The Diffraction Grating

• A (transmission) diffraction grating is an

arrangement of identical, equally spaced
parallel lines ruled on glass.
• A typical diffraction grating will have
something like.600 lines per millimetre

Diffraction gratings
are used to produce
optical spectra

600mm-1
Light of wavelength
λ, normal to the grating
A Each of the clear spaces
(A,B,C etc) acts like a
d
very narrow slit and
produces its own
diffraction.
B
The light is from the same
monochromatic source
θ and therefore is coherent.
C
Light of wavelength Consider the light which is
λ, normal to the grating diffracted by each slit at
A some angle θ to the
θ normal.
d
θ
B The slits are equally
spaced so that if angle θ
produces light that phase
θ at A and B (and therefore
C
positively reinforces )
then the light will also be
in phase from every
other slit and also
produce positive
reinforcement.
Light of wavelength
When the waves reinforce
λ, normal to the grating
each other the path
A
θ
difference AN is a full
N
number of wavelengths .
d
θ
B That means that

AN =nλ
where n is a whole number
θ
As:
C AN = d sin θ

dsinθ = nλ
 Diffraction Grating
• The angle θ will be slightly different for
each wavelength of light and so the
grating separates white light into its
spectrum and does this much more
effectively than a prism.
• The light needs to be focussed with the
eyepiece lens of a telescope or
spectrometer ( or the lens of the eye) after
it emerges from the grating.
 The Diffraction Grating
• A diffraction grating with a large number of
lines produces very sharp maxima and
completely destructive interference at
other angles
 Calculations
• A diffraction grating has 600 lines per mm. If such a
grating is illuminated with yellow light at 6 x 10-7 m,
calculate the angle at which zero, first and second order
diffraction will be observed
The diagram below shows the light passing through the grating.
zero order diffraction is always at 00 to the normal!

zero order
diffraction

first order
diffraction
grating
second order
diffraction
 Calculations
• A diffraction grating has 600 The spacing of the
lines per mm. If such a grating lines(d) is 1/600 000 mm
is illuminated with yellow light
at 6 x 10-7 m, calculate the Using nλ= dsinθ
angle at which zero, first and
second order diffraction will be n
sin  
observed d
1 6 10 7
sin    6 10 7  6 105
 1 
 
 600000 
zero order  0.36
21.10 diffraction
first order   21.10
diffraction
grating second order
diffraction
 Calculations
• A diffraction grating has 600 The spacing of the
lines per mm. If such a grating lines(d) is 1/600 000 mm
is illuminated with yellow light
at 6 x 10-7 m, calculate the Using nλ=dsinθ
angle at which zero, first and
second order diffraction will be n
sin  
observed d
2  6  10 7
sin    6  10 7  6  105
 1 
 
 600000 
zero order  0.72
21.10 diffraction
first order   46.10
diffraction
grating second order Try to calculate the angle
diffraction for 3rd order diffraction
 Calculations
When a grating with 300 lines per mm is illuminated normally with a
parallel beam of monochromatic light a second order principle
maximum is observed at 18.90 to the straight through direction.
Find the wavelength of the light

300 lines per mm is 3.00 x 105 lines per metre and therefore the spacing
d =1/3.00 x 105m

A second order maximum means n=2

Using nλ= dsinθ

1
 sin 18.9 0

2  3.00 105
  5.40 10 m
7