Lab 2

Lab #2 begins on Thursday, 9/26/06 at 5pm. It will likely last the entire 4 hours, so don't come hungry :). 

Lab #2 will require a full writeup, due the following Thursday.

For 6.161 students, Susan Ruff will be meeting with you at 7pm during the lab time in order to discuss the writeup requirements.

Here are the pictures student took in the lab...

http://web.mit.edu/6.161/www/FT06-Images/

== Lab #2 Writeup Suggestions ==

The lab writeup should be on the order of 5 pages, but no more than 8 (that is assuming your figures and plots come at the end, and are not counted in this total). 

I suggest entitling your paper:

"Optimal Applications for Common Interferometers"

or something similar.

You should compare and contrast how each interferometer is better or worse in performing common metrological tasks (such as measuring distance, angle, or thickness). 

Using the data you took in lab, determine the 'accuracy' of each device (Which interferometer gives you the most accurate data? How about over a large range of angles or distance? How about over a short distance or small range of angles?). 

Also, describe the real-world advantages and disadvantages to each interferometer. These can include stability, accuracy, setup time, complexity, and space requirements. Include a back-of-hand quantitative analysis of stability (ex. a Lummer Gherke interferometer would still work if you where driving down a dirt road and had it mounted to your truck, since the fringes are created by abutted material.... but, if you tried to do the same thing with a Mach Zehnder, you'd never see fringes due to constant variations in path length. Can you show this mathematically?)

By answering these questions, you will need to include most of:

Prelab (a) and (b)

2.1 (a) and (b)... (c) if it is relevant.

2.2 all

2.3 all

2.4 (a) and (b)

2.5 (a), (b), and (c)

2.6 (b) -> (g)


== Questions and Answers ==

'''Question:''' Should the lab writeup include an explanation of how each interferometer works?

'''Answer:''' Yes, but you shouldn't need to devote too much space to the explanations. Is I mentioned in lab, your audience is 6.637 students who haven't been to the lab or read the lab handout. They don't necessarily know or remember the designs of all of the different interferometers, but they're familiar enough with the principles involved that a diagram and a brief explanation should be sufficient.  --Susan

== Meetings to discuss writing comments ==

'''4pm''' Michael
'''5pm''' Dawsen
'''6pm''' GB
'''TAB''' Adrian

The meetings will be Tuesday Oct 17 in Susan's office: 38-583