When a ray of colored light and white light are passed through a double-slit experiment, they exhibit different behaviors due to the nature of light and the way colors are perceived.
White light is a combination of all visible colors, which can be separated into a spectrum through a process called dispersion. When white light passes through a double-slit experiment, it will spread out and create an interference pattern on a screen or detector. This pattern arises due to the wave nature of light, as it diffracts and interferes with itself after passing through the slits. The interference pattern consists of alternating bright and dark fringes, known as interference maxima and minima, respectively.
On the other hand, a ray of colored light consists of a single wavelength or a narrow range of wavelengths. Each color corresponds to a specific wavelength or a combination of wavelengths. When a single-color (monochromatic) light passes through the double-slit experiment, it will also create an interference pattern, similar to what is observed with white light. However, since the ray of colored light consists of a narrower range of wavelengths, the resulting interference pattern may have different characteristics, such as a different spacing between the fringes or a color-specific pattern.
The reason why an interference pattern occurs in the double-slit experiment is that light behaves as a wave and exhibits wave interference. When light passes through the slits, it diffracts, or spreads out, as it encounters the edges of the slits. These diffracted waves then overlap and interfere with each other, creating the observed pattern of light and dark fringes.
The specific spacing and appearance of the interference pattern depend on the wavelength(s) of light used, the distance between the slits, and the distance from the slits to the screen or detector. The double-slit experiment is a fundamental demonstration of the wave-particle duality of light and serves as a cornerstone of quantum mechanics.