A Michelson interferometer is illuminated with monochromatic light. Wh...
In Michelson interferometer; the path differential must satisfy the condition of maxima; Let initially the no. of fringe is 'n', then
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A Michelson interferometer is illuminated with monochromatic light. Wh...
To analyze the behavior of a Michelson interferometer when one of the mirrors is moved, we can consider the interference pattern that is formed.
In a Michelson interferometer, a beam of monochromatic light is split into two paths by a beam splitter. One path is reflected by a mirror and the other path is transmitted through the beam splitter and reflected by another mirror. The two paths are then recombined at the beam splitter, and interference occurs between the two beams.
When one of the mirrors is moved, the optical path length of one of the paths changes, leading to a phase difference between the two beams. This phase difference results in a shift in the interference pattern observed at the output of the interferometer.
The distance that the mirror is moved, denoted as "d," determines the change in the optical path length. In this case, the mirror is moved through a distance of 20.3 units.
To calculate the resulting phase difference, we need to consider the wavelength of the monochromatic light, denoted as "λ." The phase difference is given by:
Δφ = (2π/λ) * d
where Δφ is the phase difference in radians.
Therefore, the phase difference resulting from moving the mirror through a distance of 20.3 units is:
Δφ = (2π/λ) * 20.3
It's important to note that the interference pattern observed at the output of the interferometer will depend on the specific geometry of the setup, including the position of the mirrors, the angle of the beam splitter, and the distance between the mirrors.