Why do we use mercury light?

Mercury vapor lamps are bright, long-lasting light sources that are often used to light large areas such as streets, gyms, sports arenas, banks, or stores. The bulbs have an inner quartz tube containing the mercury vapor discharge.

What type of light source is used in Michelson interferometer?

An experimenter detects 251 fringes when the movable mirror in a Michelson interferometer is displaced. The light source used is a sodium lamp, wavelength 589 nm.

Why do we need extended source of light in Michelson interferometer?

Because interfering light waves have a spherical wavefront and it is projected on a plane surface. Hence the distance between the light source and the projected plane is shortest at the centre of the circular fringes and the path difference increases in every direction from the centre on the projected plane.

Why monochromatic light sources are used in interferometer techniques?

Techniques and their strong points Phase-shifting interferometry, which uses a monochromatic light source, is typically used to test smooth surfaces and is very accurate, resulting in vertical measurements with subnanometer resolution.

Why mercury is used in fluorescent electric lamps?

When the lamp is switched on, it is the mercury which converts the ultraviolet energy into visible light.

Why is mercury used in fluorescent lamp?

A fluorescent lamp, or fluorescent tube, is a low-pressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light. An electric current in the gas excites mercury vapor, which produces short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor coating on the inside of the lamp to glow.

How does Michelson’s interferometer used to determine the wavelength of monochromatic light?

The Michelson interferometer uses the wave-like properties of light to cause interference patterns. In this experiment, we use a monochromatic co- herent light source, a red laser, with the Michelson interferometer to observe interference patterns in order to determine the wavelength of the light source.

What is the basic principle of Michelson’s interferometer?

State the principle and describe the construction and working of Michelson Interferometer. Principle: It works on the principle of interference of light by the division of amplitude in light from an extended source is divided into two parts of equal intensity by partial reflection and refraction.

Why are interference fringes circular in Michelson interferometer?

Because the aperture of the eye is relatively small you will not see many fringes unless you move your eye. This results in the fringes being circular. When the two mirrors are coincident you will not see a uniform blackness due to imperfections in the mirrors.

What is the basic purpose of making interferometers?

Because of their wide application, interferometers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are used to measure everything from the smallest variations on the surface of a microscopic organism, to the structure of enormous expanses of gas and dust in the distant Universe, and now, to detect gravitational waves.

What is the function of mercury Vapour and fluorescent powder in fluorescent lamp?

The white powder coating inside the glass tubing of a CFL contains a fluorescent coating. When electricity enters a CFL, mercury and argon fumes inside the bulb produce invisible ultraviolet (UV) light. This UV light reacts with the fluorescent coating to produce the white, visible light you see when you turn on a CFL.

Do fluorescent tubes contain mercury?

On average, CFLs contain about four milligrams of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact (i.e., not broken) or in use, but mercury vapor and very small beads of mercury can be released when a CFL is broken.

Which is the best known application of Michelson interferometer?

1 The Michelson – Morley experiment is the best known application of Michelson Interferometer. 2 They are used for the detection of gravitational waves. 3 Michelson Interferometers are widely used in astronomical Interferometry.

How to determine the wavelength of a laser using the Michelson?

To determine the wavelength of a laser using the Michelson interferometer. Laser light source, Michelson interferometer kit, optical bench, meter scale. Interferometers are used to precisely measure the wavelength of optical beams through the creation of interference patterns .

What did the Michelson-Morley experiment prove?

This interferometer, used in 1817 in the famous Michelson- Morley experiment, demonstrated the non-existence of an electromagnetic-wave-carrying ether, thus paving the way for the Special theory of Relativity. A simplified diagram of a Michelson interferometer is shown in the fig: 1. Light from a monochromatic source S is divided by

When was the first optical interferometer invented?

It was invented in1893 by Albert Michelson, to measure a standard meter in units of the wavelength of the red line of the cadmium spectrum. With an optical interferometer, one can measure distances directly in terms of wavelength of light used, by counting the interference fringes that move when one or the other…