Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 5, 2026

08:39
Shaping the Amplitude and Phase of Laser Beams by Using a Phase-only Spatial Light Modulator
Published on: January 28, 2019
10.3K
Spatial ringing and central dark zone formation in absorptive nonlinear beam propagation
Optics Letters
|September 16, 2009
Abstract:
We have observed the theoretically predicted central dark zone formation in a continuous-wave propagation experiment that is not due to thermal changes in the index of refraction. The effect has been observed in a pink ruby rod with argon-ion and dye lasers. The results confirm the requirements of an optically thick and highly saturated medium for experimental observation of the effect.
Related Concept Videos
Interference and Diffraction
51.5K
Interference is a characteristic phenomenon exhibited by waves. When two electromagnetic waves interact with their peaks and troughs coinciding, a resulting wave with enhanced amplitude is produced. This is known as constructive interference. In this case, the two waves interacting are in phase with each other.
51.5K
Propagation of Waves
2.8K
When a wave propagates from one medium to another, part of it may get reflected in the first medium, and part of it may get transmitted to the second medium. In such a case, the interface of the two mediums can be considered as a boundary that is neither fixed nor free.
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
2.8K
Propagation Speed of Electromagnetic Waves
4.6K
Electromagnetic waves are consistent with Ampere's law. Assuming there is no conduction current Ampere's law is given as:
4.6K
Doppler Effect - II
4.3K
The Doppler effect has several practical, real-world applications. For instance, meteorologists use Doppler radars to interpret weather events based on the Doppler effect. Typically, a transmitter emits radio waves at a specific frequency toward the sky from a weather station. The radio waves bounce off the clouds and precipitation and travel back to the weather station. The radio frequency of the waves reflected back to the station appears to decrease if the clouds or precipitation are moving...
4.3K
Reflection of Waves
4.4K
When a wave travels from one medium to another, it gets reflected at the boundary of the second medium. A common example of this is when a person yells at a distance from a cliff and hears the echo of their voice. The sound waves (longitudinal waves) traveling in the air are reflected from the bounding cliff. Similarly, flipping one end of a string whose other end is tied to a wall causes a pulse (transverse wave) to travel through the string, which gets reflected upon reaching the wall. In...
4.4K
Standing Waves in a Cavity
1.4K
A household microwave and lasers are examples of standing electromagnetic waves in a cavity. When two conducting metal plates are placed parallel at the nodal planes, it creates a cavity where standing waves are formed. The cavity between the two planes is analogous to a stretched string held at the points x = 0 and x = L. Here, the distance 'L' between the two planes must be an integer multiple of half of the wavelength. The wavelengths that satisfy this condition are given by:
1.4K

