The interference pattern shown above was first observed for visible light in 1801 by Thomas Young Young, the experiment is still sometimes called Young's slit experiment. exclamation In the above description we have assumed the incident light is monochromatic. If white light (containing all the wavelengths in the visible spectrum) is used, the maxima for the different wavelengths will occur at slightly different positions (y) on the screen. In this case an interference pattern will only be observed if the maximum - minimum separation is much larger than the separation between the maxima of the extreme wavelengths in white light (red and violet) for the same "n". In the above description we have shown that at certain locations on the screen there will be bright spots whereas at other locations there will be no light - the interference pattern. But exactly how does the light intensity vary as a function of position on the screen ? In the diagram at the top of th...
Optics for Optometry