Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry
12:14

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry

Published on: August 12, 2013

Edge-On Diffraction of a Gaussian Laser Beam by a Semi-infinite Plane

G Otis, J W Lit

    Applied Optics
    |February 16, 2010
    PubMed

    More Related Videos

    Femtosecond Laser Filaments for Use in Sub-Diffraction-Limited Imaging and Remote Sensing06:16

    Femtosecond Laser Filaments for Use in Sub-Diffraction-Limited Imaging and Remote Sensing

    Published on: April 25, 2019

    Measurement of X-ray Beam Coherence along Multiple Directions Using 2-D Checkerboard Phase Grating10:39

    Measurement of X-ray Beam Coherence along Multiple Directions Using 2-D Checkerboard Phase Grating

    Published on: October 11, 2016

    Related Concept Videos

    Interference and Diffraction02:18

    Interference and Diffraction

    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.
    Plane Electromagnetic Waves I01:30

    Plane Electromagnetic Waves I

    The existence of combined electric and magnetic fields that propagate through space as electromagnetic (EM) waves is the most significant prediction of Maxwell's equations. As Maxwell's equations hold in free space, the predicted electromagnetic waves do not require a medium for their propagation. An EM wave comprises an electric field, defined as the force per charge on a stationary charge, and a magnetic field, which is the force per charge on a moving charge.
    The EM field is assumed to be a...
    Gauss's Law: Planar Symmetry01:27

    Gauss's Law: Planar Symmetry

    A planar symmetry of charge density is obtained when charges are uniformly spread over a large flat surface. In planar symmetry, all points in a plane parallel to the plane of charge are identical with respect to the charges. Suppose the plane of the charge distribution is the xy-plane, and the electric field at a space point P with coordinates (x, y, z) is to be determined. Since the charge density is the same at all (x, y) - coordinates in the z = 0 plane, by symmetry, the electric field at P...
    Gauss's Law01:07

    Gauss's Law

    If a closed surface does not have any charge inside where an electric field line can terminate, then the electric field line entering the surface at one point must necessarily exit at some other point of the surface. Therefore, if a closed surface does not have any charges inside the enclosed volume, then the electric flux through the surface is zero. What happens to the electric flux if there are some charges inside the enclosed volume? Gauss's law gives a quantitative answer to this question.
    Gauss's Law: Problem-Solving01:10

    Gauss's Law: Problem-Solving

    Gauss's law helps determine electric fields even though the law is not directly about electric fields but electric flux. In situations with certain symmetries (spherical, cylindrical, or planar) in the charge distribution, the electric field can be deduced based on the knowledge of the electric flux. In these systems, we can find a Gaussian surface S over which the electric field has a constant magnitude. Furthermore, suppose the electric field is parallel (or antiparallel) to the area vector...
    X-ray Crystallography02:18

    X-ray Crystallography

    The size of the unit cell and the arrangement of atoms in a crystal may be determined from measurements of the diffraction of X-rays by the crystal, termed X-ray crystallography.
    Diffraction
    Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...