INDEX

S NO. DESCRIPTION PAGE

01 INTRODUCTION 02

02 OPTICAL DESCRIPTION 03

03 CRITICAL ANGLE 03

04 PHASE SHIFT UPON INTERNAL REFLECTION 05

05 TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION IN DIAMOND 06

06 APPLICATIONS OF TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION 08

07 EXAMPLES IN EVERYDAY LIFE 09

TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION USING A SODA

08 BOTTLE(EXPERIMENT) 10

09 TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION IN WATER 15

10 BIBILIOGRAPHY 19

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INTRODUCTION :

Total internal reflection is an optical phenomenon that happens when a ray

of light strikes a medium boundary at an angle larger than a particular critical
angle with respect to the normal to the surface. If the refractive index is lower on
the other side of the boundary and the incident angle is greater than the critical
angle, no light can pass through and all of the light is reflected. The critical angle is
the angle of incidence above which the total internal reflectance occurs.

When a light beam crosses a boundary between materials with different

kinds of refractive indices, the light beam will be partially refracted at the
boundary surface, and partially reflected. However, if the angle of incidence is
greater (i.e. the ray is closer to being parallel to the boundary) than the critical
angle – the angle of incidence at which light is refracted such that it travels along
the boundary – then the light will stop crossing the boundary altogether and
instead be totally reflected back internally. This can only occur where light travels
from a medium with a higher [n1=higher refractive index] to one with a lower
refractive index [n2=lower refractive index]. For example, it will occur when
passing from glass to air, but not when passing from air to glass.

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 OPTICAL DESCRIPTION :

Total internal reflection can be demonstrated using a semi-circular block of

glass or plastic. A “ray box” shines a narrow beam of light (a “ray”) onto the
glass. The semi-circular shape ensures that a ray pointing towards the centre of
the flat face will hit the curved surface at a right angle; this will prevent refraction
at the air/glass boundary of the curved surface. At the glass/air boundary of the
flat surface, what happens will depend on the angle? Where is θ C the critical angle
measurement which is caused by the sun or a light source (measured normal to
the surface):

• If θ < θC, the ray will split. Some of the ray will reflect off the boundary, and
some will refract as it passes through. This is not total internal reflection.

• If θ > θC, the entire ray reflects from the boundary. None passes through.
This is called total internal reflection.

This physical property makes optical fibres useful and prismatic binoculars
possible. It is also what gives diamonds their distinctive sparkle, as diamond has an
unusually high refractive index.

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CRITICAL ANGLE :

The critical angle is the angle of incidence above which total internal
reflection occurs. The angle of incidence is measured with respect to the normal at
the refractive boundary (see diagram illustrating Snell's law). Consider a light ray
passing from glass into air. The light emanating from the interface is bent towards
the glass. When the incident angle is increased sufficiently, the transmitted angle
(in air) reaches 90 degrees. It is at this point no light is transmitted into air. The
critical angle is given by Snell's law.

Rearranging Snell's Law, we get incidence

To find the critical angle, we find the value for

when and thus .The resulting value of is equal to the
critical angle .
Now, we can solve for , and we get the equation for the critical angle:
( )

If the incident ray is precisely at the critical angle, the refracted ray is
tangent to the boundary at the point of incidence. If for example, visible light were
travelling through acrylic glass (with an index of refraction of 1.50) into air (with an

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index of refraction of 1.00), the calculation would give the critical angle for light
from acrylic into air, which is

( )

Fig. 1

Total Internal reflection varies from one medium to another

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PHASE SHIFT UPON TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION :

A lesser-known aspect of total internal reflection is that the reflected light

has an angle dependent phase shift between the reflected and incident light.
Mathematically this means that the Fresnel reflection coefficient becomes a
complex rather than a real number. This phase shift is polarization dependent and
grows as the incidence angle deviates further from the critical angle toward
grazing incidence.
The polarization dependent phase shift is long known and was used by
Fresnel to design the Fresnel rhomb which allows transforming circular
polarization to linear polarization and vice versa for a wide range of wavelengths
(colours), in contrast to the quarter wave plate. The polarization dependent phase
shift is also the reason why TE and TM guided modes have different dispersion
relations.

TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION IN DIAMOND :

From glass to air the critical angle is about 42o but it varies from one
medium to another. The material that gives the smallest critical angle is diamond.
That is why they sparkle so much! Rays of light can easily be made to 'bounce
around inside them' by careful cutting of the stone and the refraction at the
surfaces splits the light into a spectrum of colors!
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 Relatively speaking, the critical angle 24.4o for the diamond-air boundary is
extremely small. This property of the diamond-air boundary plays an important
role in the brilliance of a diamond gemstone. Having a small critical angle, light has
the tendency to become "trapped" inside of a diamond once it enters. Most rays
approach the diamond at angles of incidence greater than the critical angle (as it is
so small) so a light ray will typically undergo TIR several times before finally
refracting out of the diamond. This gives diamond a tendency to sparkle. The
effect can be enhanced by the cutting of a diamond gemstone with a 'strategically'
planned shape.

Fig. 2

Diamond has a very low critical angle

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 Fig. 3

Total Internal Reflection is mainly used in optical fibers

APPLICATIONS OF TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION :

 Total internal reflection is the operating principle of optical fibers, which are
used in endoscopes and telecommunications.
 Total internal reflection is the operating principle of automotive rain
sensors, which control automatic windscreen/windshield wipers.
 Another application of total internal reflection is the spatial filtering of light.

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 Prismatic binoculars use the principle of total internal reflections to get a
very clear image.
 Gonioscopy employs total internal reflection to view the anatomical angle
formed between the eye's cornea and iris.
 Optical fingerprinting devices use frustrated total internal reflection in order
to record an image of a person's fingerprint without the use of ink.
 A Total internal reflection fluorescence microscope uses the evanescent
wave produced by TIR to excite fluorophores close to a surface. This is useful
for the study of surface properties of biological samples.

EXAMPLES IN EVERYDAY LIFE :

Total internal reflection can be observed while swimming, when one opens
one's eyes just under the water's surface. If the water is calm, its surface appears
mirror-like.

One can demonstrate total internal reflection by filling a sink or bath with
water, taking a glass tumbler, and placing it upside-down over the plug hole (with
the tumbler completely filled with water). While water remains both in the
upturned tumbler and in the sink surrounding it, the plug hole and plug are visible
since the angle of refraction between glass and water is not greater than the
critical angle. If the drain is opened and the tumbler is kept in position over the

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hole, the water in the tumbler drains out leaving the glass filled with air, and this
then acts as the plug. Viewing this from above, the tumbler now appears mirrored
because light reflects off the air/glass interface.

This is different phenomenon from reflection and refraction. Reflection

occurs when light goes back in same medium. Refraction occurs when light travels
from different mediums. Here both are not happening. This is due to both and a
mixture of both.Another common example of total internal reflection is a critically
cut diamond. This is what gives it maximum spark

TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION USING A SODA SOTTLE

(EXPERIMENT) :

Explanation

In this case, na i r = 1.00 nw a ter = 1.33. Therefore:

Fig. 4

Critical angle of soda bottle

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 Fig. 5

TIR for water is greater than that of air

In this demo light will continually reflect through the stream of water
creating total internal reflection (TIR). The stream of water will 'carry' the light
though, to the end of the stream.

Fig. 6

Laser beam moving through water

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Total Internal Reflection is the principle behind fiber optics.

Fig. 7

Closer view of optical fibers

MATERIALS :

 empty soda pop bottle (2 liter)

 tape
 hand drill
 drill bits
 water
 green laser
 bucket
 old books, etc for stands

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 Fig. 8

Deviation of light in water

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PROCEDURE :

Fig. 9

Experiment setup

 First set up the soda bottle by drilling a hole near the bottom of the bottle.
Begin with a drill bit that has a diameter which is slightly larger than the
diameter of the laser that will be used. We used a 1/4 inch drill bit, however
sizes as small as 7/32 inch worked as well.
 First tape the hole and then fill the bottle with water. The cap will prevent
leaking because it creates a vacuum in the bottle.

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  Stand the soda bottle on top of a stack of books so the hole is facing the
bucket. The laser should be placed in a binder clip so it stays on, and then
set on a stack of books and papers. The laser should be lined up so that the
laser light goes through the soda bottle, and into the center of the hole. See
for details.
 Carefully remove the tape and then unscrew the top of the soda bottle. The
light should reflect within the stream of water so that you could see at least
a few points of reflection. The light should be visible through the entire
stream.
 If the reflections of the light aren’t clear, it may be necessary to expand the
hole by drilling through the existing hole with a larger drill bit. This process
may need to be repeated several times.

NOTES :

 This is an messy experiment. Be ready to adjust the bucket which catches

the stream of water.
 Also be aware that the stream's curvature will change as the water level
decreases. It will bend closer to the bottle, and the bucket may need to be
adjusted again. When the water level is a little above the hole there will be
no total internal reflection although the stream will continue. Place the cap
back on, or put the bottle inside of the bucket.
 Make sure to have lots of paper towels! Towels or rags could be useful too.
However, this mess is water, and therefore easy to clean up.

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 Some resources suggest putting a drop of food coloring in the bottom of the
bucket to match the laser light, giving the appearance that the water has
permanently 'trapped' the colored light.

Fig. 10

Result of the experiment

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TOTAL INTERNAL REFRACTION IN WATER :
Total internal reflection can be observed while swimming, when one opens
one's eyes just under the water's surface. If the water is calm, its surface appears
mirror-like.

One can demonstrate total internal reflection by filling a sink or bath with
water, taking a glass tumbler, and placing it upside-down over the plug hole (with
the tumbler completely filled with water). While water remains both in the
upturned tumbler and in the sink surrounding it, the plug hole and plug are visible
since the angle of refraction between glass and water is not greater than the
critical angle. If the drain is opened and the tumbler is kept in position over the
hole, the water in the tumbler drains out leaving the glass filled with air, and this
then acts as the plug. Viewing this from above, the tumbler now appears mirrored
because light reflects off the air/glass interface.

This is different phenomenon from reflection and refraction. Reflection

occurs when light goes back in same medium. Refraction occurs when light travels
from different mediums. Here both are not happening. This is due to both and a
mixture of both.Another common example of total internal reflection is a critically
cut diamond. This is what gives it maximum spark.

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 Fig. 11

TIR makes the laser light to reflect back into the medium.

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BIBILIOGRAPHY :

Following Books and websites were a source for my project.

 Wikipedia

 NCERT Physics Textbook for class 12

 Feynman Lectures on Physics

 Google

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