Interference

Coherent Sources
Two sources are said to be coherent if they emit light of same frequency and
always having a constant phase difference between them.

Superposition Principle
For all linear systems, the net response at a given place and time caused by two
or more stimuli is the sum of the responses which would have been caused by
each stimulus individually. So if input A produces response X and input B produces
Y than input (A+B) produces response (X+Y).

Interference
When the light from two different sources with same frequency and having a
constant phase difference move in the same direction, then these light wave trains
superimpose upon each other. This results in the modification of distribution of
intensity of light. This modification of the intensity of light resulting from the
superposition of wave is called interference.

Constructive Interference
At some points the resultant intensity is greater than the sum of the intensities of
the waves.

I I1 I 2
This is called Constructive Interference.

Destructive Interference
At some points the resultant intensity is smaller than the sum of the intensities of
the waves.

I I1 I 2
This is called Destructive Interference.

Classification of Interference
1. Division of Wave front
The wave front originating from a common source is divided into two parts by
using mirrors, prisms or lenses and the two wave fronts thus separated travels and
finally brought together to produce interference.
In this type sources are small like a point source.
2. Division of Amplitude
The amplitude of the incoming beam is divided into two parts either by partial
reflection or refraction. These two parts travel in different paths and finally brought
together to produce interference.
In this type broad sources are required.

Youngs Double Slit Experiment:

crest
S1

Trough
S
(Coherent Source)

S2

(Slit)

(Screen)

Analytical treatment of Interference

Let S be a narrow slit illuminated by a monochromatic light of wavelength . S1 and S2
are two narrow slits close to each other and equidistant from S. Suppose is the
frequency of the waves. Let a1 and a2 be the amplitudes of the two wave coming out of
S1 and S2.
The displacement y1 due to one wave from S1 at any instant t is

y1 a1 sin t
The displacement y2 due to other wave from S2 at any instant t is

y2 a2 sin(t )
Where is the constant phase difference between the two waves.
The resultant displacement at P is the algebraic sum of the individual
displacements

y y1 y2

y a1 sin t a2 sin(t )
y a1 sin t a2 sin t cos a2 cos t sin
y (a1 a2 cos ) sin t a2 sin cos t
Let

a1 a2 cos A cos

(i)

a2 sin A sin

(ii)

y A cos sin t A sin cos t

Squaring (i) and (ii) and then adding

a12 a22 cos 2 2a1a2 cos a22 sin 2 A2 cos 2 A2 sin 2

a12 a22 2a1a2 cos A2 I

For maximum intensity

cos 1

or

2 n

I max a12 a22 2a1a2 (a1 a2 ) 2

I max a12 a22
Phase Difference

Path Difference = n

Path Difference

a12 a22 2a1a2 cos A2 I

For minimum intensity

cos 1

or

(2n 1)

I min a12 a22 2a1a2 (a1 a2 ) 2

I min a12 a22
Phase Difference
Path Difference

Path Difference

(2n 1)
2

For good contrast

a1 a2

I max 4a 2

and

I min 0

Average intensity
2

I av

Id

0
2

2
2
(
a

a
1 2 2a1a2 cos )d
0

a a 2a a

2
1

2
2

02

1 2

sin

I av a12 a22
When a1 = a2

I av 2a 2

2
0

Conditions for sustained interference:

Two light sources must be coherent.
Two coherent sources must be narrow, otherwise a single source
will act as a multi sources.
The amplitude of two waves should be equal so that we can get
good contrast between bright and dark fringes.
The distance between two coherent sources must be small.
The distance between two coherent sources and screen should be
reasonable. The large distances of screen reduce to intensity.

Calculation of the fringe width:

To determine the spacing between the bands/ fringes and
the intensity at point P.
P

S1
S
(Coherent Source)

M
O

2d

d
N

S2

D
Slit

Screen

Path difference () = S2P-S1P

To calculate S2P, consider the S2NP

S 2 P 2 S 2 N 2 NP 2
S2 P 2 D 2 x d

x d
S2 P D 1

2
D

or

Expending by binomial theorem

1
2

1 x d
S2 P D 1

2
2
D

Here

D x d

Therefore, higher power term of D can be neglected. Then we get

S2

xd
P D 1

2D 2

S2 P

or

x d
D

Similarly, we can calculate S1P, consider the S1MP

S1 P

xd
D

2D

Then the path difference is () = S2P - S1P

For the n fringe the path difference =

th

2 xd

2 xn d
D

2D

(a) Bright Fringes:

The path difference should be equal to

2 xn d
n
D
D
xn
n
2d

where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, ----------------

The distance between two consecutive fringes is also known as fringe width.
.

xn 1 xn

D
n 1 D n
2d
2d

D
D
D
D

n
2d
2d
2d
2d

2d

(b) Dark Fringes:

The path difference should be equal to

2n 1
2

Point P to be dark

2 xn d

2n 1
D
2
D
where n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, -------------xn 2n 1
4d

Fringe width

xn 1 xn

2 D D

4d
2d

2d

From the above equations, it is clear that fringe width depends on

1. It is directly proportional to the distance between two coherent sources

and screen

2. It is directly proportional to the wavelength of light

3. It is inversely proportional to the spacing between two coherent sources

1

d

Fresnels Biprism:
Fresnels biprism is a device to produce two coherent
sources by division of wave front.
P
S1

G
Overlap
region

S
S2

H
a

b
D

Construction:
A biprism consists of a combination of two acute angled prisms placed
base to base.
The obtuse angle of the biprism is 179 and other two acute angles are 30.

30
179
30

(b) Determination of the distance between two virtual sources:

Displacement method is one of the methods to calculate the distance
between two virtual coherent sources:
S1
d2

d
S2

L1

d1

L2

v
v

According to the linear magnification produced by the lens:

size of the image I

dis tan ce between image and lens

size of the object O dis tan ce between object and lens

d1
v

d
u

(1)

Further the lens moves towards the eyepiece and a focused image of virtual
sources S1 and S2 is visible in eyepiece again. This time the image separation of S1 and
S2 should be appear different (d2) so that:

d2
v'

d
u'

(2)

But

u v'

v u'

nd
Thus equation (2)
becomes

d2
u

d
v

From equation (1) and (3),

we get

d2
d

d
d1

or

d 2 d1d 2
d d1d 2

(
3)

Applications of Fresnels Biprism:

Determination of thickness of thin sheet of transparent
material like glass or mica.
or
How to calculate the displacement of fringes when a mica
sheet is introduced in the path of interfering rays?
t

S1
2d
S2

The time taken by light to reach P from S1 is

S1 P t t
T

c
v
But

c
v

S1 P t t
T

c
c

cT S1 P t t
The path difference S2P and S1P will then be given by

S 2 P S1 P t t

Let the point P is the center of the nth bright fringe if the path difference is equal to n
The path difference between S2P and S1P is

S 2 P S1 P t t n

or

S 2 P S1 P 1 t n

We have already calculated that S 2 P S1 P 2 xn d

D

or

2 xn d
1 t n
D
D
xn
1 t n
2d

(1)

Where xnis the distance of the nth bright fringe from the central fringe in the absence of mica.

The position of the central bright fringe when the mica sheet is placed in
the path S1P is obtained by putting n=0 in equation (1) we get

x0
Since

D
1 t
2d

(2)

>1 so that x0 is positive.

The fringe width is

xn1 xn D

Using equation (1)

2d

It means the fringe width is not affected by introduce of mica

sheet.

2d
Put these values in equation (2) we get,
t

2 x0 d
D 1

or

x0
1

Thus we can calculate the thickness of mica sheet.

Light Reflection From Denser Media:

/2 Shift In Position of Wave

Inversion with /2 shift in position

No inversion

Change of Phase on Reflection

When a wave of light is reflected at the surface of denser medium, it always gives a phase
change of or path difference of /2

C
a

ar

Air
N

B
r

at

Glass

D
Here r and t are the reflection and the transmission coefficients when wave is travelling from rarer
to denser medium.

If we reverse the direction of reflected and transmitted light then according to the Principle of
reversibility , the original wave of amplitude a is produced, provided that there is no absorption of energy

ar2+att

ar

B
r

art+atr
E

Air

at

Glass

Here r and t are the reflection and the transmission coefficients when wave is travelling from
denser to rarer medium.
The reversal of ar and at must reproduce the amplitude a. The sum of components along BE
should be zero.

art atr ' 0

r ' r

Interference due to Reflection:

(Reflected rays)
R1
R2

Source

i iN
M
A
r r
B

T1

T2

(Transmitted rays)

The path difference between the reflected rays

Path ABC in film path AN in air

 AB BC AN
(1)

BM
cos r
AB

BM = t

AB
and also

BC

Now, for AN

t
cos r

t
cos r
AM
tan r
BM

AM BM tan r

AB BC

AM t tan r
AC = AM + CM

AC 2t tan r

(because AM = CM)

AN
sin i
AC
or

AN AC sin i
AN 2t tan r sin i
2t

sin r
sin r
sin i
cos r
sin r

2 t

sin r
sin r
cos r

sin i sin r
sin 2 r
AN 2t
cos r

So that,

t
t
sin 2 r

2t
cos
r
cos
r
cos r

2 t
sin 2 r

2t
cos r
cos r

2t
1 sin 2 r
cos r

2t
cos 2 r
cos r

2 t cos r

As the ray is reflected from a denser medium, so an addition of

path difference of /2 will be there.

So that the actual path difference:

2 t cos r

So for Maximum Intensity, path difference should be equal to n

2 t cos r

n
2

2 t cos r (2n 1)

Where n = 0,1,2,3,4,5..
So for Minimum Intensity, path difference should be equal to

2t cos r

(2n 1)

(2n 1)
2
2

2t cos r n
Where n = 0,1,2,3,4,5..

Interference will not be perfect as there is difference in the amplitude of the reflected rays.

Production of colors in thin films:

When a thin film of oil on water, or a soap bubble, exposed to white light (such as
sunlight) is observed under the reflected light. The brilliant colors are seen due to
the following reasons

The path difference depend on the wavelength. It means the path

difference will be different for different colors, so that with the white light
the film shows various colors from violet to red.
The path difference also varies with the thickness of film so that various
colors appear for the same angle of incidence when seen in white light.
The path difference changes with the angle r and angle r changes with
angle i. So that the films assumes various colors when viewed from
different directions with white light.

Newtons Rings:

Source

Actually the path difference between the interfering rays is

2t cos r
2
The effective path difference for large radius of curvature or for small angle

2t cos r

For normal incidence cosr =1, then the path difference

For maxima

2t

n
2

2 t 2n 1
For minima

2 t

2 t 2n 1

2n 1
2
2

n
2 2

2 t n

2t

Why Central Ring is dark in Newtons rings experiment

2t

At point of contact t = 0

2n 1
2

Path difference for dark ring

For n = 0, Path difference
Thats why Central Ring is dark

How to calculate the radius or diameter of the nth fringe:

Let n be the radius of bright ring at point C and t is the thickness of air film at that point.
Let R be the radius of plano-convex lens. In triangle OAC
D

R 2 n2 R t

R R t 2 Rt
2

or
But

2
n

n2 2 Rt t 2

R
O
R

R-t
A

t 2 R

so that the higher power terms are neglected.

Therefore, we have

n2 2 Rt

n2
t
2R

C
t

For constructive interference: We have,

2 t 2n 1

n2

2
2n 1
2R
2

n2 2n 1

R
2

R 2n 1

R 2n 1

Diameter Dn 2 n 2

Dn2

4 R 2n 1 2 R 2n 1

Now, for the air film the refractive index 1

Therefore,

Dn2 2 R 2n 1
Dn 2n 1

Diameter of the nth bright ring is proportional to the square root of the odd natural numbers

For Dark rings

2t n
Therefore,

pn2
2
n
2R
But
So,

for air film

pn2 nR

pn nR
Therefore,

Dn2 4nR
Dn n

Diameter of the nth dark ring is proportional to the square root of the natural numbers

Spacing between successive rings

Dn 1 Dn k[ n 1 n ]
D2 D1 k[ 2 1]
D3 D2 k[ 3 2 ]
D4 D3 k[ 4 3 ]

This shows that the spacing decreases with increase in the order of the rings.

Determination of wavelength of light by Newtons Rings method

Dn2 2 R 2n 1
Now the diameter of

n p th

bright ring,

D2n p 2 R 2 n p 1
Therefore,

D2n p Dn2 2 R 2 n p 1 2 R 2n 1

4nR 4 pR 2 R 4nR 2 R
D2

n p

Dn2 4 pR

D2

n p

Dn2

4 pR

Determination of refractive index of unknown liquid by Newtons Rings method

For Air film,

[ Dn2 ]air 4nR

For unknown liquid with refractive index
2
n liquid

[D ]

4 n R

[ Dn2 ]air
2
[ Dn ]liquid