Question on the original Michelson-Morley Experiment

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The original Michelson-Morley Experiment, conducted in 1881, utilized a Michelson interferometer to investigate the presence of the luminiferous aether. Albert Michelson produced coherent light through a combination of collimation and the use of a rotating mirror, despite the absence of lasers at that time. The experiment demonstrated that light beams emitted from the same source could be considered coherent, allowing for the construction of interference patterns. The discussion highlights the historical significance of the experiment in the context of physics.

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arunma
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Maybe this has more to do with the history of physics than physics itself. As you all know, the first Michelson interferometer was constructed in 1881. To my knowledge, the experiment requires a coherent source of light. Just wondering, if the experimental apparatus was constructed before the invention of the laser, then how did Albert Michelson produce coherent light?
 
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I'm guessing it was collimated through a sequence of slits.
 
as long as both beams of light are emitted by the same force, they can be considered coherent.

consider a sun ray, if you break up a sun beam into 2 parts, the two parts are going to be approximately (the difference being very small) identical, and as such can be used to construct interference patterns.

perform a double slit experiment on sunlight to see the effect.
 
A.A. Michelson and E.W. Morley, On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous. Aether
http://www.aip.org/history/gap/PDF/michelson.pdf
 

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