NUMERICAL SIMULATION STUDY ON MICHELSON INTERFEROMETER BASED ON FIRST-PRINCIPLES

A simulation of the Michelson interferometer based on first-principles was conducted to investigate the influencing factors of interference fringes. The simulation results show that angular deflections of the mirror and beam splitter cause the interference fringes to transform between circles, ellipses, and straight lines. When the compensating plate is insufficiently compensated, the interference fringes deviate from circular patterns. In the absence of a compensating plate, the interference fringes transform between ellipses, approximate straight fringes, or hyperbolas as the distance between the two mirrors changes, with two critical points observed. The numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental findings.