diffraction: Quick Facts

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$Figure 16: Illumination of a point source image modified by diffraction, shown as the variation of intensity with radius.$

$Figure 15: Arrangement for Fraunhofer (far-field) diffraction. The opening at S diffracts light from source P onto plane Q (see text).$

$Figure 14: Principle of Fresnel's theory of diffraction (see text).$

light passing through a slit

$Diagram illustrating Huygens' principle with labeled plane and spherical wave fronts on the left, showing how each point on a wave front acts as a source of expanding spherical waves, and a depiction on the right of diffracted waves emerging from a transmission grating as curved lines formed by the combination of secondary wavelets.$

$Diagram of a single-slit diffraction experiment showing light waves spreading through a narrow opening, creating alternating bright and dark bands on a screen. Insets show constructive and destructive interference, and a curve plots the brightest central band with weaker side peaks.$

double-slit experiment

$What is diffraction?$

$Understand how diffraction of light affects stellar images$

$Understand how the diffraction of light affects how the human eye distinguishes distant objects$

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Topics

diffraction grating electron diffraction diffraction pattern acoustical shadow Aureole Brocken spectre Poisson’s spot matter chemical bonding nuclear fission catalysis nuclear fusion deformation and flow friction diffusion work absorption adsorption

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Key People

illustration of Robert Hooke's law of elasticity of materials

Robert Hooke

British scientist

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Walter M. Elsasser

American physicist