Chapter 5: Light

• Wave Theory
• Huygen’s Principle
• Interference
• Young’s double slit experiment
• Analytical analysis of interference
• Thin Film interference, Diffraction.

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Interference of light
• When two or more wave trains traverse the same
region of the medium the resultant displacement
of the medium particles are given by the algebraic
summation of the displacements due to the
individual waves.
• As a result the amplitude and the intensity is
modified which in turn is called the interference of
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• The interference is due to superposition of
two wave trains within the region of cross
over.
• The points of space where two waves are in
phase reinforce each other.
• The interference is constructive at those
points. Again at the points where the waves
are out of phase by , are the sites of
destructive interference.

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Light by Dr Humayra Ferdous, Physics-1 for
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Light by Dr Humayra Ferdous, Physics-1 for
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Young’s double slit experiment
• Young’s double slit experiment performed in 1802 was
the first experiment to demonstrate the interference
and hence prove the wave nature of light.

• The experimental setup consist of a slit S (originally pin

hole) illuminated by monochromatic light (originally white
light).

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• The light coming out of S is then allowed to fall on two
other equidistant mutually parallel narrow slits S1 and S2 .

• A screen AB is placed at a certain distance from the slits

where the interference pattern of alternate bright and dark
band is formed.

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 Explanation :
According to Huygens’
principal cylindrical waves
spread out from slit S and
reach the slits S1 and S2 .

Since S1 and S2 are equidistant from S the waves reach S1

and S2 at the same time.

A train of secondary waves of same velocity, amplitude and

phase then diverge out to right from both of these slits.

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Coherent Sources
• Two sources are said to be
coherent if they emit light of
same frequency nearly same
amplitude and are always in
phase with each other.

• That means two coherent

sources must emit light of
same colour.

• To create permanent
interference pattern the
sources must be coherent.

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Conditions of interference
To create permanent interference pattern the following
conditions has to be satisfied
(i)The light sources must be coherent
(ii)The light source should be monochromatic
(iii)Their amplitude should be same
(iv)The waves must travel in the same direction

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Analytical discussion
Let us consider that two slits S1 and S2 being illuminated by a
monochromatic source S from which their distances are equal.

A screen is placed at a distance of D from the slits.

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The waves emerging out of the slits are in same
phase, hence they will be in phase when they reach
the centre of the screen.

Let us consider a point P on the screen where the

displacements due to the waves are
y1  a sin( t  kx1 ) ......... ........ ( 1 )
and y2  a sin( t  kx2 ) ......... ........ ( 2 )

Superposition of these two waves give rise to resultant

vibration

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 y  y1  y 2  a sin(t  kx1 )  sin(t  kx2 )
 x  x2  (x  x )
 2a sin t  k ( 1 ) cos k 2 1
 2  2
  x  x2 
 2a cos ( x2  x1 ) sin t  k 1 ) ....(3)
  2 

The resultant vibration is again simple harmonic. The above equation can be
written as
 x  x2 
y  A sin t  k 1 ) ...... ....... (4)
 2 

where A  2a cos ( x2  x1 ) ...... ........ (5)


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