Marco Pisani
Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, INRIM/ Italy
m.pisani@inrim.it
Abstract:
Interferometry is the "ideal" tool for dimensional metrology, from ultrasmall displacements to very long-distance measurements, with applications ranging from ultra-sensitive accelerometers for space applications to the detection of gravitational waves. Thanks to the availability of compact, high-coherence laser sources, fast and cheap electronics, and the growing "metrological awareness" in the scientific and industrial world, interferometry has been increasingly used in many fields of science and manufacturing in the last decades. Nevertheless, interferometers have practical limitations in their "everyday" use which can seriously affect the results, often more than expected. The major error sources are the non-linearity and the refractive index of air; the first affects measurements at the nano- to micrometer scale, and the second affects measurements at the meter (workhop) scale.
Examples of errors in practical interferometric measurements will be shown, together with possible solutions to mitigate both kinds of errors.
Bio:
Marco Pisani is a Research Director at the Italian Institute of Research in Metrology, INRIM. He has been working mainly in the field of dimensional metrology, specifically on angle measurements and interferometry. His principal interests now are related to the development of measurement instruments and sensors for space applications. At present, he is the head of the Applied Metrology and Engineering Division of INRIM.
