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Assessment Sheet

Name – Devansh Verma

Class -- 12 Section -- A
Roll no. -- 21
Subject – Physics
Topic – Interference of Light
Internal Examiner Signature --

External Examiner Signature --

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INDEX
Page
S.No Topic Signature
No.
1. Interference of light 5

2. Introduction to waves 6
Principle of superposition
3. 8
of light
4. Young’s Double Slit exp. 10
Condition for interference
5. 13
of light waves
Condition for constructive
6. and destructive 14
interference of light.
Interference of energy
7. 19
conservation
Position of Maxima and
Minima in Young’s Double
slit Experiment : Fringe-
8. Width with white light : 20
determination of
wavelength of light

No interference by two
10. Independent light Sources : 23
Coherent sources
Interference Fringes with
11. 25
white light
Effect of introducing a thin
12. 26
transparent plate in the
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path of one of the

interfering beams

Acknowledgement
I am deeply grateful to Mrs. Mukta for her
exceptional guidance and encouragement during my
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study of physics. Her passion for the subject and

dedication to teaching have been instrumental in
shaping my understanding and igniting my interest
in the complexities of physics. Mrs. Mukta's clarity of
explanation and willingness to support me through
challenging concepts have been invaluable in my
academic journey.
I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to
CMS School for providing a nurturing environment
that fosters academic excellence and curiosity. The
resources and opportunities provided by CMS
School have significantly enriched my learning
experience in physics.
I am indebted to Mrs. Mukta and CMS School for
their unwavering support and commitment to my
education. Their influence has not only deepened my
knowledge but also inspired me to pursue further
studies in physics with enthusiasm and confidence.

Interference of Light
Interference is a natural phenomenon that happens
at every place and at every moment. Yet we don’t see
interference patterns everywhere. Interference is
the phenomenon in which two waves are
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superposed to form the resultant wave of the lower,

higher or same amplitude. The most seen
interference is the optical interference or light
interference. This is because light waves are
randomly generated every which way by most
sources.

Introduction to waves
Waves are disturbances that travel through space
and time, transferring energy from one point to
another without any actual movement of matter.
There are two main types of waves: mechanical
waves and electromagnetic waves.
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Mechanical Waves
Mechanical waves require a medium to travel
through. The medium is the material that is
disturbed by the wave. As the wave travels through
the medium, the particles of the medium vibrate
back and forth about their average positions. There
are two main types of mechanical waves:

• Transverse waves in a transverse wave, the

particles of the medium vibrate perpendicular to
the direction that the wave travels.
A good example of a transverse wave is a wave
traveling on a rope. As you move your hand up and
down, the rope moves up and down, but the wave
itself travels horizontally.
Transverse wave diagram

• Longitudinal waves in a longitudinal wave, the

particles of the medium vibrate back and forth
in the same direction that the wave travels.
Sound waves are a good example of longitudinal
waves. The molecules of air vibrate back and
forth as the sound wave travels through the air.
Electromagnetic Waves
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Electromagnetic waves, on the other hand, do not

require a medium to travel. They can travel through
space and even through a vacuum. Electromagnetic
waves are created by vibrating electric and magnetic
fields. Electromagnetic waves include a wide range
of waves, from radio waves to gamma rays. All
electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light.

Principle of Superposition of
light
Principle of superposition of Light States that when
two or more waves travel simultaneously in the
medium, then the resultant displacement at each
point of the medium at any instances is equal to the
vectors of the displacement produced by the two
waves separately. This principle is called principle of
superposition It holds for all two types of waves,
except for the waves of very large amplitude, such as
laser waves
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Superposition has important implications for our

understanding of the quantum world, as it allows us
to predict the behavior of particles and systems. It
also helps us to develop new technologies that rely
on quantum mechanics, such as quantum computers
and quantum cryptography.
While superposition may seem like a concept that
only applies to the quantum world, it can actually be
observed in everyday life. One example is the
phenomenon of interference, which occurs when
two waves of the same frequency and amplitude
overlap. This can create a pattern of alternating
bright and dark regions, known as an interference
pattern.

Interference Of Light
When two light waves of same frequency travel
simultaneously in the same direction due to their
superposition. The resultant intensity of light at any
point in space is different from the sum of intensity
of 2 waves. The redistribution of light intensity due
to the superposition of two light waves is called
interference of light waves.
The interference is said to be constructive at a point
where the resultant intensity is maximum
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The interference is said to be deceptive at the point

where the resultant intensity is minimum or zero

Young’s Double Slit Experiment

Young's double slit experiment is a classic
demonstration that reveals the wave-like nature of
light and provides evidence for the phenomenon of
interference. Conducted by Thomas Young in 1801,
this experiment challenged the prevailing view of
light as particles (corpuscular theory) proposed by
Isaac Newton, and instead supported the wave
theory of light.
In the experiment, Young used a single coherent
light source, such as sunlight filtered through a
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narrow slit or light from a laser, to illuminate a

barrier with two closely spaced parallel slits. Beyond
this barrier, Young placed a screen to observe the
light pattern that emerged.
When the light passed through the two slits, it
diffracted and created a pattern of alternating bright
and dark fringes on the screen. These fringes are
known as interference fringes or interference
pattern. The bright fringes correspond to
constructive interference, where the waves from the
two slits reinforce each other, resulting in an
increased intensity of light. The dark fringes
correspond to destructive interference, where the
waves from the two slits cancel each other out,
resulting in a decrease or absence of light.
Young interpreted this pattern as evidence that light
waves from each slit were interfering with each
other, much like water waves do when they pass
through two narrow openings. This interference
pattern could not be explained by the corpuscular
theory of light, which suggested that light traveled in
straight lines and did not exhibit wave-like behavior
such as interference.
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Young's experiment provided strong evidence in

favor of the wave theory of light proposed by
Christian Huygens and others, which suggested that
light propagates as waves through a medium (the
luminiferous ether, as believed at that time). This
laid the foundation for wave optics and ultimately
contributed to the development of the wave-particle
duality concept in quantum mechanics.
In summary, Young's double slit experiment
demonstrated the interference of light waves
passing through two slits, confirming the wave
nature of light and influencing the understanding of
optics and quantum mechanics for centuries to
come.

Interpretation:

Young interpreted this pattern as evidence of

interference between light waves. The waves from
each slit interfere with each other, reinforcing or
canceling each other out depending on their phase
relationship when they reach the screen

Significance:

Young's experiment provided strong evidence

against the particle theory of light (corpuscular
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theory) proposed by Isaac Newton, which could not

explain the observed interference pattern. Instead, it
supported the wave theory of light proposed by
Christian Huygens, which suggests that light
propagates as waves through a medium.

Condition for interference of

Light Waves
For sustained interference of light to occur, the
following
conditions must be met:
1.Coherent sources of light are needed.
2.Amplitudes and intensities must be nearly equal to
produce sufficient contrast between maxima and
minima.
3.The source must be small enough that it can be
considered as a point source of light.
4.The interfering sources must be near enough to
produce wide fringes.
5.The source and screen must be far enough to
produce wide fringes.
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6.The sources must emit light in the same state of

polarization.
7.The sources must be monochromatic.

Condition for Constructive and

Destructive Interference of Light
Constructive Interference

Constructive interference occurs when the crest of

one wave overlaps with the crest of another,
resulting in a wave of increased amplitude. For light
waves, this happens when the path difference
between the two waves is an integer multiple of the
wavelength (λ).
Condition: Δx=mλ\ x = m \ Δx=mλ where:

• Δx is the path difference,

• m is an integer (0, 1, 2, ...),
• λ is the wavelength of the light.
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Destructive Interference

Destructive interference occurs when the crest of

one wave overlaps with the trough of another,
resulting in a wave of decreased (or zero) amplitude.
For light waves, this happens when the path
difference between the two waves is an odd multiple
of half the wavelength.
Condition:
Δx=(m+1/2)λ
• Δx is the path difference,
• m is an integer (0, 1, 2, ...),
• λ is the wavelength of the light.

Intensity Formula for Maximum and Minimum

The intensity of light is proportional to the square of

the amplitude of the wave. When two waves
interfere, their amplitudes add up vectorially.

Maximum Intensity (Constructive Interference)

When two waves interfere constructively, their

amplitudes add up.
If the amplitudes of the individual waves are A1and
A2, the resultant amplitude A is: A=A1+A2
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The intensity I is proportional to the square of the

amplitude:
Imax =(A1+A2 )2

Minimum Intensity (Destructive Interference)

When two waves interfere destructively, their

amplitudes subtract.
If the amplitudes of the individual waves are A1 and
A2, the resultant amplitude A is:
A=∣A1 −A2 ∣
The intensity I is proportional to the square of the
amplitude: Imin =(A1 −A2)2

Angle Requirements and Equations of Waves

For interference patterns, especially in double-slit

experiments, the angles at which constructive and
destructive interference occur can be calculated
using the geometry of the setup.

Double-Slit Experiment

Consider two slits separated by a distance ddd, and

light of wavelength λ passing through them.
Constructive Interference:
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dsinθ=mλ

• d is the distance between the slits,

• θ is the angle of the interference fringe,
• m is the order of the maximum (0, 1, 2, ...),
• λ is the wavelength of the light.
Destructive Interference:
dsinθ=(m+1/2 )λ

• d is the distance between the slits,

• θ is the angle of the interference fringe,
• m is the order of the minimum (0, 1, 2, ...),
• λ is the wavelength of the light.

Wave Equations

For two waves interfering, their equations can be

written as:
E1 =E0 sin(kx−ωt)
E2 =E0 sin(kx−ωt+ϕ)

• E0 is the amplitude,
• k=λ2π is the wave number,
• ω=2πf is the angular frequency,
• ϕ is the phase difference.
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The resultant wave can be described by: E=2E0

cos(2ϕ )sin(kx−ωt+2ϕ )
From this, we can derive the conditions for
constructive and destructive interference based on
the phase difference ϕ:

• Constructive interference: ϕ=2mπ

• Destructive interference: ϕ=(2m+1)π

Interference of Energy
Conservation
Even though :Total Energy Remains Constant •
interference can create regions of higher and
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the total energy of the system is ,lower intensity

The areas of constructive .conserved
while the ,interference have increased energy
areas of destructive interference have decreased
energy.

Mathematical Expression

For two waves E1 and E2 , the total energy before

and after interference remains the same:
•
Individual intensities: I1 ∝E12 and I2 ∝E22
• Resultant intensity for constructive
interference: Imax =(a1 +a2 )2
• Resultant intensity for destructive interference:
Imin =(a1 −a2 )2
Iav = (Imax +I min )/2=K(a12+a22).

Positions of maxima and minima

in Young's double slit
experiment: Fringe-Width:
determination of wavelength of
light.
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Positions of Maxima and Minima

Positions of Bright Fringes (Maxima)

Maxima (bright fringes) occur where the path

difference between the two interfering light waves is
an integer multiple of the wavelength (λ):
dsinθm =mλ
For small angles (sinθ≈θ in radians), the position ym
of the m-th bright fringe on the screen at a distance L
from the slits is:
ym =mλL/d
where:

• d is the distance between the slits,

• m is the order of the maximum (0, 1, 2, ...),
• L is the distance from the slits to the screen.

Positions of Dark Fringes (Minima)

Minima (dark fringes) occur where the path

difference is an odd multiple of half the wavelength:
dsinθm' =(m+1/2 )λ
For small angles, the position ym′ of the m-th dark
fringe on the screen is:
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ym′ =(m+1/2 )λL /d

Fringe Width

The fringe width (β) is the distance between two

consecutive bright or dark fringes:
β=λL/d

Determination of Wavelength of Light

To determine the wavelength (λ) of the light:

1. Measure the fringe width (β) on the screen.
2. Measure the distance between the slits (d).
3. Measure the distance from the slits to the screen
(L).
Using the formula:
λ=βd/L

Angular Fringe Width

The angular separation (θ) between fringes can be

derived from the positions of maxima and minima:
For maxima:
sinθm =dmλ
For minima:
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sinθm′ =(m+1/2 )λ/d

No interference by two
independent light sources:
Coherent Sources.
Two independent light sources typically do not
produce a stable interference pattern. This is
because interference requires a constant phase
relationship between the waves from the sources,
which independent light sources lack. Independent
sources emit light waves that are incoherent,
meaning their phase relationships change randomly
over time.

Coherent Sources

Coherent sources are necessary for stable and

observable interference patterns. Coherent sources
have the following characteristics:
1. Constant Phase Difference: The waves
emitted by coherent sources maintain a
constant phase difference over time. This
ensures that the interference pattern is stable.
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2. Same Frequency and Wavelength: Coherent

sources emit light of the same frequency and
wavelength, which is essential for the
formation of clear and consistent interference
fringes.
3. Same Amplitude (Ideally): For maximum
visibility of interference fringes, the light
waves should ideally have the same
amplitude, although this is not strictly
necessary.
Independent light sources do not produce stable
interference patterns because:
4. Random Phase Difference: The phase
difference between the light waves from
independent sources varies randomly, leading to
fluctuating interference patterns.
5. Incoherence: Light from independent sources
is incoherent, meaning the waves do not have a
consistent phase relationship necessary for
stable interference.
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Interference fringes with white

light.
Twilight consists of a continuous range of
wavelengths from about 4000 angstroms (violet) to
7500 angstroms (red) .The slit in Youngs double
split experiment is eliminated with white light. The
interference pattern consists of a central white
fringe, having both sides a few colored fringes and
then a general illumination.
A pair of white light coherent sources is equivalent
to a number of wave of monochromatic sources,
each producing its system of changes with a
different fringes with beta, which depends on
lambda.
As you move further away from the centre, the part
difference becomes quite large. Then, many
wavelengths will produce maximum intensity at a
given point. And an equally large number will
produce minimum intensity at that point. Hence,
uniform white illumination will result at each point.
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Effect of Introducing a Thin

Transparent Plate in the Path of
One of the Interfering Beams
Introducing a thin transparent plate in the path of
one of the interfering beams in Young's double-slit
experiment affects the interference pattern in a
specific way:
1. Optical Path Length: The transparent plate
increases the optical path length of the beam
passing through it. The optical path length OPL
is given by: OPL=n⋅t where:
• n is the refractive index of the plate,
• t is the thickness of the plate.
2. Phase Shift: The increase in optical path length
introduces an additional phase shift Δϕ in the
beam passing through the plate. The phase shift
can be calculated as:
3. Δϕ=2π(n−1)t / λ
• λ is the wavelength of the light in vacuum.
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3. Shift in Interference Pattern: The additional

phase shift causes a shift in the positions of the
interference fringes. The central bright fringe (m=0)
is shifted from its original position. The amount of
shift Δy in the interference pattern on the screen can
be calculated by:Δy=LΔx/d where:
• L is the distance between the slits and the
screen,
• d is the distance between the slits,
• Δx=(n−1)t is the additional path length
introduced by the plate.
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