Question

Stealth aircraft are designed to not reflect radar, whose wavelength is typically $2 \mathrm{cm},$ by using an antireflecting coating. Ignoring any change in wavelength in the coating, estimate its thickness.

Name: Problem 54, Chapter 34: Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics
Uploaded: 2019-07-26T01:34:07-08:00
Duration: 28 s
Channel: Farhanul Hasan
Description: Stealth aircraft are designed to not reflect radar, whose wavelength is typically 2 cm, by using an antireflecting coating. Ignoring any change in wavelength in the coating, estimate its thickness.

   Stealth aircraft are designed to not reflect radar, whose
wavelength is typically $2 \mathrm{cm},$ by using an antireflecting
coating. Ignoring any change in wavelength in the coating,
estimate its thickness.

Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics

Douglas C. Giancoli 4th Edition

Chapter 34, Problem 54

Instant Answer

Solved by Expert Farhanul Hasan

07/26/2019

Step 1

This is because the radar wave will travel through the coating twice (once going in and once coming out), and we want these two paths to destructively interfere. Show more…

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Stealth aircraft are designed to not reflect radar, whose wavelength is typically $2 \mathrm{cm},$ by using an antireflecting coating. Ignoring any change in wavelength in the coating, estimate its thickness.

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Key Concepts

Electromagnetic Wave Interference

This concept explains how waves can combine such that when they overlap, their amplitudes can add or cancel each other out depending on their phase relationship. In the context of anti?reflection coatings, the goal is to arrange the thickness of the coating so that the wave reflected off the top surface destructively interferes with the wave reflected from the bottom surface, thereby reducing the overall reflected signal.

Quarter-Wavelength Coating Principle

A common strategy in designing antireflection coatings is to set the thickness of the coating to one quarter of the wavelength of the incident wave. This thickness creates a half-wavelength difference between the reflected waves from the two interfaces, leading to destructive interference. This principle is widely applicable in optics and is used in various technologies to reduce unwanted reflections.

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