WAVE NATURE OF LIGHT

Huygens' Wave Theory

(i) Each point on a wave front acts as a source of new disturbance and emits its own set
of spherical waves called secondary wavelets. The secondary wavelets travel in all directions
with the velocity of light so long as they move in the same medium.
(ii) The envelope or the locus of these wavelets in the forward direction gives the position
of new wavefront at any subsequent time.

A surface on which the wave disturbance is in the same phase at all points is
called a wave front.
Wave optics involves effects that depend on the wave nature of light. In fact, it is the
results of interference and diffraction that prove that light behaves as a wave rather than a
stream of particles (as Newton believed).
Like other waves, light waves are also associated with a disturbance, which one consists of
oscillating electric and magnetic field. The electric field associated with a plane wave
propagating along the x-direction can be expressed in the form:
E

= E

o
[sin ( At - kx + 0
o
) ]
Where A, k and 0
o
bearing their usual meanings.

!oints to remember regarding Interference
O When two waves with amplitude A
1
and A
2
superimpose at a point, the amplitude of
resultant wave is given by
A = \A
1
2
+ A
2
2
+ 2A1A2 cosO
Where 0 is the phase difference between the two waves at that point.
O Intensity (I) = 1/2
o
C E
o
2
. C = speed of light, E
0
= electric field amplitude
O Intensity (I) = I
1
+ I
2
+ 2\I
1
I
2
cos0.
Hence for I to be constant, must be constant.
O When 0 changes randomly with time, the intensity = I
1
+ I
2
.
O When 0 does not change with time, we get an intensity pattern and the sources are said to
be coherent. oherent sources have a constant phase relationship i.e. one that does
not change with time.
O The intensity at a point becomes a maximum when 0 = 2n (n = 0, 1, 2 .) and there is
constructive interference.
O If 0 = (2n - 1) there is destructive interference. (Here n is a non-negative integer)

etermination of !hase ifference
The phase difference between two waves at a point will depend upon
(a) The difference in path lengths of the two waves from their respective sources.
(b) The refractive index of the medium
(c) Initial phase difference, between the sources, if any.
(d) Reflections, if any, in the path followed by waves.

O In case of light waves, the phase difference on account of path difference
= [ Optical path difference / A ] x 2n = [ (Geometrical path difference) / A ] 2n
Where A is the wavelength in free space.
O In case of reflection, the reflected disturbance differs in phase by A with respect to the
incident one if the wave is incident on a denser medium from a rarer medium. No such
change of phase occurs when the wave is reflected in going from a denser medium to a
rarer medium.
OUNG'S OUBLE SLIT EX!ERIMENT

A train of plane light waves is incident on a barrier containing two narrow slits
separated by a distanced. The widths of the slits are small compared with
wavelength of the light used, so that interference occurs in the region where the
light from S
1
overlaps that from S
2
.


A series of alternately bright and dark bands can be observed on a screen placed in
this region of overlap.
The variation in light intensity along the screen near the centre O shown in the
figure

Now consider a point P on the screen. The phase difference between the waves at P
is 0, where
0= 2n/A AP
o

(where AP
o
is optical path difference, AP
o
=AP
g
; AP
g
being the geometrical path
difference.)

= 2n/A [ S
2
P - S
1
P ] (here A = 1 in air)
As As, D >> d,
S
2
P - S
1
P = A d sin0
sin 0A = tan0( = y/D).
[for very small 0]
Thus, 0 = 2n/A (dy/D)
For constructive interference,
0 = 2nA (n = 0, 1, 2...)
; 2n/A (dy/D) = 2nn ; y = n AD/d
Similarly for destructive interference,
y = (2n - 1) AD/2d (n = 1, 2 ...)

Fringe Width W
It is the separation of two consecutive maxima or two consecutive minima.
Near the centre O [where 0 is very small],
W = y
n+1
- y
n
[y
n
gives the position of nth maxima on screen]
= AD/d

Intensity Variation on Screen
If A and I
o
represent amplitude of each wave and the associated intensity on screen,
then, the resultant intensity at a point on the screen corresponding to the angular
position 0 as in above figure, is given by

I = I
o
+ I
o
+ 2\I
o
2
cos0,
When 0 = 2n(dsin0)/ A = 4I
o
cos
2
O/2

Illustration 1:
A beam of light consisting of two wavelengths 6500
o
A and 5200
o
A is used to obtain
interference fringes in YDE. The distance between the slits is 2.0 mm and the
distance between the plane of the slits and the screen is 120 cm.
(a) Find the distance of the third bright fringe on the screen from the central
maxima for the wavelength 6500
o
A.
(b) What is the least distance from the central maxima where the bright fringes
due to both the wavelengths coincide?

Solution:
(i) y
3
= n. DA/d = 3 x 1.2m x 6500 x 10
-10
m / 2 x 10
-3
m = 0.12cm
Let nth maxima of light with wavelength 6500 coincides with that of m
th
maxima
of 5200.
(ii) m x 6500A
o
x D/d = n x 5200A
o
x D/d ; m/n = 5200/6500 = 4/5
Least distance = y
4
= 4.D (6500A
o
)/d = 4 x 6500 x 10
-10
x 1.2/ 2 x 10
-3
m = 0.16cm



isplacement of Fringes
When a film of thicknesst and refractive index 'm' is introduced in the path of one of the
sources, then fringe shift occurs as the optical path difference changes.


Optical path difference at

P = S
2
P - [S
1
P+ t - t] = S
2
P - S
1
P - ( - 1)t = y.d/D - ( - 1)
; nth fringe is shifted by Ay = D(-1)t/d = w/A (-1)t

Illustration:
Monochromatic light of wavelength of 600 nm is used in a YDSE. One of the slits is covered
by a transparent sheet of thickness 1.8 x 10
-5
m made of a material of refractive index 1.6.
How many fringes will shift due to the introduction of the sheet?

Solution:
As derived earlier, the total fringe shift = w/A (-1)t .
As each fringe width = w,
The number of fringes that will shift = total fringe shift/fring width
(w/A(-1)t)/w = (-1)t/A = (1.6-1) x 1.8 x 10
-5
m / 600 x 10
-9
= 18


Illustration:
In the YDSE conducted with white light (4000-7000), consider two points P
1
and P
2
on
the screen at y
1
=0.2mm and y
2
=1.6mm, respectively. Determine the wavelengths which
form maxima at these points.



Solution:
The optical path difference at P
1
is
p
1
=dy
1
/d = ( 10/4000) (0.2) = 5 x 10
-4
mm = 5000
In the visible range 4000 - 7000
n
1
= 5000/4000 = 1.25 and n
2
= 5000/7000 = 0.714
The only integer between 0.714 and 1.25 is 1
The wavelength which forms maxima at P is l = 5000
For the point P
2
,
p
2
= dy
2
/D = ( 10/4000) (1.6) = 4 x 10
-3
mm = 40000
Here n
1
= 40000/4000 = 10 and n
2
= 40000/7000 = 5.71
The integers between 5.71 and 10 are 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
The wavelengths which form maxima at P
2
are
A1
= 4000 for n = 10
A
2
= 4444 for n = 9
A
3
= 5000 for n = 8
A
4
= 5714 for n = 7
A
5
= 6666 for n = 6

INTERFERENE B THIN FILM
A ray of light incident on a thin film of thickness `t gets partially reflected and
refracted at A at surface I and thereafter it gets reflected and refracted at B of
surface II. The rays after emerging in the first medium interfere. Now the inference
will depend upon the path difference between AD and ABC, as beyond CD path
difference is zero


Putting (IV) and (V) in (III) wetain
A x = 2 t cosr
AD as reflected at a denser medium it suffers an additional path difference A/2
Total path difference the taken place is
2 t cosr - A/2
For constructive interference
2t cos r - A/2 = n
>> 2 t cosr = nA +A /2 = (2n + 1) A/2 maxima
For normal Incidence r =0 >> 2 t = (2n+1) A/2 = n
2 t cosr - A/2 = (2n+1) A/2 >> 2 t cosr = nA
For normal incidence 2 t = nA
Illustration 6: White light is incident normally on a glass plate of thickness 0.50 x 10-6
m and index of refraction 1.50. Which wavelengths in the visible region (400 nm - 700 nm)
are strongly reflected by the plate?

Solution : The light of wavelength A is strongly reflected if the light rays reflected are
interfering constructively.
As we know the condition for constructive interference

IFFRATION
a) Diffraction is the bending or spreading of waves that encounter an object ( a barrier or
an opening) in their path.
b) In Fresnel class of diffraction, the source and/or screen are at a finite distance from the
aperture.


c) In Fraunhoffer class of diffraction, the source and screen are at infinite distance from
the diffracting aperture. Fraunhoffer is a special case of Fresnel diffraction
Single Slit Fraunhoffer iffraction
In order to find the intensity at point P on the screen as shown in the figure the slit of width
'a' is divided into N parallel strips of width Ax. Each strip then acts as a radiator of Huygen's
wavelets and produces a characteristic wave disturbance at P, whose position on the screen
for a particular arrangement of apparatus can be described by the angle 0
The amplitudes AEo of the wave disturbances at P from
the various strips may be taken as equal if 0is not too large.
The intensity is proportional to the square of the amplitude.
If Im represents the intensity at O, its value at P
is


The concept of diffraction is also useful in deciding the resolving power of optical
instruments.
PoIarisation and Brewster's Law | Wave Optics

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IIT JEE Study Material - Wave Optics - Polarisation and
Brewster's Law

!OLARISATION
Polarisation of two interfering wave must be same state of polarisation or two
source of light should be unpolarised.
BREWSTER LAW
According to this law when unpolarised light is incident at polarising angle (i) on an
interface separating a rarer medium from a denser medium, of refractive index as
shown in Fig., below such that
= tan i
then light reflected in the rarer medium is completely polarised. Reflected and
refractive rays are perpendicular to each other.

REUTION IN INTENSIT
Intensity of polarised light is 50% of that of the unpolarised light, i.e.,
I
p =
I
u
/ 2
where I
p
= Intensity of polarised light and
I
u
= Intensity of unpolarised light.