Tagged Questions
0
votes
0answers
33 views
Historical aspect of wave theory of light
Huygens thought light as a wave. Wave is a propagation of physical disturbance. We now know that light is electromagnetic field. Electric and magnetic field fluctuates here. What Huygens really ...
1
vote
2answers
48 views
Refraction of light and frequency dependence
Why do higher frequency waves refract more, both ocean waves and light waves? Also why is energy stored in the frequency as opposed to the wavelength.
1
vote
1answer
50 views
How large of a solar sail would be needed to travel to mars in under a year?
I'm attempting to approach this using the identity
$$F/A = I/c$$
I can solve for Area easily enough
$$A = F(c/I)$$
and I know the distance $d$ is
$$d=1/2(at^2)$$
But I'm having difficulty trying to ...
2
votes
1answer
30 views
Relation of color and frequency for the visible spectrum
In this question the OP is looking for a way to see light that is outside of the visible spectrum without using electronic sensors. This got me wondering about the visible spectrum itself. Typically ...
0
votes
0answers
14 views
Minimum thickness of bubble ensuring max reflectance
A soap bubble has index of refraction of 1.33. What minimum thickness of this bubble will ensure max reflectance of normally incident 530 nm light?
Ans is 99.6, but how do I get that?
I am ...
3
votes
1answer
73 views
Can you “fold” EM or light waves? (i.e) long wave that is reflected by mirror in fragments - like in the game “Snake”
So, I was reading about the Casimir effect. Two mirrors facing each other attract to each other in a vacuum. The reason is due to pressure exerted on those mirrors from the multitude of EM waves (like ...
4
votes
2answers
177 views
Are there “gaps” in light, or will it hit everywhere?
Not sure how to word my question.
Picture a light source in vacuum, so nothing disturbs the light (or similar conditions), 2d.
If I move very, very far away, will it happen that some of the light ...
0
votes
2answers
55 views
Can a stream of photons to be an environment for carrying light?
As the air molecules are environment for carrying sound waves, could stream of photons be environment for carrying electromagnetic waves? What contradictions cause this assumption in the existing ...
2
votes
1answer
118 views
Can light be canceled by merging with an inverted wave?
Can light waves be canceled by merging them with their inverted waves? Seems like it would violate conservation of energy but waves are added together when they overlap, right? Where is the flaw in ...
1
vote
4answers
154 views
Is infrared light diffused on walls?
Lamps that produce visible light can light up a whole room because the ceiling and the walls diffuse light. This way, when there is a single lamp in a room, something that is in the shadows is not ...
7
votes
2answers
140 views
Does light have timbre?
Timbre is a property associated with the shape of a sound wave, that is, the coefficients of the discrete Fourier transform of the corresponding signal. This is why a violin and a piano can each play ...
0
votes
1answer
403 views
Huygens Principle and principal of rectilinear propagation of light
Suppose I have an wave source and light waves are radiating from it. If I have a point source, then after a time t, with a radius of ct I will have a circular wave front.By Huygens principle each ...
0
votes
2answers
313 views
Wavelength and resolution
I'm reading some texts that seam to assume knowledge of light that I'm not too familiar with. How does wavelength of light relate to the minimum distance span that can be observed (i.e. you cannot ...
0
votes
1answer
112 views
Width of Gaussian Beam and Refractive Index
I know that in free space, the width of a Gaussian beam can be written as $W=W_0\sqrt{1+(\frac{z}{z_0})^{2}}$. However, I was wondering if it was possible to express this width as a function of ...
0
votes
1answer
158 views
Transmission of Gaussian Beam Through Graded-Index Slab
The $ABCD$ matrix of a glass graded-index slab with refractive index $n(y)=n_0(1-\frac{1}{2}\alpha^{2}y^{2})$ and length $d$ is $A=\cos(\alpha d)$, $B=\frac{1}{\alpha}\sin(\alpha d)$, $C=-\alpha ...
1
vote
0answers
121 views
Help With Difficult Deductive Proof [closed]
Suppose we have a Gaussian beam with a complex envelope expressed by the following equation 1:
$$\tag{1}
A_G(x,y,z) = \frac{A_1}{q(z)} e^{-ik \frac{x^2 + y^2}{2q(z)}}
$$
where
$$
q(z) = z+iz_0
$$
...
1
vote
2answers
139 views
Pulsed Spherical Wave
Can somebody help show me how a pulsed spherical wave has a wavefunction of the form U(r,t) = (1/r)a(t-r/c), where a(t) is an arbitrary function, r is the radius of the spherical wave, t is time, and ...
3
votes
10answers
609 views
Why do we think of light as a wave?
I've read that light travels in a straight line and has a wavelength of 400nm to 700nm. But I don't understand why does it have a wavelength and what creates its wavelength? I agree with the concept ...
9
votes
5answers
515 views
Superposition of electromagnetic waves
The superposition of two waves is given by
$$\sin(\omega_1 t)+\sin(\omega_2 t)=2\cos\left(\frac{\omega_1-\omega_2}{2}t\right)\sin\left(\frac{\omega_1+\omega_2}{2}t\right).$$
For sound waves, this ...
5
votes
2answers
269 views
How does infrared light 'erase' phosphorescence on zinc sulfide?
I found some sheets of zinc sulfide in my basement that phosphoresce green for up to 24 hours or so after exposure to bright light in the violet range or shorter. One of the first things I tried was ...
5
votes
5answers
978 views
How to Make RF Waves Visible
I understand RF (Radio Frequency) Waves are electromagnetic waves and a mode of communication for wireless technologies, such as cordless phones, radar, ham radio, GPS, and television broadcasts. Most ...
2
votes
2answers
799 views
Wave / particle duality question for sound and light
Sound is usually referred to as just "sound waves" - we do not talk about a "sound particle" and only as a wave or "matter wave."
Could something similar apply to light i.e. that there really is no ...
1
vote
1answer
128 views
How colored light can be explained if light is considered as emission of photon?
If light is considered as wave, then different colored light can be explained as waves of different wavelength/frequency. How colored light can be explained if light is considered as emission of ...
1
vote
0answers
341 views
Double Slit Problem, Waves and Optics [closed]
Given d(slit separation)= $0.158\:\rm{mm}$, $\lambda _{red}= 665\:\rm{nm}$, $\lambda _{g/y}= 565nm$, L(distance from screen)= $2.24\:\rm{m}$
What is the distance between the third order red and ...
