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Difference between revisions of "Diffraction Grating"

(About Diffraction Gratings)
(About Diffraction Gratings)
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|[[File:DiffractionGratingExperimentRed.png|center|300px]]
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|[[File:DiffractionGratingExperimentRed.png|center|400px]]
 
| style="height:20px; width:150px; text-align:center;" |This image shows a '''diffraction grating''' splitting a red [[laser]] beam into a zeroth, first, second and third order beam.
 
| style="height:20px; width:150px; text-align:center;" |This image shows a '''diffraction grating''' splitting a red [[laser]] beam into a zeroth, first, second and third order beam.
 
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|[[File:DiffractionGratingExperimentGreen.png|center|300px]]
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|[[File:DiffractionGratingExperimentGreen.png|center|400px]]
 
| style="height:20px; width:150px; text-align:center;" |This image shows a '''diffraction grating''' splitting a green [[laser]] beam into a zeroth, first, second, third and fourth order beam.
 
| style="height:20px; width:150px; text-align:center;" |This image shows a '''diffraction grating''' splitting a green [[laser]] beam into a zeroth, first, second, third and fourth order beam.
 
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|-
|[[File:DiffractionGratingExperimentBlue.png|center|300px]]
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|[[File:DiffractionGratingExperimentBlue.png|center|400px]]
 
| style="height:20px; width:150px; text-align:center;" |This image shows a '''diffraction grating''' splitting a green [[laser]] beam into a zeroth, first, second, third, fourth and fifth order beam.
 
| style="height:20px; width:150px; text-align:center;" |This image shows a '''diffraction grating''' splitting a green [[laser]] beam into a zeroth, first, second, third, fourth and fifth order beam.
 
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Revision as of 17:31, 23 May 2024

Key Stage 5

Meaning

A diffraction grating is a plate with many closely ruled parallel slits that disperses white light into a spectrum or produce several diverging beams from a single laser beam.

About Diffraction Gratings

  • Diffraction gratings produce multiple diffraction orders for a single monochromatic beam of laser light.
  • When white light is incident upon a diffraction grating it will produce a single white band of light in the centre of the screen followed by a series of repeating spectra. As the distance from the centre of the screen increases with violet closest to the centre and red furthest.
  • Diffraction Gratings can resolve very fine details in the spectrum, making them useful in spectroscopy.
DiffractionGratingExperimentRed.png
This image shows a diffraction grating splitting a red laser beam into a zeroth, first, second and third order beam.
DiffractionGratingExperimentGreen.png
This image shows a diffraction grating splitting a green laser beam into a zeroth, first, second, third and fourth order beam.
DiffractionGratingExperimentBlue.png
This image shows a diffraction grating splitting a green laser beam into a zeroth, first, second, third, fourth and fifth order beam.

Formula

  • \(𝑑sin𝜃=𝑛𝜆\)

Where:

𝑑 is the slit spacing (though frequently the number of slits per mm is given and this must be calculated first)

𝜃 is the angle between the beam order and the central axis

𝑛 is the beam order with the zeroth beam order being along the central axis and the first beam order being smallest angle from beam to central axis

𝜆 is the wavelength of the beam