Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-2-paper-of-the-university-of-oxford/2014/7/b/solution
Past exam of the physics 2 paper of the University of Oxford 2014 7 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
The band has mean wavelength and width . At order , the positions of the extreme-wavelength maxima differ by about . Comparing this spread with a fringe spacing givesEquivalently, the coherence length scale is . Thus the usual bandwidth estimate isThis is a washout scale, not a sharp definition of “clearly”. For a spectrum uniform in inverse wavelength , the interference visibility is , with ; its first zero occurs near order . Fringes well inside that limit have stronger contrast. A half-fringe-smear criterion would instead retain about orders each side. The precise visible number needs the spectral distribution and a contrast threshold, neither supplied. If the slide remains in place and dispersion is neglected, the envelope is centred on the shifted zero-path-difference position and this order-count scale is unchanged.
Double-slit fringes and bandwidth-induced loss of contrast
. The band example assumes equal spectral intensity per unit inverse wavelength from 520 to 540 nm. Dashed envelopes show the visibility decline and its first zero near 26.5 central-wavelength orders. Details. New to topics? Read the docs here!
