Computer-aided lecture experiment on wave optics

A complex of lecture demonstrations on wave optics with a personal computer used for control, processing, and representation of the experimental data is described in the present paper. A modern photodetector system built around a photodiode strip is used for recording of the light intensity distribution. The results of application of this complex to the study of dual-beam and multibeam interference of light and of the Fresnel and Fraunhofer types of diffraction by different objects are presented. The developed complex of lecture demonstrations allows the students to refine their understanding of the basic physical phenomena in optics. It also allows the teacher not only to visualize the lecture experiment but also to make it quantitative. ©2001 Plenum Publishing Corporation.