How do I estimate the diffraction angles of laser light which illuminates a CD? Does the storage capacity have an impact?
Theories I have considered are:
However I'm finding it difficult to approach the problem using the theorems stated.
A cd is basically a diffraction grating with line spacing of $\approx 1.6\; \mu$m. The true value depends on the exact storage capacity of the CD e.g. 650, 700 or 750 Mb for example. The actual data that is stored on a cd has no impact on the diffraction angles. A DVD will produce different angles due to its different line spacing of $0.74\; \mu$m. The CD/DVD can either be used in reflection as it is or in transmission by removing the foil on the backside. I prefered the transmission geometry but its more or less only a geometrical consideration.
