Table of Contents
What is the physical meaning of moving one of the mirrors in Michelson interferometer?
An experimenter detects 251 fringes when the movable mirror in a Michelson interferometer is displaced. A Michelson interferometer is used to measure the wavelength of light put through it. When the movable mirror is moved by exactly 0.100 mm, the number of fringes observed moving through is 316.
How do you calculate the number of fringes in a Michelson interferometer?
The m = 122 fringes observed compose the difference between the number of wavelengths that fit within the empty chamber (vacuum) and the number of wavelengths that fit within the same chamber when it is gas-filled. The wavelength in the filled chamber is shorter by a factor of n, the index of refraction. N=Lλ=2tλ0/n.
Which mirror is movable in Michelson interferometer?
The incident beam is therefore split into two beams; one beam is transmitted toward the movable mirror (M1), the other is reflected toward the fixed mirror (M2). Both mirrors reflect light directly back toward the beam- splitter.
What is D Michelson interferometer?
Precise distance measurements can be made with the Michelson interferometer by moving the mirror and counting the interference fringes which move by a reference point. The distance d associated with m fringes is d = mλ/2 .
What are fringes in Michelson interferometer?
The fringes formed in Michelson interferometer may be circular, curved or straight depending upon the nature of the air film. Concentric circular fringes (fringes of equal inclination): Concentric circular fringes are obtained when the air film is parallel as shown in Fig. 2.
What is use of Michelson interferometer?
The Michelson interferometer and its modifications are used in the optical industry for testing lenses and prisms, for measuring index of refraction, and for examining minute details of surfaces (microtopographies). The instrument consists of a half-silvered mirror that divides a light beam into two equal parts,…