Principle and analysis of a moving double-sided mirror interferometer

A moving double-sided mirror interferometer (MDSMI) is presented. It comprises one moving double-sided mirror (MDSM), one fixed corner-cube mirror, one fixed plane mirror, and one beam-splitter. The MDSM is a plane-parallel glass plate with both faces coated with high-reflectivity films. The optical path difference (OPD) is created by the straight reciprocating motion of the MDSM driven by a linear actuator, and the OPD value is four times the displacement of the MDSM without tilt. The effect of tilt of the MDSM is analyzed, and the tilt tolerance of the MDSM is systematically analyzed by means of modulation depth and phase error. The MDSMI is very suitable for high-resolution rapid-scan infrared spectrometers.

► Principle of a moving double-sided mirror interferometer (MDSMI).
► Calculation of the optical path difference with a tilt of the moving double-sided mirror.
► Calculation of the interference intensity with a tilt of the moving double-sided mirror.
► Analysis and derivation of the tilt tolerance of the moving double-sided mirror.
► Several advantages make the MDSMI suitable for high-resolution rapid-scan spectrometers.