Interferometers and systems using interferometers
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- an interferometer comprising a main assembly comprising two laterally displaced polarizing beam splitter interfaces, wherein the interfaces are positioned to receive two spatially separated beams and direct them each to make at least two passes to one or more remote objects, wherein each interface reflects and transmits each beam at least once, and the interferometer is configured to combine the two beams after they make the at least two passes to the one or more remote objects to produce an output beam comprising information about an optical path length difference between paths traveled by the two beams.
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Abstract
In general, in one aspect, the invention features apparatus that include an interferometer including a main assembly having two laterally displaced polarizing beam splitter interfaces, wherein the interfaces are positioned to receive two spatially separated beams and direct them each to make at least two passes to one or more remote objects. Each interface reflects and transmits each beam at least once, and the interferometer is configured to combine the two beams after they make the at least two passes to the one or more remote objects to produce an output beam including information about an optical path length difference between paths traveled by the two beams.
86 Citations
44 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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an interferometer comprising a main assembly comprising two laterally displaced polarizing beam splitter interfaces, wherein the interfaces are positioned to receive two spatially separated beams and direct them each to make at least two passes to one or more remote objects, wherein each interface reflects and transmits each beam at least once, and the interferometer is configured to combine the two beams after they make the at least two passes to the one or more remote objects to produce an output beam comprising information about an optical path length difference between paths traveled by the two beams. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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2. An interferometer, comprising:
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an input assembly comprising two laterally displaced polarizing beam splitter interfaces; and
a main assembly comprising at least one polarizing beam splitter interface, wherein the interfaces in the input assembly are positioned to derive two spatially separated beams from an input beam, the main assembly directs the spatially separated beams each to make at least two passes to one or more remote objects, and the input assembly combines the two beams after they make the at least two passes to the one or more remote objects to produce an output beam comprising information about an optical path length difference between paths traveled the two beams.
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3. An apparatus, comprising
an interferometer assembly comprising an output surface, the interferometer assembly being configured to direct two spatially separated beams to make at least two passes to one or more remote objects, wherein the spatially separated beams intersect the output surface at least once on each pass to the one or more remote objects and a surface normal of the output surface at each intersection is non-parallel with the respective beam path, and the interferometer assembly is configured to combine the two beams after they make the at least two passes to the one or more remote objects to produce an output beam comprising information about an optical path length difference between paths traveled by the two beams.
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32. A method, comprising:
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using an interferometer to direct two spatially separated beams to each make at least two passes to one or more remote objects, wherein the interferometer comprises two laterally displaced polarizing beam splitter interfaces positioned to receive the two beams and each interface reflects and transmits each beam at least once; and
combining the two beams after they make the at least two passes to the one or more remote objects to produce an output beam comprising information about an optical path length difference between the two beams.
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Specification