Shown below is a diagram of a Michelson Interferometer. In the experiment an air chamber is placed in between the beam splitter and mirror 2. If the chamber is evacuated (the air removed) this has the same effect asSelect one:a.moving mirror 2 towards the beam splitter.b.moving mirror 2 away from the beam splitter.c.you need to move mirror 1 as well as mirror 2.d.moving the mirrors can't reproduce the effect of evacuating the chamber.
Question
Shown below is a diagram of a Michelson Interferometer. In the experiment an air chamber is placed in between the beam splitter and mirror 2. If the chamber is evacuated (the air removed) this has the same effect asSelect one:a.moving mirror 2 towards the beam splitter.b.moving mirror 2 away from the beam splitter.c.you need to move mirror 1 as well as mirror 2.d.moving the mirrors can't reproduce the effect of evacuating the chamber.
Solution
The correct answer is a. moving mirror 2 towards the beam splitter.
Here's why:
The Michelson Interferometer works by splitting a beam of light so that it travels two different paths, then recombining those beams to create an interference pattern. The path difference between the two beams creates this pattern.
When the air chamber is evacuated, the light beam traveling towards mirror 2 has less medium to travel through. This effectively shortens the path of the light beam, which is the same effect as moving mirror 2 closer to the beam splitter.
Therefore, evacuating the air chamber has the same effect as moving mirror
Similar Questions
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