All Questions
Tagged with optics interference
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What is the reason two rays originally polarized orthogonally but were rotated to parallel polarization does not visibly interfere even slightly?
The Fresnel–Arago laws by Augustin-Jean Fresnel and François Arago summarise some of the more important properties of interference between light of different states of polarization.
The laws are as ...
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Explain laser stability and interferograms relationship
I am using a Twyman-Green interferometer to record phase-stepped interferograms. The interferometer uses a monochromatic diode laser (visible light). As you observe the interferogram on the screen, ...
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How does partially constructive and partial destructive interference work in interferometers?
From what I have gathered, complete constructive or destructive interference results in all light or no light traveling a given path of an interferometer (correct me if this is incorrect). However, ...
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In single slit diffraction, why does the minima occur at integer multiples of lambda, which is contrary to double slit?
Single slit diffraction is also a kind of interference, so why does the minima do not occur at a path difference with half the wavelength, but occur at integer multiples? In my lecture notes, it says ...
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Imaging a diffraction grating as it passes through a lens' focal point
I am trying to understand the image created when a coherent light source is incident on a diffraction grating as it is swept through the focal point of a lens. The situation is illustrated in the ...
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Light wave interference on thin film
Let a point P exist just above the surface of a glass slab of thickness $L$.
Light is incident vertically on this slab. The light at point P, at some instant has phase angle $\phi$.
The refracted ...
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Interferene of Gaussian beams with different waists
We want to calculate the interference pattern of two Gaussian beams with different focal points. We use the basic formula for a Gaussian beam
$$ \vec{E}(x, y, z) = E_0 \vec{x}\frac{\omega_0}{\omega_z}\...
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Opera glasses and interference of light
One sunny day my kids asked me about the light circle (see photo below) they noticed on a small wooden bench in a dark room with no windows (there are just doors to other rooms and kids usually sit on ...
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Effect of thickening polariser on intensity pattern
I've performed an experiment where microwaves were sent through a polariser of varying thickness, composed of $11$ slits (width and spacing both $6$ mm).
To vary the thickness of the polariser, this ...
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Measuring coherence length with the Michelson Interferometer
In lab, I've been asked to measure the coherence length of a green-light laser source using a Michelson Interferometer. To do so, I configure the interferometer such that a circular fringe pattern ...
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How does the intensity of light in a double slit experiment vary with the slit width?
I know this question has been asked quite a few times on the network but I still can't find a concrete answer. It's quite clear that intensity depends on the square of slit width in a single slit ...
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How many fringes can pass by on a Michaelson interferometer?
A Michaelson interferometer is an instrument that most physics undergrads get to play with once or twice.
A beam splitter sends part of the light to each of two mirrors, the light returns, then hits ...
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Is interference of light a quantum phenomenon?
I am wondering whether the light interference is a quantum phenomenon. Or, alternatively, is there any interference in Maxwell's theory understood as a classical field theory?
The reason I am puzzled ...
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What is a 'good' coherence/correlation function for multimode spectra?
Following up on the question here and this answer in particular, I would like to pose the following question:
How to derive a formula for the coherence length of a multispectral source, such as a ...
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What is the equation that gives $a$ and $b$ of the elliptical polarization formed by two interfering linearly polarized waves?
Two linearly polarized light waves have amplitudes $A1$ and $A2$, the same wavelength, a phase difference of $p$, and an angle difference of $\theta$.
When two linearly polarized light waves with ...
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