Diffraction

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Diffraction

Diffraction (/dɪˈfrækʃən/) is a phenomenon observed in physics and optics where a wave encounters an obstacle or a slit. It is described as the apparent bending of waves around small obstacles and the spreading out of waves past small openings.

Etymology

The term "diffraction" originates from the Latin diffractus, which means "broken into pieces". It was first used in this context by Italian scientist Francesco Maria Grimaldi in the 17th century.

Explanation

When a wavefront encounters a barrier with an opening, part of the wave passes through the opening while the rest is blocked. The part of the wave that passes through the opening spreads out and interferes with itself, creating a pattern of light and dark bands. This is known as a diffraction pattern.

Types of Diffraction

There are two types of diffraction: Fresnel diffraction and Fraunhofer diffraction. Fresnel diffraction occurs when the source of light and the observing screen are at finite distances from the aperture, while Fraunhofer diffraction occurs when the source of light and the observing screen are effectively at infinite distances from the aperture.

Related Terms

  • Interference: A phenomenon in which two waves superpose to form a resultant wave of greater, lower, or the same amplitude.
  • Huygens–Fresnel principle: A method of analysis applied to problems of wave propagation both in the far-field limit and in near-field diffraction.
  • Bragg's law: A special case of diffraction, it gives the angles for coherent and incoherent scattering from a crystal lattice.

See Also

External links

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