Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics

When light reflects from a medium with a higher index of refraction compared to the one it's traveling through, what happens to the phase of the reflected light?

Light is incident from air ($n=1$) onto a film of oil ($n=1.45$) on water ($n=1.33$). What is the phase change of the light reflected from the air-oil interface?

A thin film is made of three layers: air ($n=1$), material A ($n=1.5$), and material B ($n=1.3$). Light shines from the air onto material A and then reflects off the interface between material A and material B. What is the net phase change?

For destructive interference to occur in thin films, what must be the condition of the interfering waves?

A thin film with an index of refraction $n$ and thickness $t$ is on a glass plate with an index of refraction greater than $n$. For a particular wavelength $\lambda$ in air, what is the condition for constructive interference, assuming a phase change at only one boundary?

A thin film of oil ($n = 1.42$) is spread on water. When light of wavelength 500 nm in air is incident normally, strong destructive interference is observed. If the phase change occurs at air-oil interface, what is the minimum thickness of the film?

What is the primary purpose of antireflection coatings on optical devices?

An antireflection coating is applied to a lens. The coating has a refractive index of $n = 1.38$. What thickness of coating is needed to minimize reflection for light with a wavelength of 550 nm?

A double-layer antireflection coating is designed with two materials having refractive indices $n_1$ and $n_2$. The indices of the materials are chosen to minimize reflection at two different wavelengths. What additional factor must be considered when calculating the overall reflection coefficient compared to a single-...

How does changing the incident angle of light affect the interference pattern observed in thin films?