Intermediate Optics - PHYS 322

Summer 2022

Revision for the Final Exam

Problem 1: Imagine that you have two identical perfect linear polarizers and a source of
natural light. Place them one behind the other and position their transmission axes at 0°
and 50° , respectively. Now insert between them a third linear polarizer with its
transmission axes at 10°. If 800 𝑊/𝑚2 of light is incident, how much light will emerge with
and without the middle polarizer in place?
Problem 2: Determine the optical path difference for the two waves A and B,
both having vacuum wavelengths of 610 𝑛𝑚, depicted in the figure. The glass (𝑛𝑔 = 1.52)
tank is filled with water (𝑛𝑤 = 1.33). If the waves start while in-phase and all the above
numbers are exact, find their relative phase difference at the finishing line.
Problem 3: An expanded beam of red light from a ruby laser (𝜆0 = 694.3 𝑛𝑚) is
incident on a screen containing two very narrow horizontal slits separated by
0.200 𝑚𝑚. A fringe pattern appears on a white screen held 1.00 𝑚 away (consider that
the angle 𝜃 is small).
(a) How far (in 𝑚𝑚) above and below the central axis are the third zeros of
irradiance?
(b) How far (in 𝑟𝑎𝑑) above and below the central axis are the fourth zeros of
irradiance?
(c) How far (in 𝑚𝑚) from the axis is the fifth bright band?
Problem 4: A narrow single slit (in air) in an opaque screen is illuminated by infrared light
from a He–Ne laser at 1152.2 𝑛𝑚, and it is found that the center of the tenth dark band in
the Fraunhofer pattern lies at an angle of 6.4° off the central axis. Determine the width of
the slit. At what angle will the tenth minimum appear if the entire arrangement is
immersed in water (𝑛𝑤 = 1.33) rather than air (𝑛𝑎 = 1.00029)? (DO NOT consider that
the angle 𝜃 is small).
Problem 5: Light of wavelength 587.5 𝑛𝑚 illuminates a slit of width 0.75 𝑚𝑚. At what
distance from the slit should a screen be placed if the first minimum in the diffraction
pattern is to be 0.85 𝑚𝑚 from the central maximum? (Consider that the angle 𝜃 is small).
Problem 6: A diffraction grating 3 𝑐𝑚 wide produces a deviation of 33° in the second order
with light of wavelength 600 𝑛𝑚. What is the total number of lines on the grating ? (DO
NOT consider that the angle 𝜃 is small).
Problem 7: The yellow D1 line from a sodium discharge lamp has a vacuum wavelength of
5895.923 Å. Suppose such light falls at 30.00° on the surface of a film of soybean oil (𝑛𝑠𝑜
= 1.4729) suspended (within a wire frame) in air. What minimum thickness should the film
have in some region if that area is to strongly reflect the light?
Problem 8: Two parallel narrow horizontal slits in an opaque vertical screen are separated
center-to-center by 2.644 𝑚𝑚. These are directly illuminated by yellow plane waves from a
filtered discharge lamp. Horizontal fringes are formed on a vertical viewing screen 4.500 𝑚
from the aperture plane. The center of the fifth bright band is 5.000 𝑚𝑚 above the center of
the zeroth/central bright band.
a) Determine the wavelength of the light in air.
b) If the entire space is filled with soybean oil (𝑛𝑠𝑜 = 1.4729), where would the fifth
fringe now appear?
Problem 9: A calcite crystal (𝑛𝑜 = 1.6584, 𝑛𝑒 = 1.4864) is cut and polished so that the
optic axis is perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, as shown in the accompanying
diagram.
(a) Which ray is the ordinary one and which is the extraordinary one? Explain your answer.
(b) Determine the angle between the two refracted rays.
Problem 10: Determine the resultant of the superposition of the
parallel waves 𝐸1 = 𝐸01 sin 𝜔𝑡 + 𝛼1 and 𝐸2 = 𝐸02 sin 𝜔𝑡 + 𝛼2
where 𝜔 = 200𝜋, 𝐸01 = 8, 𝐸02 = 10, 𝛼1 = 0 and 𝛼2 = 𝜋/3.
Problem 11 : Three parallel waves travelling together are represented by the following
functions: 𝜓1 = 10 sin 50𝜋𝑡 + 𝜋
𝜋
𝜓2 = −20 sin 50𝜋𝑡 −
2
𝜋
𝜓3 = 20 sin 50𝜋𝑡 +
4
a) Find the resultant amplitude for the superposition of the three waves.
b) Find the initial phase of the resultant wave.
 𝜋
Problem 12: A standing wave is given by 𝐸 = 200 𝑠𝑖𝑛( 𝑥)𝑐𝑜𝑠(3𝜋𝑡).
3
a) Determine two waves that can be superimposed to generate it.
b) For 𝑥 ≥ 0, what is the location of the node having the smallest, second
smallest, and third smallest value of 𝑥?
Problem 13: A thin film of water (𝑛𝑤 = 1.333) floats on the surface of a beaker of
monochlorobenzene (𝑛𝑚𝑐𝑏 = 1.5248). The arrangement is illuminated perpendicularly by
647 𝑛𝑚 light and a large region of the film appears bright red. At minimum, how thick might
the film be?
Problem 14: A tuning fork produces a steady note at 440 𝐻𝑧 tone. When this tuning fork
is struck, and held near a vibrating guitar string, 30 beats are counted in 6.0 seconds.
What are the possible frequencies produced by the guitar string?
Problem 15: Describe the state of polarization of each of the following waves:

a. 𝐸 = 𝐸0 𝑖Ƹ 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝑘𝑧 − 𝜔𝑡 − 𝐸0 𝑗𝑐𝑜𝑠
Ƹ 𝑘𝑧 − 𝜔𝑡
b. 𝐸 = 𝐸0 𝑖Ƹ 𝑠𝑖𝑛2𝜋 𝑧/𝜆 − 𝑣𝑡 − 𝐸0 𝑗Ƹ 𝑠𝑖𝑛2𝜋 𝑧/𝜆 − 𝑣𝑡
c. 𝐸 = 𝐸0 𝑖Ƹ 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜔𝑡 − 𝑘𝑧 + 𝐸0 𝑗𝑠𝑖𝑛
Ƹ 𝜔𝑡 − 𝑘𝑧 − 𝜋/2
d. 𝐸 = 𝐸0 𝑖Ƹ 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜔𝑡 − 𝑘𝑧 + 𝐸0 𝑗𝑐𝑜𝑠 Ƹ 𝜔𝑡 − 𝑘𝑧 + 𝜋/2
Problem 16: Two ideal sheet polarizers are arranged with respect to the vertical with
their transmission axis at 20° and 45°, respectively. If a linearly polarized beam of
light with its electric field at 40° enters the first polarizer, what fraction of its
irradiance will emerge?