Statement
13.1.11. If a tube with a smooth inner surface is placed between a point source and a screen, a system of concentric rings will appear on the screen. Explain the reason for their appearance.
Solution
The appearance of the system of concentric rings is explained by the laws of geometric optics (multiple reflections), not by interference.
Light from the point source spreads in all directions. Some of the rays pass through the tube directly, illuminating the central spot on the screen. The remaining rays fall on the smooth inner walls of the tube at various angles and undergo reflections.
Due to the cylindrical symmetry of the tube, a group of rays that has undergone exactly one reflection from the walls (
Rays falling on the walls at slightly larger angles will undergo exactly two reflections inside the tube (
Since the number of reflections a ray undergoes from the tube walls can only take integer discrete values (
(For more details on this optical phenomenon, see: Reflections in a Polished Tube)
Answer
The rings appear due to the multiple reflections of light from the cylindrical walls of the tube. Each ring is formed by a beam of rays that have undergone a strictly defined integer number of reflections (