Final answer:
Rayleigh Scattering is when light is scattered by small particles, affecting the color of the sky. The intensity of light in interference patterns formed by slits is given by d sin θ = mλ. The Rayleigh criterion, θ = 1.22λ/D, provides the minimum angular resolution between two light sources.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Rayleigh Scattering
Rayleigh Scattering is a physical phenomenon that occurs when light or other electromagnetic radiation is scattered by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. It is responsible for the blue color of the sky, as the shorter (bluer) wavelengths of sunlight are scattered more than the longer (redder) wavelengths by the gases in the Earth's atmosphere.
In the context of the double slit interference, a pattern of bright and dark lines called interference fringes is formed when light passes through two closely spaced slits. The equation d sin θ = mλ, where d is the slit separation, θ is the angle of the fringe from the central axis, m is the order of the fringe, and λ is the wavelength of light, describes the position of these bright and dark fringes. The intensity of the fringes diminishes with distance from the center.
The Rayleigh criterion, given by the equation θ = 1.22λ/D, establishes the minimum angular separation θ for which two point light sources can be resolved. D is the aperture diameter. This criterion is crucial for understanding the limits of optical resolution in telescopes and microscopes, for instance.
Equation for Light Intensity in Rayleigh Scattering
In terms of scattered light intensity, the Rayleigh criterion does not directly provide an intensity equation, but implies that intensity I falls off with the square of the distance if the radiation disperses uniformly in all directions—I ∝ 1/distance2.