For normal incidence on a diffraction grating, adjacent grooves contribute a path difference . Constructive interference occurs when the grating equation holds. Thus the groove spacing isAn allowed propagating diffraction order must have . ThereforeThe fifth diffraction order is the highest geometrically permitted order for this wavelength. Its actual brightness depends on groove shape and the single-slit diffraction envelope, which the source does not specify; geometric permission alone does not guarantee a bright observable maximum.
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