Question:medium

The property of light which cannot be explained by Huygen's construction of a wavefront is:

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Huygen’s wave theory explains wave phenomena like diffraction and interference but fails to explain phenomena requiring quantum mechanics, such as the photoelectric effect and spectral emissions.
Updated On: Nov 26, 2025
  • Refraction
  • Reflection
  • Diffraction
  • Origin of spectra
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding Huygens' Wave Theory

Huygens' wave theory posits that each point on a wavefront acts as a source of secondary wavelets, enabling the derivation of the laws of: Reflection, Refraction, and Diffraction.

Step 2: Analyzing the Given Options

Reflection: Huygens' principle explains reflection by how secondary wavelets from the incident wavefront form the reflected wavefront.

Refraction: Huygens' principle explains refraction by the differential speeds of wavefront parts traversing media with varying refractive indices.

Diffraction: Huygens' principle accounts for diffraction; each wavefront point is a secondary wavelet source, allowing light to bend around obstructions.

Step 3: Limitations of Huygens' Principle Regarding Spectra

Spectral lines originate from atomic photon emission and absorption, a phenomenon explained by quantum mechanics. Huygens' wave theory omits the particle nature of light and energy quantization, crucial for understanding:

Atomic emission spectra, Blackbody radiation, and the Photoelectric effect.

As Huygens' theory solely addresses the wave nature of light, excluding its quantum properties, it cannot elucidate the origin of spectra.

Therefore, the correct option is: \(\mathbf{D}\)

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