SIMG-232 LABORATORY #2

Week of 3/15/2004, Writeup Due 3/30/2004 (T)

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1.1

Snells Law, Dispersion, and the Prism

References:

Physical Optics, Robert W. Wood, Optical Society, 1988 (reprint of book originally published in
1911)
Waves, Frank Crawford, Berkeley Physics Series, McGraw-Hill, 1968.
The Nature of Light, V. Ronchi, Harvard University Press, 1970.
Rainbows, Haloes, and Glories, Robert Greenler, Cambridge University Press, 1980.
Sunsets, Twilights, and Evening Skies, Aden and Marjorie Meinel, Cambridge University Press,
1983.
Light and Color in the Outdoors, M.G.J. Minnaert, Springer-Verlag, 1993.

1.2

Rationale:

Many optical imaging systems used for scientific purposes (e.g., in remote sensing or astronomy)
generate images from light collected in relatively narrow bands of wavelengths. Three common
choices exist for splitting the light into its constituent wavelengths. The simplest is by inserting
bandpass filters into the light path that pass light in only narrow selected bands (you will use
such filters in part of this lab). The second method uses an optical element formed from a periodic
pattern of transparent and opaque regions. This grating forces dierent wavelengths to travel
along paths at angles proportional to the wavelength. The third method, which is the subject of
this lab, also disperses the light, but uses the physical mechanism of dierential refraction due to
the inherent property that dierent wavelengths travel at dierent speeds in glass.

1.3

Theory:

From the study of refraction in geometrical optics, we know that light rays incident on an interface
between two transparent materials are refracted at an angle determined by the incident angle and by
the phase velocities of light in the two materials. The ratio of the phase velocity of light in vacuum
to that in a material is the refractive index n:
n=

c
v

where c = 3 108 m
s . The phase velocity v in the medium is the ratio of the angular frequency
and the wavenumber k, which is equal to the product of the wavelength and the temporal
frequency :

v= =
k
By combining the two equations, we obtain an expression for the refractive index in terms of the
vacuum velocity c, the angular frequency , and the wavenumber k.

k
n=c

Snells law relates the indices of refraction to the angles of light rays in two media. If the angles of
the incident and refracted rays are 1 and 2 , respectively (measured from the vector normal to the
surface), then Snells law is:
n1 sin [1 ] = n2 sin [2 ]

A plot of the eect on an incident ray is shown below:

Illustration of Snells Law.

Elementary discussions of refraction often assume that the indices of refraction do not vary with
the temporal frequency of the light. For real materials, the situation is more complicated. Obviously, the phase velocity of light waves is slower in a material than in vacuum, because n 1
(except for a few very special cases, such as refraction of x-rays in some materials). But waves with
dierent travel at dierent velocities in media; long waves travel faster than short waves, except
over very narrow ranges centered about very specific wavelengths (the resonances), which are beyond
the scope of this laboratory. Therefore, n is smaller for longer waves than for shorter. A plot of the
refractive indices of several media vs. wavelength, i.e., a plot of n [] for several media, is shown:

Refractive Index n vs. Wavelength for several media. Note that n decreases with increasing ,
which means that the velocity of light in the medium increases with increasing .
White light can be dispersed into its constituent frequencies (or equivalently, its wavelength
spectrum) by utilizing this dierential velocity of light in materials combined with Snells law. The
intensity of the dispersed light can be measured and plotted as a spectrum, which is a valuable
tool for determining the chemical constituents of the light source or an intervening medium. In
fact, spectral imaging (forming images of objects in narrow wavebands of light) has become a hot
topic in imaging because of advances in dispersing materials, computer technologies, and processing
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algorithms.
The best-known method for dispersing light is based on dierential refraction within a block of
glass with flat sides fabricated at an angle (usually 60 but other angles are common). Of course, this
was the scheme used by Newton to perform the first spectral analysis of white light (spreading it
into its constituent colors) in 1671. Note that Newton also synthesized white light by recombining
the colored components. Newton was the first to investigate the spectral components of white and
colored light, and in this way was arguably the first to perform a Fourier analysis. Newton did make
a famous error in this study by assuming that the eect of the dispersion was proportional to the
refractive index of the glass. In other words, he assumed that the dispersion is a property of the
index and does not dier with material.
Consider a prism with apex angle shown below. A light ray is incident at angle 1 .

Schematic of refraction by a prism with apex angle . The deviation of the incident ray is ,
which is shown for both red and blue light. The two diagrams at the bottom are magnified views of
the refraction of the rays at the two interfaces.
We also saw that when one applies Snells law to refraction by a prism, geometrical arguments can
be used to derive the total deviation of a ray from its original path. The formula is a trifle
complicated!

q
= 1 + sin1

n2 sin2 [1 ] sin [] cos [] sin [1 ]

where the angle of incidence is 1 , the apex angle of the prism is , and the index of refraction is n
for the specific wavelength This is presented only for its impressive complexity, not because we need
to use it. A graph of vs. incident angle 1 for a fixed index n and some apex angle demonstrates
that an angle exists where the deviation of the prism is a minimum, which can be called the minimum deviation angle and signified by min . The light deviated by this angle passes symmetrically
through the prism, i.e., the angle of incidence to the prism and the angle of departure are equal.
Note that the angle of minimum deviation depends on the refractive index n, and thus the minimum
deviation angle for dierent wavelengths will be dierent.

Graph of the deviation angle vs. angle of incidence 1 for n = 1.5 and apex angle = 60 . Note
that exhibits a minimum at some angle min ' 48 .
For a given prism with apex angle and minimum deviation angle min , the equation may be
rewritten to specify the index of refraction n in terms of min and :

sin min2+

n=
sin 2

By measuring the minimum deviation angle min for dierent wavelengths , you can evaluate
n [], i.e., the index of refraction as a function of wavelength. This determines the dispersion of the
glass used in the prism.
White light also may be dispersed by a dierent physical means known as diraction. Though
the mathematical description of diraction will be considered later, its properties are introduced in
this laboratory.

1.4

Procedure:

To do the experiments below, you will need:

1. Glass equiangular prism ( = 60 )
2. Equiangular (or approximately so) prism made of glass slides that can be filled with water
or mineral oil (Use small pieces of the essential tool for all laboratories duct tape, which is
ocially sanctioned by the Department of Homeland Security!).
3. Rotary table or angle sheet on which to place the prisms to change the orientation easily
4. He:Ne laser
5. White-light source with optical fiber output
6. Colored filters made of glass or gelatin (gels)
7. Aluminum foil (to make slits to reduce the spreading of the light passed into the prism).
8. Diraction Grating(s)

Set the prism on the rotary table and arrange the laser so you can point the laser beam through
the prism easily, as in the figure. DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE LASER BEAM. The prism
should be able to rotate through a large range in the angle of incidence on the input face. Use a
book with a white piece of paper taped to it or a piece of white paper taped to the wall as a screen.
Make sure before taking any data that the laser spot remains on your screen as you rotate the prism.

Apparatus for measuring the minimum deviation of a prism.

1. Measure the distance from the center of the rotary table to the screen by taking a number
of independent measurements (3 to 5). Each member of the group should make independent
measurements of the length and the uncertainty without revealing the results to the partners.
The measurements should be averaged. What is the standard deviation of the result? Use
as an estimate of the uncertainty in your distance measure (note that the uncertainty is
N
expected to decrease as the number N of measurements is increased).
2. Mark the position of the laser spot on the screen in the case where no prism is present. This
will give you the position of the undeviated beam (position a in the drawing).
3. Measure the apex angle of the glass prism supplied. You can draw lines parallel to the faces of
the prism, extend these lines with a ruler, and then use a protractor to make the measurement.
4. Place the prism in the center of the rotary table or angle sheet. Find the position where the
reflected beam travels directly back to the laser source; this is the location where the face of
the prism is perpendicular to the laser beam. Rotate the prism until you see a spot of laser
light that has been refracted by the prism. Mark the position of the laser spot for dierent
incident angles for as large a range of angles and of spot positions as you can measure. Take
at least 8 data points, recording the value of the incident angle (as judged by the position of
the rotary table) and the distance from the undeviated spot position.
5. Convert the distances from the previous step to deviation angles [1 ]. This can be done by
noting that:
ab
= tan []
ac
where ab is the distance from a to b in figure and ac is the distance from a to c, both of which
you have measured.
6. Now remove your glass prism and fill the hollow prism made from the microscope slides with
the distilled water provided. Repeat steps 1 through 5. Obviously, you cannot mount this
prism vertically, so this is a more subjective experiment. But try to estimate the dierence in
the deviation between the water and glass prisms.

7. Repeat steps 1-5 after filling the microscope-slide prism with a liquid, such as water or mineral
oil (or both).
8. Go back to the glass prism and use an optical fiber light source and a slit instead of the laser.
Put the fiber source at least a couple of feet away from the prism. Make a slit that is a few
millimeters wide and about 1 cm long. Measure the angle of incidence as best you can, and
then measure the deviation for three dierent colors: red, green (or yellow), and blue. If you
have trouble, you may want to consider holding filters from the optics kit in front of the slit
to cut out the unwanted colors. In any case, you will probably have to turn the lights o and
shield your screen from the ambient light to be able to see the slit on your screen.
9. Now, replace the prism with a diraction grating and describe the spectrum of the white light.
Note particularly the dierences compared to the spectrum generated by the prism. Sketch
approximate paths of light emerging from the grating, and carefully note the dierences in path
for red and blue light. If available, compare the spectrum obtained from diraction gratings
with dierent rulings (spacings).

1.5

Analysis

In your lab write-up, be sure to complete the following:

1. For each of the three prisms, graph the deviation angle as a function of the incident angle
on the input face of the prism, 1 . Find the minimum deviation angle, min and estimate the
uncertainty in this quantity.
2. Using the equation, calculate the index of refraction for the glass, water, and mineral oil used,
based on your value for min and in each case.
3. From your measurements, derive the index of refraction for red ( ' 700 nm), green ( '
550 nm) and blue ( ' 550 nm) light. Do your data show an decrease in n with increasing
wavelength? The laser is also red ( ' 632.8 nm). How well does your value of n agree between
the laser measurements and the red filter measurement?

1.6

Questions:

1. Imagine that a source emits a pulse of light 1 s long which is composed of equal amplitudes
of all wavelengths. The light is incident on a block of glass of thickness 20 km and whose
refractive index as shown above.
(a) What is the physical length of the pulse [m] when the light enters the glass?
(b) What is the time required for red light and for blue light to traverse the glass?
(c) What is the physical length of the pulse emerging from the glass.
(d) Describe the color of the emerging pulse.
2. If the dispersion of the glass is as shown in the plot of refractive index, and if the light is
incident on the equiangular prism at at the angle shown, determine and sketch approximate
paths followed by red light ( = 600 nm) and by blue light ( = 400 nm) and find the
approximate dierence in emerging angle (the dispersion angle, often denoted by ). Sketch
the path of the light from incidence through the glass to the emergence. Note carefully which
color is deviated more.
3. Sketch the path followed by the light if it is incident from within a block of the same type of
glass onto a prism-shaped hole.
4. Describe the relative values of the velocity of the average wave and the modulation wave for if
the material has the dispersion curve shown. What if the dispersion curve is reversed (i.e., if
nred > nblue )?
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5. Now that youve finished this lab on dispersion, reconsider the question of the formation process
of rainbows. Some answers given at the beginning of the quarter speculated that rainbows were
caused by diracted or by scattered sunlight. Recall (either from experience or research) and
sketch the relative locations of the rainbow, the viewer, and the sun. On your sketch, show
the path followed by the dierent colors from the sun to the eye. In other words, explain the
sequence of colors in the rainbow.

BONUS QUESTION:
6. Find a description of and an explanation for the atmospheric phenomenon known as the
green flash, which is occasionally seen at the final instant of sunset from locations with an
unobstructed horizon. Explain why the eect is not called a blue flash.