Chapter 26
Wave Optics
By Boundless
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Interference is a phenomenon in which two waves superimpose to form a resultant wave of greater or lesser amplitude.
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An air wedge is a simple interferometer used to visualize the disturbance of the wave front after propagation through a test object.
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Newton's rings are a series of concentric circles centered at the point of contact between a spherical and a flat surface.
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Huygens's Principle states that every point on a wavefront is a source of wavelets, which spread forward at the same speed.
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The double-slit experiment, also called Young's experiment, shows that matter and energy can display both wave and particle characteristics.
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Diffraction grating has periodic structure that splits and diffracts light into several beams travelling in different directions.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/16694/square/iffraction-4-20wavelengths.jpg)
Single slit diffraction is the phenomenon that occurs when waves pass through a narrow gap and bend, forming an interference pattern.
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The Rayleigh criterion determines the separation angle between two light sources which are distinguishable from each other.
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Thin film interference occurs when incident light waves reflected by the different layers of a thin film interfere and form a new wave.
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Polarization is the attribute that wave oscillations have a definite direction relative to the direction of propagation of the wave.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/16790/square/ization-20by-20reflection.jpeg)
Unpolarized light can be polarized artificially, as well as by natural phenomenon like reflection and scattering.
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Rayleigh scattering describes the air's gas molecules scattering light as it enters the atmosphere; it also describes why the sky is blue.
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Dispersion is the spreading of white light into its full spectrum of wavelengths; this phenomenon can be observed in prisms and rainbows.
Microscopy helps us view objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
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A spectrometer uses properties of light to identify atoms by measuring wavelength and frequency, which are functions of radiated energy.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/16753/square/michelson-interferometer.jpeg)
The Michelson interferometer is the most common configuration for optical interferometry.
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Liquid crystal displays use liquid crystals which do not emit light, but use the light modulating properties of the crystals.
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Optical discs are digital storing media read in an optical disc drive using laser beam.