PHYSICS IN LIFE SCIENCE

Wave diffraction, interference and refraction

Key concepts
Diffraction and its dependence on obstacle size.
Constructive and destructive interference. Light speed in vacuum and refractive index. Snells law of refraction.

Myopia and hyperopia and how to correct them.

Reminder: Wave phenomena

A mechanical wave is the spreading of vibration in a medium.

The wave equation

v = l/T = lf
Wave speed = wavelength / period = wavelength frequency All forms of wave obey this relationship.

Special wave phenomena

Diffraction: when wave meets an obstacle, it can move around it. Interference: when a wave meets another wave, the total vibration is enhanced at some points but diminished at some other points. Refraction: when wave goes from one medium into another medium, the direction of propagation may change.

Difference between particle motion and wave motion

Visit http://micro.magnet.fsu.e du/primer/java/particleor wave/diffraction/ for the particle-wave simulation.

Classical particles like bullets leave straight shadows. Wave can bend into the shadow region and reach places where the wave source is not directly visible.

Diffraction: when wave meets an obstacle

Part of the wave will be reflected by the obstacle echo. Part of the wave will move around the obstacle, spreading to points behind the obstacle diffraction.
Waves rejoining after moving around

Wavelength and size of obstacle

If the obstacle is much smaller than the wavelength, diffraction is significant, i.e., small obstacles cannot block a wave. If the obstacle is much larger than the wavelength, diffraction is much less obvious, i.e., large obstacles can leave an obvious shadow region behind it.

Diffraction through an aperture

When the obstacle is big but has a small hole on it, a wave can move around it through the hole still it is the phenomenon of diffraction.

Wavelength and aperture size

wavelength distance between wavefronts

If the aperture is much larger than the wavelength, diffraction is not obvious.

If the aperture is much smaller than the wavelength, diffraction is significant.

Examples of diffraction

You can still hear sound from the other side of the wall.

Water wave diffracts through a narrow opening.

What happens when waves meet?

Two wave pulses are travelling on a string. They pass through as if the other one does not exist. Principle of superposition: the total waveform at any moment is simply the summation of two waveforms.

Interference
When two waves add up, they can cancel each other or enhance each other: (a) destructive interference (b) constructive interference.

Watch video wave interference on slinky.

Interference of 1-D waves

Peak meets peak; Valley meets valley. Constructive interference

Peak meets valley; Valley meets peak. Destructive interference

Peaks and valleys dont meet. Partial interference

For stable interference, two waves must have the same l and f.

Interference of wave in 2D or 3D medium

Some points have constructive interference; Some points have destructive interference.

Interference pattern of two spherical waves

Double-slit Interference

Peak meets peak (constructive)

Peak meets valley (destructive)

The two slits are two wave sources with the same f.

The interference pattern shows alternating regions of constructive and destructive interference.

Double-slit Interference of light

what you see on a screen after the slits

Constructive or destructive interference happens at certain angles. Light seems to be split into multiple beams.

Double slit experiment

Lasers are very good monochromatic (single frequency) sources and are commonly used for double slit experiments

Refraction of wave

When a wave goes from one medium into another, the direction of the wave often changes at the interface. This is refraction.

Refraction of water wave

Reflection and Transmission of Waves

Refraction
Diffraction
Water waves travel faster on the surface of deep water than they do on shallow water. Faster v longer wavelength or larger distance between wave fronts. However, the wave front at the interface needs to be continuous. This leads to a tilted wave front in shallow water. Refraction happens because wave speed is changed.

Light speed in a medium and refractive index

Speed of light:
In vacuum c=3108 m/s. In a medium v=c/n, n>1 is the refractive index of material.

Wavelength:
In vacuum l0 = c/f. In a medium l= v/f = l0/n.

Larger n slower speed and shorter wavelength. Refraction will happen when light goes from one medium into another medium of different n.

Snells Law of Refraction

n1 q1 q1 q2

n2

q1: angle of incidence (or reflection) q2: angle of refraction Snells law: n2 sin 2 = n1 sin 1

Note: all angles are between the light beam and the normal direction!

Example
From air to water q1 n1=1.00 From oil to water q1 n1=1.51

n2=1.33

q2

n2=1.33

q2 q1<q2

q1>q2

Conclusion: light rays always bend towards the medium with higher index.

Refraction of light

Light speed is slower in a medium than in air: c/v = n (refractive index)>1. Refraction changes the direction of light, making things in water look shallower.

The problem of a fisherman

Fishes in water are merely images of refraction. Where should a fisherman aim?

Refraction of curved surfaces lens

With curved surfaces, lenses can converge or diverge light rays.

Convex and concave lens

Convex lens is thicker in the middle. It focuses light.

Concave lens is thinner in the middle. It defocuses light.

Image projection by a convex lens

Light from different points of a far object is focused onto different points on the other side an image is formed. It projects an object into an inverted image. The image can be magnified or reduced, depending on the distance between the object and the lens.

Lens in human eye

The focus of lens is adjusted by the surrounding muscles. To see a closer object clearly, the lens need to have a shorter focus.

Image projection in our eyes

An inverted reduced image of external objects is formed on the retina.

Focusing problems of an eye

Refraction by the eye in (A) emmetropia; (B) hyperopia (farsightedness); and (C) myopia (nearsightedness).

Correcting myopia and hyperopia

Nearsightedness: eyes Farsightedness: eyes focusing focusing too tight use too loose use convex lens to concave lens to relax focusing. enhance focusing.

Next
Nature of light.