Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/paper-1/section-a/3/a/solution
Past exam of the physics A course of the University of Cambridge 2010 Paper 1 Section A 3 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
The angular separation is . Each star's angular diameter is below , so treating it as a point source is justified at these diffraction scales.
At300nm the Airy disk first-zero radius is . The separation is3.28 times this radius: two well-separated bright peaks occur. The stars are mutually incoherent, so their point spread functions add as intensities, not amplitudes:The value at u=0 is defined by continuity. Faint diffraction rings remain on either side of each principal peak. [ref]
University Physics Volume 3 by Samuel J. Ling and others. §4.5, circular-aperture diffraction and Rayleigh angular scale
Two-star profiles
. Summed Airy intensities for equal incoherent point sources at the two specified wavelengths. Source. Details. New to topics? Read the docs here!
