Michelson's interferometer played an important role in improving our understanding of light, and it has many practical uses today. For example, it may be used to measure distances precisely. Suppose the mirror labeled 1 in the figure below is movable. Light source A E S G 4 B Detector nm 2 If the laser light has a wavelength of 646.0 nm, how many fringes will pass across the detector if mirror 1 is moved just 1.520 mm? fringes If you can easily detect the passage of just one fringe, how accurately can you measure the displacement of the mirror?

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ISBN:9781938168185
Author:William Moebs, Jeff Sanny
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Chapter4: Diffraction
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Michelson's interferometer played an important role in improving our understanding of light, and it has many practical uses today. For example, it may be used to measure distances
precisely. Suppose the mirror labeled 1 in the figure below is movable.
Light
source
Detector
V
E
L
S
G
4
B
If the laser light has a wavelength of 646.0 nm, how many fringes will pass across the detector if mirror 1 is moved just 1.520 mm?
fringes
nm
If you can easily detect the passage of just one fringe, how accurately can you measure the displacement of the mirror?
Transcribed Image Text:Michelson's interferometer played an important role in improving our understanding of light, and it has many practical uses today. For example, it may be used to measure distances precisely. Suppose the mirror labeled 1 in the figure below is movable. Light source Detector V E L S G 4 B If the laser light has a wavelength of 646.0 nm, how many fringes will pass across the detector if mirror 1 is moved just 1.520 mm? fringes nm If you can easily detect the passage of just one fringe, how accurately can you measure the displacement of the mirror?
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