II. A general interferential method

Abstract

Summary Although interferometry deals with various instruments, each treated individually, it appears possible to derive a general intensity equation directly applicable to all. In deriving such an equation it is assumed that the number of beams to be considered must be indefinite. For convenience, these beams are grouped into compatible sets, but for perfect generality the number of beams in each set and the number of sets remain undefined. Special cases of the resulting intensity equation are discussed. The process of applying this general intensity function to specific optical problems is defined as the interferential method.