All the bright fringes have the same intensity and width. The waves, after passing through each slit, superimpose to give an alternate bright and dark distribution on a distant screen. In this experiment, monochromatic light is shone on two narrow slits. Thomas Young’s double-slit experiment, performed in 1801, demonstrates the wave nature of light. This phenomenon is known as single slit diffraction. If light is incident on a slit having a width comparable to the wavelength of light, an alternating dark and bright pattern can be seen if a screen is placed in front of the slit. ![]() The effect becomes significant when light passes through an aperture having a dimension comparable to the wavelength of light. This suggests that light bends around a sharp corner. When light is incident on the sharp edge of an obstacle, a faint illumination can be found within the geometrical shadow of the obstacle. Due to the path difference, they arrive with different phases and interfere constructively or destructively. Each wavelet travels a different distance to reach any point on the screen. These wavelets start out in phase and propagate in all directions. According to Huygens’ principle, when light is incident on the slit, secondary wavelets generate from each point. This phenomenon is called the single slit diffraction. ![]() When light is incident on a slit, with a size comparable to the wavelength of light, an alternating dark and bright pattern can be observed. Fraunhofer was the son of a maker of decorative glasses and mirrors in Bavaria, while Fresnel was the son of an architect in Normandy.ĭiffraction is the bending of light around the sharp corner of an obstacle. These two weak youngsters were still struggling to get educated. This was possible in the early nineteenth century when two great scientists were struggling in their lives separately in Italy and Germany. Diffraction is the line of study that helped in the development of precise spectrometers, hence helping Astronomy take great leaps.
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