What is the Intensity Formula for Triple-Slit Interference?

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SUMMARY

The intensity formula for triple-slit interference is derived by considering the amplitudes of light arriving at a point on the second screen from three slits located at y=-d, 0, and d. The distances from a point x on the second screen to each slit are denoted as d1, d2, and d3. The amplitudes are proportional to sin(2πd1/λ), sin(2πd2/λ), and sin(2πd3/λ). The intensity at point x is calculated by squaring the sum of these amplitudes and multiplying by the individual intensity I_0 of each beam.

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  • Understanding of wave interference principles
  • Familiarity with the sine function and its application in physics
  • Knowledge of light wavelength (λ) and intensity (I_0)
  • Basic grasp of geometric optics and slit experiments
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  • Study the derivation of the intensity formula for double-slit interference
  • Explore the effects of varying slit separation on interference patterns
  • Learn about the mathematical modeling of wave functions in interference
  • Investigate experimental setups for triple-slit interference
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patapat
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I'm having a bit of trouble with this problem:

Three slits of negligible width are cut into points y=-d,0,d on a screen. A second screen is placed parallel to the first a distance L(L>>d) away. Light is projected through the slits onto the screen, forming an interference pattern. Express the intensity of the pattern in terms of L, d, lamda, I_0 (the intensity of each beam individually), and the height h along the screen.

I'm not sure exactly how similar this triple slit experiment would be compared to the more common double-slit experiments. I would appreciate it if the differences between the two were explained. Thanks in advance for any and all responses.
 
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patapat said:
I'm having a bit of trouble with this problem:

Three slits of negligible width are cut into points y=-d,0,d on a screen. A second screen is placed parallel to the first a distance L(L>>d) away. Light is projected through the slits onto the screen, forming an interference pattern. Express the intensity of the pattern in terms of L, d, lamda, I_0 (the intensity of each beam individually), and the height h along the screen.

I'm not sure exactly how similar this triple slit experiment would be compared to the more common double-slit experiments. I would appreciate it if the differences between the two were explained. Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

Here are some ideas. Take a point point x on the second screen and denote d1, d2, d3 shortest distances from x to the three slits. Assume that external light arrives to all three slits with the same phase, then the amplitudes of light arriving at the point x and passed through slits 1, 2, and 3 will be proportional to sin (2 \pi d_1/ \lambda), sin (2 \pi d_2/ \lambda), and sin (2 \pi d_3/ \lambda), respectively. Then in order to find the light intensity at the point x you should calculate a square of the sum of these three terms and multiply this square by an appropriate intensity factor.
 
That makes sense, but I'm not exactly sure what u mean by light intensity factor.
 

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