Physics
Chapter 24: 6-12 Interference
Web Lecture
Light Waves: Interference and Diffraction
Introduction
But it will be found... that one universal law prevails in all these phenomena. Where two portions of the same light arrive in the eye by different routes, either exactly or very nearly in the same direction, the appearance or disappearance of various colors is determined by the greater or less difference in the lengths of the paths.
— Thomas Young, Lecture XIV: Of Physical Optics in A Syllabus of a Course of Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy (1802)
Web Lecture (Under Revision)
Thin films affect us daily in many ways — they are the backbone of LED technology. To give you a serious look at the real physics behind a very specific technology, take a look at A History of Thin Films (PDF download), the notes on a talk delivered in a conference in Budapest, Hungary in 2005. Consider the following questions:
- What phenomena triggered the investigation of diffractions within thin films
- What possibilities for technical applications spurred further investigation?
- How important is "thin film technology" to the information age?
- What are some of the problems in creating pure thin films?
- How does the author try to generalize the history of thin film technology to other materials science?
Practice with the Concepts
Discussion Points
- A drop of oil on a pond appears bright at its edges, where its thickness is much less than the wavelengths of visible light. What can you say about the index of refraction of the oil compared to that of water?
- What does polarization tell us about the nature of light?
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