A beam of monochromatic light passes through a single
PHYSICS · Single correct · A Level · Physics · Waves · Waves
Problem
A beam of monochromatic light passes through a single, narrow slit and produces a diffraction pattern on a distant screen. Which of the following correctly describes the labeling of the dark fringes (diffraction minima) relative to the central bright region?
(a) The dark fringes are labeled by half-integer order numbers such as m=±21,±23, and so on.
(b) The minima at the center of the pattern correspond to order m=0, defining the edges of the central bright region.
(c) The first minima on either side of the center are designated order m=±1, and the central bright region lies between them.
(d) Because the central bright region is twice as wide as the others, it extends all the way out to the positions of the m=±2 minima on either side.