¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

7A60.24 Optical Analog of X-ray Diffraction (Optical Transform Kit)

Concepts

Diffraction experiments

Overview

Specially made diffraction gratings use optical laser light to illustrate how wave-based material characterization techniques work, such as X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, and neutron diffraction. Individual gratings explore the following themes:

  • Diffraction in 2D patterns resembling simple cubic, FCC, and HCP lattices
  • Diffraction patterns with sample geometry scaling along Cartesian axes
  • Diffraction patterns with scaling of bond angles in triatomic molecules
  • Glide symmetries, which can extinguish dots in diffraction patterns

Details

Equipment

  • [1] Laser pointer
  • [1] Set of slides

Important Notes

  • Lasers can cause blindness. Use with caution.

Script

  1. Aim the laser at the desired patterns in sequence.

 

Additional Resources

References

  • PIRA 7A60.24, 6D20.XX

Disclaimer

  • Don't attempt this at home!
  • ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV is not affiliated with any external sites linked here and is not responsible for their content.

Last revised

  • 2025

Technicals

  • Original construction: purchased from the Institute for Chemical Education.

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If you have any questions about the demos or notes you would like to add to this page, contact Ricky Chu at ricky_chu AT sfu DOT ca.