Bragg diffraction using microwaves

1. Purpose:
PerformavariationoftheBraggdiffractionexperiment[1]usingmicrowavesinsteadofXrays.
Instead of having Xrays diffracted by atoms in crystal, the experiment uses a 3D network of
steelballsplacedinsideafoamcube[2].

2. Apparatus:
BraggReflectioncubesetCENCO36860
MicrowavemodulationkitPASCO,modelWA9318
Oscilloscope

3. Descriptionofexperiment:
The experiment is using a microwave transmitter to shine microwaves onto a foam cube
containingaregular,crystallikestructureofsteelballs.Areceiverisgatheringthemicrowave
radiation after being reflected by the steel structure. Knowing the wavelength of the
microwaves, the distance between the Bragg planes and the angle between the incident and
diffractedbeams,onecanverifytheBraggequation.
The main components of the Bragg reflection cube are the 5 layers of 1.9cm (3/4)
polyethylene foam, which are virtually transparent to microwaves. The layers have holes to
accommodate5x5x5=125steelchromeballsthatactasscatteringcenters(seeFig.1[3]).

Fig.1.TheBraggreflectioncubemadeof5layersoffoamandcontaining125steelballs.

The microwave transmitter and receiver are shown in Fig. 2 [4]. The former is a Gunn Diode
Microwave Transmitter which provides 15 mW of coherent, linearly polarized microwave
output at a wavelength =2.85 cm. Looking at the cube, what can you say about and the
steels chrome balls? The unit consists of a Gunn diode in a 10.525 GHz resonant cavity, a
microwavehorntodirecttheoutput,andan18cmstandtohelpreducetabletopreflections.
CAUTION:neverlookdirectlyintothemicrowavehornatcloserangewhentheTransmitteris
on!!Amicrowavemodulator(notshowninFig.2)isconnectedtothetransmitter(seemanual
[5])tomodulatetheemittedpowerbyatriangularwaveinthekHzrange.
The Microwave Receiver provides a meter reading that, for low amplitude signals, is
approximatelyproportionaltotheintensityoftheincidentmicrowavesignal.Amicrowavehorn
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identicaltothatoftheTransmitter'scollectsthemicrowavesignalandchannelsittoaSchottky
diode in a 10.525 GHz resonant cavity. The diode responds only to the component of a
microwavesignalthatispolarizedalongthediodeaxis,producingaDCvoltagethatvarieswith
the magnitude of the microwave signal. Special features of the Receiver include four
amplification rangesfrom one to thirtywith a variable sensitivity knob that allows fine
tuning of the amplification in each range. The INTENSITY selection settings (30X, 10X, 3X, 1X)
arethevaluesyoumustmultiplythemeterreadingbytonormalizeyourmeasurements.30X,
for example, is the lowest amplification ratio and it means that you must multiply the meter
readingby30togetthesamevalueyouwouldmeasureforthesamesignalwiththeINTENSITY
selection set to 1X. Of course, this is true only if you do not change the position of the
VARIABLESENSITIVITYknobbetweenmeasurements.
Abananaplugconnectorsprovideforanoutputsignalwhichyouwilluseforcloseexamination
of the signal using an oscilloscope. The receiver is battery powered and has an LED battery
indicator;iftheLEDlightswhenyouturnontheReceiver,thebatteryisworking.Aswiththe
Transmitter,an18cmhighmountminimizestabletopreflections.

Fig.2.Microwavetransmitter(left)andreceiver(right).

Inthebackgroundsectionofyourreport,youhavetodescribetheBraggtheory(hint:seethe
CENCOcubemanualonline)andgivetheerrorpropagationanalysis.

4. Measurementprocedure:
4.1 Pluginthepowersupplyofthemodulatorandconnectittothetransmitter,itsLEDlight
willindicatetheunitis ON. TurntheINTENSITYselectionswitchfromOFFto30X,thelowest
amplificationlevel.ThebatteryindicatorLEDshouldlight,indicatingthatthebatteryisokay.If
itdoesnot,thebatteryneedstobereplaced.
4.2 Arrange the equipment as shown in Fig. 3 [4]. Place the foam hub assembly on the
alignmentdiskwiththearrowpointingto0.Tominimizeerrantsignalsfromthetransmitter
sidelobes,placethetransmitteronthestationaryarm5060cmfromtheturntableassembly.
Place the receiver on the rotatable arm at about 35 cm. Notice the three families of planes
indicatedinFig.3right(thedesignations(100),(110),and(210)aretheMillerindicesforthese
setsofplanes.)AdjusttheTransmitterandReceiversothattheydirectlyfaceeachother.Align
thecrystalsothatthe(100)planesareparalleltotheincidentmicrowavebeam.
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Fig. 3. (left) Equipment setup: the cube is sitting on a rotating table with angular markings. (right)
AtomicplanesoftheBraggcrystal.

4.3
Pointthemicrowavehorntowardtheincidentmicrowavesignal.Adjustthepolarization
anglesoftheTransmitterandReceivertothesameorientation(e.g.,bothhornsvertically,or
bothhornshorizontally).
4.4 Adjust the VARIABLE SENSITIVITY knob to attain a meter reading near midscale. If no
deflection of the meter occurs, increase the amplification by turning the INTENSITY selection
switchclockwise.Remember,alwaysmultiplyyourmeterreadingbytheappropriateINTENSITY
selection(30X,10X,3X,or1X)ifyouwanttomakeaquantitativecomparisonofmeasurements
takenatdifferentINTENSITYsettings.
4.5 ConnectoscilloscopesCH1totheOUTPUTbananaconnectorsofthereceiver(readthe
WA9318manual[5])andCH2totheSCOPEoutputofthemodulator.SetthetriggeronCH2
and adjust the frequency, amplitude, and bias of the modulating signal using the controls on
theMicrowaveModulatortooptimizetheshapeandsizeofthedetectedsignalCH1(TheBIAS
control adjusts the DC voltage level of the Gunn Diode in the Microwave Transmitter. The
modulatingsignalthenvariestheGunnDiodevoltageaboutthisDCvoltage.Properadjustment
oftheBIASisnecessarytoproducealinear,unclippedmicrowavesignalfromtheGunndiode.)
Youmayneedtoreadjustthesettingsafterrotatingthecrystal,butonceyouhaveagoodset
ofparameters,dontchangethem!Keepthemconstantthroughouttheexperiment.
4.6 Rotate the crystal (with the rotating table) one degree clockwise and the Rotatable
Goniometerarmtwodegreesclockwise.Recordthegrazingangleoftheincidentbeamandthe
meterreading.(thegrazingangleisthecomplementoftheangleofincidence.Itismeasured
withrespecttotheplaneunderinvestigation,NOTthefaceofthecube;seeFig.4.)

Fig.4Definitionofthegrazingangleintheexperiment(left)andintheoryasinn=2dsin(right).
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4.7 Continueinthismanner,rotatingtheGoniometerarmtwodegreesforeveryonedegree
rotation of the crystal. Average the oscilloscope acquisition 128 scans but every time you
change the angle, restart the averaging. Record the angle and oscilloscope reading at each
position.YouwillneedtoadjusttheINTENSITYsettingontheReceiver,besuretoindicatethat
inyourdata.
4.8

Repeattheexperimentforotherfamiliesofplanes.Forinstance,do(110).

4.9 Gobacktothe(100)planesandmodulatethemicrowavebeamwithsound(radio,ipod,
etc)!Confirmthelocationofthe2ndlargestmaximum.Usetheaudiopreampandthespeaker.

5. Analysis:
5.1 Graphtherelativeintensityofthediffractedsignalasafunctionofthegrazingangleof
theincidentbeam.Atwhatanglesdodefinitepeaksforthediffractedintensityoccur?
5.2 Use your data and estimate the uncertainty of the diffraction peak which is not
necessarilytheangularresolutionofreadingtheangle.Thepeakwidthisveryimportanthere.
5.3 Use the found diffraction angles, the known wavelength of the microwave radiation
(2.85 cm), and Braggs Law to determine the spacing between the (100) planes of the Bragg
Crystal.Evaluatetheerrorpropagationonthespacing(useBraggslawand5.2).
5.4 Measurethespacingbetweentheplanesdirectly,andcomparewithyourexperimental
determination. Using the measured spacing, calculate the theoretical values of the angles
whereBraggpeaksshouldoccur.Comparethemwithyourfindings.

6.Questions:(hint:readtheonlinePDFfiles!)
6.1 What other families of planes might you expect to show diffraction in a cubic crystal?
Wouldyouexpectthediffractiontobeobservablewiththisapparatus?Why?
6.2Supposeyoudidnotknowbeforehandtheorientationoftheinteratomicplanesinthe
crystal. How would this affect the complexity of the experiment? How would you go about
locatingtheplanes?
6.3WhatlimitisimposedonthewavelengthbytheBraggreflectionequation?Howcould
youincreasethenumbersofordersobserved?

7.References
[1]IntroductiontoSolidStatePhysics,byC.Kittel,8thEd.,Wiley&Sonspress(2004),Chapter2.
[2]TheArtofExperimentalPhysics,byDarylW.PrestonandEricR.Dietz,JohnWileyandSons
(1991),p.180.
[3]TheBraggReflectionCubeSetCENCONo36860manual,PDFavailableonline.
[4]MicrowaveOptics,PASCOmanual,pp.13,3334,44,PDFavailableonline.
[5]Microwavemodulationkit,modelPASCOWA9318,PDFavailableonline.
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