Constructive/Destructive Interference in a Thin Oil Film

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the phenomenon of constructive and destructive interference in a thin oil film with a refractive index of 1.50, floating on water (n=1.33) and air. The user seeks to determine the minimal non-zero thickness of the oil film when specific wavelengths (500nm and 700nm) are missing from the reflected light spectrum. For part (a), the minimal thickness is calculated using the formula for destructive interference, while part (b) involves a similar calculation for an oil film on sapphire (n=1.78). The user questions the existence of two possible thicknesses for part (a) and the choice of wavelength for part (b).

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of thin film interference principles
  • Familiarity with refractive indices (n=1.50 for oil, n=1.33 for water, n=1.78 for sapphire)
  • Knowledge of wavelength and its relation to interference patterns
  • Ability to apply formulas for destructive interference in thin films
NEXT STEPS
  • Calculate minimal thickness for destructive interference in thin films
  • Explore the relationship between refractive index and wavelength in interference
  • Investigate the conditions for constructive interference in thin films
  • Learn about the impact of varying refractive indices on interference patterns
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Students and professionals in physics, particularly those studying optics and wave phenomena, as well as anyone interested in the applications of thin film interference in materials science.

Quattad
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Moved from a technical forum, so homework template missing
Hi PhysicsForums,

Here's a thin film interference question I'm having problems with.

An oil film (n=1.50) floats on a water body (n=1.33) in an air environment. Normal incident white light is reflected by the oil film. But in the spectrum of reflected light, 500nm and 700nm light are missing.

(a) Find the minimal non-zero thickness of the film.
(b) If an oil film is on sapphire (n=1.78) instead of water and the 500nm and 700nm wavelengths of light are still missing, find the two smallest possible thicknesses of the film.Please find attached for my workings.

For part (a), if two wavelengths are missing due to destructive interference of the reflected rays, shouldn't there be two possible thicknesses of the film as well?
For part (b), I'm not too sure whether to use 500nm or 700nm to find out the two minimum thicknesses.

Any possible insight will be greatly appreciated!
 

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Quattad said:
My workings so far are in the following link https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8ersklrGbQlcnAza3l1VW1hTjg/view
Please post them here, not in a file on an external server.
 
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