light dispersion

MONEY, IT'S A CRIME

>>8396079

SHARE IT FAIRLY BUT DON'T TAKE A SLICE OF MY PIE

>>8396105
GRAB THAT CASH WITH BOTH HANDS AND MAKE A STASH

No.

>TICKING AWAY THE MOMENTS THAT MAKE UP A DULL DAY
^ yes

>>8395948
White light is composed of all colors (different wavelengths of visible light). Once the light hits the prism, it changes speed and diffracts. The angle at which is leaves the prism is dictated by its wavelength, so the light that leaves the prism is spread out and we are able to detect discrete bands of color due to the different angles at which the lights exits the prism.

>>8396136
That's a nice description, but doesn't explain why it occurs.

Just model the material as harmonic oscillators and dispersion will arise naturally.

>>8395948
>so i was wonderin how the different diffraction off different wavelengths occures.

The interface between air and the refractive material (first into, and then out of the prism) is what causes this, due to the different distance that the top and bottom of the wave has to travel.

The effect is increased with wavelength.

Do some studying on H.A.A.R.P.s ability to bounce a signal off of the ionosphere, it will give the some pointers.

>>8396156
op here
exactly^^
can you elaborate a bit on the harmonic osciliators
i know what they are, but how does dispersion arise?

>>8396166
Not exactly. Index of refraction is dependent on wavelength, so the angle of refraction is different for the different color components.

What OP is asking is essentially why n is a function of wavelength

>>8397479
I'm not sure if this really answers your question, but on the atomic level, a harmonic oscillator has it's energy levels equally spread out (different from an atom who's energy levels get closer and closer as you approach n=infinity). I guess since different wavelengths of light get absorbed into different energy levels, when re-emitting the light it takes longer for the higher energy levels to re-emit the light. I don't know why that would be the case, but I'm trusting >>8396156 to explain it further.

>>8395948
I got a step further.
dispersion arises due to different light speeds in a given medium for any given wavelengh, described by permittivity. Now the question is why that...

Refraction arises from the difference in refractive index between the air and the glass. The angle of diffraction varies with the refractive index difference.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snell%27s_law
The refractive index of the glass varies with wavelength. As white light consists of all colours of light, shining white light into a prism causes refraction to occur at different angles for different colours.

Refraction and diffraction are not the same thing.

>>8396156
It literally explains why it occurs.

The light is a superposition of multiple wavelengths.
The lattice of the prism has a specific distance between each molecule.

Different wavelengths are forced to take different paths through the lattice from a combination of the angle of entry and the lattice spacing. Any photons not taking this path dont come out as visible light because those paths polarize the light into a destructive pattern, or shift it out of the visible range.

>>8397623
>Different wavelengths are forced to take different paths through the lattice from a combination of the angle of entry and the lattice spacing.
This is the part I don't get. Why are they forced to take different paths?

>>8397623
glas does not have a latice.
The thing you describe remembers me of xray difraction where you would be right
The problem boils down to why light is slower in different media.

>>8397667
>The problem boils down to why light is slower in different media.

Not really. The problem boils down to why refractive index is dependant on wavelength.

>>8397632
Because light is quantized. Photons have an almost 0 chance of passing through a material without hitting an atom in the material. When the photon hits an atom, the atom absorbs it and reemits it as light. This is dependent on the spacing of the atoms in the material vs. The wavelength of the light.

Light that enters at the wrong angle or has the wrong energy bounces around the material until you no longer see it or it is dissipated. This is why the harmonic oscillator mentioned before can model the behavior.

>>8396079
>>8396105
>>8396115
>>8396133
Good thread.

>>8395948
GAY PRIDE