Interferometriat

Interferometriat refers to a family of measurement techniques that rely on the interference of waves—most commonly light, but also microwaves, sound, or matter waves—to determine properties such as distances, surface shapes, refractive indices, or phase shifts. The basic idea is to split a wavefront into two or more paths, recombine them, and analyze the resulting interference pattern, whose phase and amplitude depend on the path difference.

In optical interferometry, common configurations include the Michelson, Mach–Zehnder, and Fabry–Pérot interferometers. Techniques such as phase-shifting interferometry and white-light interferometry enable high-precision surface metrology, three-dimensional profiling, and thin-film characterization. In spectroscopy, Fourier-transform interferometry and FTIR use interferometric principles to obtain spectra with high resolution.

Applications span science and engineering: precision metrology, quality control of optical components, surface topography, fiber optic sensing, and instrumentation in astronomy and aerospace. Interferometric methods also play a key role in fundamental physics experiments, exemplified by gravitational-wave detection with large-scale laser interferometers.

Advantages include non-contact measurement and high sensitivity to small path changes, enabling detailed mapping of surfaces and sub-wavelength displacements. Limitations involve dependency on coherent sources, environmental stability, and careful data interpretation; phase ambiguity and drift can complicate measurements. Modern approaches mitigate these issues through active stabilization, vibration isolation, and computational techniques such as phase unwrapping and advanced signal processing.