Interference and Coherence
Interference means the phenomenon that takes place when two or more waves are superimposed over one another, thereby creating a resultant wave of whose amplitude and phase depend on characteristics of individual waves. Depending on the phase relationship between two waves that happens to overlap, interference can produce an amplification of the combined wave’s amplitude by adding with each other if in constructive condition or attenuation through destructive interaction.
Coherence provide the potential condition for interference. We can say they Coherence and Interference are two features that complement each other. For constructive interference, coherence is the ideal condition that need to be satisfied.
Coherent Source
Coherent Source is the source of waves that produce waves with the same frequency, same wavelength, and constant phase or constant phase difference. Coherent Sources are important in wave optics as they provide conditions for interference of waves to produce highly focussed and directional beam of light.
In this article, we will learn about coherent source, its types, characteristics, how to produce coherent source, its application and difference between coherent and incoherent source in detail.