1. INTERFEROMETER

2. Albert Abraham Michelson
Michelson Interferometer
Albert Abraham Michelson
( )

3. Experimental set up

5. Effective arrangement of the interferometer
Circular fringes
©SPK

6. In Michelson interferometer
Radius of nth dark ring

7. Haidinger Fringe

9. Order of the fringe
Angular radius of the pth ring
Formation of both real and virtual fringes

10. Fringe collapse/emergence

11. 1. Measurement of wavelength of light

12. 2. Measurement of wavelength separation
of a doublet

13. Newton-Michelson rings
For details refer to
Sastry-Saraswat’s book

14. Michelson interferometer: R
Newton’s rings: d

15. Measurement of the coherence length of a spectral line
Formation of straight white light fringes
Measurement of thickness of thin transparent flakes
Measurement of refractive index of gases
Standardization meter

17. Michelson Interferometer
Newton’s Ring
Michelson Interferometer
Virtual fringe
Localized
Dark central ring (reflected)
Bright (transmitted)
order of the rings
increase when one moves away from the center
Fringes of equal inclination
(Haidinger’s fringes)
Fringes of equal thickness
(Fizeau fringes)
Virtual fringe*
Non-localized
Dark central ring (for
back silvered mirror)
order of the rings decrease
when one moves
outwards from the center