Classical Michelson Interferometer Research Articles

Increasing the sensitivity for tilt measurement using a cyclic interferometer with multiple reflections

Measurement of tilt plays an important role in metrological applications and consequently, several methods have been proposed in the recent past. Classical interferometric methods can measure angles with high accuracy but are easily susceptible to external turbulences. We propose to use a cyclic interferometer to measure tilt in which the sensitivity to tilt measurement is double when compared with that of the classical Michelson interferometer. Since the counter propagating beams travel identical paths, the interferometer is insensitive to external vibrations and turbulence and thus can be used under harsh environmental conditions. The novelty in the technique lies in creating multiple reflections in the tilt mirror to enhance the measurement accuracy by the way of increasing the sensitivity. This paper presents the basics of the interferometer and experimental results to quantify the increase in sensitivity. By increasing the number of reflections, it is shown that sensitivity can be further improved to measure tilt angles below 5 μ rad .

近红外偏振干涉相位补偿器的稳定性

phase compensator is a key element in the polarized interferometer, whose stability has a directive influence on the reliability of the polarized interference spectroscopy. the specification of the phase compensator such as the relative sensitivity of optical path difference, the tilted error tolerance of optical wedge, the oblique incidence angle error tolerance and the temperature adaptability were studied, and the corresponding calculated formulas were derived. the anti;interference ability of the moving optical wedge is 2/δnsinθ times stronger than the classical michelson interferometer. the ability of the moving wedge to resist the inclination is 1.75/δn times higher than classic michelson interferometer. after light's incidence with small angle, there are no additional optical path. the greatest optical path distance error of the phase compensator is 1.8 μm when the temperature changes from ;20 to 85, which has a good thermal stability. the angle of the wedge is also an important parameter to affect the phase compensator. if setting the angle of the wedge as 30°, a good balance between performance, size and cost may be achieved. the birefringence difference of crystal material is smaller than one, so the stability advantages of the polarized interferometer are very obvious which build up a good basis for its field application with complicated surroundings. © 2016, science press. all right reserved.

Phasing of independent laser channels under impact SBS excitation

It is shown experimentally that phasing of independent laser channels under impact SBS excitation calls for a stable difference in arm lengths, as in a classical Michelson interferometer. A scheme with automatic compensation for fluctuations of interferometer arm lengths has been proposed and experimentally implemented. This scheme makes it possible to perform stable phasing of two laser channels under standard laboratory conditions.

Optical security validation using Michelson interferometer

We propose an improved interference-based encoding that is suitable for security validation application. Two random phase masks are designed by a specific iterative phase retrieval algorithm; they serve as the system phase lock and the authentication key. In the validation process, two-beam interference is implemented using the two masks with a classical Michelson interferometer; the phase lock is fixed on one interference arm, and the authentication key is presented on another moveable arm, which can output two recognizable images by moving a certain distance. Without the correct authentication key, the secret image cannot be recognized even knowing the system lock. As a result, the validation result can be simply determined by checking the interference outputs. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the validity and security of the proposed optical validation method.

Level 0 to 1 processing of the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer GLORIA: generation of radiometrically and spectrally calibrated spectra

Abstract. The Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere (GLORIA) is an imaging Fourier transform spectrometer that is capable of operating on various high-altitude research aircraft. It measures the atmospheric emission in the thermal infrared spectral region in limb and nadir geometry. GLORIA consists of a classical Michelson interferometer combined with an infrared camera. The infrared detector has a usable area of 128 × 128 pixels, measuring up to 16 384 interferograms simultaneously. Imaging Fourier transform spectrometers impose a number of challenges with respect to instrument calibration and algorithm development. The optical setup with extremely high optical throughput requires the development of new methods and algorithms for spectral and radiometric calibration. Due to the vast amount of data there is a high demand for scientifically intelligent optimisation of the data processing. This paper outlines the characterisation and processing steps required for the generation of radiometrically and spectrally calibrated spectra. Methods for performance optimisation of the processing algorithm are presented. The performance of the data processing and the quality of the calibrated spectra are demonstrated for measurements collected during the first deployments of GLORIA on aircraft.

Time-delayed beam splitting with energy separation of x-ray channels

We introduce a time-delayed beam splitting method based on the energy separation of x-ray photon beams. It is implemented and theoretically substantiated on an example of an x-ray optical scheme similar to that of the classical Michelson interferometer. The splitter/mixer uses Bragg-case diffraction from a thin diamond crystal. Another two diamond crystals are used as back-reflectors. Because of energy separation and a minimal number (three) of optical elements, the split-delay line has high efficiency and is simple to operate. Due to the high transparency of diamond crystal, the split-delay line can be used in a beam sharing mode at x-ray free-electron laser facilities.

Remote Internal Diameter Measurement of Ring Gauge Based on a Low-Coherence Tandem Scheme

A novel internal diameter measurement method based on a low-coherence tandem scheme is firstly demonstrated. From operational analysis, it is understood that a low-coherence tandem scheme can be served for internal diameter evaluation by using a combination of a transmission grating and a ring gauge instead of a classical Michelson interferometer to store and transmit the internal diameter information. As a result of the experiment, in the present experimental environment, diameter measurement of several millimetres with a relative standard uncertainty of several micrometres was performed. Taken together, these results suggest that the present measurement method is expected to be used as a powerful remote internal diameter calibration tool for next-generation calibration network systems.

Multiple beam Michelson-based interferometer

We present a modification to the classic Michelson interferometer that allows the interference of multiple beams with equal amplitude. The proposed architecture presents the same advantages and simplicity as those of a classic Michelson interferometer. The basic unit of the device consists of a beamsplitter and two mirrors arranged as in a Michelson interferometer. To increase the number of interfering beams, the mirrors are replaced by a basic unit. In order to demonstrate the type of interference patterns that can be obtained, we present interferograms corresponding to three to eight interfering beams. The system can be used to optically induce photonic lattices.

An Enhanced Common Path Interference Measurement Method for Optical Refractive Indices

This study presents an enhanced common path interference system designed to measure the refractive index of crystal optical components. The proposed system is based on the classic Michelson interferometer and comprises a frequency stabilized helium-neon (He-Ne) laser, a beam splitter, a fixed mirror, an adjustable mirror, and a light detection system. The waveplate of interest was clamped to a rotatory motor and positioned between the beam splitter and the fixed mirror. The refractive index of the waveplate was then derived from the change in rotational angle of the waveplate as it moved from one position of minimum interference to the next. The measurement system proposed in this study is simple in construction, straightforward in operation, and robust to the effects of experimental noise. Furthermore, the system is a non-contact measurement system, and hence does not damage the optical component of interest. The experimental results are found to be in good agreement with the theoretical results. Therefore, the proposed system provides a viable means for the rapid experimental evaluation of the optical characteristics of quartz components.

The Virgo interferometric gravitational antenna

The interferometric gravitational wave detectors represent the ultimate evolution of the classical Michelson interferometer. In order to measure the signal produced by the passage of a gravitational wave, they aim to reach unprecedent sensitivities in measuring the relative displacements of the mirrors. One of them, the 3-km-long Virgo gravitational wave antenna, which will be particularly sensitive in the low-frequency range (10–100 Hz), is presently in its commissioning phase. In this paper the various techniques developed in order to reach its target extreme performance are outlined.

Interferometric apodization of rectangular aperture – Laboratory Experiments

In this laboratory experiment, we study the possibility of producing an apodization of the pupil of a telescope using a classical Michelson interferometer. To simulate the star, we successively used a Laser source, a source of spectral light and a source of white light. Our goal is to study the performance of the assembly with polychromatic light. We present the results of experiments carried out with a rectangular aperture using a HeNe Laser and Na spectral light sources.

Quantum-noise-limited sensitivity of an interferometer using a phase generated carrier demodulation scheme

The quantum-noise-limited sensitivity is derived for a two-beam interferometer, which uses a phase generated carrier demodulation scheme. For surface-disturbance-detecting sensors, this sensitivity limit is expressed in terms of the smallest displacement that may be detected if the signal-to-noise ratio is unity. We determine the quantum-noise-limited displacement of the classical Michelson interferometer to be 5 pm.

Fourier-transform optical microsystems.

The design, fabrication, and initial characterization of a miniature single-pass Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS) that has an optical bench that measures 1 cm x 5 cm x 10 cm is presented. The FTS is predicated on the classic Michelson interferometer design with a moving mirror. Precision translation of the mirror is accomplished by microfabrication of dovetailed bearing surfaces along single-crystal planes in silicon. Although it is miniaturized, the FTS maintains a relatively high spectral resolution, 0.1 cm-1, with adequate optical throughput.

General linear differential interferometers

We investigate the conditions under which an interferometer’s output is a function only of the difference between two optical lengths. In certain applications, such differential behavior, characteristic of the classical Michelson and Mach–Zehnder schemes [ M. Born E. Wolf , Principles of Optics ( Pergamon, Oxford, 1980)], improves resilience to source frequency jitter. The question of whether systems of higher sensitivity than the Mach–Zehnder or Michelson schemes can have differential behavior is addressed, and it is proved that no linear differential scheme can have a sensitivity greater than that of the classical Michelson interferometer. It is also proved that the scattering matrix elements for a linear N port cannot be differential functions of the optical lengths within the network.

Interferometric—polarimetric force and temperature sensor using high and low birefringence fibres with a short coherence length source

This paper describes an optical force and temperature sensor based on two mono-mode fibre one of which is weakly birefringent, the other one strongly so. The optical arrangement of the sensor comprises a birefringent optical fibre interferometer, followed by a classical Michelson interferometer. The source has a short coherence length. Path differences induced by temperature and force in the first interferometer are compensated in the second one. Force and temperature are measured simultaneously and independently.

A simple multimode fiberoptic vibrometer

A multimode fiberoptic vibrometer, based on a classical Michelson interferometer geometry, is described. Simplicity, low cost, reduced bulkiness and practicality for rapid measurements are the advantages of this vibrometer.

Angular Diameters and Effective Temperatures of Some Bright Stars

The Stellar Interferometer at Narrabri Observatory consists of two large reflectors which focus the light from a star on to two photoelectric detectors. The output currents from these detectors contain fluctuations which correspond to fluctuations in the starlight itself. The fluctuations from the two detectors are amplified in the frequency range 10-100 Mc/s and their correlation is measured by a linear multiplier. This correlation is measured as a function of the separation between the two detectors. It can be shown theoretically that the correlation at any given baseline is proportional to the square of the fringe visibility which would be observed by a classical Michelson interferometer. It is therefore possible from observations of the correlation at different baselines to find the angular diameter of a star.