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 passthrough and all the light is reflected. The critical
angle is the angle of incidence above which the total internal reflection occurs.

When a light beam crosses a boundary between materials with different kinds of
refractive indexes, 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– 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 DISPERSION

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 it is
the critical angle measurement which is caused by the sun or a light source

- If they 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 TIR

- If 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 0’i when 0’t = 90 and thus
sin0’t = 1 . The resulting value is equal to critical angle 0’c .
Now we can solve for 0’i , 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
travellingthrough acrylic glass (with an index of refraction of1.50) into air (with
an index of refraction of 1.00), thec alculation would give the critical angle for
light from acrylic into air, which is

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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 waveplate. The polarization dependent phase shift is also
the reason why TE and TM guided modes have different dispersion relations .

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REFLECTION IN A 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 colours!

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 alight 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

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APPLICATIONS OF TOTAL INTERNAL
REFLECTION

Total internal reflection is the operating principle of optical fibres, 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.

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

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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 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 isa
critically cut diamond. This is what gives it maximum spark

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TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION USING A SODA
BOTTLE

Explanation
In this case ,
n(air) = 1.00

n(water) = 1.33
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.

Total internal reflection is the principle behind fiber optics

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Materials
empty soda pop bottle (2 liter)
tape
hand drill
drill bits
water
green laser
bucket , old books, etc for stands

Procedure
First set up the soda bottle by drilling a hole near the bottom of the bottle.
Begin with a drill bit that has 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.

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 have to be repeated several times

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Note

This is an messy experiment. Be ready to adjust thebucket 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
.
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.

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BIBILIOGRAPHY

Following books and websites were used for my project

- Google
- NCERT Physics XII
- Wikipedia
- Feynman Lectures on Physics

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