Interference & Diffraction of a Laser
- A laser is a focused beam of monochromatic light
- This makes it the ideal piece of equipment to analyse diffraction and intensity patterns from its diffraction through slits and diffraction gratings
When monochromatic laser light is diffracted through a diffraction grating, a diffraction pattern of bright and dark fringes can be observed on the screen
- The diffraction pattern on the screen is made up of:
- Areas of constructive interference - the bright strips or fringes
- Areas of destructive interference - the dark fringes
- Other sources of light, such as a filament bulb, are non-coherent, so produce white light