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Consider a beam of coherent monochromatic light, like a pencil shaped beam of a laser. At a certain time and position, the beam shape is a perfect circle of diameter D. However, it is moving in free space. Will this beam show a diffraction pattern at a screen some distance away later on? Consider a beam of coherent monochromatic light, like a pencil shaped beam from a laser. At a certain time and position, the beam shape is a perfect circle of diameter D. However, it is moving in free space. Will this beam show a diffraction pattern at a screen some distance away later on?

<<c>> <<lia(pencil_beam.png, align = center, width = 33%)>> <<c(1)>>

Lecture 17: Chapter 35 (Diffraction)

Thin film interference

Consider two identical microscopic slides in air illuminated with light from a laser. The bottom slide is rotated upward so that the wedge angle gets a bit smaller. What happens to the interference fringes?

Inlined image: slides_1.png
  1. spaced farther apart
  2. spaced closer together
  3. no change

Thin film interference

Two identical microscope slides in air illuminated with light from a laser are creating an interference pattern. The space between the slides is now filled with water (n = 1.33). What happens to the interference fringes?

Inlined image: slides_2.png
  1. spaced farther apart
  2. spaced closer together
  3. no change

Diffraction

The diffraction pattern below arises from a single slit. If we would like to sharpen the pattern, i.e., make the central bright spot narrower, what should we do to the slit width?

Inlined image: single_slit.png
  1. narrow the slit
  2. widen the slit
  3. enlarge the screen
  4. close off the slit

Diffraction

Imagine holding a circular disk in a beam of monochromatic light. Diffraction occurs at the edge of the disk. The center of the shadow is

Inlined image: shadow.png
  1. darker than the rest of the shadow
  2. a bright spot
  3. bright or dark, depending on the wavelength
  4. bright or dark, depending on the distance to the screen

Diffraction?

Consider a beam of coherent monochromatic light, like a pencil shaped beam from a laser. At a certain time and position, the beam shape is a perfect circle of diameter D. However, it is moving in free space. Will this beam show a diffraction pattern at a screen some distance away later on?

Inlined image: pencil_beam.png
  1. Yes, sure.
  2. No way.