Use of the power Led in Optics laboratories

Abstract

After lighting homes, streets and buildings for over 100 years, the incandescent bulb created by T. A. Edison, will soon become a relic of the past. Many countries have taken steps to replace it to another more efficient light energy source. Additionally, the incandescent bulbs have been gradually replaced by fluorescent bulbs that are more economical and, currently, in residential lighting, their compact equivalents. However, this type of lamp is beginning to be replaced and the alternative that presents itself is the power LED. In Optics laboratories teaching is common to use several types of light sources, from a simple candle to semiconductor lasers. Thus, in experiments involving Geometric Optics and light polarization, among others, it is common to use traditional sources such as incandescence and low pressure gas. In experiments involving the phenomenon of light interference, it is easier to use sources of high grade of coherency, such as gas lasers and semiconductor lasers. The purpose of this paper is to present, in a simple and didactic way, a source of light that uses a LED power and show that it can replace, with many advantages, the light sources traditionally used in many optical experiments.