Lab 15 Prep

There is no separate prep package. Your preparation has 2 parts:
1) Write a paragraph (or more) describing your plan for the final presentation. Your plan should include a short technical description, an estimate of the amount of table time you will need, and a timeline for accomplishing the project. Refer to the presentation rules given during lab 12. Key dates are: presentation is evening of 12/7 and a hardcopy/digital version is due on the last day of class. I will spend about 10 minutes with each of you discussing your project during lab 15.
2) Review your lab notes for the last experiment, where we polarization tagged the arms of a Michelson interferometer. Generate a 1-page description of the experiment and the results. Make a note of something you would like to try differently or in addition. Write a simple procedure for doing that and incorporate it into your table work during the open lab.

Lab 14 Material Available

At the moment it is a draft, I'll do some reorganizing for class but this is the content:
Lab 14 Materials

Lab 14 Prep Package Available

Lab 14 Prep Package
...in which you will further explore the Michelson interferometer, including a quantum mechanical calculation of its fringe pattern.

Lab 13 Photos

Lab 13 was to build a Michelson interferometer and obtain first fringes. Both teams were successful, achieving fringes in an hour or less. Here are some photos.

Team A planning their buildup and alignments. The team came up with a perforated card as an alignment aid that was used to ensure the beam was a constant height above the table.

Team B doing their layout. Fringes obtained at t=1 hour using shimmed and hand-touch alignments. Not bad!

Lab 13 Material Available

Lab 13 Plan of the Day
Lab 13 Michelson Interferometer First Fringes
Self-assessment

Lab 13 Prep Package Available

We are starting the Michelson interferometer sequence. Monday we'll build the first iteration and detect fringes if all goes well. The prep package is to warm you up with a historical perspective and to get you thinking about alignments.
Lab 13 Prep Package

Lab 12 Materials Available

Today's main topics will be lab notebook review and open lab. Be sure to bring your lab notebook!
Lab 12 Plan of the Day
"Final" presentation rules and procedures
Self-Assessment
Please record on your self assessment what you want more of and what you want less of in the lab.