Experiment No: Date: 09-01-2023

NAME: SIDDHANT SINGH BISHT

ROLL.NO.: 22BCE10779

Measurement of Wavelength of LASER using Diffraction Grating

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf2Kk9fP4s8)

Aim:
Measurement of the wavelength of the He-Ne LASER using diffraction grating.
Equipment:
Laser, Grating, Screen.
Theory:

Optical diffraction is defined as the small bending experienced by the light waves as it passes
around the edge of an object. The amount of bending depends on the relative size of the wavelength
of the light to the size of the opening/slit. The bending is negligible if the size of the slit is greater
than the wavelength of the light. However, if these sizes are comparable in dimensions then the
amount of bending is considerable and can be detected. A diffraction grating is an optical component
consisting of a surface ruled with close, equidistant, and parallel lines. Each of the lines embedded
in the grating is opaque and the gap between the lines is transparent which will hence transmit the
light. These gaps (hereafter will be referred to as slits) between the lines will act as the slits through
which the light can pass through. Therefore, the diffraction grating can be considered as a system
consists of several slits which will split and diffracts the light into several beams traveling in
different directions with different angles. Figure 1 shows one typical section of a grating.

1 Figure 1: Geometry determining the conditions for diffraction from multi-slit grating.
Signature:
Experiment No: Date: 09-01-2023
NAME: SIDDHANT SINGH BISHT
ROLL.NO.: 22BCE10779

As the light pass through the grating, the light waves entering the slit areas will transmit
through them and the portion of the light waves impinges at the line will get absorbed or reflected
back. The light beams emerging from each slit will interfere with each other and forms an image
provided the emerging waves are in a constant phase relationship with respect to each other. This
phenomenon is called as constructive interference and is well explained pictorially in Figure 1.
Whenever the difference in path length between the light propagates from different slits is an integral
number of the wavelength of incident light, the light from each of these slits will be in phase, and it
will form an image at a specified location. Mathematically, this can be expressed as

d sin θ = nλ n=1,2, 3…… (1)

where,
d is the distance between adjacent slits,
 is the angle that the re-created image makes with the normal to the grating surface,
λ is the wavelength of the light,
and n = 0, 1, 2, . . . is an integer.
The form of the diffraction pattern recorded on the screen/recording device will depend on
the source of light used to create the diffraction pattern. In the case of white light source diffraction
gratings can be used to split the light into its constituent wavelengths (colors). In the case of
monochromatic light sources like lasers, the diffraction pattern on the screen will be similar to that
shown in Figure 2. The figure shows a typical experimental setup for diffraction grating experiment.
The experimental setup consists of a monochromatic light source (preferably a laser), a diffraction
grating and a screen. As the monochromatic light source hits the diffraction grating the lights
transmitted through the slits forms images at a number of angles on the screen  1 ,  2 ,  3 and so on.

The light that forms image/spot straight to the screen is called the zeroth order image/fringe. The

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Signature:
Experiment No: Date: 09-01-2023
NAME: SIDDHANT SINGH BISHT
ROLL.NO.: 22BCE10779

zeroth order image will always forms at an angle of θ = 0 irrespective of the wavelength of the light
source and/or the grating spacing. Since this spot will not provide any special information normally
we used to ignore this spot during the time of experimentation. The symmetric secondary images
formed at the sides of the central spot are called primary and secondary images etc. The image/spot
formed at the nth position on the screen with respect to the central spot is called the nth image and
will be formed at an angle θ = θn .

Figure 2: Experimental set-up for measuring wavelengths with a diffraction grating.

The value  n is given by the grating equation

( )
 n = arcsin n d (2)

In this present set of experiments, we will be interested in the first and second order
diffraction images of the laser to measure its wavelength. The diffraction gratings used for this
experiment is having 200 lines/mm, so that the grating spacing can be calculated as 1 .
200 mm
Procedures:
1. Set up the laser and grating as shown in Figure 2.

2. Measure the distance L between the screen and the diffraction grating.
3. Turn on the laser and mark the zeroth order fringe.

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Signature:
Experiment No: Date: 09-01-2023
NAME: SIDDHANT SINGH BISHT
ROLL.NO.: 22BCE10779

4. Measure the distance s1 between the 1st order images appearing on the left and right sides
of the center spot/ zeroth order fringe.

5. Measure the distance s2 between the 2nd order images appearing on the left and right sides
of the center spot/ zeroth order fringe.

s s
6. It should be clear from simple trigonometric considerations that  1 = 1 and  2 = 2
2L 2L
from which you can extract two independent measurements of the laser wavelength.

OBSERVATION TABLE

Given and Measured Grating spacing, d = 1/300mm = 0.0033mm

Sl.No: The distance The distance of first Angle  Wavelength,

between the order (s1) and second
grating and order (s2) images  (nm)
screen, L (mm) from zeroth
(mm) order

s1 s2  1 = s1  2 = s2 2 L
2L

1 L1 - 200 S1 = 81 S2= 175  1 =0.2025  2=0.4375 668

2 L2- 244 S1 = 97 S2= 203  1 =0.1987  2=0.4159 665
3 L3 - 300 S1 = 120 S2= 262  1 =0.2000  2=0.4366 683
4 L4 -350 S1 = 140 S2= 295  1 =0.2000  2=0.4214 671.5

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Signature:
Experiment No: Date: 09-01-2023
NAME: SIDDHANT SINGH BISHT
ROLL.NO.: 22BCE10779

Calculation(s): dsinϴ1=λ

For L1 =  1 = 81/400 = 0.2025

sin  1 = 0.2011
λ = d sin  1 = 670*10^-6mm = 670*10^-9m
= 670nm

 2 = 175/400 = 0.4375
sin  2 = 0.4236
λ = (d sin  2 )/2(second order)=706*10^-6 = 706*10^-9m = 706nm

Average λ (for L1) = 688nm

For L2 =  1 = 97/400 = 0. 1987

sin  1 = 0.1973
λ = d sin  1 = 657*10^-6mm = 657*10^-9m
= 657nm

 2 = 203/400 = 0. 4159
sin  2 = 0.4040
λ = (d sin  2 )/2(second order)=673*10^-6 = 673*10^-9m
= 673nm

Average λ (for L2) = 665nm

For L3 =  1 = 120/400 = 0.2000

sin  2 = 0.1986
λ = d sin  1 = 662*10^-6mm = 662*10^-9m
= 662nm

 2 = 262/400 = 0.4366
sin  2 = 0.4228
λ = (d sin  2 )/2(second order)=704*10^-6 = 704*10^-9m
= 704nm

Average λ (for L3) = 683nm

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Signature:
Experiment No: Date: 09-01-2023
NAME: SIDDHANT SINGH BISHT
ROLL.NO.: 22BCE10779

For L4 =  1 = 140/400 = 0.2000

sin  1= 0.1986
λ = d sin  1 = 662*10^-6mm = 662*10^-9m
= 662nm

 2 = 295/400 = 0.4214
sin  2 = 0.4090
λ = (d sin  2 )/2(second order)=681*10^-6 = 681*10^-9m
= 681nm
Average λ (for L4) = 671.5nm
Average measured λ [(L1+L2+L3+L4)/4] = 673.87nm = 674nm

Error calculation.

Percentage error for L1 = [(a – b)/b] * 100 = [(688 - 632.81)/632.81] * 100 = 8.72%

Percentage error for L2 = [(a – b)/b] * 100 = [(665 - 632.81)/632.81] * 100 = 5.08%

Percentage error for L3 = [(a – b)/b] * 100 = [(683 - 632.81)/632.81] * 100 = 7.93%

Percentage error for L4 = [(a – b)/b] * 100 = [(671.5 - 632.81)/632.81] * 100 = 6.11%

Percentage error for Lavg = [(a – b)/b] * 100 = [(674 - 632.81)/632.81] * 100 = 6.50%

Conclusion:

• We successfully carried out measuring of wavelength of laser using diffraction grating.

• We measured the distances of first and second order images to calculate the value of λ.
• A small error is observed in the measured and given wavelength which may have arisen due
to various factors like improper measurement pf L or S1 and S2, estimations taken during
the process of calculations etc.

Precaution.

1) Make sure to correctly identify central maxima.

2) Make sure of take the measurement of S1 and S2 properly.
3) Measure the distance between screen and the diffraction grating with precision.
4) Remember that the value of  1 and  2 are in radians.
5) Looking directly into the laser beam can be dangerous to your eyes

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Signature: