Physical Optics

Interference
Principal of superposition: Two or more progressive waves can travel simultaneously in a medium
without affecting the motion of the other. The resultant displacement of each particle of the medium at
any instant is equal to the vector sum of the displacements produced by two waves separately. This
principal is called the principal of superposition.

Interference of light: when two waves of the same frequency travel in the same direction and has a phase
difference that remains constant with time, the resultant intensity of light is not distributed uniformly in
space. The non-uniform distribution of the light intensity due to the superposition of two waves is called
interference. At some points the intensity is a maximum and the interference at these points is called
constructive interference. At some other points the intensity is minimum and the interference at these
points is called the destructive interference. We get alternate dark and bright bands. These are called
interference fringes.

Huygen’s Principle: In 1678 Huygen’s ( Dutch Physicist, Mathematician and astronomer) believed that
light was made up of waves vibrating up and down perpendicular to the direction of light travels.

Huygen’s gave a wave theory of light as

 Waves propagate through a medium as wave front. All points on a wave front are in phase.
 Every point on the wave front is a source of secondary wavelets. These wavelets propagate in
forward direction with the speed of waves in the medium.
 A common envelope to the secondary wavelets gives the new direction of the wave front in the
medium.

Resultant intensity due to superposition of two interfering waves: let S be a narrow slit illuminated by
a monochromatic source, and S1 and S2 two similar parallel slits very close together and equidistant from
S. Suppose the waves from S reach S1 and S2 in the same phase. Then beyond S1 and S2 the waves
proceed as they started from S 1 and S2. Let us find the resultant intensity of light at a point on a screen
placed parallel to S1 and S2..
Let a1 and a2 be the amplitudes of the waves from S1 and S2 respectively. After travelling the distance S 1P
and S2 P, the waves arrive at P. They are superposed at P with the phase difference
 Or,
Where, is the wavelength. The displacement at P due to simple harmonic waves from
S1 and S2 may be represented as

And , by the principal of superposition

Or, putting the values we get,

(1)

Let us take (2)

And (3)

Where R and are the new constants. On solving (1) we get

That is the resultant displacement at P is a simple harmonic and of amplitude R.

Squaring and adding (2) and (3) we get

 , Where I is the intensity. The resultant intensity at P is not just the
sum of the intensities due to the separate waves.

Condition for Maxima and Minima:

For max intensity

Where, n=0,1,2,3………………

Therefore, path diff,

This is the condition of maxima.

Or,

The maximum intensity is greater than the sum of two separate intensities.

The intensity I is minimum when

Where, n=0,1,2,3………

So path diff becomes

Thus

Or

Thus, as we move on the screen, the path difference between the two waves gradually changes
and there is a variation in the intensity of light, being alternately maximum and minimum. This is
called the interference pattern.

Coherent and Incoherent waves: we had assumed above that the two waves start from S1 and S2
in the same phase. Hence at P they have a constant phase difference developed due to the
different paths traversed by them. Such waves are said to be coherent and are in a position to
interfere. The intensity at P is a maximum, minimum or has some intermediate value, depending

upon the value of delta .

Interference and Conservation of Energy: the resultant intensity of light at any point in the

interference pattern is given by

The average intensity between the ranges to

The average intensity is equal to the sum of the separate intensities. That is, whatever energy
apparently disappears at the minima is actually present at the maxima. Thus, there is no violation
of the law of conservation of energy in the phenomenon of interference.