PHY 102: Waves & Quanta

Topic 6
Interference
John Cockburn (j.cockburn@... Room E15)

Electromagnetic Waves
Interference of Sound Waves
Youngs double slit experiment
Intensity distribution for Youngs experiment

Electromagnetic Radiation
Visible light is an example of ELECTROMAGNETIC
RADIATION:

Electromagnetic Waves
Existence predicted by James Clerk Maxwell (1865)
Consist of crossed time-varying electric and
magnetic fields
Transverse wave, both electric and magnetic fields
oscillate in a direction perpendicular to propagation
direction
No medium is necessary: Electromagnetic waves can
propagate through a vacuum
Constant speed of propagation through a vacuum:
c 3 x 108 ms-1

Electromagnetic Waves

Electromagnetic Waves
It can be shown from MAXWELLS EQUATIONS of
Electromagnetism (See second year course) that the
electric and magnetic fields obey the wave equations:

Ey
2

0 0

2 y ( x, t )
x 2

Ey
2

t 2

1 2 y ( x, t )
2
v
t 2

standard linear wave equation

2 Bz
2 Bz
0 0
2
x
t 2

1
0 0

Electromagnetic Waves

E y E0 sin( kx t )

Bz B0 sin( kx t )
Where E0 and B0 are related by: E0 = cB0
INTENSITY of an EM wave E02
NB. we will see later that EM radiation sometimes behaves like a
stream of particles (Photons) rather than a wave

Speed of light in a material

Constant speed of propagation through a vacuum:
c 3 x 108 ms-1
But, when travelling through a material, light slows
down

c
v
n

n is the refractive index of the material.

Frequency of the radiation is constant, so from v = f, wavelength

must decrease by a factor of 1/n.
(NB refractive index depends on the wavelength of the light)

Interference
First, consider case for sound waves, emitted by 2 loudspeakers:

Path difference =n
Constructive Interference

Path difference =(n+1/2)

Destructive Interference
(n = any integer, m = odd integer)

Interference

Interference
For interference effects to be observed,
sources must emit at a single frequency
Sources must have the same phase OR have a FIXED phase difference
between them. This is known as COHERENCE
Conditions apply to interference effects for both light and sound

Example calculation
For what frequencies does constructive/destructive interference occur at P?

Youngs Double Slit Experiment

Demonstrates wave nature of light
Each slit S1 and S2 acts as a separate source of coherent light (like the
loudspeakers for sound waves)

Youngs Double Slit Experiment

Consider intensity distribution on screen as a function of (angle measured

from central axis of apparatus).
If light behaves as a conventional wave, then we expect high intensity
(bright line) at a position on the screen for which r2-r1 = n
Expect zero intensity (dark line) at a position on the screen for which r2r1=(n+1/2)

Youngs Double Slit Experiment

Assuming (justifiably) that R>>d, then lines r2 and r1 are approximately

parallel, and path difference for the light from the 2 slits given by:

r2 r1 d sin

Youngs Double Slit Experiment

Constructive interference:

Destructive interference:

d sin n

1
d sin n
2

Youngs Double Slit Experiment

Y-position of bright fringe on screen: ym = Rtanm

Small , ie r1, r2 R, so tan sin
So, get bright fringe when:

n
ym R
d

(small only)

Youngs Double Slit Experiment:

Intensity Distribution
For some general point P, the 2
arriving waves will have a path
difference which is some
fraction of a wavelength.
This corresponds to a difference
in the phases of the electric
field oscillations arriving at P:

E1 E0 sin t
E 2 E 0 sin t

Youngs Double Slit Experiment:

Intensity Distribution
Total Electric field at point P:

ETOT E1 E2 E0 sin t E0 sin t

Trig. Identity:

sin sin 2 cos sin

2

With = (t + ), = t, get:

ETOT 2 E0 cos sin t

2

ETOT 2 E0 cos sin t

2

2
E
cos
So, ETOT has an oscillating amplitude:
0
2

Since intensity is proportional to amplitude squared:

I TOT 4 E0 cos 2

Or, since I0E02, and proportionality constant the same in both cases:

I TOT

4 I 0 cos
2
2

phase difference path difference

d sin

I TOT 4 I 0 cos 2

I TOT

d sin
4 I 0 cos

For the case where y<<R, sin y/R:

dy

I TOT 4 I 0 cos 2

Youngs Double Slit Experiment:

Intensity Distribution
I TOT

dy
I 0 cos