Optical Interference and Diffraction Experiment

When light from a source, such as a laser, passes through two slits that are spaced a certain distance apart, it creates a phenomenon known as interference. The light waves coming from each slit overlap and interfere with each other, resulting in a pattern of alternating bright and dark fringes on a viewing screen placed some distance away.

The spacing between these fringes is directly related to the distance between the two slits. As the distance between the slits increases, the spacing between the fringes also increases. This is because a larger distance between the slits leads to a larger phase difference between the interfering light waves, resulting in a wider interference pattern.

On the other hand, decreasing the distance between the slits will result in a narrower interference pattern with closer spacing between the fringes. This is due to the smaller phase difference between the light waves coming from the two slits, causing the fringes to be closer together on the viewing screen.

Therefore, the distance between the two slits in an optical interference and diffraction experiment directly influences the spacing and visibility of the interference pattern observed on the screen. It is an essential factor to consider when setting up such experiments to study the wave nature of light and observe the effects of interference and diffraction.