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exmarine
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Must the two arms of a MM interferometer be equal for fringes to appear? What is the tolerance on that? Would that give the length of the wave packets?
The tolerance is given by the spatial longitudinal extent of the wavepacket.exmarine said:What is the tolerance on that? Would that give the length of the wave packets?
A Michelson-Morley interferometer is a scientific instrument used to measure the speed of light. It consists of two mirrors and a half-silvered glass plate that allows light to pass through and reflect off of the mirrors.
The interferometer works by splitting a single beam of light into two beams using a half-silvered glass plate. These two beams are then reflected back and forth between the mirrors and recombine at the detector. Any difference in the travel time of the two beams can be used to measure the speed of light.
The Michelson-Morley experiment was conducted in the late 19th century to test the hypothesis of the existence of the luminiferous ether, a substance believed to be responsible for the propagation of light. The experiment aimed to measure the speed of light in different directions to detect any potential differences caused by the motion of the Earth through the ether.
The results of the experiment were unexpected and groundbreaking. The experiment found no difference in the speed of light in different directions, contradicting the theory of the luminiferous ether and paving the way for Einstein's theory of special relativity.
The Michelson-Morley experiment is considered one of the most important experiments in the history of science. It revolutionized our understanding of the nature of light and led to the development of Einstein's theory of special relativity, which has had a significant impact on many areas of modern physics. The experiment also laid the foundation for the concept of the constancy of the speed of light, which is now a fundamental principle in physics.