Optics

(Lec-4)
Abdul Barik
Lecturer
Department of Science & Humanities
Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST)

Date: 26.06.2023
 OUTLINES
❖ Interference of light
❖ Young’s double slit experiment
 Young’s Double Slit Experiment
In 1801 an English physicist named Thomas Young performed an experiment that
strongly inferred the wave-like nature of light.

Fig: Young’s double slit experiment

Thomas Young demonstrated the experiment on the interference of light.
He allowed light to fall on a pinhole S0 and then at some distance away
on two pinholes S1 and S2. S1 and S2 are equidistant from S0 and are
close to each other. Spherical waves spread out from S0. Spherical waves
also spread out from S1 and S2. These waves are of the same amplitude
and wavelength.

On the screen, interference bands are produced which are alternatively

dark and bright. The points such as B are bright because the crest due to
the one wave coincides with the rest due to the other and therefore, they
reinforce with each other. The points such as D are dark because of the
crest of one fall to on the trough of the other and they neutralize the
effect of each other. Points, similar to B, where the trough of one fall on
the trough of the other, are also bright because the two waves reinforce.

It is not possible to show interference due to two independent

sources of light, because a large number of difficulties are
evolved. The two sources may emit light waves of largely
different amplitude and wave length and the phase difference
between the two may change with time.
 Theory of Interference Fringes
Let us consider a narrow monochromatic source S and two pinholes S1
and S2 equidistant from S. S1 and S2 acts as two coherent sources
separated by a distance d.
Let a screen be placed at a distance D from the coherent source. The
point C on the screen is equidistant from S1 and S2. Therefore, the path
difference between the two waves is zero. Thus, the point C has
maximum intensity.
 Cont….

H. W. : Mathematical Problems
 Optics
(Lec-5)
Abdul Barik
Lecturer
Department of Science & Humanities
Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST)

Date: 10.07.2023
 OUTLINES
❖ Interference in thin films
❖ Newton’s ring
❖ Fresnel biprism
❖ Interferometry
 Interference in Thin Films
Thin-film interference is the phenomenon that is a result of light wave
being reflected off two surfaces that are at a distance comparable to its
wavelength. When light waves that reflect off the top and bottom
surfaces interfere with one another we see different colored patterns.
During this, the light reaches the boundary between two media and part
of it gets reflected and some part gets transmitted.
Interference due to reflected light from a plane parallel
thin Films
Continue....
Theory of Newton’s rings:
Newton's rings are a noteworthy illustration of the interference of light waves
reflected from the opposite surfaces of a thin film variable thickness.

Let us consider a ray of monochromatic light AB from an extended source to be

incident at the point B on the upper surface of the film (Fig. 1). One portion of the
ray is reflected from point B on the glass air boundary and goes upwards along BC.
The other part refracts into the air film along BD. At point D, a part of light is again
reflected along DEF. The two reflected waves BC and BDEF are derived from the
same source and are coherent.

Fig. 1
They will produce constructive or destructive interference
depending on their path difference. Let t be the thickness of the film
at the point E. Then the optical path difference between the two rays
is given by 2μt cos (θ + r) where θ is the angle which the tangent to
the convex surface at the point E makes with the horizontal, r is the
angle of refraction at the point B and μ is the refractive index of the
film with respect to air.
In Fig.1 the point B is backed by a rarer medium (air) while the
point D is backed by a denser medium (glass). Thus, there will be an
𝜆
additional path difference of , the rays BC and BDEF
2
corresponding to this phase difference of π. Then the total optical
path difference between the two rays is
𝜆
2𝜇𝑡 cos 𝜃 + 𝑟 ±
2
Fresnel biprism
A bi-prism is essentially two prisms, each of very small refracting
angle placed base to base. In reality, the bi-prism is constructed from
a single plate of glass by suitably grinding and polishing it. The
obtuse angle of the prism is only slightly less than 1800 and the other
angles are equal. In a very thin bi-prism, the obtuse angle may be
179020’, the other two angles being 20’ each.

Fig.1
In the experimental arrangement the bi-prism is placed with its refracting edge
accurately parallel to the slit S which is illuminated by a source of monochromatic light
of wavelength λ. When light is allowed to fall symmetrically on the bi-prism, the
refracting edge divides the incident wavefront into two parts. Firstly, the one which in
passing through the upper half ABD if the bi-prism is deviated through a small angle
towards the lower half of the diagram and appears to diverge from the virtual source S1.
Secondly, the one which passes through the lower half is deviated through a small angle
towards the upper half and appears to diverse from the virtual source S2. S1 and S2 being
the image of the slit S, obviously function as coherent sources in this experiment.

Moreover, the two emergent wavefronts intersect at small angles and hence the
fundamental condition of interference is satisfied. If a screen is placed on the right of the
bi-prism, interference fringes of equal widths are produced in the overlapping region
between E and F the two emergent beams. Beyond E and F fringes of large width are
produced which are due to diffraction. In reality diffraction bands are present over the
whole region but equally spaced interference fringes are observed superposed on them
in portion between E and F.
H. W. : Mathematical Problems

Interferometry
The phenomenon of interference has been used to measure the wavelength of
life and the thickness of very thin plate to test the plane of surfaces to
determine refractive indices of substances and also to determine whether a
given so supply is an automatic or otherwise instruments based on the
principle of interference of light are known as interferometer.

Some of these interferometers can be used in conjunction with a large

extended source. Of those the Michelson interferometer has been important
in the past and steel is. The instrument, designed by Prof. Albert Michelson,
is used to determine the wavelength of light, to measure the thickness of thin
strips, for the resolution of spectral line and also for the standardization of
the meter.