Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

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.
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...
Determination of Crystal Structures01:29

Determination of Crystal Structures

In the late 1800s, the revelation that light extended beyond visible wavelengths led to the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen. Recognized as high-energy electromagnetic radiation with short wavelengths, X-rays prompted exploration into their interaction with crystals. Max von Laue proposed in 1912 that the periodic arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in crystals would cause them to diffract X-rays, a hypothesis confirmed through experiments with copper sulfate and zinc sulfide...
The de Broglie Wavelength02:32

The de Broglie Wavelength

In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...
The Wave Nature of Light02:12

The Wave Nature of Light

The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.
X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples01:10

X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples

X-ray diffraction or XRD is an analytical tool that utilizes X-rays to study ordered structures such as crystalline organic and inorganic samples, polycrystalline materials, proteins, carbohydrates, and drugs.
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are  scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The  X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal crystal...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

4-But-oxy-3-(2,4-dichloro-phen-yl)-1-oxaspiro-[4.5]dec-3-en-2-one.

Acta crystallographica. Section E, Structure reports online·2011
Same author

[Screening program on novel drug resistance mutations of subtype B' in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in China].

Zhonghua liu xing bing xue za zhi = Zhonghua liuxingbingxue zazhi·2011
Same author

Expression of P2Y receptors in the rat anterior pituitary.

Purinergic signalling·2011
Same author

Zinc induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by upregulation of WIG-1 in esophageal squamous cancer cell line EC109.

Tumour biology : the journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine·2011
Same author

A cell-penetrating peptide suppresses inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB signaling.

Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy·2011
Same author

Rabs and the exocyst in ciliogenesis, tubulogenesis and beyond.

Trends in cell biology·2011

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Measurement of Particle Size Distribution in Turbid Solutions by Dynamic Light Scattering Microscopy
09:16

Measurement of Particle Size Distribution in Turbid Solutions by Dynamic Light Scattering Microscopy

Published on: January 9, 2017

Light-scattering theory of diffraction.

Wei Guo1

  • 1Department of Natural Sciences, Queens University of Charlotte, 1900 Selwyn Avenue, Charlotte, North Carolina 28274, USA. weiguoguo@hotmail.com

Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, Image Science, and Vision
|March 9, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Light scattering theory explains diffraction as a light scattering process. This approach resolves mathematical and physical issues inherent in Kirchhoff

Area of Science:

  • Optics
  • Wave phenomena
  • Electromagnetism

Background:

  • Diffraction is fundamentally a light scattering process.
  • Kirchhoff's diffraction theory provides an approximation for light propagation through apertures.
  • Kirchhoff's theory faces certain mathematical and physical limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze light propagation through a single aperture using light-scattering theory.
  • To derive the electric field expression for observed light.
  • To compare the light-scattering theory with Kirchhoff's theory.

Main Methods:

  • Applying light-scattering theory to model light propagation through an aperture.
  • Performing specific mathematical calculations to obtain the electric field expression.

More Related Videos

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths
11:34

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

Published on: July 1, 2019

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels
11:34

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels

Published on: September 8, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Measurement of Particle Size Distribution in Turbid Solutions by Dynamic Light Scattering Microscopy
09:16

Measurement of Particle Size Distribution in Turbid Solutions by Dynamic Light Scattering Microscopy

Published on: January 9, 2017

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths
11:34

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

Published on: July 1, 2019

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels
11:34

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels

Published on: September 8, 2016

  • Analyzing the conditions under which Kirchhoff's theory is a valid approximation.

    • Main Results:

    • An expression for the electric field at an observation point was derived.
    • The study explains the validity of Kirchhoff's theory for opaque, thin screens.
    • Light-scattering theory circumvents the mathematical and physical problems of Kirchhoff's theory.

    Conclusions:

    • Light-scattering theory offers a more robust framework for understanding diffraction.
    • This approach provides a resolution to the limitations of Kirchhoff's diffraction theory.
    • The study validates the application of scattering principles to diffraction phenomena.