Interference and Diffraction

Purpose
a. To study examples of interference in light waves.
b. To understand the interference pattern produced when light passes through a single slit.
c. To understand the interference pattern produced when light passes through a double slit.

Theory
When a monochromatic and coherent light passes through a single or double slit, it creates a
diffraction/interference pattern on a screen placed beyond the slits. The pattern formed is because of
the superposition of the waves coming from the slit (or two slits). The position on the screen
directly opposite the slits
is defined to have
location y = 0. Other
positions on the screen
are characterized by
their distance y away
from this origin.
Alternatively, a position
on the screen is D
characterized by an d
angle θ formed by the
line from the slits to this
position, relative to the
perpendicular line. Note
that if the distance from
the slits to the screen is
labelled L, then y = L
Fig. 1. Geometrical arrangement of slits and screen in experiment.
tan θ.
Double slit Interference
Interference pattern due to a double slit will have dark and bright fringes due to destructive
and constructive interference of the waves coming from the two slits. When two slits separated by a
distance d produces bright spots on the screen centered at positions where the following
constructive interference criterion is satisfied:
d sin θ = n λ, where n is an integer.
For the experiments we will be doing, the angle θ is less than 10 degrees, and sin θ  tan θ =
y/L. Substituting y/L for sin θ in the above equation, we get
y
d  n ,
L
or, rearranging,

nL
y . (1)
d
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Single-slit diffraction
Diffraction pattern formed by a single will have a wide and bright pattern at the center with
alternate dark and bright fringes with diminishing intensity on both sides. The pattern is formed is
because of the superposition of the waves coming from all points in the slit. A single slit with slit
width D will produce dark regions on the screen at positions where the following destructive
interference criterion is satisfied.

D sinθ = n λ, where n is a non-zero integer.

Again, for our experiments sin θ  tan θ = y/L. Substituting y/L for sinθ in the above
equation, we get
y
D  n ,
L
or, rearranging,
nL
y . (2)
D
Since the slits have a finite slit width in double slit experiment, it is thoughtful idea to look
back to double slit interference pattern. Thus, practically, double slit interference pattern will have
single slit effect. As you will observe in this experiment, the real interference pattern will have
interference pattern enveloped in diffraction pattern with evenly-spaced narrower bright fringes
grouped in a few broader bands with decreasing intensity on both sides. The broader bands are
because of the single slit diffraction. We can determine the slit width from the broader bands.

Apparatus
Slides with various slits; lasers (to be shared and passed from group to group); mount that holds
laser and slide; black wooden target board; paper; tape; meter stick; ruler.

Description of Apparatus
Slit slide

Single slit slide

Fig. 2. Experimental set up for interference experiment with a laser and slit(s).
Double slit slide
The first three items listed in the apparatus section are shown in the figure 2. You will use
lasers of different colors. Laser gives a monochromatic and coherent light. You will use a slide that
has single slits of different width and another slide for double slit with different slit width and slit
separation.
**DO NOT look at the laser beam and TURN OFF the laser when not in use **

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Procedure
Part I. Single slit
In this part of the lab, you will study wave phenomena when a coherent and monochromatic
light is passed through a single slit of different slit width.
1. Turn on the He-Ne laser (red laser) and place the slide on the mount so that the laser beam
hits one of the slit, Pattern B. Place the target board, with a piece of paper securely taped to
it, at a distance, L, of about two meters from the slide. Measure L. You should see a
diffraction pattern that looks similar to Fig 3. You can adjust the slide very gently to get a
clear pattern on the screen. It has a bright a wide fringe as the center. On both sides of the
central bright, there are bright and dark fringes with diminishing brightness.





Fig. 3. Photograph of a single slit diffraction pattern on a screen using a red laser

2. Mark on the paper the location of the DARK spots, as shown by the black marks at the
bottom of the figure 3. Example shown in Fig. 3 has three dark spots on both sides. You can
mark as many you can observe on your pattern. For best accuracy, you should make your
marks directly on top of the dark spots. In this lab your results mainly depends on how
precisely you can mark and measure the pattern. First dark spot you observed from the
central bright is the first order dark of the single slit diffraction pattern. Similarly second,
third dark spots are second, third order dark and so on.
3. Remove the paper from the target board. With your ruler measure the distance s between
the same orders of the dark fringes. (For example, 1 is the distance between first order
darks on both sides from the center.) Record your results in Table 1. Obtain the slit width
from your instructor. You will use these data to calculate the wavelength of the light.
4. Now move the slide so that the laser hits another single slit, Pattern C, and repeat the
previous steps 2-3. What changes did you observe with different slit?
5. Turn OFF the laser. Save this piece of paper with your marks as part of your lab data, to be
submitted in your report.

Part II. Double slit

In this part of the lab, you will perform the same experiment as in Part I but with double
slits.
1. Replace the slide on the mount with double slits. Turn on the He-Ne laser and adjust the
slide so that the laser beam hits Pattern A of double slits. Place the target board, with a
piece of paper securely taped to it, at a distance, L, of about two meters from the slide.
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 Measure L. You should see an interference pattern that looks something similar to Fig 4.
You can adjust the slide very gently to get a clear pattern on the screen.

Fig. 4. Photograph of a double slit interference pattern on a screen using a red

laser

2. The closely-spaced bright spots represent the double slit interference pattern. The larger-
scale pattern in which a wide central set of spots is bright, after which the spots alternately
fade and recover, reflects the interference pattern of the individual slits.
3. First characterize the double slit pattern. Mark on the paper the location of a central group of
BRIGHT spots, as shown by the black marks at the top of the figure. Stay within the bright
central portion of the pattern, before the spots become difficult to see due to the dark regions
of the single-slit pattern. In your case, for best accuracy, you should make your marks
directly on top of the spots.
4. Next characterize the single-slit pattern. Mark on the paper the location of the DARK places
in the pattern, as shown by the gray marks at the bottom of the figure. In your case, for best
accuracy, you should make your marks directly on top of the dark spots. Use a different
color pen so that you can clearly distinguish these marks from your marks in step 3.
5. Remove the paper from the target board.
6. With your ruler measure the distance  between the furthest-separated marks in your two-slit
interference pattern. Also record n, the number of spaces between these furthest-separated
marks. For example, in the figure above, there are eleven marks, so n is ten.
7. With your ruler measure the distance  between the second order dark on both sides from
the center. (If you can observe higher order dark, you can use them for better accuracy).
These marks are not evenly spaced: the central-most marks have roughly twice the
separation as other nearest-neighbor separations.
8. Now, move the slide so that the laser beam hits the Pattern B and repeat the previous steps.
Record your results in Table 2.
9. Save this piece of paper with your marks as part of your lab data, to be submitted in your
report.
10. Obtain the wavelength of your particular laser from your instructor. Write down the slit
width and slit separation marked next to the slits on the slide.

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Part III. Double slit interference with different color lasers
1. Repeat double slit interference experiment, Part II, with different color lasers. There are
several different color lasers placed at different stations. You may have go to that particular
station or switch to a new laser in your station. Follow the steps 1-3 only in Part II with
one pattern of the double slit on the slide.

Computation
Part I: From the data recorded in Table 1, determine the distance from the center of the pattern
to different order dark from your  values. Since  is the distance between the dark fringes on
both sides from the center, yn = n/2. Determine yn for your pattern. Using these values, your
measured L, and known slit width D, calculate the wavelength of the laser λ from Eq. 2,
L
yn  n .
D
Use n = 1, 2, 3,…. for first, second, third,…..order dark fringes. Compare this value with
the value of the wavelength given by calculating a percent error.
Repeat this calculation for the results obtained by using Pattern C on the slide.
Part II:
(a) Double slit pattern
From the data recorded in Table 2, determine the distance between two neighboring
spots in the double slit interference pattern: y = /n. This y is the distance between the central
spot and its neighboring spot, and by setting n = 1 in equation (1) above, we see that this y
should obey
L
y .
d
Use this equation, your y from above, your measured L, and your known d (the slit
separation) to calculate the wavelength of the laser light, λ. Compare this value with the
wavelength provided by your instructor and calculate a percent error.
Repeat this calculation for the results obtained by using Pattern B on the slide.
(b) Single-slit pattern.
In table 2, determine the distance from the center of the pattern to the order dark fringe: yn
= n/2.
If you have recorded the data for second order dark, n = 2. By setting n = 2 in equation (2)
above, we see that this y should obey
L
y2  2 .
D
(If you are recording higher order dark fringe, you should use the corresponding vale of
n in this equation).

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 Use this equation, your y from above, your measured L, and your known laser λ to
calculate the slit width D. Compare this value with the width that was indicated on the slide by
calculating a percent error.
Repeat this calculation for the results obtained by using Pattern C on the slide.
Part III. From the data recorded in Table 3 for the two slit pattern, determine the distance
between two neighboring spots in the two-slit interference pattern: y = /n. This y is the
distance between the central spot and its neighboring spot, and by setting n = 1 in equation (1)
above, we see that this y should obey
L
y = .
d
Use this equation, your y from above, your measured L, and your known d (the slit
separation) to calculate the wavelength of the laser light, λ. Compare this value with the
wavelength provided by your instructor and calculate a percent error.

Questions
1. How would be the pattern on the screen if a thin wire on wide open slide is used instead of the
thin opening (slit) in Part I?
2. Discuss the possible sources of error that contribute to the percent errors in your experimentally-
determined values of d and D.
3. For a given pair of slits, how does the pattern alter if one switches from a higher-λ laser (say,
red) to a lower- λ (say, green) laser?
4. What will happen in the two-slit pattern obtained in your experiment, (i) if the slit width (D) is
reduced keeping the distance between the slits (d) same? And (ii) if the distance between the
slits (d) is reduced keeping the slit width (D) same? Explain with diagrams.
5. In your experiments, the slits are placed vertically. How would be the pattern on the screen with
two-slit if another two-slit is overlapped horizontally?
6. What do you think will happen in the interference pattern if you keep adding slits at the same
separation d?

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 Data Sheet
Date experiment performed:
Name of the group members:
Table 1. Single slit
Slit width (D) =
Distance from the slit to the screen (L) =
Slit 1 2 3 y1 y1 D y2 y2 D y3 y3 D
position     
1.L 2.L 3.L
Pattern B

Pattern C

Average 
error =

Table 2. Double slits

Distance between the slits (d) = Slit width (D) =
Distance from the slit to the screen (L) =
Double slit pattern Single-slit pattern
Slit  (meters) n y = /n yd  y2 = /2 2.L.
position  D 
L (meters) y2
Pattern A

Pattern B

Average       Average D =

error = error =

Table 3. Double slits in different colors

Distance between the slits (d) = Slit width (D) =
Distance from the slit to the screen (L) =
Color of laser  (meters) n y = /n yd % error

L

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