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Chapter 4 : INTERFERENCE IN THIN FILMS

Session 1 : Huygen’s wave theory
Optical path difference
Interference by division of amplitude
PREREQUISITES

Optics is a study of visible light. James Clerk Maxwell showed that a beam of light is an
electromagnetic wave – a traveling wave of electric and magnetic fields.

The basic principles regarding the nature of light were presented by Newton in 1675 as a
corpuscular theory of light. The postulates of Newton’s theory are –

i) A source of light continuously emits tiny, light in weight and elastic particles called
corpuscles in all directions.
ii) These particles or corpuscles move with velocity of light.
iii) When the corpuscles fall on the retina of the eye, they produce the sensation of vision.
iv) Corpuscles of different colours have different sizes.

On the basis of corpuscular theory of light, the phenomena of reflection, refraction, dispersion
etc. were explained successfully. However, the theory fails to explain phenomena like
interference, diffraction, polarization, Photoelectric effect etc. Also, results from some
experiments do not support corpuscular theory of light.

i) When a source of light emits corpuscles, its mass should decrease, but no change in mass
is detected.
ii) According to this theory, greater the temperature of the source, greater is the agitation of
its molecules and hence higher should be velocities of corpuscles coming out of it.
However, experimental observations show that velocity of light is independent of
temperature.

In 1679, Christian Huygens proposed the wave theory of light which says light travels in the
form of wave front in the medium.

According to this principle, the light source emits

energy in the form of waves. At a given time, all the
points reaches are n the surface of the sphere. In the
plane of a paper, a sphere is shown as a circle. All
points on this surface receive the waves at the same
time vibrating in the same phase. This surface is
called as a wave front. A line drawn perpendicular to
the wave front is called as a ray of light. So, all radii of spherical wave front represent rays.

Postulates of Huygens Theory

Each point on a wave front acts as a fresh source of disturbance called as secondary
wavelets. These wavelets spread out in the medium with velocity of light in that medium.

The new wave front at any later time is obtained by taking the forward envelope of the
secondary wavelet at that time.

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Young’s Double slit Experiment:

In Young’s double slit experiment, light sent through a pair of vertical slits is diffracted into a
pattern on the screen of numerous vertical lines spread out horizontally. Without diffraction and
interference, the light would simply make two lines on the screen.

Double slits produce two coherent sources of waves that interfere. Light spreads out (diffracts)
from each slit, because the slits are narrow. These waves overlap and interfere constructively
(bright lines) and destructively (dark regions).

The amplitudes of waves add. (a) constructive interference is obtained when identical waves are
in phase. (b) destructive interference occurs when identical waves are exactly out of phase, or
shifted by half a wavelength.

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Interference :

We can see all colours of visible spectrum in a rainbow. These colours are seen because the
incident wavelengths are bent through raindrops. However, soap bubbles and oil films also show
striking colours, which are produced not by refraction but by constructive and destructive
interference of light. The interfering waves combine either to enhance or to suppress certain
colours in the spectrum of incident light. Interference of light is thus a superposition
phenomenon.

Light is a form of a wave motion. The waves are transverse in nature. A single source of light
gives out energy, which is distributed uniformly in the surrounding medium. If two independent
sources of light which are capable of giving out continuous waves of same amplitudes, same
wavelengths and same phase difference or constant phase difference are held close to each other,
the distribution of energy in the surrounding medium is not uniform, but, bright and dark regions
are observed. This non uniform distribution of light energy (and hence intensity) due to
superposition of two or more waves is called interference.

For the interference produced by two light waves to be observable, it is necessary the interfering
waves are monochromatic i.e. of same wavelength. At points in the path of wave motion, where
two waves meet exactly in phase (crest of one falls on crest of the other and trough of one falls
on trough of the other), there is reinforcement thereby producing more brightness than what
would be produced by one wave alone. At points in the path of wave, where two waves meet out
of phase (crest of one falls on trough of the other), destructive interference takes place thereby
producing a dark region. For the eye to follow the changes produced in the intensity of light, it is
necessary that, the two sources are coherent. Two sources of light are said to be coherent if they
have same phase relationship with each other, which does not change with time. Other conditions
require that the interfering waves must be propagated nearly in same direction and they must be
in same state of polarization.

Why Constant Phase Difference ?

Light is emitted by the source due to energy changes in electron of atom of the source. Light
emitted by smallest point source is due to such changes in millions of atoms. The phase changes
occurring in the light from a source are abrupt and random. Hence, whenever there is an
interference of two waves from two independent sources, there cannot be fixed phase
relationship between the waves. The resulting interference pattern therefore shifts so rapidly that
the eye cannot follow the changes in the intensity of light occurring at a point.

However, if the two waves are derived from a common source, there is a point-to-point
correspondence between the sources and hence for any abrupt change, in the phase of vibrations
of one source, there is corresponding and simultaneous change in the phase of vibration of the
other. Therefore, the two waves interfering at a point must maintain a fixed phase relationship,
which does not vary with time.

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Reflection and Refraction

Incident Reflected
ray normal ray

Angle of Angle of
incidence reflection

air

glass Angle of
refraction

Refracted
ray

Reflection Refraction
Reflection is described as the reverting back Refraction means the shift in direction of the
of light wave in the same medium, when it light wave, when it enters medium with
falls on plane. different density.

Light wave returns to the same medium.
Light wave Bounce off the plane and changes
direction.
Angle of incidence is qual to the angle of
reflection.
Light wave travels from one medium to
another.
Light wave pass through the surface, that
changes their speed and direction.
Angle of incidence is not equal to the angle of
refraction.

When reflection occurs at the surface of denser medium, a phase change of 1800 (i.e. path change
of λ/2) is introduced. No phase change occurs if the light wave is reflected from the surface of
rarer medium.

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TYPES OF INTERFERENCE :

There are two methods of obtaining coherent sources to produce interference effect -
i) Division of wave-front ii) Division of amplitude

i) Division of wave-front

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Consider a source of monochromatic light emitting light waves in all directions. Let S1 and S2 be
two slits illuminated by the parent source S. The two slits themselves become two coherent
sources from which the secondary wave fronts are emitted. Therefore a primary wave front from
a source S is divided into two sets of secondary wave fronts originating from S1 and S2. The
secondary wavefronts interfere with each other at various points giving rise to the phenomenon
of interference. This method of producing interference is called division of wave front. In
Fresnel Biprism, Lloyd’s mirror experiments, division of wave front method obtains coherent
sources.

ii) Division of amplitude :

When a ray of monochromatic light is incident on a thin plane transparent medium, it is partially
reflected and partially refracted. The partially refracted ray of light is further split up into a
number of reflected and refracted rays after successive reflections and refractions from the two

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surfaces of separation as shown in the figure. The partially reflected rays emerging out of surface
AB interfere with each other at various points and produce an interference effect. Similarly the
transmitted rays of light emerging from CD also produce interference effect. This method in
which, the interference effect is produced due to recombination of a number of beams of light
obtained due to partial reflections and refractions is known as division of amplitude. Intensity of
incident light is divided by partial reflection and refractions and is due to division of amplitude.

Optical Path Length :

If a beam of light travels a distance d in a medium of refractive index µ, in a time T seconds, the
velocity of light in the medium is given by
d
v =
T
The distance traveled by light in free space in the same time is given by d’ = cT where c is
velocity of light in free space. We then have,
d'
c =
T
By definition, refractive index of the medium is given by –

d'
c T d'
μ = = =
v d d
T
∴ d' = d μ
Hence, a path d in the denser medium is equivalent to a path d µ (Optical path) in the rarer
medium, where µ is the refractive index of denser medium with respect to the rarer medium.

Condition for Maxima

When optical path difference is integral multiple of λ (wavelength of light) bright region or
maximum is produced.

Optical Path Difference ( ∆ ) = n λ where n = 0,1,2,3,…………

Condition for Minima

When optical path difference is odd-integral multiple of λ/2 dark region or minimum is
produced.

Optical Path Difference ( ∆ ) = (2n±1) λ/2 where n = 0,1,2,3,…………

Note : When any reflection takes place at the surface of denser medium, additional path
difference of λ/2 is introduced.

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