https://www.physlab-wiki.com/ 2026-05-15T06:50:49+00:00 https://www.physlab-wiki.com/ https://www.physlab-wiki.com/lib/tpl/UChicago/images/favicon.ico text/html 2021-11-05T16:39:04+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.physlab-wiki.com/physicsdemos/waves_and_optics/diffraction/babinet_s_principle_with_slit_and_thin_wire?rev=1636144744&do=diff Babinet's Principle with Slit and Thin Wire Two identical lasers are used to simultaneously show the diffraction patterns resulting from a thin wire and an adjustable slit. L0, L1 PIRA DCS 6C20.20 text/html 2022-07-25T15:01:35+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.physlab-wiki.com/physicsdemos/waves_and_optics/diffraction/laser_pinhole_diffraction?rev=1658775695&do=diff Laser Pinhole Diffraction Setup Use optical rail to constrain beam path along one direction. Adjust height and azimuthal angle to align. L0, L1 text/html 2023-03-23T12:49:59+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.physlab-wiki.com/physicsdemos/waves_and_optics/diffraction/laser_single_slit_diffraction?rev=1679590199&do=diff Laser Single Slit Diffraction Laser light is shone though a single adjustable slit and the resulting diffraction pattern is viewed on the wall or projection screen. Setup Use optical rail to constrain beam trajectory. Align as needed. More optical components can be found in B2 and on shelves nearby this demo. Light sources of different wavelengths can be used to show how spacing depends on wavelength. If you want to be fancy, the beams can be combined using a beamsplitter and some mirrors (… text/html 2021-11-05T16:41:25+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.physlab-wiki.com/physicsdemos/waves_and_optics/diffraction/poisson_spot?rev=1636144885&do=diff Poisson Spot An opaque disk placed in the path of a spatially-filtered laser beam casts a bright spot in the center of its shadow. A diffraction pattern consisting of a series of concentric rings is also visible since the incident light is monochromatic. text/html 2024-11-20T18:37:20+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.physlab-wiki.com/physicsdemos/waves_and_optics/diffraction/schlieren-optics?rev=1732145840&do=diff Schlieren Optics Description Air currents are made visible through the use of a single mirror schlieren optical setup, which provides a qualitative method to observe minute variations in the index of refraction of air. These variations can be due to the presence of a different gas or to the presence of temperature or pressure gradients, which affect the indices of refraction of materials. This demonstration can be a good way for students to visualize convective air currents, turbulent and lami…