The Design and Construction of an Automatic Interferometer

Abstract

The idea of building an automatic interferometer :. stemmed from a specific problem. During the generation of complex optical surfaces there occurs a certain stage in the process of fine grinding at which the use of a micrometer no longer yields sufficiently precise measurements of the surface. Yet at this point, it is impossible to use the more precise optical testing methods available because of the diffusion of light by the unpolished surface. Therefore, a "measurement gap" exists.