The michelson and morley 1887 experiment and the discovery. They are conveniently divided into two main classes. It can be used to carry out the following principal measurements. Conclusion we discussed the michelson morley experiment that employs a single photon interferometer, and pointed out that this experiment demonstrates that interference is independent of the motion of the earth. Michelson interferometer lab report robert clancy 04329741 november 9, 2005 abstract in this experiment the famous michelson interferometer and some of its uses are investigated. Record of experiment actual notes from lab notebook shown on previous 4 pages. In this experiment you will use a very sensitive instrument, the. The mirrors are aluminum sheets, and the beamsplitter is a piece of coarse wire screening.
Experiment 4 the michelson interferometer 4 3 experiment in the following experiments, you will calibrate the movement of m 1 with the hene laser and use the interferometer to accurately measure. Align the laser and interferometer in the michelson mode, so an interference pattern is clearly visible on your viewing screen. References taylor, zafiratos and dubson, modern physics, second edition, section 1. Reviewing michelson interferometer experiment and measuring the speed of. Morley at what is now case western reserve university in. Figure 8 michelson interferometer with an extended source. Introduction the michelson interferometer is the fundamental form of a large variety of twobeam interferometer.
Recent repetitions of the michelsonmorley experiment perform heterodyne. The michelson interferometer is the best known of a class of mirrored interferometers known as amplitudesplitting interferometers. Themichelsoninterferometer simon fraser university. Michelson interferometers are complex to design and build. Phy 4264l michelson interferometer optics lab 210 the michelson interferometer in 1881, some 78 years after young introduced his twoslit experiment, a. Archived from the original pdf on 25 september 2018. These days, the michelson interferometer is used for very accurate determinations of the wavelength of spectral lines. The michelson morley experiment was an attempt to detect the existence of the luminiferous aether, a supposed medium permeating space that was thought to be the carrier of light waves. If m 2 is moved an additional onequarter wavelength closer to the. The index of refraction depends not only on the composition of the gas but also on the frequency of the light. Determination of the wavelengths of the sodium doublet.
Cahill, the michelson and morley 1887 experiment and the discovery of absolute motion, progress in physics, october 2005, volume 3, pp. With it, i determined the wavelengths of red and green light not with any great success, mind you apparently red light has a. Paper and wooden models are often created during the project to aid our engineering and manufacturing team construct the real instruments. This interferometer, used in 1817 in the famous michelson morley experiment, demonstrated the nonexistence of an electromagneticwavecarrying ether, thus paving the way for the special theory of relativity. The experiment was performed between april and july 1887 by albert a. The michelson interferometer in 1881, 78 years after young introduced his twoslit experiment, a. I had to use a very high speed in order to obtain a clearly visible phase shift. The source is an extended one and s1 and s2 are the virtual images of the source due to figure 2.
It was developed by albert michelson and used, in 1893, to measure the standard meter in units of the wavelength of the red line in the cadmium spectrum. In the beck apparatus, m2 of the michelson optics is mounted on a carriage that is driven by a micrometer. When light from the laser encounters the beam splitter it is divided in half. Proposal of michelsonmorley experiment via single photon. Conclusion we discussed the michelsonmorley experiment that employs a single photon interferometer, and pointed. Michelsons interferometer wavelength of laser beam theory. Special and general relativity notes on the michelsonmorley interferometer how it works a monochromatic light wave has one frequency or wavelength.
The two beams merged to one beam leaving the bending prism of the beam. Interferometry robert pizzi october 7, 2014 you should read this in full before beginning and use it as you plan your work. Semitransparent mirror sm splits the beam into two ones perpendicular to each other, propagating in the two arms. Figure 1 10 5 laser mirror 1 fixed mirror 2 movable. The observer has a direct view of the mirror m 1 as seen through the beam splitter and a virtual image of m 2 as m 2. This tutorial gives a general introduction to optical and infrared interferometry. Schematic illustration of a michelson interferometer. Interferometers are investigative tools used in many fields of science and engineering. Data analysis calibration with hene laser below is a plot of the data taken with the hene laser light injected into the michelson interferometer. Originally michelson designed his interferometer as a method to.
They are mounted vertically on two rigid holders placed at the sides of a flat metal stand. 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. Using a beam splitter, a light source is split into two arms. When set up correctly the michelson interferometer is used in conjunction with a gas cell and vacuum pump to. The michelson interferometer equipment preparation goals of. Circular fringes are produced in michelson interferometer if the two mirrors m1 and m2 are perpendicular to each other, that is, if the mirror m1 is parallel to the virtual mirror m0 2 which is the image of m2 fig. Physics 263 experiment 8 michelson interferometer 1 introduction. Special and general relativity notes on the michelson. Please refer to the following links for a detailed answer. Originally michelson designed his interferometer as a means to test for the existence of the ether, a hypothesized medium in which light propagated. Extended michelsonmorley interferometer experiment.
The michelsonmorley experiment was an attempt to detect the existence of the luminiferous aether, a supposed medium permeating space that was thought to be the carrier of light waves. For that reason fabryperot interferometers are widely used in telecommunications, lasers and spectroscopy to control and measure the wavelengths of light. In this experiment, you will use a michelson interferometer to determine the wavelength of laser light, as well as to investigate the index of refraction of air and how it is affected by changes in pressure. The schematic of michelson interferometer is shown in fig. The purpose of the michelson interferometer experiment is to produce interference fringes by splitting a beam of light. In the meantime, i have built with better equipment two new interferometers. Measurement of the sodium d emission lines using a. But if the beams are out of phase, then they combine destructively, so no light.
Interferometry makes use of the principle of superposition to combine waves in a. Guideline for use of fizeau interferometer in optical testing pdf. A light source is split into two beams by the beam splitter s. The michelson interferometer uses light interference to measure distances in units of the wavelength of light from a particular source. Michelsonmorley experiment does not measure the velocity of the photon. Experiment o6 michelson interferometer abstract a michelson interferometer, constructed by the student, is used to measure the wavelength of hene laser light and the index of refraction of a flat transparent sample. Using michelson interferometer, one can determine the wavelength of light from a. Pdf on jan 1, 2019, jingshown wu and others published. Note that the citing of these various websites does not necessarily imply the authors. Introduction the michelson interferometer is the fundamental form of a large variety of twobeam interferometer con. 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. Michelson interferometer set up a michelson interferometer according to the sketch in figure 1.
We collimate the beam from each arm again and then combine both beams. Astrophysics group, cavendish laboratory, university of. The most widely used technique for precision measurement of the gravitational acceleration is to track the position of a. Interferometry is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber optics, engineering metrology, optical metrology, oceanography. One beam wave 1 goes through path l 1, and is incident on the mirror. In the field of optical interferometry several aspects need to be improved or.
In this experiment we will take advantage of high spectral. If you have a pair of polarizers, you can also investigate the polarization of your source. The main features of the interferometer are shown schematically in figure 1. I recently did an experiment with a michelson interferometer. This interferometer, used in 1817 in the famous michelson morley experiment. It is the most common design for optical interferometry and was invented by albert abraham michelson. Michelson interferometer used in michelson morley experiment mirror mirror beam splitter corrector to get same optical path length telescope eye 2 2 2 2 c v c l t 2 8 3 3 10 30 10 2 1 3 10 msec 22m t 3. The animations below show what is going on inside the interferometer branches. One beam wave 1 goes through path l 1, and is incident on the mirror m1 and the other wave 2 goes through path l 2, and is incident on the mirror m2.
In this experiment, you will use a michelson interferometer made by r. A michelson interferometer is a device that takes a beam of light, splits it into two separate beams, and then recombines them into a single beam again. Special and general relativity notes on the michelsonmorley. Lengths or displacements in terms of wavelengths of light.
The instrument consists of a halfsilvered mirror that divides a light beam into two equal parts. The formation of fringes in the michelson experiment is shown in the above diagram. Adaptive optics for michelson interferometry diplomarbeit. Half of the light is sent along path b towards the movable mirror and the other half is sent down path a. This lab should be completed in the form of an original science experiment.
Experiment 8 michelson interferometer 1 introduction. The measured value is now smaller, roughly between 1. Data analysis calibration with hene laser below is a plot of the data taken with the hene laser light injected into. Michelson designed and built an interferometer using a similar principle. Experiment 8 michelson interferometer 1 introduction the michelson interferometer uses light interference to measure distances in units of the wavelength of light from a particular source.
The active surfaces of the optical components must never be touched with the. When set up correctly the michelson interferometer. Michelson morley experiment does not measure the velocity of the photon. Other articles where michelson interferometer is discussed. Pdf michelson interferometer null may confirm transverse. The michelson interferometer equipment preparation goals. Cahill school of chemistry, physics and earth sciences, flinders university, adelaide 5001, australia email. M1 and m2 are two plane mirrors silvered on the front surfaces. Michelson interferometer, to measure the small change in phase velocity of light passing through various gasses. Visibility retrieval in michelson widefield stellar interferometry arxiv. Interferometry is a family of techniques in which waves, usually electromagnetic waves, are superimposed, causing the phenomenon of interference, which is used to extract information. The michelson interferometer is a common configuration for optical interferometry and was. In this experiment, youll use the interferometer to measure the wavelength of your light source. One of the most famous applications of a michelson interferometer is in the michelsonmorley experiment, an attempt to detect the velocity of the earth with respect to the hypothetical luminiferous.
Pdf this is the last instalment in a four part series, the aim of the work being to introduce absolute motion into einsteins. Screws are provided in front of the holders, adjusting of which. The index of refraction of gasses using a michelson. Morley at what is now case western reserve university in cleveland, ohio, and published in november of the same year.
Interferometry is a family of techniques in which waves, usually electromagnetic waves, are. Michelson interferometer is a tool to produce interference between two beams of light. The fringes that are formed in the first setup can be interpreted as the light coming from the virtual image s 1 and s 2 of the original source s. Experiment 4 the michelson interferometer 4 3 experiment in the following experiments, you will calibrate the movement of m 1 with the hene laser and use the interferometer to accurately measure the wavelengths of the. Figure 1 is a diagram of the apparatus, the pasco model os8501 interferometer. In this experiment you will be building a basic michelson interferometer named. In this experiment we need only observe the electri cal field strength e. Introduction interferometers are devices employed in the study of interference patterns produced by various light sources. This controls the length of the ac arm of the interferometer and hence the path di. Interference pattern now occupy the position of the former minima.
Interferometer, an instrument that uses the interference patterns formed by waves usually light, radio, or sound waves to measure certain characteristics of the waves themselves or of materials that reflect. The michelson and morley 1887 experiment and the discovery of absolute motion reginald t. Recent advances have striven to combine the nanometer phase retrieval of. Circular fringes are produced in michelson interferometer if the two mirrors m1 and m2 are perpendicular to each other, that is, if the mirror m1 is parallel to the virtual mirror m0 2 which is the image of m2.
A beam of light is split by a silvered plate, one on the half beams. The michelson interferometer and its modifications are used in the optical industry for testing lenses and prisms, for. The michelson interferometer is a common configuration for optical interferometry and was invented by albert abraham michelson. Michelsonmorley experiment mme is one of the great. In a michelson interferometer the beam of a laser source is divided into two. This is known as interference by division of amplitude. A simplified diagram of a michelson interferometer is shown in the fig. Microwaves microwaves are a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the range from 1 cm to 1 m. In their experiment, a variant of the device used in this experiment was employed. Experiment o6 michelson interferometer abstract references. Fourport interferometer university of california, berkeley.
The null result of that experiment essentially disproved the existence of such an aether. Phy 4264l michelson interferometer optics lab 310 figure 2. In this experiment a michelson interferometer will be used to observe white light interference fringes 4. Mirror 1 m1 inside the michelson interferometer is being translated at a constant speed by a motor. Experiment o6 michelson interferometer abstract a michelson interferometer, constructed by the student, is used to measure the wavelength of hene laser light and the index of refraction of a flat. Cahill, the michelson and morley 1887 experiment and the discovery of absolute. For that reason fabryperot interferometers are widely used in telecommunications. Michelson interferometer definition and applications. When we took the data for our second experiment with the interferometer we discovered a rather interesting result.
Bedding school of physics, university of sydney 2006, australia abstract. Running the interferometer this time showed that eliminated that peculiar three peak. Neutronoptical components in this case comprise three gratings. Each of those light beams is reflected back toward the beamsplitter which then combines their amplitudes using the superposition principle. Construction and validation of a white light interferometer diva.
Only recently, a neutron interferometer for cold and ultracold neutrons was designed and successfully run. Two weights for all experiments with michelson interferometer and one weight more for experiments with fabryper. Jan 26, 2012 michelson s interferometer consists of one semitransparent mirror and two mirrors. Experiment 4 the michelson interferometer 2 figure 1. Michelson interferometer, we will use the wave represen tation and describe light as.