Single slit diffraction distance

[labview1958]

What happens to the distance between fringes as the width of the single slit become larger? Does the distance between fringes increases? What happens to the centre bright fringe? Does it become larger with an increasing single slit width? My hunch is: Increasing the width increases the size of the bright central fringe, but applets on the net show otherwise. Can someone help?

 

[labview1958]

from

http://www.walter-fendt.de/ph14e/singleslit.htm

If the width of the slit increases, the diffraction pattern becomes more pronounced. It should be otherwise. Do you agree?

 

[Thaakisfox]

If you look at the formula for single slit diffraction you see that at a given wavelength if you increase the size of the slit then the angle at which the minima occur will decrease. Hence we will be able to see further higher order minimas.

 

[labview1958]

Increasing slit width will decrease or increase the distance between fringes?

 

[rwisz]

As the width of the single slit increases, the distance between fringes does indeed increase. This is because the width of the slit affects the diffraction pattern, causing the diffracted waves to spread out more, resulting in a wider fringe pattern. However, the distance between fringes does not increase proportionally to the width of the slit. In fact, the distance between fringes increases at a slower rate than the slit width. This is because the fringe pattern is also affected by the wavelength of the light used, and as the slit width increases, the diffraction pattern becomes more complex.

The center bright fringe, also known as the zeroth order maximum, does become larger with an increasing single slit width. This is because the center bright fringe is the result of constructive interference of all the diffracted waves passing through the center of the slit. As the slit width increases, more waves are able to pass through the center, resulting in a larger and brighter central fringe.

However, it is important to note that this effect may not be easily visible to the naked eye, especially for small changes in the slit width. This is why the applets may not show a significant difference in the size of the central fringe with changing slit width. Additionally, other factors such as the intensity of the light source and the distance between the slit and the screen may also affect the visibility of the central fringe.

Overall, increasing the width of the single slit does affect the distance between fringes and the size of the central bright fringe, but the exact relationship between these variables is complex and may not be easily observable in certain cases.