DIFFRACTION AND INTERFERENCE OF LIGHT

DIFFRACTION :The spreading or bending of light waves when passing through a small opening or moving past
an obstacle.
INTERFERENCE :The overlapping of two waves. It is a phenomenon which occurs when two waves of the same
nature from different sources meet at the same place.
1. Constructive Interference:This occurs when crests (or troughs) of two waves overlap and the resulting
amplitude is greater than the amplitude of either of the two waves.
CRESTS

Waves are in phase

TROUGHS

2. Destructive Interference:This occurs when a crest of a one wave overlaps a trough of another wave
(they are out of phase) and the resulting amplitude is less than the amplitude of either of the two waves.

Waves are 180o

out of phase

Union of Crest and Trough

FRINGES FORMED BY DIFFRACTION AND INTERFERENCE

Owing to the combined effects of diffraction and interference. A regular pattern of alternate bright lines and
dark bands are created called fringes. In the Youngs double slit experiment, Young explained that when
waves overlap and at places where a crest of one wave overlaps a crest of another wave, they interfere
constructively and produce brightness on the screen called bright bands or nth Order Interference
Maximum. The spaces between the bright lines are called dark fringes or nth Order Interference Minimum
which occurs when waves interfere destructively.
Constructive Interference
BRIGHT

2nd Bright
fr CB or 2nd order Int.Max
BRIGHT
2nd Dark
or First order Int. Min
DARK

DARK

1st Dark
or Zeroth order Int. Min
DARK
BRIGHT

S
B

DARK

BRIGHT

Central Bright or Zeroth order

BRIGHT
interference Maximum
1st Dark
or Zeroth order Int. Min
DARK
1st Bright
fr CB or First order Int.Max
BRIGHT
2nd Dark
or First order Int. Min
DARK
2nd Bright
fr CB or 2nd order Int.Max
BRIGHT

Page1

Destructive Interference

1st Bright
fr CB or First order Int.Max
BRIGHT

Distance between fringes and wavelength of light ( double slit )

The interference pattern on the screen lays a significant role in determining the wavelength of light used
and the distance of the dark bands and bright lines from the central maximum.

The distance Yn from the central maximum to the nth order interference maximum or
bright line is

Yn

nL
d

Where:
n = 0 for zeroth order interference maximum or 1st bright line or CENTRAL BRIGHT
n = 1 for 1st order interference maximum or 2nd bright line or 1st bright after central bright

The distance Yn from the central maximum to the nth order interference minimum or
dark line is

Yn

(n 0.5) L
d

Where :
n = 0 for zeroth order interference minimum or 1st dark line after central maximum
n = 1 for 1st order interference minimum or 2nd dark line
Also:

d L -

slit separation or distance bet. two slits (cm or m)

distance separating the screen and the slits (cm or m)

Distance between fringes and wavelength of light ( single slit )

The interference pattern on the screen lays a significant role in determining the wavelength of light used
and the distance of the dark bands and bright lines from the central maximum.

The distance Yn from the central maximum to the nth order interference maximum or
bright line is

Yn

(n 0.5) L
a

n = 1 for first order interference maximum or 1st bright line

n = 2 for 2nd order bright or 2nd bright line

Page1

Where:

The distance Yn from the central maximum to the nth order interference minimum or
dark line is

Yn

( n ) L
a

Where :
n = 1 for 1st dark line after central maximum
n = 2 for 2nd dark line
Also:

a L -

slit width (cm or m)

distance separating the screen and the slits (cm or m)

Diffraction Grating:
It is a glass plate with several parallel slits or lines used to separate light of different frequencies and to
measure the wavelength of light. As measured by grating, the wavelength of light emitted or absorbed by
the atom is
y

sin
nm

Yn
Lnm

d
L

Where: n m d Yn -

Order of interference
Number of lines by cm of grating (lines/cm or lines/m) m =
1/d
Distance between two adjacent slits (cm or m)
Distance of any other interference from central interference (cm or m)

SAMPLE PROBLEMS
Problem:
1. A slit 0.6 mm wide causes a diffraction pattern on a screen 40 cm away when illuminated by mercury
light 5461 Ao. Find the distance from the central image to the 3rd dark band.
Solution: = 5461 Ao = 5461 x 10 -10 m. a = 0.6 mm = 0.6 x 10 -3 m L = 0.4 m
=

(3) L
a

Yn

(3)0.4(5461x10 10 )
0.6 x10 3

n = 3 for 3rd dark band

= 1.09 x 10 -3 m

Page1

Problem:

Yn

2. Light of wavelength 633 nm from a distant source is incident on a slit 0.750 mm wide, and the
resulting diffraction pattern is observed on a screen 3.50 m away. What is the distance
between the two first order dark fringes on either side of the central bright fringe?

633nm 633 10 9 m
a 0.750mm 0.00075m
x 3.50 m
m x
ym
a
x
y1
a
x
y1
a
2 x
y y1 y1
a

y 0.005908m 0.59cm
PROBLEM
3. The two

slits in a Youngs experiment apparatus are 0.200 mm apart. The interference fringes
for light of wavelength 600m are formed on a screen 80.0 cm away. a) How far is the
second dark band from the central image? b) How far is the second bright band from the
central image? c ) Calculate the distance separating adjacent bright bands.
nd

2 Bright
2nd Dark
1st Bright
1st Dark
Central Bright

d
L

Yn

For Dark Image,

Yn = ( n + ) L
d
n = 0 0th order interference min. or
1st dark line
n = 1st order int. min. or 2nd dark line
a ) second dark band, n = 1
Yn = ( 1 + ) 80 cm ( 600 x 10 -6 m )
0.2 x 10 -3 m
Yn = 360 cm

Page1

For Bright Image,

Yn = n L
d
th
n = 0 0 order int. maximum or
central image or 1st bright line
st
n = 1 1 order int. max or 2nd Bright or 1st Bright Line from Central
b ) second bright band,
Yn = ( 2 ) ( 600 x 10 -6 m ) 80 cm
0.2 x 10 -3 m
Yn = 480 cm

c ) let n = bright band

Yn

n L
,
d

n+1 = the next bright band Yn+1 =

Y Yn 1 Yn

(n 1)L
d

(600 x10 6 )80

240cm
0.2 x10 3

4. A boy looks through his handtowel at a sodium light ( = 5980 A) located 5.00 m away. The two first-order
bright images on each side of the central image are separated by 0.50 cm. What is the average distance
between threads in the handtowel ?
=

sin
nm

Yn
Lnm

m =
m =

Yn
Ln

1
d

0.25 x10 2
= 836 lines/m = 8.36 lines / cm
5980 x1010 (5)(1)
1
1
d =
=
= 0.12 cm
m
8.36

5. The light incident on the Youngs double slit has a wavelength of 600nm and the distance between the slits
and the screen is 0.75m. The combined effects of diffraction and interference created an alternate pattern of
bright and dark fringes on the screen. What should be the slit separation of a double slit if the distance from
the central bright fringe to the 5th bright fringe (small fringes) = 1.00cm.

y5 1.00cm 0.01m
Y1 1.00cm 0.01m

600nm 600 10 9 m
x 0.75m

Multiple Choice/ Exercises

mx
5 x
5 0.75m 600 10 9 m
y5
0.01m
d
d
d
9
5 0.75m 600 10 m
d
d 2.25 10 4 m 0.225mm
0.01m
mx
x
0.75m 600 109 m
Ym
Y1
0.01m
a
a
a
9
0.75m 600 10 m a 4.5 105 m 0.045mm
a
0.01m
ym

1. The destructive and constructive interference of light that passes through two
closely-spaced slits produces ____.
A. monochromatic light sources
C. interference fringes
B. coherent light waves.
D. diffraction gratings
2 . When light waves from the two slits are incident on the same point on the screen,
destuctive interference occurs if
A. there is a a phase difference of 0, , 2 , 3, C. there is path difference of Yn sin
B. bright lines or bands appear on the screen.
D. crest and trough superposed
each other.

Page1

3 . What wavelength of light would cause interference fringes 4mm apart when light is
passed through
a double slit having a separation of 0.5 mm if the distance of screen from slit is 4 m ?
A. 7,500 Ao
B.5,000 Ao
C. 4,000 Ao
D. 7,000 Ao
Yn
L

n
d

Yn d
Ln

4 x10 3 (0.5 x10 3 )

4

= 5 x10 7 m = 5000 Ao

EXERCISE PROBLEMS :
1. Double slits are illuminated by lights with two different wavelengths. One wavelength
is 8,000 nm. On a screen, the fourth dark fringe of the interference pattern for the
8,000 nm wavelength coincides with the fifth bright fringe for the other wavelength.
What is the unknown wavelength ? (fringes are counted from the central bright
fringe. )
2. Monochromatic light of wavelength 500 nm from a distant source is incident on a
double slit 0.300 mm apart and the resulting diffraction pattern is observed on a screen
120 cm away. (a) What is the distance of separation between the 3 rd and 4th dark lines
of the interference pattern formed on the screen? (b) The screen is moved closer to
the slits and the 1st order bright fringes on the interference pattern are observed to be
5.00 mm apart. By how much is the screen moved toward the slits?

Page1

3. Light of wavelength 630 nm from a distant source is incident on a double slit 0.80
mm wide, and the resulting diffraction pattern is observed on a screen 4 m away. What
is the distance between the 5th dark fringe and the 6th order bright fringe above the
central bright fringe?