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Flupdoodle
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How could you describe qualitatively how diffraction of a wave through a aperture in terms of the uncertainty principle?
Cat
Cat
cragar said:lets take a single slit and shine light through it . If i make this slit smaller and force the light to go through it , i know to much about the position of the photons they must be though that opening (delta x) so now i must get an uncertainty in the momentum of the photons , so (dx)(dp)=(h-bar) , When i make the slit to small the light starts to spread out and diffract .
The smaller i make the slit the more uncertainty i will have in the photons momentum .
I don't know if this is what you were looking for .
Diffraction of a wave through an aperture is the bending and spreading of a wave as it passes through a small opening or obstacle. This occurs because the aperture acts as a secondary source of wavelets, causing interference with the original wave and altering its direction and intensity.
The uncertainty in diffraction of a wave through an aperture is influenced by various factors, including the size of the aperture, the wavelength of the wave, and the distance between the aperture and the screen on which the diffraction pattern is observed.
The size of the aperture plays a significant role in the diffraction pattern. A smaller aperture will result in a wider diffraction pattern, while a larger aperture will produce a narrower pattern. This is because a larger aperture allows for more wavelets to pass through, leading to less interference and a more concentrated pattern.
The relationship between wavelength and diffraction through an aperture is inverse. As the wavelength of a wave increases, the amount of diffraction decreases. This is because longer wavelengths have a lower frequency and can bend around obstacles more easily, resulting in less diffraction.
The distance between the aperture and the screen also impacts the diffraction pattern. As the distance increases, the diffraction pattern becomes more spread out and less defined. This is because the wavelets from the aperture have a longer distance to travel and therefore have a greater chance of interfering with each other, resulting in a less concentrated pattern.