INTERFERENCE

•Principle states that the

resultant displacement
produced at a point in a
medium due to a number of
PRINCIPLE OF waves is the vector sum of
the displacements produced
SUPERPOSITIO by individual waves.
N •Mathematically,
y=y1+y2+y3+……+yn
 INTERFERENCE
• Interference refers to the effects obtained when two
or more light waves of the same amplitude and
constant phase difference combine.
• Redistribution of light energy due to the
superposition of two or more waves, resulting in
certain areas becoming more intense while
intermediate areas becoming less intense or dark.
• These alternative bright and dark bands are called
interference bands or interference fringes.
 Sources should be coherent.

CONDITIONS (The two sources are said to be coherent if they

emit light waves of the nearly same amplitude,
FOR same frequency, and constant phase difference.)
INTERFEREN
CE
Lightwaves from two coherent sources should
superimpose at the same time and in the same
place.
 • Condition for maximum intensity is that the
CONDITION path difference between the waves is integral
multiple of λ.
FOR • Path difference = n λ where n=0,1,2,3,….
MAXIMUM • i.e.,path path difference is = 0,λ,2 λ……
INTENSITY
AND • Condition for minimum intensity is that the
path difference between the waves is half
MINIMUM integral multiple of λ
INTENSITY • i.e., path difference = (2n+1) λ /2 where
n=0,1,2,3,….
• i.e., path difference = λ/2,3 λ/2 ,5λ/2, etc.
 PATH DIFFERENCE AND PHASE
•
DIFFERENCE
 THEORY OF THIN
FILM
• A thin film is a layer of material ranging
from less than a nanometer to several
micrometers thick. E.g.: Soap bubbles, Oil
slicks on water.
• Consider a thin transparent film of
thickness t and refractive index µ bounded
by two parallel surfaces XY and X1Y1
surrounded by air.
• Suppose a ray of light from an extended
monochromatic source is incident on the
surface XY at A. Then the light is partly
reflected along with AP and partly
refracted along AE.
• Upon arrival at E, a part of the latter is
again reflected along EB inside the film
and a part is transmitted along EP1 so that
EP1 is parallel to SA. At B, the ray EB is
again divided. Similar reflections and
refractions happen at F,C,D,G,H etc.
• A continuation of this process happens and
there will be parallel rays on both sides of
the film. These rays superimpose and an
interference pattern is produced.
 •

REFLECTED SYSTEM
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 INTERFERENCE DUE TO WEDGE
SHAPED FILM
• A wedge-shaped film of air between two
flat reflecting surfaces is called an air
wedge.
• Consider a wedge-shaped liquid film
formed between the surfaces of two plane
glass plates as in the figure.
• Let θ be the angle of the wedge and µ be
the refractive index of the film.
• When a monochromatic light falls
normally on the film, interference
happens between the waves reflected
from the upper and lower surfaces of the
film.
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Diameter of thin APPLICATIONS
wire
OF AIR-WEDGE
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Optical planeness APPLICATIONS
of surfaces
OF AIR-WEDGE
• The interference fringes obtained from a film of varying thickness have been
used to test the optical planeness of surfaces.
• If a wedge-shaped air film (µ = 1)is formed between an optically plane glass
plate and the surface under test, the fringes will be straight if the surface is
perfectly plane. Otherwise irregular in shape.
• If 2t = (2n + 1) λ/2, a bright fringe will be seen. It is characterized by a
particular value of n and hence follows those parts of the film where t is
constant.
 COLOURS OF THIN FILM

• Films appear bright or dark, when monochromatic light is incident

on them.
• If the film is exposed to an extended source of white light, different
colours are observed at different positions of the eye. The colours for
which the condition of maxima is satisfied will be seen and others
will be absent.
• When a plano-convex lens is placed on a NEWTONS RINGS
plane glass plate, with its convex surface
touching the plate, an air film of gradually
increasing thickness is formed between the
two.
• If monochromatic light is allowed to fall
normally and viewed as shown in fig.,
alternate dark and bright circular fringes
are observed.
• The fringes are circular because the locus
of all points having same thickness has a
circular shape and is called Newton’s ring.
• Newton's rings are formed because of the
interference between the waves reflected
from the top and bottom surfaces of the air
film formed between the lens and the glass
plate.
• Light from a monochromatic source S is
rendered parallel by a lens L, and then it is made
to fall on a glass plate G, inclined at an angle of
45° to the incident beam. The beam is reflected
normally onto a plano-convex lens L placed on a
plane glass plate G Light rays reflected from the
top and bottom surfaces of the air film interfere.
Circular dark and bright fringes can be observed
by looking through a travelling microscope
focused on to the system. The locus of points
having the same thickness as the air film falls on
a circle. Therefore fringes take the form of
concentric rings.
• At the center O, the thickness
of the air film is zero.
• But due to the phase change
of  occurring on reflection at
the glass plate (denser
medium), there will be an
effective path difference of
λ/2 between the interfering
waves. Thus a dark spot is
observed at the centre of the
ring system.
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 DETERMINATION OF
WAVELENGTH OF LIGHT
•
 DETERMINATION OF
REFRACTIVE INDEX OF A LIQUID
•
 ANTIREFLECTION COATING
• Optical instruments, such as telescopes and
Cameras, use multicomponent glass lenses. Part of
the light incident on the glass surface is reflected
backward, which amounts to a loss and reduces the
quality of the image formed.
• Phenomenon of interference can be utilised in
forming non -reflective or antireflection coating, on
surfaces to eliminate the reflections.
• Let us consider a glass surface coated with a thin
film of hard transparent material with refractive
index smaller than that of glass. Part of the light
incident on the film gets reflected on both sides of
the film. These reflections can be suppressed.
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 NUMERICALS
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