of the three
harmonic waves at that location. (b) From the phasor diagram, calculate the
intensity of light at that location.
A0
Because I0 v 9R2: I R2 I0
I
I0 9R 2 9
Picture the Problem We can use the phasor diagram shown in Figure 33-26 to
determine the first three values of I that produce secondary intensity maxima.
Setting the derivative of Equation 33-19 equal to zero will yield a transcendental
equation whose roots are the values of I corresponding to the intensity maxima in
the diffraction pattern.
2
The intensity in the single-slit § sin 1 I ·
diffraction pattern is given by: I I 0 ¨¨ 1 2 ¸¸
© 2I ¹
Set the derivative of this expression equal to zero for extreme values (relative
minima and maxima):
At the three intensity minima I = 2S, 4S, and 6S , and at the three intensity
maxima I = 2.86S, 4.92S, and 6.94S. At the intensity maxima I | 3S, 5S, and 7S.
Interference and Diffraction 3089
Remarks: Note that our results in (b) are smaller than the approximate
values found in (a) by 4.9%, 1.6%, and 0.86% and that the agreement
improves as n increases.
58 • Two sources of light that both have wavelengths equal to 700 nm are
10.0 m away from the pinhole of Problem 57. How far apart must the sources be
for their diffraction patterns to be resolved by Rayleigh’s criterion?
3090 Chapter 33
Pinhole
αc
αc
∆y
x
Interference and Diffraction 3091
60 •• The ceiling of your lecture hall is probably covered with acoustic tile,
which has small holes separated by about 6.0 mm. (a) Using light that has a
wavelength of 500 nm, how far could you be from this tile and still resolve these
holes? Assume the diameter of the pupil of your eye is about 5.0 mm. (b) Could
you resolve these holes better using red light or using violet light? Explain your
answer.
Picture the Problem We can use Rayleigh’s criterion for circular apertures and
the geometry of the diagram to the right showing the overlapping diffraction
patterns to express L in terms of O, x, and the diameter D of your pupil.
Your pupil
αc
αc
x
(b) Because L is inversely proportional to O, the holes can be resolved better with
violet light which has a shorter wavelength. The critical angle for resolution is
proportional to the wavelength. Thus, the shorter the wavelength the farther away
you can be and still resolve the two images.
Picture the Problem We can use Rayleigh’s criterion for circular apertures and
the geometry of the diagram to obtain an expression we can solve for the
minimum separation 'x of the stars.
Your pupil
αc
αc
∆x
§ § ··
¨ 550 nm ¨ 4 c y u 9.461u 10 m ¸ ¸
15
¨ ¨ 1c y ¸¸
'x 1.22¨ © ¹ 5.00 u 10 9 m
2.54 cm ¸
¨ 200 in u ¸
¨ 1in ¸
© ¹
Interference and Diffraction 3093
Picture the Problem We can use Rayleigh’s criterion for circular apertures and
the geometry of the diagram to obtain an expression we can solve for the
minimum diameter D of the pupil that allows resolution of the binary stars.
Your pupil
αc
D
αc
∆x
Diffraction Gratings
63 • [SSM] A diffraction grating that has 2000 slits per centimeter is used
to measure the wavelengths emitted by hydrogen gas. (a) At what angles in the
first-order spectrum would you expect to find the two violet lines that have
wavelengths of 434 nm and 410 nm? (b) What are the angles if the grating has 15
000 slits per centimeter?
Picture the Problem We can solve d sin T mO for T with m = 1 to express the
location of the first-order maximum as a function of the wavelength of the light.
64 • Using a diffraction grating that has 2000 lines per centimeter, two
other lines in the first-order hydrogen spectrum are found at angles of
9.72 u 10–2 rad and 1.32 u 10–1 rad. What are the wavelengths of these lines?
Picture the Problem We can solve d sin T mO for O with m = 1 to express the
location of the first-order maximum as a function of the angles at which the first-
order images are found.
65 • The colors of many butterfly wings and beetle carapaces are due to
effects of diffraction. The Morpho butterfly has structural elements on its wings
that effectively act as a diffraction grating with spacing 880 nm. At what angle
will the first diffraction maximum occur for normally incident light diffracted by
the butterfly’s wings? Assume the light is blue with a wavelength of 440 nm.
Picture the Problem We can use the grating equation to find the angle at which
normally incident blue light will be diffracted by the butterfly’s wings.
Picture the Problem We can use the grating equation to find the angular
separation of the first-order spectrum of the two lines. In Part (b) we can apply the
definition of the resolving power of the grating to find the width of the grating
that must be illuminated for the lines to be resolved.
ª º ª º
« m579 nm » « m577 nm »
'T sin 1 « » sin 1 « » sin 1 >0.1158m@ sin 1 >0.1154m@
« 1 » « 1 »
«¬ 2000 cm 1 »¼ «¬ 2000 cm 1 »¼
For m = 1: O
N
'O
Picture the Problem We can use the grating equation d sin T mO, m 1, 2, 3, ...
to express the order number in terms of the slit separation d, the wavelength of
the light O, and the angle T.
Interference and Diffraction 3097
Evaluate mmax: 1 1
4800 cm 1 4800 cm 1
mmax 2.98
Omax 700 nm
Because mmax = 2.98, one can see the complete spectrum only for m = 1 and 2.
One can see the complete spectrum for only the first and second order spectra.
That is, only for m = 1 and 2. Because 700 nm < 2 u 400 nm, there is no overlap
of the second-order spectrum into the first-order spectrum; however, there is
overlap of long wavelengths in the second order with short wavelengths in the
third-order spectrum.
Picture the Problem We can use the grating equation and the resolving power of
the grating to derive an expression for the angle at which you should look to see a
wavelength of 510 nm in the fourth order.
Picture the Problem The distance on the screen to the mth bright fringe can be
found using d sin T mO (where d is the slit separation and m = 0, 1, 2, …) and
the geometry of the grating and projection screen. We can use
T min O Nd 'y 2 L to find the width of the central maximum and R = mN,
where N is the number of slits in the grating, to find the resolving power in the
first order.
¸ m 589 nm
2 2
¨
© 4000 ¹
Interference and Diffraction 3099
Picture the Problem The width of the grating w is the product of its number of
lines N and the separation of its slits d. Because the resolution of the grating is a
function of the average wavelength, the difference in the wavelengths, and the
order number, we can express w in terms of these quantities.
§ 1 ·
1
2 519.313 nm 519.322 nm ¨¨ ¸
1 ¸
© 8400 cm ¹
w 3 cm
2519.322 nm 519.313 nm
71 •• [SSM] Mercury has several stable isotopes, among them 198Hg and
202
Hg. The strong spectral line of mercury, at about 546.07 nm, is a composite of
spectral lines from the various mercury isotopes. The wavelengths of this line for
198
Hg and 202Hg are 546.07532 nm and 546.07355 nm, respectively. What must be
the resolving power of a grating capable of resolving these two isotopic lines in
the third-order spectrum? If the grating is illuminated over a 2.00-cm-wide region,
what must be the number of lines per centimeter of the grating?
Picture the Problem We can use the expression for the resolving power of a
grating to find the resolving power of the grating capable of resolving these two
isotopic lines in the third-order spectrum. Because the total number of the slits of
the grating N is related to width w of the illuminated region and the number of
lines per centimeter of the grating and the resolving power R of the grating, we
can use this relationship to find the number of lines per centimeter of the grating.
72 ••• A diffraction grating has n lines per unit length. Show that the angular
separation ('T ) of two lines of wavelengths O and O + 'O is approximately
1
'T 'O 2 2
O2 where m is the order number.
n m
Picture the Problem We can differentiate the grating equation implicitly and
approximate dT /dO by 'T /'O to obtain an expression 'T as a function of m, n,
'O, and cosT. We can use the Pythagorean identity sin2T + cos2T = 1 and the
grating equation to write cosT in terms of n, m, and O. Making these substitutions
will yield the given equation.
d
Differentiate both sides of this d sin T d mO
equation with respect to O: dO dO
or
dT
d cos T m
dO
Because n = 1/d: dT 1 dT
cos T nm n cos T
dO m dO
73 ••• [SSM] For a diffraction grating in which all the surfaces are normal
to the incident radiation, most of the energy goes into the zeroth order, which is
useless from a spectroscopic point of view, since in zeroth order all the
wavelengths are at 0º. Therefore, modern reflection gratings have shaped, or
blazed, grooves, as shown in Figure 33-45. This shifts the specular reflection,
which contains most of the energy, from the zeroth order to some higher order.
(a) Calculate the blaze angle Im in terms of the groove separation d, the
wavelength O, and the order number m in which specular reflection is to occur for
m = 1, 2, . . . . (b) Calculate the proper blaze angle for the specular reflection to
occur in the second order for light of wavelength 450 nm incident on a grating
with 10 000 lines per centimeter.
Picture the Problem We can use the grating equation and the geometry of the
grating to derive an expression for Im in terms of the order number m, the
wavelength of the light O, and the groove separation d.
(b) For m = 2: § ·
¨ ¸
1 ¨ 450 nm ¸
I2 2 sin
1
2 32.1q
¨ 1 ¸
¨ 10,000 cm 1 ¸
© ¹
separation between the intensity maximum and intensity minimum for some
wavelength O and set it equal to the angular separation of the mth-order maximum
for two nearby wavelengths. (a) First show that the phase difference I between
2S d
the waves from two adjacent slits is given by I sin T . (b) Next differentiate
O
this expression to show that a small change in angle dT results in a change in
2S d
phase of dI given by dI cos T dT . (c) Then for N slits, the angular
O
separation between an interference maximum and an interference minimum
corresponds to a phase change of dI = 2 S/N. Use this to show that the angular
separation dT between the intensity maximum and intensity minimum for some
O
wavelength O is given by dT . (d) Next use the fact that the angle of
Nd cos T
the mth-order interference maximum for wavelength O is specified by
d sin T mO (Equation 33-26). Compute the differential of each side of this
equation to show that angular separation of the mth-order maximum for two
m dO
nearly equal wavelengths differing by dO is given by dT . (e) According
d cos T
to Rayleigh’s criterion, two wavelengths will be resolved in the mth order if the
angular separation of the wavelengths, given by the Part (d) result, equals the
angular separation of the interference maximum and the interference minimum
given by the Part (c) result. Use this to arrive at R O 'O mN (Equation 33-
27) for the resolving power of a grating.
Picture the Problem We can follow the procedure outlined in the problem
statement to obtain R O 'O mN .
d
Differentiate this expression >d sin T @ d >mO @
implicitly with respect to O to obtain: dO dO
or
dT
d cos T m
dO
General Problems
Picture the Problem We can use sin T 1.22O D to relate the diameter D of the
opaque-disk water droplets to the angular diameter T of a coronal ring and to the
wavelength of light. We’ll assume a wavelength of 500 nm.
Interference and Diffraction 3105
Picture the Problem We can use sin T 1.22On D to relate the diameter D of a
microsphere to the angular diameter T of a coronal ring and to the wavelength of
light in water.
Because T << 1: O
T | 1.22
nD
Picture the Problem We can use sin T 1.22O D to relate the diameter D of a
pollen grain to the angular diameter T of a coronal ring and to the wavelength of
light. We’ll assume a wavelength of 450 nm for blue light and 650 nm for red
light.
Picture the Problem The diagram shows the hair whose diameter d = a, the
screen a distance L from the hair, and the separation 'y of the first diffraction
peak from the center. We can use the geometry of the experiment to relate 'y to L
and a and the condition for diffraction maxima to express T1 in terms of the
diameter of the hair and the wavelength of the light illuminating the hair.
a θ1 ∆y
L
Interference and Diffraction 3107
Relate T to 'y: 1
'y § 'y ·
tan T 2
T tan 1 ¨ ¸
L © 2L ¹
Picture the Problem We can apply the condition for constructive interference to
find the angular position of the first maximum on the screen. Note that, due to
reflection, the wave from the image is 180o out of phase with that from the source.
Picture the Problem The radio waves from the galaxy reach the telescope by two
paths; one coming directly from the galaxy and the other reflected from the
surface of the lake. The radio waves reflected from the surface of the lake are
phase shifted 180q, relative to the radio waves reaching the telescope directly, by
reflection from the surface of the lake. We can use the condition for constructive
interference of two waves to find the angle above the horizon at which the radio
waves from the galaxy will interfere constructively.
Telescope
Radio waves directly from galaxy
P
θ
e
e lak
θ th
rom
df
le cte d
f
s re
wave
∆r a dio
θ R
Interference and Diffraction 3109
Picture the Problem The resolving power of a telescope is the ability of the
instrument to resolve two objects that are close together. Hence we can use
Rayleigh’s criterion to find the resolving power of the Arecibo telescope.
Glass
3110 Chapter 33
Evaluate t for m = 0:
t 12 600 nm 115 nm
21.30
Picture the Problem We can use the geometry of the dots and the pupil of the
eye and Rayleigh’s criterion to find the greatest viewing distance that ensures that
the effect will work for all visible wavelengths.
Dots of paint
Pupil
d
θ
αc
Set T = Dc to obtain: d O Dd
1.22 L
L D 1.22O