Diffraction & Grating: Uses in Everyday Life

[thamwenyin]

I wonder is there any application for diffraction and diffraction grating in daily life except for lab purposes?

 

[stevenstritt]

They are widely used in fiber optics networks. WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) allows many different wavelengths to be transmitted simultaneously through a single fiber. When the wavelengths need to be separated, a diffraction grating is used. They are no doubt being used to transmit these very words. I'm sure there are numerous other applications in telecom alone.

 

[Andy Resnick]

I wonder is there any application for diffraction and diffraction grating in daily life except for lab purposes?

Nearly every spectroscopic application uses diffraction. Modern confocal microscopes use it to select fluorescence lines, as well.

But those are in the lab- everyday instances of diffraction include security holograms (the kind on credit cards, etc.) at optical wavelengths.

 

[thamwenyin]

But those are in the lab- everyday instances of diffraction include security holograms (the kind on credit cards, etc.) at optical wavelengths.

Can you explain more detail about how actually credit card applies diffraction of light? Thanks.

 

[Andy Resnick]

A good introduction can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography