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To Determine The Wavelength of Laser Light Using Single Slit Diffrac-Tion Pattern
To Determine The Wavelength of Laser Light Using Single Slit Diffrac-Tion Pattern
9.1 Apparatus:
Helium-Neon laser or diode laser, a single slit with adjustable
aperture width, optical detector and power meter
9.2 Theory:
It is generally assumed that light travels in a straight line but
it suffers some deviation from its straight path in passing close
to edges of opaque obstacles and narrow slits. Some of the light
does bend into the region of geometrical shadow and its inten-
sity falls off rapidly. This bending of light which is not due to
reflection/refraction is called as DIFFRACTION:
by
N π d sin θ
sin N −1 λ
R = a[ π d sin θ
]
sin N −1 λ
Here θ is the angle made by the line joining center of the slit
and observation point P with the direction of incident beam. In
the limiting case of N tending to infinity and distance between
two consecutive points on the slit tends to zero then we have
sin πd sin θ
R = a[ πd sinλθ ] (9.1)
Nλ
Rewriting eqn.9.1
sinα
R = A( ) (9.2)
α
Where A = N a and α = πdsinθλ .
Since the intensity at P, being proportional to square of ampli-
144 PYP100: First Year B.Tech. Physics Laboratory IIT Delhi
For α = 0, sinα
α = 1 and I = I0 , which corresponds to the
maximum intensity. Therefore α = 0 i.e. θ = 0 is the central
maximum position.
Minimum intensity positions:
9.3 Procedure:
The laser, slit and an optical detector with a pinhole are placed
on an optical bench as shown in fig.9.2. It should be made sure
that the distance between the slit and the detector should be
2
sufficiently large (>> dλ ) to meet the Fraunhoffer diffraction
condition. The light from the laser is allowed to fall on the
slit and the diffraction pattern can be seen behind the slit. This
diffraction pattern is made to fall on optical detector by laterally
moving the position of the slit and the laser. Starting from one
end of the diffraction pattern, the intensity is scanned by moving
the pinhole detector along the entire length of the pattern. You
need to measure the intensity profile up to 2 minima on either
side of the central maximum. The corresponding power shown
in the power mater at appropriate intervals is noted down. The
plot between the position of detector and the power gives the
diffraction pattern of the slit as shown in Fig.3. The position of
the slit and that of the detector is also noted down; the differ-
ence between them gives the distance D. The slit is now observed
146 PYP100: First Year B.Tech. Physics Laboratory IIT Delhi
Figure 9.3: Typical single slit diffraction pattern observed on a screen. The
arrows indicate positions of maxima and minima to be measured.
9.4 Observations:
(a)Measurement of Intensity distribution of the Diffraction pat-
tern
Single slit diffraction 147
1) Directionality.
2) Monochromaticity.
3) High intensity and power.
4) High degree of coherence.