Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group

Wavefront-Shearing Interferometer for Direct Recording of the Refractive Index Gradient in Cartesian Coordinates

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

Abstract

A new wavefront-shearing interferometer has been developed in which the interference fringes produce a direct plot of the refractive index gradient in Cartesian coordinates. The simple and versatile instrument works with two separate beam splitters: the first, situated in parallel light, introduces a lateral shear, and the second, in convergent light, a shear angle in a perpendicular direction with respect to the first shear. The fringe system appears within a sharp image of the object, each fringe representing the refractive index gradient curve for that part of the object through which the fringe passes. Two alternatives are given together with a detailed description of the theory of the optical method. The method is very easy to set up and to adjust, since the precise position of the components of the optical setup is not critical. The instrument may be used to study phenomena giving rise to refractive index gradients. A direct record of the refractive index gradient curve is often the kind of information which is wanted in diffusion, electrophoresis, ultra-centrifugation, sedimentation, heat conduction, and heat flow.

© 1963 Optical Society of America

Full Article  |  PDF Article
More Like This
Shearing interferometry in polar coordinates

Olof Bryngdahl and Wai-Hon Lee
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(12) 1606-1615 (1974)

Shearing Interferometry by Wavefront Reconstruction

Olof Bryngdahl
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 58(7) 865-871 (1968)

Cited By

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Figures (5)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Figure files are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Equations (48)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Equations are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved