Lawall, J.
and Kessler, E.
(2000),
Michelson Interferometry With 10 PM Accuracy, Review of Scientific Instruments (Accessed May 13, 2026)
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Michelson Interferometry With 10 PM Accuracy
Published
Author(s)
,
Abstract
We demonstrate a new heterodyne Michelson interferometer design for displacement measurements capable of fringe interpolation accuracy of one part in 36,000. Key to this level of accuracy are the use of two accousto-opic modulators for heterodyne frequency generation and digital signal processing demodulation electronics. We make a direct comparison of our interferometer to a commercial interferometer based on a Zeeman-stabilized laser, and show that the residual periodic errors in ours are two orders of magnitude lower than those in the commercial unit. We discuss electronically-induced optical crosstalk and optical feedback as sources of periodic error. Our new interferometer is simple, robust, and readily implemented.Citation
Review of Scientific Instruments
Volume
71
Issue
No. 7
Pub Type
Journals
Keywords
displacement measurement, heterodyne, high resolution, Michelson interferometer
Citation
Issues
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Created July 1, 2000, Updated February 17, 2017