Interferometers are investigative tools used in many fields of science and engineering. They are called interferometers because they work by merging two or more sources of light to create an interference pattern, which can be measured and analyzed; hence 'Interfere-o-meter', or interferometer.
How did the interferometer work?
How does the Michelson interferometer work?
The Michelson interferometer produces interference fringes by splitting a beam of light so that one beam strikes a fixed mirror and the other a movable mirror. When the reflected beams are brought back together, an interference pattern results.
How do Ligos work?
LIGO's optics system amplifies and splits a laser beam down two 4-km-long orthogonal tubes. The two beams build power by resonating between reflective mirrors, or “test masses,” suspended at either end of each arm. This creates an emitted wavelength of unprecedented precision.
How does an interferometer measure distance?
A simple interferometer for measuring both relative displacement and absolute distance is fabricated that uses a laser diode. The sign of the displacement is detected by means of a λ/8 plate, and the distance is measured by a FM radar technique of modulating the laser-diode frequency.
What is the application of interferometer?
Interferometry devices have extensive applications in all branches of science, technology and medicine. Within the field of fiber optics, interferometers are employed in the precise measurement of small displacements, refractive index changes, surface irregularities/topography, among other observational procedures.
How does a Fabry Perot interferometer work?
The Fabry-Perot interferometer uses the phenomenon of multiple beam interference that arises when light shines through a cavity bounded by two reflective parallel surfaces. Each time the light encounters one of the surfaces, a portion of it is transmitted out, and the remaining part is reflected back.
What is an interferometer and what is the history of Michelson’s interferometer?
The Michelson interferometer is a common configuration for optical interferometry and was invented by the 19/20th-century American physicist Albert Abraham Michelson. Using a beam splitter, a light source is split into two arms.
How did they detect gravitational waves?
In 2015, scientists detected gravitational waves for the very first time. They used a very sensitive instrument called LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory). These first gravitational waves happened when two black holes crashed into one another. The collision happened 1.3 billion years ago.
How does an interferometer detect gravitational waves?
How do interferometers detect gravitational waves? A gravitational wave is predicted to stretch space-time in one direction and contract it in the perpendicular direction. Changes in the distance along the arms are detected by looking at the interference pattern of light sent along the arms.