Preface-to-the-Second-Edition_2007_Basics-of-Interferometry

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Preface to the Second
Edition
The 15 years since the publication of the first edition of this book have
seen an explosive growth of activity in the field of optical interferometry, in-
cluding many new techniques and applications. The aim of this updated and
expanded second edition is to provide an introduction to this rapidly growing
field.
As before, the first part of the book covers basic topics such as interference
in thin films and thick plates, the most common types of interferometers, inter-
ference phenomena with extended sources and white light, and multiple-beam
interference. These topics are followed by a discussion of lasers as light sources
for interferometry and the various types of photodetectors.
The second part covers some techniques and applications of optical interferom-
etry. As before, the first four chapters deal with measurements of length, optical
testing, studies of refractive index fields, and interference microscopy. A chap-
ter has been added describing new developments in white-light interference mi-
croscopy. This chapter is followed by four chapters discussing holographic and
speckle interferometry, interferometric sensors, interference spectroscopy, and
Fourier transform spectroscopy. New sections have been added discussing recent
developments such as gravitational wave detectors, optical signal processing, and
laser frequency measurements. In view of the increasing importance of quantum
optics, a new chapter on interference at the single-photon level has also been
added. As before, the last chapter offers some practical suggestions on setting up
an interferometer.
Some useful mathematical results as well as some selected topics in optics are
summarized in 16 appendices, including new sections on Jones matrices and the
Poincaré sphere and their use in visualizing the effects of retarders on polarized
light, as well as the geometric (Pancharatnam) phase and its application to achro-
matic phase shifting.
I have used American spelling throughout in this book, except for the word
“metre.” Chapter 8 starts with a review of the work that led to the present stan-
dard of length based on the speed of light and cites the text of the internationally
accepted definition of this unit. Accordingly, to avoid inconsistency, I have used
the internationally accepted spelling for this word.
xix
xx Preface to the Second Edition
I am grateful to many of my colleagues for their assistance. In particular, I must
mention Philip Ciddor, Maitreyee Roy, and Barry Sanders; without their help, this
book could not have been completed.
P. Hariharan
Sydney
June 2006