Interferometry
When two light waves interfere, they combine depending on what phase they are in. If one wave's peak is aligned with the other's trough, they cancel each other out (destructive interference). However, if both peaks and troughs are aligned, then a new wave will be formed with a greater amplitude (constructive interference).http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/interferometry_101.html The amplitude will increase by the sum of the original two amplitudes plus double the square root of the multiplication of both amplitudes. http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:EhQiK86DrC8J:www.optics.arizona.edu/jcwyant/Short_Courses/SIRA/2-BasicInterferometryAndOpticalTesting.pdf+interferometry+basics&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjNBlHvUv9yPOAOxWelulIAgZ-Cb_NBJeiiV1kkryiymR3s8mamlY-v3JMJFTtlWRa6SswZNhBqTcnqSIRF4pFAtWm_MeK9N3oIG3wZM7vq_So0uIJBchhlVf0SLg4jmJfVGbr8&sig=AHIEtbQYMxhxUEIpYwZURTx15yMSFMLY9w
In an interferometer, the path of both waves is constructed in such a way to maximize the amplitude. http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education/senior/astrophysics/interferometry.html#interfoptical http://www.europhysicsnews.org/index.php?option=com_article&access=standard&Itemid=129&url=/articles/epn/pdf/2001/06/epn01613.pdf The wave, after interference, is displayed as a series of dark and bright lines. http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:EhQiK86DrC8J:www.optics.arizona.edu/jcwyant/Short_Courses/SIRA/2-BasicInterferometryAndOpticalTesting.pdf+interferometry+basics&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjNBlHvUv9yPOAOxWelulIAgZ-Cb_NBJeiiV1kkryiymR3s8mamlY-v3JMJFTtlWRa6SswZNhBqTcnqSIRF4pFAtWm_MeK9N3oIG3wZM7vq_So0uIJBchhlVf0SLg4jmJfVGbr8&sig=AHIEtbQYMxhxUEIpYwZURTx15yMSFMLY9w Most people are familiar with this as the "slit" experiment. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/interferometry_101.html The slits will be brighter than the original beam. Many different aberrations can occur in the resulting pattern, which can be due ...
updated 2010-10-16 00:36:29
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Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star in the constellation Orion. It fluctuates in light emitted; recent observations indicate it may be shrinking. Betelgeuse is one of the stars closest to Earth that is likely to become a supernova in the near future. However, it is too distant to have any significant effect.
