# Constructive Interference of Electromagnetic Waves

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The electric and magnetic parts of an electromagnetic wave have the same wavelength and the same spatial relationship, so if the electric parts line up the magnetic ones do, too. There is only one wave, not three. If they are traveling in the same direction (as in a laser) they will stay in phase. Constructive interference works fine-that is what makes lasers work and interference patterns in light.

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### Pi_Co

Updated on August 03, 2020

So I was wondering if Electromagnetic wave has the same property of interference as normal waves. I understand that both the electric and magnetic parts of the wave would have to be in the same position at the same time. To negotiate the fact that only one part of the wave would match up at one time due to the fact that light can't go faster than it's self I had the idea for three waves all intersecting at the same point. All of these waves would be of different wavelengths so that they do not interfering with each other before the main point. If I knew of a good easy way off making a fbd I would but i am rather new to really doing physics Ioutside of a high school classroom. So I was wondering if constructive interference worked on electromagnetic waves and if it does whether or not is decrease's the wavelength (increasing the energy).

If you are interested in only one combination, you can only look at the two waves that contribute to it. It would be hard to make the difference frequency be in the visible unless one of the waves were already visible-UV monochromatic waves are hard to come by. You could imagine adding two $9.4 - 10.6 \mu m\ CO_2$ frequencies to get one in the visible spectrum. The size of the fringe will depend on the frequency difference. Whether you can make it bright enough to be visible I have no idea.
No, you add the frequencies, so the wavelength is roughly half. But I am off a factor $10$. That gets $5 \mu m$, not $0.5 \mu m$ You need a much closer infrared laser than $CO_2$