Plane wave expansion method
Do you know what a wave is? It's like when you throw a rock in a calm pond and you see the ripples spreading out in all directions. That's a kind of wave!
Now imagine that instead of throwing a rock in a pond, you're shining a light on a surface. The light also creates waves, but they're too small for us to see with our eyes.
Scientists use something called the "plane wave expansion method" to help them understand these light waves. What they do is they imagine that the waves are made up of lots of tiny waves, all moving in the same direction like soldiers marching in a straight line.
These tiny waves are called "plane waves." By putting lots of plane waves together, scientists can get a better idea of what the overall light wave looks like.
It's kind of like building a tower out of blocks. You start with one block, then add more and more until you have a big tower. The plane wave expansion method is like building a wave out of lots of tiny waves!
Now imagine that instead of throwing a rock in a pond, you're shining a light on a surface. The light also creates waves, but they're too small for us to see with our eyes.
Scientists use something called the "plane wave expansion method" to help them understand these light waves. What they do is they imagine that the waves are made up of lots of tiny waves, all moving in the same direction like soldiers marching in a straight line.
These tiny waves are called "plane waves." By putting lots of plane waves together, scientists can get a better idea of what the overall light wave looks like.
It's kind of like building a tower out of blocks. You start with one block, then add more and more until you have a big tower. The plane wave expansion method is like building a wave out of lots of tiny waves!
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