Until the early of nineteenth century the corpuscular theory of light of Newton was largely dominant and the wave theory of Huygens practically abandoned. This is to Thomas Young and Augustin Fresnel that we owe its return in the early nineteenth century to explain the phenomena of diffraction and interference in particular the Young's double-slit experiment. To decide between the wave theory and corpuscular theory, the Paris Sciences Academy had organized a competition in 1819, on the subject of the problem of diffraction. Fresnel won the prize by performing the first calculations of diffraction from the wave theory of light showing that in the middle of the shadow of an opaque circular disc, against all expectations, there is a bright spot called the Poisson spot.
Until the early of nineteenth century the corpuscular theory of light of Newton was largely dominant and the wave theory of Huygens practically abandoned. This is to Thomas Young and Augustin Fresnel that we owe its return in the early nineteenth century to explain the phenomena of diffraction and interference in particular the Young's double-slit experiment. To decide between the wave theory and corpuscular theory, the Paris Sciences Academy had organized a competition in 1819, on the subject of the problem of diffraction. Fresnel won the prize by performing the first calculations of diffraction from the wave theory of light showing that in the middle of the shadow of an opaque circular disc, against all expectations, there is a bright spot called the Poisson spot.
The evolution of light theories began with Isaac Newton's corpuscular model, which explained reflection and refraction but could not account for diffraction and interference. In contrast, Christiaan Huygens proposed a wave theory, explaining light's behavior through an ether-based medium, supported by his principle that each point in a wavefront acts as a secondary source. This idea was experimentally supported in the early nineteenth century when Thomas Young's double-slit experiment revealed an interference pattern, affirming light's wave nature. Later, James Clerk Maxwell unified electricity and magnetism, establishing light as an electromagnetic wave and extending the electromagnetic spectrum beyond visible light. In the twentieth century, Einstein's photoelectric effect introduced the concept of wave-particle duality, demonstrating that light behaves as discrete photons. Soon after, Louis de Broglie extended the idea of wave-particle duality to matter, a prediction confirmed in 1927 when Clinton Davisson and Lester Germer observed electron diffraction from a crystal and, independently, G.P. Thomson demonstrated electron diffraction through thin films, both proving that electrons also exhibit wave-like properties. This concept was dramatically visualized by Claus Jonsson's 1961 electron double-slit experiment. Recently, the ALICE collaboration observed quantum interference patterns at the femtometer scale in ultra-relativistic nuclear collisions, pushing quantum interference studies to new frontiers.
The double slit experiment was first conceived of by the English physician-physicist Thomas Young in 1801. It was the first demonstrative proof that light possesses a wave nature. In this experiment, light is made to pass through two very narrow slits that are spaced closely apart and a screen placed on the other side captures a pattern of alternating bright and dark stripes called fringes, formed as a result of the interference of ripples of light emanating from either slit. The relative positions and intensities of the fringes on the screen can be calculated by employing two assumptions that help simplify the geometry of the slit-screen arrangement. Firstly, the screen to slit distance is taken to be larger than the inter-slit distance (far field limit) and secondly, the inter-slit distance is taken to be larger than the wavelength of light. This conventional approach can account for the positions and intensities of the fringes located in the central portion of the screen with a fair degree of precision. It however, fails to account for those fringes located in the peripheral portions of the screen and also, is not applicable to the case wherein the screen to slit distance is made comparable to the inter-slit distance (near field limit). In this paper, the original analysis of Young’s Experiment is reformulated using an analytically derived hyperbola equation, which is formed from the locus of the points of intersections of two uniformly expanding circular wavefronts of light that emanate from either slit source. Additionally, the shape of the screen used to capture the interference pattern is varied (linear, semicircular, semielliptical) and the relative positions of the fringes is calculated for each case. This new approach bears the distinctive advantage that it is applicable in both the far field and the near field scenarios, and since no assumptions are made beyond the Huygens-Fresnel principle, it is therefore, a much more generalized approach. For these reasons, the author suggests that the new analysis ought to be introduced into the Wave Optics chapter of the undergraduate Physics curriculum.
La théorie ondulatoire de Fresnel et la dualité onde-corpuscule par Michel et Alexandre Gondran article publié dans la Revue de l'Electricité et de l'Electronique (REE) de 2018, n • 5 Résumé La réponse de Fresnel à la question sur le phénomène de diffraction posée en 1818 par l'Académie des sciences et la controverse sur le point lumineux de Poisson-Arago marquent le début de la réfutation de la théorie corpusculaire de Newton et la réhabilitation de la théorie ondulatoire de Huygens. Après avoir rappelé ce moment historique, nous montrons théoriquement et par simulation comment les lignes de flux d'énergie permettent de compléter la réponse de Fresnel et d'expliquer le point lumineux de Poisson-Arago et de ne pas rejeter la théorie corpusculaire de Newton. Pour une onde monochromatique dans le vide, ces lignes de flux d'énergie correspondent aux rayons diffractés de l'Optique de Newton et peuvent être considérées comme les rayons de l'optique ondulatoire. On terminera par l'actualité des applications du point de Poisson-Arago avec aussi des particules massives. Abstract Fresnel's response to the Academy of Sciences' contest in 1818 on the subject of diffraction phenomena and the controversy over the Poisson-Arago bright spot mark the beginning of the refutation of Newton's corpuscular theory and the rehabilitation of Huygens' wave theory. After recalling this historical moment, we demonstrate theoretically and by simulation how energy flow lines make it possible to complete the Fresnel response and explain the Poisson-Arago bright spot while not invalidating Newton's corpuscular theory. For a monochromatic wave in a vacuum, these energy flow lines correspond to the diffracted rays of Newton's Optics and can be considered as the rays of wave optics. We will conclude by considering current applications of the Poisson-Arago bright spot to massive particles
The double-slit experiment in quantum mechanics is an experiment devised by physicist Thomas Young. It shows that light has both a wave nature or characteristic and a particle nature or characteristic, and that these natures are inseparable. So light is said to have wave–particle duality rather than be only a wave or only a particle. The same is true of electrons and other quantum particles. Although Christiaan Huygens thought that light was a wave, Isaac Newton did not. Newton felt that there were other explanations for color, and for the interference and diffraction effects that were observable at the time. Owing to Newton’s tremendous stature, his view generally prevailed. The fact that Huygens’s principle worked was not considered evidence that was direct enough to prove that light is a wave. The acceptance of the wave character of light came many years later when, in 1801, the English physicist and physician Thomas Young (1773–1829) did his now-classic double slit experiment
The Fresnel diffraction phenomenon referred to as Poisson's spot or spot of Arago has, beside its historical significance, become relevant in a number of fields. Among them are for example fundamental tests of the super-position principle in the transition from quantum to classical physics and the search for extra-solar planets using star shades. Poisson's spot refers to the positive on-axis wave interference in the shadow of any spherical or circular obstacle. While the spot's intensity is equal to the undisturbed field in the plane wave picture, its intensity in general depends on a number of factors, namely the size and wavelength of the source, the size and surface corrugation of the diffraction obstacle, and the distances between source, obstacle and detector. The intensity can be calculated by solving the Fresnel–Kirchhoff diffraction integral numerically, which however tends to be computationally expensive. We have therefore devised an analytical model for the on-axis intensity of Poisson's spot relative to the intensity of the undisturbed wave field and successfully validated it both using a simple light diffraction setup and numerical methods. The model will be useful for optimizing future Poisson-spot matter-wave diffraction experiments and determining under what experimental conditions the spot can be observed.
One of my favorite physics experiments was conducted by Thomas Young (1773-1829) when he demonstrated that light consists of waves by showing that the distribution of brightness by interfering beams could be explained by the additive and subtractive interference of the wavefronts. Young's experiment, performed in the early 1800s, played a vital role in the acceptance of the wave theory of light, defeating Isaac Newton's corpuscular theory which had been the accepted model of light propagation at that time. Although, a later observation by Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894) demonstrated that under different circumstances, the photoelectric effect can cause light to behave as if it is composed of discrete particles. These seemingly contradictory discoveries made it necessary to go beyond classical physics and eventually consider the quantum nature of light.