Wave Optics Lab
Parameters
Wave Optics Simulator — Diffraction, Thin Film & Polarization
This wave optics simulator demonstrates four phenomena that require the wave nature of light. Double Slit mode shows animated wavefronts through two slits and a vertical interference pattern strip in the selected wavelength color. Diffraction Grating mode traces orders m = −3 to +3 from a 10-slit grating with brightness proportional to intensity. Thin Film mode renders iridescent colors across the visible spectrum for a user-set film thickness. Polarization mode shows intensity before and after a rotated analyzer with I/I₀ = cos²θ (Malus's law) displayed.
What you can do in this simulation
- Set wavelength (380–750 nm) and slit separation (10–200 µm)
- Adjust film thickness (50–1000 nm) for thin film interference
- Rotate the analyzer polarizer angle (0–90°) to observe Malus's law
- Switch between Double Slit, Diffraction Grating, Thin Film, and Polarization modes
- Watch iridescent color map update in real time as film thickness changes
Concepts covered
wave optics · diffraction · thin film interference · polarization · Malus's law · double-slit interference
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Related reading
- Wave Optics in Your Browser: Interference, Diffraction, and Snell's Law
- Thin Lenses, Ray Tracing, and Prisms: Free Online Optics Simulations
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