FTIR Machine: Interference of Blackbody Radiation Source

[physical101]

Homework Statement

Hi there sorry to keep bombarding you all with these stupid questions but I just can't picture it in my head. In a FTIR machine when the blackbody radiation source is split at the beam splitter and half the frequencies are retarded before making a resultant wave and passing through the sample and reaching the detector, would I be correct in thinking that all of the frequencies emitted from the blackbody radiation source interfere to produce one resultant wave which is then detected at the detector?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

 

[runo]

Well FTIR spectrometers have a infrared source(IR), has a broad spectrum, first goes to the beam splitter then 50% is reflected and transmitted. The reflected beam is reflected back by the fix mirror and the transmitted beam is reflected by the moving mirror to the beam splitter. Two beams interfere at the beam splitter then go through the sample.