Question

In a large vacuum chamber, monochromatic laser light passes through a narrow slit in a thin aluminum plate and forms a diffraction pattern on a screen that is 0.620 m from the slit. When the aluminum plate has a temperature of 20.0°C, the width of the central maximum in the diffraction pattern is 2.75 mm. What is the change in the width of the central maximum when the temperature of the plate is raised to 520.0°C? Does the width of the central diffraction maximum increase or decrease when the temperature is increased?

Short answer

The width of the central maximum when the temperature of the plate is raised to 520.0°C is -0.033mm and when the temperature rises, the width of the central diffraction maximum shrinks.

Step-by-step solution

Central diffraction maximum

The width of the central diffraction maximum changes

The width of the central maximum when the temperature of the plate is raised to 520.0°C

By substituting

On putting the values;

Hence, when the temperature rises, the width of the central diffraction maximum shrinks.