Loading [MathJax]/jax/output/HTML-CSS/jax.js
Skip to main content
Library homepage
 

Text Color

Text Size

 

Margin Size

 

Font Type

Enable Dyslexic Font
Physics LibreTexts

Module 2 - Summary

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

Summary Notes Module 2

• Light propagates in the form of waves with a speed v=cn where c=3×108m/s and n is the refractive index. Since n1 (n=1 for air), the speed of light in any medium is vc.

• The speed of light relates the wavelength λ and frequency f by v=fλ.

• An optical wave is described by its wavefunction u(r,t) where r=(x,y,z) represents the 3D position.

• Any optical wave satisfies the wave equation: 2u(r,t)1v22u(r,t)t2=0 where 2=2x2+2y2+2z2 is the Laplacian operator in Cartesian coordinates.

• The intensity of a wave can be defined by the wavefunction as I(r)=|u(r,t)|2, where means the average over a temporal interval.

• The power of a wave is calculated at the integrated intensity over an area normal to the light’s propagation axis: P=AreaI(r)dA

• The wavefunction for monochromatic waves is: u(r,t)=a(r)cos(2πft+φ(r)) where a(r) is the amplitude and φ(r) is the phase, f is frequency [Hz], and ω=2πf is the angular frequency [rad/s], T=1f is the temporal period [s].

The intensity of monochromatic waves is I(r)=a2(r), which is independent of time.

The complex wavefront of monochromatic waves is: U(r,t)=a(r)ejφ(r)ej2πft where U(r)=a(r)ejφ(r) is the complex amplitude.

Whereas the complex wavefront U(r,t) satisfies the wave equation, the complex amplitude satisfies the Helmholtz equation: 2U(r)+k2U(r)=0

• The complex amplitude of a plane wave is: U(r)=a(r)ej2πkr=a(r)exp(j2π[kxx+kyy+kzz]) where k=(kx,ky,kz) is the wave vector and k2=k2x+k2y+k2z.

The intensity of a plane wave is constant: I(r)=|U(r)|2=|U(r)|=|a(r)ej2πkr|2=|a(r)|2

The complex amplitude of a plane wave traveling along the z-direction is: U(r,z)=a(r)ej2πkrej2πkzz

The wavefunction of a plane monochromatic wave traveling along the z-direction is periodic in terms of time and z: u(r,t)=|a(r)|cos(2πftkzz+arg(a(r))) or equivalently, u(r,t)=|a(r)|cos(2πf(tzc)+arg(a(r))) since k=fc.

• As monochromatic waves propagate through media of different refractive indexes, their frequency remains the same, but their velocity, wavelength, and wavenumber change: v=cn v=λfλ=vf=cnf=λ0n,withλ0=cf k=2πλ=2πλ0/n=nk0,wherek0=2πλ0

• The complex amplitude of a spherical wave U(r)=a0rejkr where a0 is a constant, r is the radius of the spherical wave from the origin, and k=2πλ=2πfv=wv.

In general, the origin of the spherical wave can be shifted: U(r)=a0|rr0|ejk|rr0|.

The intensity of a spherical wave is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, I(r)=|U(r)|2=a20r2.

• The complex amplitude of a paraboloidal wave, U(r)=a0zejkzexp(jk2z(x2+y2)), can be understood as a plane wave a0ejkz, modulated by a factor 1zexp(jk2z(x2+y2)).

For larger z, the phase factor exp(jk2z(x2+y2))0, so the paraboloidal wave can be approximated as a plane wave.

The paraboloidal waves satisfy the paraxial Helmholtz equation, 2TA(x,y,z)j2kA(x,y,z)z=0, where A(x,y,z)=a0exp(jk2z(x2+y2)).

A spherical wave that satisfies the Fresnel approximation becomes a paraboloidal wave. The Fresnel approximation is met for points (x,y) whose radius a=x2+y2 is at least one order of magnitude smaller than (8λz3)1/4, i.e., a48λz3. If one defines the Fresnel number: NF=a2λz, and the maximum angle θm=az, the Fresnel approximation is given by: NFθ2m41.

• Interference:
Coherent: superposition of two or more waves whose wavefunctions are related to each other. For example, waves that come from the same point source. The resultant wavefunction is the sum of the individual ones.
Incoherent: superposition of two or more waves whose wavefunctions are not related. For example, the waves emitted from each point of a lamp are completely unrelated, therefore they do not interfere. Nonetheless, there is a superposition of their individual intensities.

In this module, interference relates to the coherent superposition, i.e., the sum of the wavefunctions so that U=U1+U2. Therefore, the resultant intensity of the sum of two or more coherent wavefunctions is not equal to the sum of their individual intensities, i.e., I=|U|2I1+I2.

Example of the interference of two coherent waves whose complex amplitude distributions are, respectively, U1=I1ejφ1 and U2=I2ejφ2. The resultant intensity is: I=|U1+U2|2=|U1|2+|U2|2+U1U2+U2U1.

I=I1+I2+I1ejφ1I2ejφ2+I1ejφ1I2ejφ2.

I=I1+I2+2I1I2cos(φ1φ2).

The term 2I1I2cos(φ1φ2) depends on the phase difference between both waves. If both waves have the same intensity, I0=I1=I2, then: I=2I0[1+cos(φ1φ2)].

Because the resultant intensity is I=2I0[1+cos(φ1φ2)], there are different scenarios:

  • I=2I0 when cos(φ1φ2)=0. In other words, the phase difference between both waves is a multiple of π2, i.e., φ1φ2=(m+12)π, where m=0,1,2,
  • Imax=4I0 when cos(φ1φ2)=1. This is the condition for constructive interference (i.e., maximum value of the resultant intensity). In other words, the phase difference between both waves is a multiple of 2π, i.e., φ1φ2=2πm, where m=0,1,2,
  • Imin=0 when cos(φ1φ2)=1. This is the condition for destructive interference (i.e., minimum value of the resultant intensity). In other words, the phase difference between both waves is an odd multiple of π, i.e., φ1φ2=(2m+1)π, where m=0,1,2,

The interference creates a fringe-like pattern whose visibility is: V=Imax+IminImax+Imin.

In a coherent interference, the intensity of the superposition between two coherent waves depends on the phase of the individual waves. The phase difference between the waves can be expressed as: I=|U1+U2|2=|U1|2+|U2|2+U1U2+U2U1.

Example of the interference of two tilted coherent waves with the same intensity: U1=I0ejkz,U2=I0ejk(cosθz+sinθx).

Thus, the intensity becomes: I=2I0+I0I0ejkzejk(cosθz+sinθx)+I0I0ejkzejk(cosθz+sinθx).

I=2I0[1+cos(k(1cosθ)z+ksinθx)].

The intensity changes axially and laterally. The axial and lateral periods are: Tz=λ1cosθ,Tx=λsinθ.

Young's Experiment

clipboard_efeef5f2f4613e4ef5f42f37d9f7af557.png

The optical path difference between the optical rays 1 and 2 is the distance S2B. r1=S1P=distance between the source S1 and the observation plane P r2=S2P=S2B+S1P=distance between the source S2 and the observation plane P.

The interference pattern at the observation plane is: I=2I0[1+cos(2πλ2adx)].

Because the resultant intensity is: I=2I0[1+cos(2πλ2adx)], we have the following conditions:

  • Imax=4I0 when cos(2πλ2adx)=1.
  • The maxima are located at xmax=mλd2a.
  • The separation between two consecutive maxima is xmax,m+1xmax,m=λd2a.
  • Imin=0 when cos(2πλ2adx)=1.
  • The minima are located at xmin=(m+12)λd2a.
  • The separation between two consecutive minima is xmin,m+1xmin,m=λd2a.

Module 2 - Summary is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

Support Center

How can we help?