interferometer n : any measuring instrument that uses interference patterns to make accurate measurements of waves

English

Noun

interferometer

1. any of several instruments that use the interference of waves to determine wavelengths and wave velocities, determine refractive indices measure small distances, temperature changes, stresses, and many other useful measurements

Derived terms

• Fizeau interferometer
• intensity interferometer
• Mach-Zehnde interferometer
• Michelson interferometer
• Michelson stellar interferometer
• shearing interferometer
• Twyman-Green interferometer

Related terms

• interferometric
• interferometrically
• interferometry

Interferometry is the technique of using the pattern of interference created by the superposition of two or more waves to diagnose the properties of the aforementioned waves. The instrument used to interfere the waves together is called an interferometer. Interferometry is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber optics, engineering metrology, optical metrology, oceanography, seismology, quantum mechanics and plasma physics.

Basic Principle

see also Interference

• Optical interferometry
• Astronomical interferometer
• Aperture synthesis
• History of astronomical interferometry
• Interference
• Very Long Baseline Interferometry
• Optical coherence tomography
• List of types of interferometers

References

• Optical Interferometry">http://www.astro.lsa.umich.edu/~monnier/Publications/ROP2003_final.pdf}}