Determination of refractive index of transparent plate by Fabry-Perot fringe analysis

We developed a simple and accurate method for measuring the refractive indices of transparent plates by analyzing the transmitted fringe pattern as a function of angle of incidence. By using two different wavelengths, we resolved the 2π- ambiguity inherent to the phase measurement involving a thick medium, leading to independent determination of the absolute index of refraction and the thickness with a relative uncertainty smaller than 10-5 for a 1 mm-thick fused silica plate. The accuracy of our method was confirmed with a standard reference material.

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