laserdifraktsioon

Laserdifraktsioon, also known as laser diffraction, is a phenomenon where a laser beam is scattered when it interacts with a sample. This scattering pattern is a direct result of the physical properties of the sample, such as particle size and shape. When a laser beam passes through or reflects off a sample, the light waves are bent or diffracted at various angles. The resulting pattern of bright and dark spots, or fringes, provides valuable information about the sample's structure.

The fundamental principle behind laser diffraction is Huygens' principle, which states that every point on a wavefront can be considered a source of secondary spherical wavelets. The superposition of these wavelets creates the diffraction pattern. For particles, the size and shape determine the angles at which the light is diffracted. Smaller particles tend to diffract light at larger angles, while larger particles diffract light at smaller angles.

Laser diffraction is a widely used analytical technique in various scientific and industrial fields. It is particularly useful for particle size analysis, where it can quickly and accurately determine the distribution of particle sizes in a powder, suspension, or emulsion. This technique finds applications in pharmaceuticals for quality control of drug particles, in materials science for characterizing powders and catalysts, and in environmental science for analyzing airborne particles or water samples. The simplicity of the method, combined with its speed and non-destructive nature, makes it a powerful tool for understanding the microstructural properties of materials.