- #1
member 529879
Why is it that when you shine a laser through a slit, it has the pattern that it does!
Understanding the Light Pattern of a Laser Through a Slit
Click For Summary
Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the light pattern produced when a laser is shone through a slit, exploring the nature of the pattern and the underlying principles of wave interference. The scope includes conceptual understanding and technical explanations related to optics.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Conceptual clarification
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- One participant questions the specifics of the laser, slit, and pattern involved, suggesting that the discussion may relate to the double slit experiment or spectral scattering.
- Another participant describes observing a single dot pattern when using a laser pointer through a 1cm slit, indicating a straightforward expectation based on classical optics.
- A participant mentions a specific pattern created by a laser shining through a small slit, referencing an attached image.
- There is a claim that the interference of light waves passing through different parts of the slit results in the observed pattern, with links provided for further reading on the topic and methods for calculating intensity patterns using integral calculus.
- A participant draws a parallel between the behavior of water waves and the patterns observed in single and double slit experiments, suggesting a broader context of wave behavior.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants have not reached a consensus on the specifics of the laser and slit configurations or the nature of the patterns produced. Multiple competing views and interpretations remain present in the discussion.
Contextual Notes
There are limitations regarding the assumptions made about the type of laser and slit, as well as the specific conditions under which the patterns are observed. The discussion does not resolve the mathematical steps involved in calculating the patterns.
- #2
crador
- 94
- 11
What kind of laser?
What kind of slit?
What kind of pattern?
When I shine a laser pointer through a 1cm slit it makes a single dot pattern on the wall, as expected.
I suspect you are asking about the double slit experiment, or some kind of spectral scattering through a grid of slits though.
What kind of slit?
What kind of pattern?
When I shine a laser pointer through a 1cm slit it makes a single dot pattern on the wall, as expected.
I suspect you are asking about the double slit experiment, or some kind of spectral scattering through a grid of slits though.
- #3
- #4
jtbell
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Scheuerf said:
The light waves passing through different parts of the slit interfere with each other, and the result is that pattern. Here's an overview:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/sinslitd.html#c1
And here's a graphical method for calculating the intensity pattern:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/sinint.html#c1
You can also use integral calculus to calculate it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraunhofer_diffraction_(mathematics)#Solution_by_integration
- #5
stedwards
- 416
- 46
Something similar. water waves thought single and double slit
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