How Does Light Diffract Around a Tiny Spherical Bead?

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
2 replies · 3K views
jimmy_neutron
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
A tiny spherical bead of steel bead is suspended by a special transparent thread that does not diffract light so that it has no effect on the interference pattern of the bead. Draw to scale the interference pattern created by the bead. The bead has a diameter of 0.13 mm. Include only
the m=0,1,2,3 maxima (Hint: notice there are no negative order maxima)

Would the interference pattern look like a double slit interference?
please help
 
Physics news on Phys.org
What is the wavelength of the incident light? Draw the 2-d version of this first (a 0.13mm wide block), and then extend it to 3-d...
 
Each point around the perimeter of the ball will diffract light around it. How will the phase of such diffracted beams relate to each other as they meet on the central line starting from the light source and running through the ball?