Chapter 31, Problem 14A

What is an interferometer, and on what physics principle is it based?

To determine

To Explain: The interferometer and the physics principle that it is based on.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

Interference can be defined as the phenomena of superimposing of two waves to produce a resultant wave of different amplitude.

Interferometer is defined as the device that provides exact measurements of the wave’s wavelengths. It is based on the principle of the interference.

In this, a light beam is divided into two beams of light having approximately same intensity by half mirror. One beam is focused onto the surface of the specimen while other beam is on the flat reference mirror. Now, the reflected beam obtained from these two surfaces superimpose with each other and produce an interference pattern. Based on this pattern, wave characteristics and the characteristics of the material that reflected beam can be measured.