MODERN PHYSICS

EXPERIMENT
REPORT

TITLE :
INTERFEROMETER MICHELSON

Experiment Date : SATURDAY, 23 OKTOBER 2021

Assistant : IMAM RAMADHAN
Class : ICP OF PHYSICS EDUCATION
Group/Session : 2/2
Name Student : NISMAYANTI
ID Group : 1912442009
Members : HUSNUL KHATIMAH

PHYSICS LABORATORY UNIT

UNM PHYSICS DEPARTMENT
 CHAPTER I
INDRODUCTION

A. Background
Interferometer is an optical instrument used to determine the interference
patterns of a wave. One such type of interferometer is the Michelson
interferometer. The michelson interferometer can not only be used to determine
the presence or absence of ether, but can also be used in determining the
properties of waves, for example in determining certain wavelengths, the pattern
of strengthening interference that occurs and so on.
The Michelson interferomter is a tool initiated by Albert Abraham
Michelson which was originally used to measure the speed of ether as a medium
for light propagation. This tool utilizes one of the properties of light, namely
interference, which is the result of the superposition of two or more waves that
meet at one point in space. To get the interference pattern there are various
methods and in this experiment we will use the Michelson interforemeter method,
which was developed by Albert Abraham Michelson in 1881 using the principle
of dividing the amplitude of a light wave into two parts of equal intensity. The
splitting of the wave amplitude into two parts is done using a beam splitter.
To measure wavelengths or changes in wavelength with very high
accuracy based on interference, the Michelson interferometer is used. The
Michelson interferometer is used to measure wavelengths based on the shift of
one of the mirrors associated with changes in the interference pattern that occurs.
The phenomenon of interference is always related to the wave theory of light. In
essence, light has a magnitude of amplitude, wavelength, phase and speed. When
light passes through a medium, its speed will change. If these changes are
measured, then information can be obtained about the state of the object / medium
in question, for example the refractive index, the thickness of the medium through
which the material passes and the wavelength of the source.
 This practicum was carried out based on the objectives to be achieved,
namely to be able to explain the working principle/concept of the Michelson
interferometer as well as measure the wavelength value of the light source used in
the experiment, the light source used in this experiment was the He-Ne laser.
Through this principle, Michelson can perform various experiments related to this
matter, including one of which is to determine the wavelength of a light source.

B. Problem Formulation
1. How does the Michelson interferometer work principle/ concept.
2. How to measure the wavelength of the light source used in the experiment.
C. Objective of Experiment
Objectives to be achieved in this activity are:
1. Explain the working principle/concept of the Michelson interferometer.
2. Measure the wavelength of the light source used in the experiment.
D. Benefit
1. Teoritical Benefit
1. Competent explain the working principle/concept of the Michelson
interferometer.
2. Competent measure the wavelength of the light source used in the
experiment.
2. Experiment Benefit
This experiment, one application of the Michelson interferometer
experiment can be found in the optical world because with the help of
visible light interference equipment its application in the field of physics is
able to detect planets around stars, detect gravitational waves, determine
the wavelength of light and in the field of health or in the medical world,
namely to detect the quality of injection drug solutions with the principle
of light wave interference.
 CHAPTER II
LITERATUR REVIEW

In 1887, Albert a. Michelson and Edward W. Morley attempted to measure

the flow velocity of the ether using a very sensitive optical interferometer known
as the Michelson interferometer, if ether actually existed, the Michelson-Morley
experiment which states that the speed of light is the same for all observers, even
though they are in relative motion with each other. (Rosana, 2000).
In this experiment stated at the beginning that the experimental results
were negative, thus contradicting the ether hypothesis. because it was said that
ether existed on earth so to prove the existence of ether the very accurate
experimental instrument which these pioneers perfected to measure small changes
in the speed of light was the interferometer Michelson (Serway, 2005).
The Michelson interferometer is an experimental instrument based on the
interference of two light waves with different optical paths. Therefore the
application of this interferometer is related to the measurement of quantities
related to distance and the refractive index of the material. A century ago, the
interferometer was an important tool for demonstrating the theory of relativeity.
Recently the Michelson interferometer has been used for precise measurements
down to the micro order, such as a very small change in thickness of an axon
when an impulse propagates along the nerve (Setyahandana, 2013).
Light interference is the combination of two or more light sources to
produce a brighter state (maximum interference) and a dark state (minimum
interference). The condition for light interference is that the light must be
coherent, i.e. the state of two or more light sources that have a fixed frequency,
amplitude and different phase. The principle of interference is that if two waves
are propagating in the same direction (almost the same) with a phase difference
that remains constant with time, then a situation can occur in such a way that the
energy is not evenly balanced, but at certain points the maximum value is reached,
and at some point the maximum value is reached. other points reached the
minimum price (Handayani, 2014).
 If two or more light waves with the same frequency and constant phase
difference with time are superposed, the resulting intensity is uneven in space.
The varying resultant intensity produces an intensity pattern which is the
maximum and minimum values at certain points. Interference is a manifestation of
coherence. In order to produce interference fringes, it is necessary that the
interfering waves remain coherent over a certain period of time. If one of the
waves changes its phase, the fringes will change with time very quickly so that the
fringes are not visible (Nanlohy, 2012).
Wave superposition is the sum of two or more waves that can traverse the
same space without any dependence of one wave on another. If at one place two
waves meet, then the resultant wave at that place is equal to the sum of the two
waves (Handayani, 2014).
The Michelson interferometer uses monochromatic light from a single
laser source. The ray hits the beam splitter mirror. Some of the light rays are
reflected and hit a movable mirror, and some are refracted and hit a fixed mirror.
The two rays are reflected by the mirror and return to the beam splitting mirror.
The light from the moving mirror is then refracted and the light from the fixed
mirror is reflected by the beam splitting mirror. The two rays are directed towards
the observer. At the observer's position,light detector is placed so that the intensity
of light that occurs at that position can be observed (Setyahandana, 2013).
LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is the
amplification of light through stimulated emission radiation. using an
interferometer. The interference pattern formed on the interferometer must be
clearly visible and easy to observe. Laser beams that have a fairly small cross-
sectional area, with a diameter of between 1-2 mm, must be propagated first using
an objective lens, namely a positive lens that has a relatively small focal length
between 4-32 mm (Nanlohy, 2012).
This Ms beam splitting mirror has a silver coating that only reflects half of
the light that falls on it, so half the beam will pass to the fixed mirror M2, where
the beam is reflected back. On return, a portion of beam 1 passes through Ms and
reaches the eye; and part of beam 2, on its return, was reflected by Ms into the
eye. If the lengths of the two paths are the same, the two coherent beams entering
the eye will interfere constructively and will appear bright (Giancoli, 2001).
If the path length is changed by being extended then which will happens is
fringe patterns will enter to the center of the pattern. More track distance length
will affect phase waves falling onto the screen. When shifting path length
difference light wave reaches λ then constructive interference will occur visible
pattern is bright, but when the shift is only λ /4 which the same as the file through
the λ /2 path, the pattern will be seen dark (Falah, 2006).
Very precise length measurements can be made with an inferometer. The
movement of the M1 mirror away /4 only produces a clear difference between
light and dark. For = 400 nm, this means a precision of 100 nm or 10-4 mm. If the
M1 mirror is tilted slightly, a series of light and dark dots will appear to replace a
series of edges. By counting the number of edges, or parts of them, very precise
length measurements can be made (Giancoli, 2001).
The Michelson-Morley experiment set the stage for Einstein’s 1905
special theory of relativity, a theory that Michelson himself was reluctant to
accept. indeed, not long before the flowering of relativity and quantum theory
revolutionized physics, Michelson announced that 'physical discoveries in the
future are a matter of the sixth decimal place".This was a common opinion of the
time. Michelson received a noble Prize in 1907, the first American to do so.
There is only one way to account for these results without violating the principle
of relativity. it must be true that measurements of space and time are not absolute
but depend on the relative motion between an observer and what is being
observed (Beiser, 2003).
Michelson saw that an interferometer could be used to determine the
length of a standard meter for certain wavelengths of light. In 1960, the standard
was chosen as the particular orange line in the krypton-86 spectrum. Careful
repeated measurements of the old standard meter were made to determine that 1
meter is 1,650,763.73 this wavelength of light, which is defined as the meter. In
1963, the meter was redefined in terms of the speed of light.as the meter. In
1963, the meter was redefined in terms of the speed of light (Giancoli, 2001).
 CHAPTER III
EXPERIMENTAL METHOD

A. Day / Date
Day : Saturday, october 23, 2021
Date : 13.10 – 17.50 WITA
B. Tools And Material
1. Laser He-Ne Model 155 1 piece
2. Laser Aligment Bench 1 piece
3. Beam Spiliter 1 piece
4. Convex Lens 1 piece
5. Mirror 2 piece
6. Viewing Scren 1 piece
7. Compensator 1 piece
8. Micrometer scrup 1 piece
C. Identification Of Variable
1. Measured variable
a. Mirror shift (dm)
b. Number of
2. Calculated variable
a. Wavelength (λ)
D. Operational Variable Of Definition

a. Mirror shift (dm) is a shift in the value of one millimeter scale with a mirror
shift of 1 mm with a change in the light and dark interference pattern. With
the micrometer rotated counterclockwise 20 times with units of m.
b. The number of fringes (N) is the number of interactions of two or more
light waves that produces an output in the form of a bright dark circular
line.
c. The wavelength (λ) is the path distance emitted by the He-Ne Laser and
can be calculated using the formula =2dm/N with units of nm.
3. Work Procedure
 a. Prepare the tool to be used and adjust the position of the laser and
interferometer according to the experimental model.
b. Connect the He-Ne Model 155 laser to a power source and then turn it on.
b. Adjusting the position of the laser and interferometer, in this case the light
from the laser hits the lens and then focuses it on the beam splitter.
c. Position the screen so that one of the millimeter scales is tangent to the
edge
d. Rotate the micrometer counterclockwise while counting the number of
edges that cross the predetermined line (minimum 20 fringes).
e. The mirror shift (dm) is recorded. each small division on the micrometer is
proportional to 10-6 m in the mirror's movement distance.
f. 6. Record the number of transmission fringe
g. Continue to rotate the micrometer as in the previous step and record each
mirror shift until a minimum of 20 data is obtained for a total of 400 edges.
h. Observational data are recorded in the observation table
i. Then, plot a graph of the relationship between the number of fringe (N) and
mirror shift (dm) in excel to obtain the wavelength value
j. After that proceed with data analysis
4. Work Principle
The working principle in this experiment is that a beam of He-Ne laser
light is passed through a positive lens, then forwarded to the beam splitter.
This double positive lens serves to focus light onto the beam splitter. The
beam splitter functions as a lens and mirror which is used to split the beam so
that 50% of the light that falls on it is reflected and 50% so that the rest is
transmitted. The reflected light beam moves towards M2 while the remaining
light will be given moving towards M1. The light beam that is forwarded to
M1 will first pass through the compensator. This compensator serves to
equalize the phase of a light beam that is passed on to the phase when it has
not been forwarded. Meanwhile, the reflected light beam that is reflected is
not passed to the compensator because it is in accordance with Snell's law
which states that the angle of incidence is the same as the angle of reflection,
so it is clear that the reflected beam will not experience a phase difference.
Then the two mirrors M1 and M2 will reflect the beam back to the beam
splitter. In this situation, it will function to equalize the phase difference of
the light beam reflected back by M2 before half of each reflected light beam
M1 and M2 is forwarded to the viewing screen and a concentric dark-light-
dark-bright circle pattern will be obser.
 CHAPTER IV
RESULT AND DISCUSSION

A. Observation Result
NST Micrometer = 10-6 m = 1 µm = 10 nm
Δx Micrometer = 0.5×103 nm

Tabel 1. The relationship between the number of fringe and mirror shift

Number of frinji N Mirror shift dm (µm)

20 |6.5 ± 0.5|
40 |13.0 ± 0.5|
60 |18.0 ± 0.5|
80 |24.5 ± 0.5|
100 |31.0 ± 0.5|
120 |37.0 ± 0.5|
140 |43.0 ± 0.5|
160 |49.0 ± 0.5|
180 |55.0 ± 0.5|
200 |61.5 ± 0.5|
220 |68.0 ± 0.5|
240 |75.0 ± 0.5|
260 |81.0 ± 0.5|
280 |87.5 ± 0.5|
300 |94.0 ± 0.5|
320 |100.0 ± 0.5|
340 |106.5 ± 0.5|
360 |113.0 ± 0.5|
380 |119.0 ± 0.5|
400 |126.0 ± 0.5|

B. Data Analysis
 140
y = 0.3123x
120 R² = 0.9997

100
dm (µm)

80

60

40

20

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
N

Graph 1. The relationship between the number of fringe and mirror shift

1. Wavelength
y = mx
dm = m.N
𝜆𝑁
dm = 2
2𝑑𝑚
λ= 𝑁
𝑁λ
mN = 2
λ
m=2

λ = 2𝑚
λ = 2 (0.3123)
λ = 0.6246 𝜇𝑚
λ = 624,6 nm
2. Uncertainty
λ = 2 dm
𝛿𝜆
𝑑𝜆 = |𝛿𝑑 | d.dm
𝑚
2𝑑𝑚
𝛿( )
𝑁
dλ = | |d.dm
𝛿𝑑𝑚

∆𝜆 = |2 . 𝑁 −1 |𝛿𝑑𝑚
2 Δ𝑑𝑚
Δ𝜆 = | |
𝑁
 2 (0,5 𝜇𝑚)
Δ𝜆 = | |
20
Δ𝜆 = 0,05 𝜇𝑚
Δ𝜆 = 50 𝑛𝑚
3. Physics Reporting
λ = | λ ± Δλ |
λ = | 624,6 ± 5.0 |𝑛𝑚
4. Percent Error
𝜆𝑡𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑖 = 632.8 𝑛𝑚
𝜆𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑡𝑖𝑘𝑢𝑚 = 624,6 𝑛𝑚
𝜆𝑡𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑖 − 𝜆𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑡𝑖𝑘𝑢𝑚
% 𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = | | × 100%
𝜆𝑡𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑖
632.8 − 624,6
% 𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = | | × 100%
632.8
8.2
% 𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = | | × 100%
632.8
% 𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = 0.0129 %
C. Discussion
The experiment, entitled the Michelson interferometer, aims to explain the
working principle/concept of the Michelson interferometer and to measure the
wavelength of the light source used in the experiment. The Michelson
interferometer is the most common array of optical instruments used for
interferometers. This instrument is designed to produce interference patterns
from differences in optical paths.
The working principle in this experiment is that a beam of He-Ne laser
light is passed through a positive double lens to be focused and then the light
beam is forwarded to the biem splitter. This beam splitter will split the light
beam, 50% of which is forwarded to the moving mirror and 50% of the light
beam will be reflected to the immovable mirror before the light beam reaches
the mirror first, the beam will be passed to the compensator, where the
compensator serves to equalize the phase of the wave. comes from a light
source (He-Ne Laser) then the mirror will reflect the beam back to the beam
splitter and then interfere with the viewing screen and produce a dark and
bright pattern.
 In this experiment, it is used to determine the wavelength of He-Ne laser
light used He-Ne laser light wavelength which can be obtained by graphing
the relationship between the number of principles and the mirror shift. From
the graph results, the graph equation is 0.3123 x so that the wavelength is
obtained 624.6 nm laser light in practice is 624.6 nm with a percentage
difference of 0.0129%. based on the wavelength obtained in practice
compared to the theoretical wavelength, which is and 632.8 nm, This small
difference can occur due to several causes such as the tool used is exposed to
friction or movement so that it can affect the results of the observation data
obtained. it can be seen from the graph obtained that the relationship between
the number of principles and the mirror is directly proportional shift mirror is
the greater the number of principles, the greater the mirror shift.
 CHAPTER V
CLOSING

A. Conclusion
1. The working principle of the Michelson interferometer is that the incident
ray is divided into two parts by a beam splitter which has previously been
focused by a positive double lens. This beam splitter will split the light
beam, which is 50% forwarded to the moving mirror and 50% of the light
beam will be reflected to the stationary mirror. The light beam that goes to
M1 will be forwarded and will first pass through the compensator, this
compensator will function to equalize the phase of the light beam, which
goes to M2 will be reflected without passing through the compensator
because the M2 mirror acts as a mirror while on M1 it acts as a beam lens.
light that has reached M1 and M2 will be reflected back to the beam splitter
and then to the viewing screen and there will be interference that forms a
dark-bright fringe pattern.
2. Based on the analysis of the wavelength of the He-Ne laser light source is
2𝑑𝑚
λ = | 624.6 ± 5.0 | nm using the equation λ = 𝑁

B. Suggestion
1. To Practican. in order to better master the material and also work
procedures in the practicum so that when taking accurate results are
obtained.
1. To the supervising assistants to pay more attention to the quality of the
tools used before the experiment takes place so that experimental activities
can run smoothly.
2. To the laboratory assistant, to always supervise the practitioner at the time
of data collection while maintaining friendliness in guiding the
practitioner.
 REFERENCE

Beiser, Arthur. 2003. Concepts of Modern Physics Sixth Edition. Publisher:

Kent A. Peterson.

Falah, Masroatul. 2006. Analisis Pola Interferometer Michelson untuk

Menentukan Panjang Gelombang Sumber Cahaya. Jurnal Fisika
Universitas Diponegoro (JFUD), Vol 1 No 1.

Giancolli. 2001. Fisika, Edisi kelima jilid 2. Jakarta : PT. Gelora Aksara Pratama

Handayani Sri Lestari. 2014. Analisis Pola Interferensi Celah banyak Untuk
Menentukan Panjang Gelombang Laser He-Ne dan Laser Dioda. Jurnal
Fisika Universitas Negeri Semarang, Vol 4 No.1.

Nanlohy, Pieldrie,. Samy J., Litiloly. 2013. Metoda Penyaring Ruang Sederhana
Pada Interferometer Michelson. Jurnal Ilmu Teknik dan Sains, Vol 9, No
2. ISSN 1693-9425.

Rosana, Dadan dkk. 2000. Konsep Dasar Fisika Modern. Yogyakarta :

Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta

Serway,et.al. 2005. Modern Physics 3nd Edition. Thomson Learning.

Setyahandana, Budi,. Martanto,. Etc. 2013. Sistem Interferometer Michelson

Untuk Mengukur Regangan Pada Mesin Uji Tarik. Jurnal Teknik Mesin,
Vol 14, No 2. ISSN 1410-9667.
LITERATURE