DIFFRACTION

The bending(spreading) of light around the corners(edge)

of the narrow opening or obstacles is called diffraction.
Fresnel's Diffraction:
Slit
In this type of diffraction, the S
c
source of light or screen or both S r
e
e
are at finite distances form n

obstacle or aperture. No lenses Fig-Fresnel’s Diffraction

are used to make the rays parallel or convergent. The

incident wave front is not plane but either spherical or
cylindrical

Fraunhofer’s diffraction: In this type of diffraction, the

source of light and the screen are Slit

S
effectively at infinite distances S c
r

from the aperture or obstacles. e

e
n
Two convex lenses are used, one
Fig- Fraunhofer’s Diffraction

to before it falls on the narrow

 aperture and other to focus the light after diffraction on
the screen. This arrangement in fact removes the
sources and the screen to infinity.

Fraunhofer’s Diffraction at a Single Slit

X
let Consider a narrow silt 1 L L 2

A
AB of width 'd'

illuminated by a parallel S
d

P

C O
monochromatic beam of
light of wavelength . N
B
The light passing through Fig Fraunhofer’s Diffraction at a single slit
Y

the slit suffers

diffraction. If a lens L2 is placed in the path of the diffracted
beam, a real image of diffraction pattern is obtained on
the screen XY placed perpendicular to the plane of paper
in the focal plane of the lens. When a plane wavefront is
incident on the slit AB, each point on the wave front
becomes a source of secondary wavelets on the basis of
Huygen's theory.
Central maximum
The secondary wavelets travelling in a direction parallel to
CO comes to focus at O and a bright central image is
formed. This is due to the fact that the secondary waves
from points equidistant from 'C' and situated in the upper
and lower halves CA & CB of the wavefront will travel same
distance in reaching at 'O' which results the path-
difference to be zero. Thus, point 'O' is the position of
maximum intensity which is known as the central
maximum.
Now, suppose the secondary waves travelling in a
direction making an angle  with CO. These secondary
wavelets are brought to focus by the lens L2 at a point 'P'
which will have a maximum or minimum intensity
depending upon the path - difference between the
secondary waves originating from the corresponding
points of the wave front.
Position of secondary minima: Draw AN perpendicular to
the direction of the diffracted rays from A.
BN
In  ABN, Sin  = AB

 BN = AB sin  = d sin 
Where BN is the path - difference between the wavelets
from the extremities of the slits
wavefront AB can be considered to be made up of two
halves AC & BC. If the path - difference between secondary
wavelets from A & B is , then the path - difference

between the secondary waves from A & C is 2 . Similarly,

the path - difference between B & C is 2. Hence, it gives
rise to destructive interference at P which has minimum
intensity.
For 1st minimum, BN = d sin  = 
If the path - difference between the extreme wavelets
from A to B is 2,
i.e. BN = d sin  = 2
Then the intensity will again be minimum because the slit
can now be supposed to be divided into four equal parts
and the rays from corresponding points separated by a
d
distance 4 in the two halves of each half of the slit will


have a path - difference of 2 , thus .

Hence, For 2nd minimum, BN = d sin  = 2 

In general, for the various secondary minima, the path -
difference BN between the extreme wavelets from A & B
should be an integral multiple of .Thus, for secondary
minima, we have
d sin n = n
Where, n = 1, 2, 3, …………… and the angle n gives the
direction of the nth minimum.

Position of secondary maxima

In addition to the central maximum at 'O' there are
secondary maxima which lie in between the secondary
minima on either side of the central maximum. These are
situated in a direction on which the path - difference BN is

an odd multiple of 2. Thus, for secondary maxima


(2n + 1) 2 = d sin n

Where, n = 1, 2, 3 ……… and thus, we find that the

diffraction pattern due to a single slit consist of a central
maximum at 'O' followed by secondary minima and
maxima both sides.
The intensity distribution of the diffraction pattern due to
a single slit as a function of '' is shown in Fig-
The intensity of secondary maxima goes on decreasing
rapidly as seen from the curve.

Intensity

–3 –2  O  2 3 Sin 

-d d
d d d d

Fig- Intensity distribution in Fraunhofer’s diffraction

Width of Central maximum:

Width of the central maximum is defined as the distance
between the first minima on either side of the central
maximum 'O'. Referring from Fig-the first secondary
minimum occurs at point P1& P2. So.
d sin  = n 
 
For 1 minimum, n = 1, and Sin  = d   = d [Since sin 
st

 , for small ]
The angle subtended by the whole central maximum is 2.
Thus, we get
  Angular width of central
2 X

maximum (2) = d ……………..(i) A P1

y
 O
d C 

B P2
Central
This gives the angular width of the D
Maximum

central maximum. Fig- Width of central maximum

If y is the distance from point 'O' to the first minimum on

either side of central maximum, then width of central
maximum is 2y.
Let 'D' be the distance between the slit AB and the screen
XY.
y
Now, in  COP1, tan  = D
y
Since  is small angle, tan   , = D
2y
or, 2 = D ……………………….(ii)
2y 2 2D
From Eq. (i) & (ii), D = d   2y = d
Hence, with of central maximum is,
2D
 Linear width of central maximum () = 2y = d
Diffraction Grating
An arrangement which X

consists of a large number of Fig- Diffraction grating P


parallels slits of equal width O

and separated from one

another by equal opaque Y

spaces is called diffraction

grating. It is constructed by ruling equidistant parallel lines
on a transparent material, such as glass plate by means of
a fine diamond point. The ruled lines act like opaque and
thus do not allow the incident light to pass through them.
The space in between the lines are called transparencies.
Let 'a' and 'b' be the width of transparencies and opacities
respectively. The value (a + I

b) is known as grating
element. If N is the number
of lines per inch of the O
–2 –1 1 2
grating, then grating
element is given by Fig-Intensity distribution in diffraction grating

1 2.54
a + b = N inch = N cm

Theory: Consider a Parallel beam of monochromatic light

(i.e. Plane wave) of wavelength '' is incident normally on
the grating surface. Let (a + b) be the grating space or
grating element. The
secondary maxima with multiple slits occurs into the same
direction as for the two - slit pattern in young's
experiment. Let 1 is angle of diffraction for first
secondary maximum. We have,
d sin 1 = n
(a + b) sin 1 =, Where n = 1 & d = a + b.
Similarly, for 2nd order maximum (n = 2), we get (a +
b) Sin 2 = n
In general, for nth order maximum,
(a + b) Sin n = n , Where n = 1, 2, 3 ……..
When n = 0, we get the central maximum at 'O'. Intensity
variation of diffraction patters on the screen against '' is
shown in Fig. The central principle maximum is the most
intense & gradually decreases on its either sides
Resolving power
The resolving power of an optical instrument is defined as
its ability to resolve or separate the images of two nearby
point objects so that they can be distinctly seen.
Resolving power of a microscope: The resolving power of
a microscope is defined as reciprocal of the smallest
distance between two point objects at which they can be
just resolved when seen through the microscope.
The smallest distance between two point object at which
they can be just resolved by the microscope, or the limit
of resolution, is given by;

d=
2 sin
Where,  = the wavelength of light used,
  = half the angle of cone of light from each point
object or the angle subtended by each point object
 or the angle subtended by each point object on the
radius of the objective
  = the refractive index of the medium between the
point object and the objective of the microscope.

1 2 sin
 Resolving power of a microscope = d =

Resolving power of a telescope: The resolving power of a
telescope is defined as the reciprocal of the smallest
angular separation between two distant objects whose
images can be just resolved by it. The smallest linear
angular separation between two distant objects whose
images can be just resolved by the telescope, or the limit
of resolution, is given by
1.22
d = D

Where,  = the wavelength of light,

D = the diameter of the telescope objective, and
d = the angle subtended by the two distant
objects at the objective.
Numericals
1. How wide is the central diffraction peak on a screen 3.5 m

behind a 0.010 mm slit illuminated by 500 nm. light? Ans:

0.35 m
2. A Parallel beam of sodium light of wavelength 5.893×10 m
-7

is incident normally on a diffraction grating. The angle

between the two first order spectra on either side of the
normal is 28o. Find the number of ruling lines per mm on the
grating.
Ans: 406 lines/mm
3. A diffraction grating has 400 lines per mm and is illuminated

normally by a monochromatic light of wavelength 6000 Å.

Calculate the grating spacing, the angle at which first order
maximum is seen and the maximum number of diffraction
maxima obtained.
Ans: 0.25×105m, 13.90, n = 4
4. A parallel beam of sodium light of wavelength 589.3 nm is

incident normally on a diffraction grating. The angle between

the two first order spectra on either side of the normal is
27º42'. What will be the number of lines per mm on the
grating?
Ans: 406 lines/mm
5. A parallel beam of sodium light of wavelength 589.3 nm is

incident normally on a diffraction grating. The angle between

the two first order spectra on either side of the normal is
27º42'. What will be the number of lines per mm on the
grating?
 Ans: 406 lines/mm
6. A parallel beam of sodium light is incident normally on a
diffraction grating. The angle between the two first order
spectra on either side of the normal is 27° 42. Assuming that
the wavelength of light is 589.3nm. Find the number of lines
per mm on the grating.
Ans: 406lines/mm

7. A plane transmission grating having 500 lines per mm is

illuminated normally by light source of 600 nm wavelength.
How many diffraction maxima will be observed on a
screen behind the grating.
ANS 3

Short questions
1. Diffraction grating is better than a two-slit set up for measuring the wave length of a monochromatic light. Explain.
2. Radio waves differ act around building but light waves do not. Why?
3. The diffraction of sound waves is more evident in daily experience than that of light waves, why?
4. Describe what happens to the single slit diffraction pattern when the width of the slit is less than the wave length of the wave.

5. What are the characteristic elements associated with a diffraction grating? How is plane transmission grating constructed?
6. What is the fundamental physical difference between interference and diffraction? Explain with figures.

7. Why can we readily observe diffraction effects for sound waves but not light?

8. Light waves undergo diffraction around an edge. Can sound wave diffract around an edge? Explain.