Problem 4: Coloured Line

“When a compact disc or DVD is illuminated with light coming from a filament lamp in such a way that only rays with large angles of incidence are selected, a clear green line can be observed. The colour varies upon slightly changing the angle of the disc. Explain and investigate this phenomenon.”

I. Phenomenon Demonstration

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxoA2CVFCeE

II. Books, Encyclopedia, Discussion and Forum Posts

• https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/464911/why-do-we-see-a-rainbow-of-colors-reflected-off-a-cd-or-dvd

• H. S. W. Contributors, HowStuffWorks (2000). https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question52.htm

• C. Nöldeke, The Physics Teacher 28, 484 (1990).

• https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9120/28/1/002

• Wikipedia (2022). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridescence

• http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/gratcal.html
• https://www.newport.com/n/diffraction-grating-physics
• https://www.thenakedscientists.com/get-naked/experiments/colours-cds
• https://pressbooks.nscc.ca/heatlightsound/chapter/27-4-multiple-slit-diffraction/
• http://panchbhaya.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/7/0/13701351/phys12_c10_10_3.pdf
• https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=8954105&fileOId=8954108
• https://javalab.org/en/light_interference_on_cd_surface_en/
• https://www.quora.com/Why-does-a-CD-reflect-rainbow-colors/answer/Brad-Moffat-1?ch=10&oid=200189570&share=b554dcef&target_type=answer
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huygens%E2%80%93Fresnel_principle
• https://www.physics.louisville.edu/cldavis/phys299/notes/lo_interference.html
• http://www.vikdhillon.staff.shef.ac.uk/teaching/phy217/instruments/phy217_inst_grating.html#:~:text=Since%20the%20angle%20of%20diffraction,distance%20d%20between%20adjacent%20slits
• http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/grating.html
• https://inspiredtobescientist.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/why-do-cds-reflect-rainbow-colors/
• https://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/bub_dome.html#:~:text=Why%20are%20soap%20bubbles%20so,the%20waves%20in%20the%20ocean

III. Research Papers

• Barreiro, J. J., Pons, A., Barreiro, J. C., Castro-Palacio, J. C., & Monsoriu, J. A. Diffraction by electronic components of everyday use. American Journal of Physics, 82(3), 257–261. (2014). 

• R. De Luca, M. Di Mauro, O. Fiore, and A. Naddeo, American Journal of Physics 86, 169 (2018).
• Fernández-Dorado, J., Hernández-Andrés, J., Valero, E. M., Nieves, J. L., & Romero, J. A simple experiment to distinguish between replicated and duplicated compact discs using Fraunhofer diffraction. American Journal of Physics, 76(12), 1137–1140. (2008).  
• Birriel, J. J. Diffraction by “sheer coincidence”. The Physics Teacher, 56(9), 648–649. (2018).