雖然兩個波相遇,就一定會產生干涉,並出現干涉圖樣,但若要圖樣維持穩定不變,則兩波必須具有相干性或同調性。也就是說兩波的相位差是固定的,不隨時間而變。一般而言太陽和白熾燈泡等是熱光源,所產生的光波都是相當短的波列,其長度只有幾個波長,而且兩個波列之間的相位差,並無一定的關係。相形之下,雷射發出的光波,每一波列均相當長,可達很多個波長。波列只有在距離小於其長度的範圍內時,才可能具有相干性。一波列自始至終的時間可視其為相干時間,而波列前後的長度可視為其相干長度。一光源的相干長度,大致與其所發出的波列長度相等,因此熾熱光源的相干長度甚短,大約就是光的波長,而雷射光源的長度就非常的長遠大於光的波長。
答曰為光的波長雷射光源的相干長度則相當長,遠大於光的波長。
將來自同一光源的單色光波分開成為兩部分,使其通過不同路徑後重疊在一起。若兩路徑長的差,正好為半波長的奇數倍,則兩波相位差為180度,稱為異相或反相,重疊後會出現相消干涉,即合成波的波幅等於兩波波幅相減,因此光波強度減弱。如果兩波的振幅大小相同,則在相消干涉下合成波的振幅就成為0。若兩路徑長的差正好為波長的整數倍,則兩波相位差為0度或稱為同相位,重疊後會出現相長干涉。
也就是合成波的振幅等於兩波振幅相加,因此光波強度增強。CD,VCD,DVD這種類型的光碟片,能以數位化的方式儲存大量的聲音與影像訊號或電腦數據,其方法是將一具有反光性的圓形金屬平面,劃分成多個同心的圓形軌道區,並在各區打出一些深度相同的凹洞,當以照射面積稍大於凹洞的雷射光束照射時,凹洞與洞口周圍平坦部分的反射光,由於路徑長相差約為雷射光的半波長,會出現相消干涉,因此由光偵測器收到的反射光會比沒有凹洞稍微減弱,因此就可利用該處是否有凹洞來代表0和1,達到儲存數位化資料的目的。
所以合成波的光波平均強度為
\[\bar{S}=\dfrac{[2 E_P \cos(\dfrac{\phi}{2})]^2}{2 \mu_0 c}=4\bar{S}_0 \cos^2 (\dfrac{\pi d \sin \theta}{\lambda}) \]
其中\(\bar{S}_0=\dfrac{E_P^2}{2 \mu_0 c}\)為每一光波的平均強度。公式中顯示了\(\bar{S}\)隨角度\(\theta\)而改變,其最大值為\(4\bar{S}_0\),最小值為0,分別出現在使右邊的餘弦為\(\pm 1\)和0的角度:
\[\dfrac{d \sin \theta}{\lambda}=m \,\, 與 \dfrac{d \sin \theta}{\lambda}=m+\dfrac{1}{2}. \]
這個結果和我們上面得到的公式顯然完全一樣。利用
\(d \sin \theta \simeq \dfrac{y}{L}\)
我們可以將上面的公式\(\bar{S}\)表示為P到點O距離\(y\)的函數,就可以得到右圖所顯示的干涉圖樣強度隨位置\(y\)的分佈。
如圖所示當光照射到一個透明的薄膜時,在薄膜的上表面會有一部分被反射,而成為光線1,另有一部分則折射進入薄膜,而在下表面產生部分反射並回到上表面產生部分反射,在回到原介質中而成為光線2。由於光線1與2均源自於同一入射光,故具有相干性,可以產生穩定的干涉圖樣。假設薄膜的折射率\(n'\)大於周圍介質的折射率\(n\),則入射光波是以較快的波速入射到波速較慢的薄膜,因此其反射波會與入射波反相,這與弦波的情形一樣,就是當波由現質量密度較小的弦線進入密度較大的弦線時,反射波會與入射波反相位。反之,當弦波由波速較慢的介質進入波速較快的介質時,反射波會與入射波同相位。請注意無論是力學波或光波,折射或透射的波與入射波同相,而與進入的介質波速變快或變慢無關。
In the figure on the right, the two light waves that are represented by the rays have wavelength 550.0 nm before entering media 1 and 2. They also have equal amplitudes and are in phase. Medium 1 is just air, and medium 2 is a transparent plastic layer of index of refraction 1.6 and thickness 2.6 \(\mu\)m. (a) What is the phase difference of the emerging waves in wavelengths, radians, and degrees? What is their effective phase difference (in wavelengths)? (b) If the waves reached the same point on a distant screen, what type of interference would they produce?
What is the distance on screen \(C\) in the figure between adjacent maxima near the center of the interference pattern? The wavelength \(\lambda\) of the light is 546 nm, the slit separation \(d\) is 0.12 mm, and the slit–screen separation \(D\) is 55 cm. Assume that \(\theta\) is small enough to permit use of the approximations \(\sin \theta \simeq \tan \theta \simeq \theta\), in which \(\theta\) is expressed in radian.
A double-slit interference pattern is produced on a screen, as in the figure; the light is monochromatic at a wavelength of 600 nm. A strip of transparent plastic with index of refraction \(n = 1.50\) is to be placed over one of the slits. Its presence changes the interference between light waves from the two slits, causing the interference pattern to be shifted across the screen from the original pattern. Figure (a) shows the original locations of the central bright fringe (\(m = 0\)) and the first bright fringes (\(m = 1\)) above and below the central fringe. The purpose of the plastic is to shift the pattern upward so that the lower (\(m = 1\)) bright fringe is shifted to the center of the pattern. Should the plastic be placed over the top slit (as arbitrarily drawn in figure (b)) or the bottom slit, and what thickness \(L\) should it have?
White light, with a uniform intensity across the visible wavelength range of 400 to 690 nm, is perpendicularly incident on a water film, of index of refraction \(n_2 = 1.33\) and thickness \(L = 320\) nm, that is suspended in air. At what wavelength \(\lambda\) is the light reflected by the film brightest to an observer?
In the figure, a glass lens is coated on one side with a thin film of magnesium fluoride (MgF2) to reduce reflection from the lens surface.The index of refraction of MgF2 is 1.38; that of the glass is 1.50.What is the least coating thickness that eliminates (via interference) the reflections at the middle of the visible spectrum (\(\lambda=550 \, \text{nm}\))? Assume that the light is approximately perpendicular to the lens surface.