THE PRACTICE STUDIO
Go slowly. Ask why. Make it yours.
PRACTICE / Diffraction gratings
Count the maxima that survive the slit envelope
A grating has centre spacing 2.0 μm and rectangular slit width 0.50 μm. It receives 450 nm light normally.
How many principal maxima, including the central one and both sides, survive the ideal single-slit envelope?
Organize the givens & assumptions
- d = 2.0 μm
- a = 0.50 μm
- λ = 0.450 μm
Ideal far-field diffraction, normal incidence on a regular transmission grating, equal coherent illumination over the stated width, and vacuum wavelengths in air. Resolution uses the stated ideal Rayleigh criterion; aberrations and detector limitations are neglected.
- A
- B
- C
- D
Try it on paper first. Free sample problems in every collection include the complete reasoning: find one in this collection →