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diffraction grating
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Definition/Summary
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| A diffraction grating is formed by an evenly spaced series of lines, slits, or other periodic array of reflective or transmissive elements. It is typically used for analyzing the spectrum or measuring the wavelength of electromagnetic waves, particularly in or near the visible part of the spectrum. |
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Equations
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For a normally incident wave, waves are diffracted at angles such that
[tex]d\ \sin \theta_m = m\ \lambda[/tex]
where m is any integer.
For other angles of incidence, the diffraction condition is
[tex]d\ ( \sin \theta_m - \sin \theta_i ) = m\ \lambda[/tex]
For nonzero m, a requirement for diffraction is
[tex]d > \lambda[/tex] |
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Recent forum threads on diffraction grating
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Breakdown
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Physics
> Classical Optics
>> Diffraction
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Images
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Extended explanation
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Definitions of termsθm = diffracted angle of mth-order wave
θi = incident angle of wave
m = (any integer) order of the diffracted wave
λ = wavelength
d = line spacing, or period of diffractive elements Note: it is common practice to specify the number of lines per mm, cm, or m for a diffraction grating. This is simply the reciprocal of d; eg. a 1000 lines/mm grating has d=0.001mm
Reflection and transmission
A diffraction grating may work either in reflection or transmission, as shown here:
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Commentary
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