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Solve Refractive Index Homework: Order of Interference & n
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[QUOTE="SataSata, post: 5206155, member: 568399"] [h2]Homework Statement [/h2] I have set up an experiment such that microwave is converged and beamed to a polymer slab and the reflected wave is measured. I have recorded angle of incidences from 15 to 90 degree and I found out that at 80 degrees, the output is the highest, while at 45 and 85 degrees, the output is the lowest. The thickness of the polymer slab, t is measured to be 5.2cm. Assuming the refractive index of air is 1.00, determine the order of interference m and the refractive index of the polymer slab, n. [h2]Homework Equations[/h2] Angle of Incidence = [itex]\theta[/itex] Optical Path Difference = OPD Wavelength of Microwave = [itex]\lambda[/itex] Destructive Interference: [itex]OPD = m\lambda =2t\sqrt(n^2 - (sin\theta)^2)[/itex] Constructive Interference: [itex]OPD = (m+1/2)\lambda =2t\sqrt(n^2 - (sin\theta)^2)[/itex] [B]EDIT:[/B] I come across another equation and is not sure if it's correct: [itex]2t = \lambda/m[/itex] [h2]The Attempt at a Solution[/h2] I know that a 180 degrees phase shift happened here and assume that at angle of incidence = 80, the 2 beams which result from reflection and refraction must be exactly 180 degrees difference in phase hence OPD must be odd multiples of half of wavelength [itex]\lambda[/itex] to form a constructive interference. While at either 45 or 85 degrees, the OPD must be integer multiples of wavelength to result in a destructive interference. Hence I tried putting all the values in with 45 degrees in the destructive equation and 80 degrees in the constructive equation and form a pair of simultaneous equations. However without the wavelength of the microwave, it can't be solved. I tried to assume the wavelength to be 0.01m but the resulting refractive index result to be lesser than air which is incorrect. Am I missing something or is there something that I did not measure? [B] EDIT:[/B] With the new equation [itex]2t = \lambda/m[/itex], I don't have to estimate the wavelength and after calculating 3 variables simultaneous equations: I found [B]n=2.008[/B], [B]m=1.371[/B] and [itex]\lambda[/itex][B]=14.26cm[/B] if I take [itex]\theta=45[/itex] for the destructive interference. And [B]n=1.0003[/B], [B]m=0.3004[/B] and [itex]\lambda[/itex][B]=3.124cm[/B] if i take [itex]\theta=85[/itex]. I'm not sure about m but I think both n and [itex]\lambda[/itex] are within acceptable values for [itex]\theta=45[/itex]. Can anybody confirm? Which [itex]\theta[/itex] am I supposed to use anyway? Both 45 and 85 shows a drop in output. I have included a graph to show my measurements. [/QUOTE]
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Solve Refractive Index Homework: Order of Interference & n
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