We don’t often think about fascinating characteristics of light. Famous physicist Thomas Young dared to create an experiment to understand the true power of light. Born in June 1773, Thomas Young was known as an English polymath and the Renaissance man of his time. In his lifetime he would do astounding things in the field of vision, solid mechanics, energy physiology, and Egyptology to name a few. World renowned scientists Albert Einstein praised his work. In 1803 Young came up with an experiment he dubbed the young double slit.
The experiment was based on the classic proof of the wave theory of light. While Young’s original experiment used sunlight and calculated the average wavelength to be 550nm, today using monochromatic and coherent light we can calculate wavelength using the following formula:
nλ = xd/L
λ is the wavelength of the light
d is the separation of the slits
n is the order of maximum observed ( for first order n=1)
x is the distance between the bands of light and the central maximum
L is the distance from the slits to the screen center point
Young’s double slits are manufactured by Lenox Laser’s proprietary technology giving a very sharp edge to every slit that makes the geometries and areas of each slit equal (within specifications). This guarantees a very high contrast of diffraction patterns and low flux variations through each of the slits, due to good metrology and methodology. For more information and to inquire about a purchase please click here.