Light, Electromagnetic Radiation (PHY)

 Concept of Interference; Young Double-slit Experiment

 When waves superimpose on each other, they interfere.

 Interference results from the addition of waves.
 When in phase waves add, the resulting wave has a greater
amplitude.
 When out of phase waves add, the resulting wave has a smaller
amplitude.
 Constructive interference: addition of waves resulting in greater
amplitude.
 Destructive interference: addition (cancellation) of waves resulting
in diminished amplitude.
Pasted from <http://mcat-review.org/waves-periodic-motion.php#interference>

In order for interference to occur, the follow conditions must hold:

 the interfering light sources must be coherent. This means they
must constantly maintain the same phase relationship. The
 light coming from the two slits in Young's double slit
experiment are coherent because a single light source shines
through both slits.
 the light source must be monochromatic (of single
color/wavelength).

If you have two waves that are identical, and all you change is the
difference in path length, then you will get constructive interference
if the waves are separated by a whole interger multiple of lambda
wavelength. You will get destructive interference if they are
sepearated by only half a wavelength.

If you alter the waves so that they are out of phase by 180 degrees
(pi phase shift), then the results are reveresd. You will get
contrstructive interference every half wavelength and destructive
interference every whole integer multiple of the wavelength that
the two waves are out of phase.

This interference applies for all wave interfence. Either sound or

light etc...

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-processes/light-and-
electromagnetic-radiation-questions/v/wave-interference
  dsinθ = mλ
 bright bands occur at m = 0, +/-1, +/-2 ...etc
 dark bands occur at m = +/-0.5, +/-1.5, +/-2.5 ...etc
Pasted from <http://mcat-review.org/light-geometrical-optics.php#light>

Lines spreading out in two dimension. Line is a peak. Spaces between are troughs.
When waves pass through a slit, they will also spread out.

Where the waves peaks meet, you get a bright spot. Where trough meets trough you get a bright spot.
Where peak meets trough you get a dark spot. Bright spots will decrease in intensity further away from
the slits.

You need to make sure the waves are in phase. So that is why you use the same source, and diffract it
through slits.

There is no phase difference from the source.

There is no path length difference for waves that reach the center of the back panel
However, if you move upwards or downwards the path length is different.

It will be lambda

Destructive interference occurs at multiples of half a wavelength for the path length difference

BUT we have a problem. How are we going to physically measure the path length difference. If we
go to the barrier, the holes look so close together physically. SO we look at path length difference
based on the angle that we are at. Based on the angle, is there some way to determine the path
length difference.

The center line will let us measure angles.

We assume the distance from the slits to the wall is large compared to the distance between the
slits.
D is the center to center distance between the slits. The path length difference is delta x.

Delta x = dsin theta = some interger multiple of lambda. This is because constructive interference
occurs at interger multiples of lambda.

Looking at an example problem:

If the distance between the slits decreases, then we have the angle theta has to increase. Sine of a
bigger angle gives a bigger number.
 https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-processes/light-and-electromagnetic-
radiation-questions/v/youngs-double-slit-problem-solving

 Thin films, diffraction grating, single-slit diffractio

Thin Film Diffraction

Thin films provide a means for interference to occur.

 Light reflecting off the outer and inner boundary of a thin
film interfere with each other.
 A film of oil on water has the appearance of a swirly
rainbow due to this interference.

Everytime we have an interface, there can be reflection and an interference. The

thickness of the oil causes interference. If the path length is a whole interger there
will be constructive interference. Anytime the path length is a half interger multiple of
wavelength, there is destructive interference. BUT if there is a phase shift by PI (180
degrees) for only ONE of the waves, the whole interger multiples will give destructive.
The half intergers will be constructive. THE CONDITIONS FLIPPED! Everytime there is a
reflection, there could be a pi shift.

Pasted from <http://mcat-review.org/light-geometrical-optics.php#thin-films>

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-processes/light-and-
electromagnetic-radiation-questions/v/thin-film-interference-part-1

If you are reflecting off of a slow material, you DO get a pi shift.

If you are reflecting off of a fast material, you DON’T get a pi shift
What is delta x, the path length difference? 2t because you go down, and you gotta go back
up again through the oil film.

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-processes/light-and-
electromagnetic-radiation-questions/v/thin-film-interference-part-2

Wavelength in the oil and in the air will be different. Which one do we use? THE ONE
IN THE THIN FILM!!!! But we are usually given the one in the air……THE FREQUENCY
DOES NOT CHANGE whether it reflects or refracts.

We know v=lambda *f
Making this cleaner…..
Just pretty much remember this above slide.

Diffraction Grating

There is a way to make the spots more definitive?

Yes, we make more holes. We make thousands of holes a distance D apart.

We get light and dark dots instead of smudgy patterns.

The reason why is because you get path length differences that are all multiples of
wavelengths apart, but all concentrated onto the same spot, producing a really really
bright spot.

In this example, the path length difference between the 2nd and 3rd hole is one
wavelength. The wave length coming out of first hole compared to the third hole is two
wavelengths apart. Still whole interger multiples so its still constructive.
BUT if you deviate slightly……. Say by 1.1 wavelength

Then the 4th will be 1.1 wavelengths away from the 3rd slit, 2.2 wavelengths away from
the second slit, and 3.3 wavelengths away from the 1st slit……

So you will have points that completely destruct each other

And instead of getting a blurred smudgy pattern, you get a dot. Dots are easier to
measure. If you go off slightly, one will pair up with another.

Brightness will travel further. More intesnse dots. This is called a diffraction grating.
 The numbers of holes are noted in lines/cm. Typically there are thousands. The math is
not complicated. Still holds.

Anything with one wavelength multiple will be PERFECTLY constructive.

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-processes/light-and-
electromagnetic-radiation-questions/v/diffraction-grating

SO TO REVIEW
 Diffraction = light spreads out after passing through the slit,
instead of going in a straight path.
 Diffraction grating = a slab with many slits close together.
 The equation for a diffraction grating is the same as the double-
slit experiment.
 dsinθ = mλ
 d is the distance between the slits, everything else is the same
as the double-slit experiment.
 bright bands occur at m = 0, +/-1, +/-2 ...etc
 dark bands occur at m = +/-0.5, +/-1.5, +/-2.5 ...etc

Pasted from <http://mcat-review.org/light-geometrical-optics.php#thin-films>

Single Slit Diffraction

Why do waves spread out at all? Huygens principle. Huygens principle

The Huygens-Fresnel principle states that every point on a wavefront is a source of

wavelets. These wavelets spread out in the forward direction, at the same speed as the
source wave. The new wavefront is a line tangent to all of the wavelets.
Pasted from
<https://www.google.com/search?q=huygens+principle&oq=huygens+principle&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.2281j0j7&s
ourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8>
So every wave front is essentially made up of a bunch of even tinier wave fronts interfering.
You just don’t notice it until you have a hole or a barrier.
For single slit interference, we now have destructive interference for interger multiples of wave
length for the path difference.

BUT the half interger multiples of wavelengths DO NOT give constructive interference.

Some of the points add constructively, but they together will add destructively with other points.

Recall for diffraction gratings, there was the canceling for the most part. BUT there are little
places where they do not cancel out exactly. There are teeny small variations….
For single slit, you have only the wiggles pretty much. Easy to see those nasty things.

For the destructive points, they cancel. We are good. We get nada. That holds.
We can also calculate the width of the BIG central maxima. The small ones we know nothing
about.

 Light shining through a single slit casts a central bright

band followed by a series of maximas and minimas on
either side.
  The equation for a single slit diffraction is different from
the equation for the double slit.
 asinθ = mλ
 a is the width of the slit.
 Maxima occurs for m = 0 (big central maxima), +/-1.5,
+/-2.5 , etc.
 Minima occurs for m = +/-1, +/-2, +/-3, etc.

Pasted from <http://mcat-review.org/light-geometrical-optics.php#thin-films>

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-processes/light-and-
electromagnetic-radiation-questions/v/single-slit-interference

 Other diffraction phenomena, X-ray diffraction

 Light shining through a pin hole will not appear on the screen as a
pin hole. Instead, it will be a diffraction pattern of circular bright
and dark bands, with a central bright band.
 Light shining past an opaque boundary will not cast a sharp shadow
of the boundary on the screen. Instead, fringes of bright and dark
bands appear above the boundary.
 Light shining past a penny will not cast a completely black shadow.
Instead, there will be a central bright spot, as well as patterns of
bright and dark rings.
 X-ray diffraction = X-rays diffracting on a crystal. Patterns of
interference that results from this is used to deduce the structure of
the molecules in the crystal.

Pasted from <http://mcat-review.org/light-geometrical-optics.php#thin-films>

 Polarization of light: linear and circular

 Unpolarized light = light with electric field oscilating in many

planes.
 Polarized light = light with electric field oscilating in only one plane.
 Applications of polarization:
o Selective absorption: pass light through polarizer that absorbs
all but light with electric field in one plane.
o Reflection: at a certain polarizing angle, all reflected light is
polarized.
o Double refraction: birefringent materials have two indices of
refraction that splits the incident light into two rays polarized
perpendicular to each other.
o Scattering: air molecules scatter light, which becomes
polarized.
 o Opticaly active molecules either rotate polarized light clockwise
or counterclockwise.
Pasted from <http://mcat-review.org/light-geometrical-optics.php#light>

Unpolarized light is random and in all directions. To polarize it, you could use a polarizer that
only lets through light in a particular direction.

This is helpful if there is glare and you can use polarized sunglasses that will only let one direction of light
through .

When the sunlight hits the plane of the surface it hits. The reflected light gets partially polarized horizontally.
Then you get sunglasses that block the horizontal polarization of light, and boom! The glare gets rid of the
light.
You can get diagonal polarized light

Adding the perpendicular (red and purple) gives you the green component)

You can also get circular polarized light.

IF the electric field in one direction is out of phase by pi/2 to the electric field in the perpendicular direction
 Properties of electromagnetic radiation

o Velocity equals constant c, in vacuo

Radiation velocity equals constant c, in vacuo

 Electromagnetic radiation travels fastest in a vacuum, at a
velocity equals c, or 3x108m/s
 Light slows down when it travels in a medium other than in
vacuo.
 n = c/v, where n is the index of refraction for the medium, and v
is the speed of light travelling in that medium.
Pasted from <http://mcat-review.org/electrostatics-electromagnetism.php#c>

o Electromagnetic radiation consists of perpendicularly oscillating electric and magnetic

fields; direction of propagation is perpendicular to both

Changing magnetic fields induce changing electric fields and vice versa.

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-processes/light-and-electromagnetic-
radiation-questions/v/electromagnetic-waves-and-the-electromagnetic-spectrum

 Classification of electromagnetic spectrum (see below), photon energy E = hf

o Energy per photon = hν, where h is plank's constant and ν is

frequency.

Light behaves as both a wave, and as a particle.

Each particle of light is SO small, it looks like its continuous. This is why we don’t notice it on a
microscopic scale.
 You can absorb huge amounts of energy on a macroscopic scale. On the microscopic scale what
is happening is absorbtion of photons at a time. Its all or nothing on the macroscopic scale.
Discrete chunks. But on a macroscopic scale it looks smooth.

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-processes/light-and-
electromagnetic-radiation-questions/v/photon-energy
 Visual spectrum, color
The visible spectrum in particular goes from red at 700nm to violet at 400nm. Wavelength is reverse.
Red is 400Hz to violet at 700Hz.

Higher frequency, shorter wavelength.

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/physical-processes/light-and-electromagnetic-
radiation-questions/v/electromagnetic-waves-and-the-electromagnetic-spectrum
  energy
o Blue = greatest energy, shortest wavelength, highest frequency.
o Red = least energy, longest wavelength, lowest frequency.

ADDITIONAL NOTES NOT ON LIST

lasers
o Laser = light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
o Normal light emission = spontaneous emission.
o Laser emission = stimulated emission.
o Repeated stimulated emission inside the lasing medium (by
reflecting light back and forth through it) amplifies light.

Pasted from <http://mcat-review.org/light-geometrical-optics.php#light>

Doppler effect (moving light source or observer)

 Red shift = frequency decreases = occurs when source and
observer is moving away from each other.
 Blue shift = frequency increases = occurs when source and
observer is moving toward each other.
 Observed in astronomy, when stars appear redder/bluer than they
really are because they are moving away/toward us.
 The equation for the doppler effect for light is the same as
the doppler effect for sound, except instead of using speed of sound
v, you now use the speed of light c. For red shift, use the equation
 for source moving away from observer. For blue shift, use the
equation for source moving toward observer.
Pasted from <http://mcat-review.org/light-geometrical-optics.php#light>