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Michelson Interferometer Experiment 1 Michelson Interferometer

The document reports on an experiment using a Michelson interferometer to measure the wavelength of a laser beam, the refractive index of a glass slide, and the refractive index of air. Key findings include: 1) The wavelength of the laser was measured to be 526.3 ± 29.2 nm. 2) The refractive index of the glass slide was found to be 1.40 ± 0.02. 3) The refractive index of air was determined to be 1.00 ± 0.07. Potential sources of error identified include miscounting fringes, thickness variations of the first fringe, setup instability, calibration errors, backlash of the micrometer, and parallax errors.

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Suman Dutta
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
178 views

Michelson Interferometer Experiment 1 Michelson Interferometer

The document reports on an experiment using a Michelson interferometer to measure the wavelength of a laser beam, the refractive index of a glass slide, and the refractive index of air. Key findings include: 1) The wavelength of the laser was measured to be 526.3 ± 29.2 nm. 2) The refractive index of the glass slide was found to be 1.40 ± 0.02. 3) The refractive index of air was determined to be 1.00 ± 0.07. Potential sources of error identified include miscounting fringes, thickness variations of the first fringe, setup instability, calibration errors, backlash of the micrometer, and parallax errors.

Uploaded by

Suman Dutta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Report: Experiment 1

Michelson Interferometer
Supriya Dutta
192121042

Objectives:

1. To measure the wavelength of Laser.


2. To measure the refractive Index of a Glass Slide.
3. To measure the refractive index of Air.

Theory:

Measuring the wavelength of the laser beam


The wavelength of the laser is given by
d′
λ = 2α .
N
Where N = No. of fringes collapsed.
collapsed
d′ = The displacement due to micrometer.
α = Calibration Constant.
Measuring the refractive index of the glass

Refractive index is given by,


(2t − Nλ)(1 − cos θ)
n=
2t(1 − cos θ) − Nλ
Where t = thickness of the glass slab
θ = angle between glass plate and beam

Measuring the refractive index of the air


The refractive index of pressurized air column is given by
λPatm N
n=1+
2d ΔP
Where, d = lenght of the air cell
ΔP = Pressure change in the air cell
P = Current atmospheric pressure
d = Lenght of the air cell
N = Number of fringe shifted
λ = Wavelenght of the laser light used

Observation:

i) Measuring the wavelength of the laser beam


1. = 38 ± 2
2. Least count of the micrometer = 0.01 mm

a) Table for wavelength of Laser:


Sl.No. No. of fringes, Micrometer Readings
N (mm)

1 0 0
2 25 0.29
3 50 0.53
4 75 0.75
5 100 1.01
6 125 1.27
7 150 1.55
8 175 1.75
9 200 2.12
10 225 2.41
11 250 2.69
12 275 2.96
13 300 3.23

ii)Measuring the refractive index of the glass


1. Least count of circularscale = 2°
2. Least count of micrometer = 0.01 mm

b) Table for thickness of glass plate:


Sl.No. Micrometer Reading
(mm) :
1 1.26
2 1.27
3 1.25
4 1.24

c) Table for Refractive Index of Glass Plate:


Sl.No. No. of fringes, Clockwise Anti clockwise Average 1-cosθ n
N Angle
Angle (degree) Angle(degree) (degree)
1 0 44 44
2 20 52 32 10 0.0151922 1.375504
3 40 56 28 14 0.0297043 1.381776
4 60 58 26 16 0.0387383 1.462349
5 80 60 24 18 0.0489435 1.495942
6 100 64 20 22 0.0728161 1.374977
7 120 66 18 24 0.0864545 1.375036
8 140 68 16 26 0.101206 1.367222
9 160 70 15 27.5 0.1129892 1.374611
10 180 72 14 29 0.1253803 1.37668

iii)Measuring the refractive index of the air


1. Least count of the barometer = 2 mmHg
2. Length of the air column = 8 cm
3. P = 752.4 mm Hg (At altitude of 51 m)

d) Table for Refractive index of the air cell:


Sl.No. No. of fringes Pressure, P (mm-Hg)

1 0 280
2 3 242
3 6 204
4 9 172
5 12 132

Calculation:

Measuring the wavelength of the laser beam


From Table (a), we obtain the linear fit of the given data as,

d' vs N graph
3.5
3 y = 0.010x - 0.035
Micrometer reading (d')

2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
No. of fringes (N)

Thus, using this slope, (m = d′


N = 0.010) we have, λ = 526.31 nm

Random error of d , Δd′ = 0.046 mm, Systematic error of d , Δd′ = 0.01 mm.

⇒ ∆d′ = ∆d′ + ∆d′ = 0.047 mm


Using ∆d′, we find, ∆m = 0.000135 mm.
We have,
Δλ Δα Δm
= +
λ α m
⇒ ∆λ = 29.24 nm
Finally,
⇒ λ = 526.3 ± 29.2 nm

Measuring the refractive index of the glass


From Table (b), t = 1.255 mm.
Random error in t, Δt = 0.0129 mm, Systematic error in t, Δt = 0.01 mm.

⇒ ∆t = ∆t + ∆t = 0.0163 mm

From Table (c), Average of n = 1.398.


Random error in n, Δn = 0.0165.
Finally,

⇒ n = 1.40 ± 0.02

Measuring the refractive index of the air


From Table (d), we obtain the linear fit of the given data as,

P vs N graph
300
y = -12.2x + 279.2
250
200
Pressure (P)

150
100
50
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
No. of fringes (N)
Thus, using this slope(m = ∆P
N
= 12.2), we have, n = 1.00020.
Random error of P, ΔP = 2.033 mm Hg, Systematic error of P, ΔP = 2 mm Hg.

⇒ ∆P = ∆P + ∆P = 2.851 mm Hg

Using ∆P, we find ∆m = 0.214 mm Hg.


We have,
Δn Δλ Δm
= +
n λ m
⇒ ∆n = 0.0731
So,
⇒ n = 1.00 ± 0.07

Conclusions:

1. The wavelength of laser light used is found to be λ = 526.3 ± 29.2 nm.


2. The refractive index of the glass plate was found to be n = 1.40 ± 0.02.
3. The refractive index of the air cell was found to be n = 1.00 ± 0.07.

Sources of error:
1. There may be miscounting of number of fringes which would introduce a large error. This is the
largest source of error.
2. We can notice that the first fringe from the center is really thick, while from the third they are
thin. So the best fringe to point for our counting is usually the second one.
3. Setup is the important part of experiment so to minimize error we should try not to touch the
table when performing a measure.
4. Calibration constant can also produce additional error.
5. Backlash error of micrometer also contributes to error.
6. Error due to parallax should be avoided.

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