Wave optics and interferometry
content provider:
Nils Sorensen
written by Nils Sorensen
For many purposes, you can consider light to propagate as rays, explaining phenomena such as shadows or imaging with a pin-hole camera. Even refraction of light at interfaces between transparent matter or vacuum can be understood in the framework of ray optics by introducing an index of refraction n and using Snell's laws of refraction. This explains lenses, prisms, or effects such as mirages. However, light is an electromagnetic wave. You can only neglect the wave nature of light and use a ray description if all sizes are much larger than the wavelength of light. And even this is only true if you have completely "incoherent" light, for example from the sun or from a light bulb. Things entirely change if sizes become small, or if you have pure light of a single color as it can be generated by a laser.
In today's lab we will explore both of these cases and explore the wave nature of light. We will also use light to carry out two precision measurements. We will measure the index of refraction of air, and the tiny displacement of a piezo actuator.
AAPT Summer Meeting
Part of the Advanced Physics Labs Workshops series Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: July 28 - August 1, 2012
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12309">Sorensen, Nils. "Wave optics and interferometry." Paper presented at the AAPT Summer Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 28 - August 1, 2012.</a>
AIP Format
N. Sorensen, , presented at the AAPT Summer Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2012, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12309&DocID=3052).
AJP/PRST-PER
N. Sorensen, Wave optics and interferometry, presented at the AAPT Summer Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2012, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12309&DocID=3052>.
APA Format
Sorensen, N. (2012, July 28 - August 1). Wave optics and interferometry. Paper presented at AAPT Summer Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12309&DocID=3052
Chicago Format
Sorensen, Nils. "Wave optics and interferometry." Paper presented at the AAPT Summer Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 28 - August 1, 2012. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12309&DocID=3052 (accessed 20 April 2024).
MLA Format
Sorensen, Nils. "Wave optics and interferometry." AAPT Summer Meeting. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 2012. of Advanced Physics Labs Workshops. 20 Apr. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12309&DocID=3052>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{
Author = "Nils Sorensen",
Title = {Wave optics and interferometry},
BookTitle = {AAPT Summer Meeting},
Address = {Philadelphia, Pennsylvania},
Series = {Advanced Physics Labs Workshops},
Month = {July 28 - August 1},
Year = {2012}
}
Refer Export Format
%A Nils Sorensen %T Wave optics and interferometry %S Advanced Physics Labs Workshops %D July 28 - August 1 2012 %C Philadelphia, Pennsylvania %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12309&DocID=3052 %O AAPT Summer Meeting %O July 28 - August 1 %O application/pdf
EndNote Export Format
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Sorensen, Nils %D July 28 - August 1 2012 %T Wave optics and interferometry %B AAPT Summer Meeting %C Philadelphia, Pennsylvania %S Advanced Physics Labs Workshops %8 July 28 - August 1 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12309&DocID=3052 Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
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