Principle

Two mirrors are assembled to form a Fabry-Perot interferometer.
Using them, the multibeam interference ofa laser’s light beam is
investigated.On moving one of the mirrors, thechange in the
intensity distributionof the interfeence pattern is studied. This
is a qualitative experiment,to study the shape of different
lasermodes and compare it with some photosgiven in this
description.

Benefits


study a fundamental component of lasers

fascinating patterns emerge in a surprisingly symmetric setup

learn about a widely used type of interferometer



Tasks


Construction of a Fabry-Perot interferometer using separate
optical components.

The interferometeris used to observe different resonator modes
within the interferometer.


What you can learn about


Interference

Wavelength

Diffraction index

Speed of light

Phase

Virtual light source

Two-beam interferometer