Conducting the Double Slit Experiment

[AzonicZeniths]

hey everybody, I am doing a physics project on the double slit experiment. (I know all the physics and math behind it so don't get into that stuff :P) I was just wondering if people had any suggestions on how to conduct the experiment, I was thinking of cutting two extremely small (knife blade) slits into a tinfoil (or something else of similar make up) plate (about 1mm apart) and shining a light directly at the plate, thus creating the famous interference pattern. I am also wondering if I need coherent light or not?

So, suggestions on how to conduct, and the light question.

 

[Crazy Tosser]

I am pretty sure that is has to be coherent for best resuts, more like a laser-ish thing/light cannon.

Here is how it should look like in theory:

http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/schroedinger/two-slit2.html

Post some pictures of it when you do it! ;)

 

[AzonicZeniths]

What kind of a laser would I need for this to fully work? Like, a $5 laser from a dollar store or something that is quite large? I'm assuming that I need to engulf the two slits entirely.

 

[Crazy Tosser]

http://www.wikihow.com/Perform-Young's-Double-Slit-Experiment

This one is rather complicated, but it mentions a diode laser
Which is also know as semi-conductor laser.

Which, I think, is a 99cents laser

So you shouldn't have any problem with that

 

[AzonicZeniths]

Ok, thanks for your replies. I'm going to have to do some experimenting with the lasers and stuff but it should work out ok. I will post some pictures if everything goes ok.

 

[Andy Resnick]

The coherence area of the beam needs to be larger than the illuminated area- a raw diode laser beam will not work.

Focusing the laser (or any light source, really) onto a pinhole,collecting the transmitted light and illuminating your slits, OTOH, will work nicely.

 

[AzonicZeniths]

Ahhhh, ok. That would work a bit better than trying to fashion something out of of a bunch of laser diodes.