- #1
jaredogden
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I am looking over thin film interference and am having some difficulty understanding when to know if a reflected ray will be 180 degrees out of phase or in phase. I know that a ray reflecting off a medium with a higher index of refraction will have a 180 degree phase change; and that a ray reflecting off a medium with a lower index of refraction will have no phase change.
I am looking at an example in the serway jewett physics book (7th ed) on page 1060 Figure 37.11 if anyone has it. There is a single ray incident on a thin film. It is reflected off the film back into air and has a 180 degree phase change, I understand that part. Part of the wave is refracted out of the bottom of the thin film into air producing ray 3 out of the bottom. A part of that ray is reflected back into the thin film and reflects off the bottom surface of the thin film and is refracted off the top layer of the film back into air where there is no phase change making ray 2 out of the top of the thin film. At the same point that ray is refracted back into the air out of the top part of the ray is reflected back into the thin film and travels to the bottom and is refracted out of the bottom of the thin film creating ray 4.
I'm sure that was a confusing explanation. But anyways I am trying to better understand phase changes and how to use the constructive and destructive interference formulas for thin films. If anyone can help explain this it would be appreciated. Thanks
I am looking at an example in the serway jewett physics book (7th ed) on page 1060 Figure 37.11 if anyone has it. There is a single ray incident on a thin film. It is reflected off the film back into air and has a 180 degree phase change, I understand that part. Part of the wave is refracted out of the bottom of the thin film into air producing ray 3 out of the bottom. A part of that ray is reflected back into the thin film and reflects off the bottom surface of the thin film and is refracted off the top layer of the film back into air where there is no phase change making ray 2 out of the top of the thin film. At the same point that ray is refracted back into the air out of the top part of the ray is reflected back into the thin film and travels to the bottom and is refracted out of the bottom of the thin film creating ray 4.
I'm sure that was a confusing explanation. But anyways I am trying to better understand phase changes and how to use the constructive and destructive interference formulas for thin films. If anyone can help explain this it would be appreciated. Thanks