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 throught 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.

 

[kerimek]

Hi there,

No need to apologize for asking questions! It's important to fully understand the concepts in order to use the machine effectively.

To answer your question, yes, you are correct in thinking that the frequencies emitted from the blackbody radiation source interfere to produce one resultant wave. This is due to the principle of superposition, where multiple waves can combine and form a single wave with a new amplitude and phase. In the FTIR machine, the blackbody radiation source emits a range of frequencies, which are then split and combined to produce the resultant wave that is detected by the detector.

I hope this helps clarify things for you. Let me know if you have any other questions. Keep up the good work!