JEE Challenger
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Monochromatic Light Ray Incident on Quadrilateral Prism

A ray OP of monochromatic light is incident on the face AB of prism ABCD near vertex B at an incident angle of 60∘60^\circ (see figure). If the refractive index of the material of the prism is 3\sqrt{3}, which of the following is (are) correct ?

Diagram 0

Options

A

The ray gets totally internally reflected at face CD

Correct
B

The ray comes out through face AD

Correct
C

The angle between the incident ray and the emergent ray is 90∘90^\circ

Correct
D

The angle between the incident ray and the emergent ray is 120∘120^\circ

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine the correct options, we analyze the path of the monochromatic light ray step-by-step as it traverses the quadrilateral prism ABCDABCD.

1. Refraction at Face ABAB

From the given geometry of the prism:

  • ∠A=90∘\angle A = 90^\circ
  • ∠B=60∘\angle B = 60^\circ
  • ∠C=135∘\angle C = 135^\circ
  • ∠D=75∘\angle D = 75^\circ
  • Refractive index of the prism, μ=3\mu = \sqrt{3}.

Let face ADAD lie along the positive xx-axis and face ABAB along the positive yy-axis. The normal to face ABAB is parallel to the xx-axis.

The incident ray OPOP hits face ABAB at an angle of incidence i1=60∘i_1 = 60^\circ. By Snell's Law at face ABAB:
1⋅sin⁡(i1)=μsin⁡(r1)1 \cdot \sin(i_1) = \mu \sin(r_1)
sin⁡(60∘)=3sin⁡(r1)\sin(60^\circ) = \sqrt{3} \sin(r_1)
32=3sin⁡(r1)  ⟹  sin⁡(r1)=12  ⟹  r1=30∘\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} = \sqrt{3} \sin(r_1) \implies \sin(r_1) = \frac{1}{2} \implies r_1 = 30^\circ

The unit vector in the direction of the incident ray is:
v^inc=cos⁡(60∘)i^−sin⁡(60∘)j^=12i^−32j^\hat{v}_{\text{inc}} = \cos(60^\circ)\hat{i} - \sin(60^\circ)\hat{j} = \frac{1}{2}\hat{i} - \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\hat{j}

The unit vector of the refracted ray inside the prism is:
v^ref1=cos⁡(30∘)i^−sin⁡(30∘)j^=32i^−12j^\hat{v}_{\text{ref1}} = \cos(30^\circ)\hat{i} - \sin(30^\circ)\hat{j} = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\hat{i} - \frac{1}{2}\hat{j}

2. Propagation towards Face CDCD

The direction of face BCBC relative to face ABAB (which is along +j^+\hat{j}) makes an angle of 60∘60^\circ downwards, given by the unit vector:
u^BC=sin⁡(60∘)i^−cos⁡(60∘)j^=32i^−12j^\hat{u}_{BC} = \sin(60^\circ)\hat{i} - \cos(60^\circ)\hat{j} = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\hat{i} - \frac{1}{2}\hat{j}

Since v^ref1=u^BC\hat{v}_{\text{ref1}} = \hat{u}_{BC}, the refracted ray travels parallel to face BCBC. Because point PP is near vertex BB, the ray does not intersect face BCBC and directly reaches face CDCD.

3. Total Internal Reflection at Face CDCD

The angle of line CDCD relative to the xx-axis is −75∘-75^\circ. Since the ray travels at an angle of −30∘-30^\circ with the xx-axis, the angle between the ray and face CDCD is:
θ=∣−30∘−(−75∘)∣=45∘\theta = |-30^\circ - (-75^\circ)| = 45^\circ

Thus, the angle of incidence at face CDCD is:
iCD=90∘−45∘=45∘i_{CD} = 90^\circ - 45^\circ = 45^\circ

The critical angle θc\theta_c for the prism-air interface is given by:
sin⁡(θc)=1μ=13≈0.577\sin(\theta_c) = \frac{1}{\mu} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \approx 0.577

Since sin⁡(iCD)=sin⁡(45∘)=12≈0.707>sin⁡(θc)\sin(i_{CD}) = \sin(45^\circ) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} \approx 0.707 > \sin(\theta_c), we have iCD>θci_{CD} > \theta_c.
Therefore, the ray undergoes Total Internal Reflection (TIR) at face CDCD (Option A is correct).

4. Reflection and Emergence at Face ADAD

The angle of reflection at face CDCD is rCD=45∘r_{CD} = 45^\circ. The reflected ray undergoes a total direction shift of 2×45∘=90∘2 \times 45^\circ = 90^\circ downwards/inwards.

The direction vector of the reflected ray inside the prism is:
v^refl=cos⁡(−120∘)i^+sin⁡(−120∘)j^=−12i^−32j^\hat{v}_{\text{refl}} = \cos(-120^\circ)\hat{i} + \sin(-120^\circ)\hat{j} = -\frac{1}{2}\hat{i} - \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\hat{j}

This reflected ray travels towards face ADAD (which lies on y=0y = 0). Hence, the ray comes out through face ADAD (Option B is correct).

The normal to face ADAD is along −j^-\hat{j}. The angle of incidence at face ADAD is:
cos⁡(iAD)=v^refl⋅(−j^)=32  ⟹  iAD=30∘\cos(i_{AD}) = \hat{v}_{\text{refl}} \cdot (-\hat{j}) = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \implies i_{AD} = 30^\circ

By Snell's Law at face ADAD:
μsin⁡(iAD)=1⋅sin⁡(e)\mu \sin(i_{AD}) = 1 \cdot \sin(e)
3sin⁡(30∘)=sin⁡(e)  ⟹  sin⁡(e)=32  ⟹  e=60∘\sqrt{3} \sin(30^\circ) = \sin(e) \implies \sin(e) = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \implies e = 60^\circ

The direction unit vector of the emergent ray in air is:
v^emergent=−sin⁡(60∘)i^−cos⁡(60∘)j^=−32i^−12j^\hat{v}_{\text{emergent}} = -\sin(60^\circ)\hat{i} - \cos(60^\circ)\hat{j} = -\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\hat{i} - \frac{1}{2}\hat{j}

5. Angle Between Incident and Emergent Rays

Taking the scalar product of the incident ray vector v^inc\hat{v}_{\text{inc}} and the emergent ray vector v^emergent\hat{v}_{\text{emergent}}:
v^inc⋅v^emergent=(12)(−32)+(−32)(−12)=0\hat{v}_{\text{inc}} \cdot \hat{v}_{\text{emergent}} = \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)\left(-\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\right) + \left(-\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\right)\left(-\frac{1}{2}\right) = 0

Since the dot product is zero, the angle between the incident ray and the emergent ray is 90∘90^\circ (Option C is correct).

Conclusion

The correct options are A, B, and C.