Diffraction Grating

A diffraction grating is basically a optical component with a

regular pattern, which splits (diffracts) light into several beams
travelling in different directions.
The diffraction gratings that we will be using are essentially a
piece of glass with several thousand parallel lines etched on its
surface.
When a diffraction grating is placed in front of pan-chromatic
light it will cause the colours to separate giving a spectrum.
If we place a diffraction grating in front of a coherent
monochromatic light source it produces an interference pattern.
It differs from both single and double slit patterns in that the
maxima are small and relatively widely spaced.

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.1

Diffraction Grating
A diffraction grating is plate with many parallel slits
in it.

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.2

Diffraction Grating
1.
2.

Light passing through each slit is diffracted

The Diffracted light wave from adjacent slits interfere,
(reinforce each other) in certain directions only

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.3

Diffraction Grating
1. The central beam is referred to as
the zero order beam
2. The other beams are numbered
outwards on each side: 1st order,
2nd order etc

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.4

Diffraction Grating

1. How does the diffraction pattern change with

wavelength?

2. How does the diffraction pattern change with

slit distance?

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Diffraction Grating no.5

Diffraction Grating
1. How does the diffraction pattern change with
wavelength?
The angle of diffraction between each beam
and the zero order beam increases with
increasing wavelength (Blue to Red)
2. How does the diffraction pattern change with
slit distance?
The angle of diffraction between each beam
and the zero order beam increases with
decreasing gap size

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.6

Diffraction Grating
1.

2.

3.

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Each diffracted wavefront

reinforces an adjacent
wavefront
Wavefront at P reinforces
wavefront at Y one cycle
earlier which in turn
reinforces wavefront at R
one cycle earlier.
This
forms
a
new
wavefront PYZ which
travels in a certain
direction and forms a
diffracted beam.
Diffraction Grating no.7

Diffraction Grating
Like the double slit arrangement but
with a much greater number of slits, or
rulings, sometimes as many as several
1000 per millimeter
Light passed through the grating forms
narrow interference fringes that can be
analyzed to determine the wavelength

As the number of rulings increases

beyond 2 the intensity plot changes from
that of a double slit pattern to one with
very narrow maxima (called lines)
surrounded by relatively wide dark regions
Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.8

Diffraction Grating
A number of parallel equidistant slits of the same width.
The procedure used for the single and double slits could be used
here, but we have a number of slits N.
* used complex amplitude.
The amplitude contributed by:
the individual slit: a
the number of slits : N

N Slits

The phase will change by equal amount from one slit to the next.
Thus,

Aei a1 ei ei 2 ...... ei N 1

a1 eiN

1 e i
Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.9

Diffraction Grating
a1 r
a ar ar ...... ar
n

n 1

1 r

Intensity =

Ae Ae
i

iN
iN
1

e
1

A2 a 2
i
i
1 e 1 e

iN
iN
1

e
1

a2

i
i
i1 e e 1
i

e e
cos
2

2 eiN e iN
A a

i
i
2 e e
2

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.10

Diffraction Grating
2 2 cos N
a2

2
cos

1 cos N
a2

1 cos

1 cos 2 sin
22
2
cos 2 cos sin
2

1 sin 2 sin 2

1 2 sin 2
1 cos 2 2 sin 2
or

1 cos 2 sin

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.11

Diffraction Grating
N
a 2 sin 2

Thus, A2

sin 2
2

a 2 sin 2 N

sin 2
where

the factor
slit.

d sin

as in the double slits.

a 2 represents the intensity diffracted by a single

sin 2 sin 2 N
I A A
2 sin 2
2

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

2
0

Diffraction Grating no.12

Diffraction Grating
If

N 2

(the double slits)

I Ao2

sin sin 2

2
sin
2

sin 2 sin cos

A

2
sin

2
sin

2
2
4 A0
cos

2
2

2
o

sin 2 A 2 sin A cos A

Factor

sin 2 N
sin 2

Formula for the double slits

represents the interference term for N slits.

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.13

Diffraction Grating
The maximum values equal to N
For

0 , ,2 ,......

LHospitals rule

lim

Thus

f x
f ' x
lim
x c g x
x c g' x

sin N
N cos N
lim
m
sin
cos
N

lim

d sin 0 , ,2 ,3 .... m

(1)

Principal maxima

sin 2 N
: N 0 , ,2 ,... p
2
sin

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

(2)
Minima

Diffraction Grating no.14

Diffraction Grating
Special cases:
If p 0 , N ,2 N ,...

0 , ,2 ,...

Principal Maxima

Other values of P give zero intensity.

The condition for a minimum is

p
N

Therefore

d sin

excluding the value of P

for which p mN ,
m being the order

2 3
,

N N N

N 1 N 1
,...,
,
,...

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Minima

Diffraction Grating no.15

Diffraction Grating
Omitting the values

0,

N 2 N
,
,...
N
N

For which d sin m and which according to Equation (1)

represent principal maxima.
Between two adjacent principal maxima, there will hence be
N 1 points of zero intensity.

Between two adjacent principal maxima, there will be

N 2 secondary maxima.
Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating no.16

Diffraction Grating
sin 2 N

sin 2

sin 2 N
sin 2

d 4b

N 6

Multiple-slit pattern (d=4b, N=6)

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Diffraction Grating no.17

The Grating Equation

The principal maxima is also called spectrum lines.
From the figure,

d sin i d sin m
or

d sin i sin m

(3)

From (3), for

m0

d sin i d sin
sin sin i
or

( i and are positive when measured on the same side

of the normal)
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The Grating Equation no.1

The Grating Equation

m4

d sin i sin 41
If i 0 (for normal incidence)

d sin m

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(4)

The Grating Equation no.2

The Grating Equation

Positions and intensities of the principal maxima from a grating

where light containing two wavelength is incident at an angle i
and diffracted at various angles .
Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

The Grating Equation no.3

The Grating Equation

Grating spectra of two wavelength :

0

( a )1 4000 ;

( b )2 5000 ; ( c )1 and 2 together.

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The Grating Equation no.4

Dispersion
The separation of two wavelength
m is increases.

and

increases if

Definition for angular dispersion:

The rate of change of angle with change of wavelength.

d
D
d
From (3)

d
m

d d cos

(5)

From (5):
(i)

is small: m

* 2nd order spectrum is twice as wide as the first order.

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Dispersion no.1

Dispersion
(ii)

1
( d :grating space)

d
* the smaller the d , the more widely spread the spectra.

(iii) will be smallest (in a given order m)

On the normal ( 0 0 )

dy
Linear dispersion
in the focal plane of the telescope
d

( y = the distance along this plane)
dy
d
f
fD
d
d

(6)

The plate factor is the reciprocal of the linear dispersion.

0

Unit :

mm

or

nm mm

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Dispersion no.2

Dispersion
At normal incidence;

m
d sin 1

d cos d cos

tan

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(7)

Dispersion no.3

Overlapping of Orders
If we observe the whole visible spectrum between 4000 and
7200 , considerable overlapping occurs in the higher orders.
For example:

m3
0
red 7000

d sin i sin mred 37000

But at the same angle , there may occur a green line in the
fourth order:
(m 4, and

green 5250 A ) since

4 5250 37000
or
Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Overlapping of Orders no.1

Overlapping of Orders
5 4200 37000
( m 5, and

violet 4200 A )

The overlapping can be eliminated by the use of suitable color

filters.

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Overlapping of Orders no.2

Resolving Power
The resolving power R is defined in general by

R
min

(8)

Where min is the minimum wavelength interval of two

spectral components that are just resolvable by Rayleighs
criterion and is the mean wavelength.
For normally incident light of wavelength d , based
on Equation (3)

d sin m d

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

(9)

Resolving Power no.1

Resolving Power
To satisfy Rayleighs criterion, the maxima must coincide
(same ) with the first minimum of the neighboring namely ,

d sin m
N

(10)

From (9) and (10)

md

mN
d
Hence

R mN

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

(11)
Resolving Power no.2

Resolving Power
In a given order, the resolving power R by Equation (11) is
proportional to the total number of slits N but is independent of
their spacing d .
However, at given angles of incidence
. and diffraction,

R is independent of N ,
R mN

d sin i sin

sin i sin

Nd

is the total width of the grating.

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Resolving Power no.3

Grating Spectrometer
The light to be analyzed passes through a slit and is
formed into a parallel beam by a lens. The diffracted
light leaves the grating at .angles that satisfy d
sinbright=m

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Grating Spectrometer no.1

Diffraction Grating in CD Tracking

A
diffraction
grating can be
used in a threebeam method to
keep the beam
on a CD on
track.
The
central
maximum of the
diffraction
pattern is used
to
read
the
information on
the CD.
The two firstorder maxima
are used for
steering.
Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Diffraction Grating in CD Tracking no.1

Example
1) A diffraction grating has a second order diffraction
of 15 degrees, the light incident is 450nm in wave
length. What is the slit spacing?
.
2) A diffraction grating has 300 lines per mm, the
second order maxima is at 18.9 degrees, what is the
wavelength of the light?

Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Example no.1

Example
1) A diffraction grating has a second order diffraction of
15 degrees, the light incident is 450nm in wave length.
What is the slit spacing?
.

m=d sin
d= m/sin
d = (2x450E-9) / (sin15)
d = 3.48E-6 = 3.48 m

2) A diffraction grating has 300 lines per mm, the second

order maxima is at 18.9 degrees, what is the wavelength
of the light?
m=d sin
=d sin/m
= ((1/3.00E5) sin18.9)/2
= 5.40E-7 = 540 nm
Tan Kok Chooi: ZCT 215 Optics

Example no.2