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Single Slit Diffraction

Edexcel AS-level PhysicsWavesLesson 19 of 22

When monochromatic light (light of a single wavelength, for example from a laser) passes through a single narrow slit, it diffracts and produces a pattern of bright and dark fringes on a screen.

The pattern has a wide, bright central maximum, with narrower, dimmer maxima on either side separated by dark minima. The central maximum is twice as wide as each of the other maxima, and it is much more intense. The intensity of the side maxima decreases with distance from the centre.

Diagram

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