CONFERENCE ON MICHELSON-MORLEY EXPERIMENT 367
The interferometer is being set up again on the campus of Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, near the place where the original Michelson-Morley experiment was performed in 1887. It is proposed to make a series of observations for four epochs of the year, comparable in every way with the Mount Wilson series. This will give information as to the possible effects of local conditions; it is hoped that it will show more definitely whether there is any effect due to altitude, and whether the orbital motion is appreciable.
IV. DR. ROY J. KENNEDY (CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OP TECHNOLOGY)
When Professor Miller published the conclusions that he presented to us yesterday, it became necessary, or at least very desirable, that the experiment be repeated independently. It is such a performance of the experiment that I shall discuss this morning.
In this experiment the light-paths were reduced to about 4 m, and the required sensitiveness was obtained by an arrangement capable of detecting a very slight displacement of the interference pattern. The whole optical system was inclosed in a sealed metal case containing helium at atmospheric pressure. Because of its small size, the apparatus could be effectively insulated, and circulation and variations in density of the gas in the light-paths nearly eliminated. Furthermore, since the value of /x — 1 for helium is only about one-tenth that for air at the same pressure, it will be seen that the disturbing effects of changes in density of the gas correspond to those in air at only a tenth of an atmosphere of pressure. Actually it was found that any wavering of the interference pattern was imperceptible, and when temperature equilibrium had been reached there was no steady shift.
The plan of the apparatus is sketched in Figure 8. The optical parts are mounted on a marble slab 122 cm square by 10.5 cm thick, which rests on an annular float in a pan of mercury 77 cm in diameter. This is simply a reduced copy of Michelson’s original mounting. The mirrors Mz, MA9 and Ms are fixed in position; such adjustments of the compensating plate C and mirror M2 as are necessary after the cover is in place can be made from the observer’s position at the telescope. The green light X 5461 is separated by the lens and prism system from the radiation of a small mercury arc lamp
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ROY J. KENNEDY
S attached to the slab, and passed through a small hole in the screen Z. The pencils of light are carefully limited by screens and by focusing in order to prevent stray light from reaching the eye and thereby reducing its sensitiveness. Adjustments are made so that broad fringes are formed at the surface of Mx and M2, on which the telescope is focused. Final adjustments are made by rotating the compensating plate C by means of a fine differential screw, and by placing small weights near the corner of the slab; under proper condi
tions a 5-g weight deflects the heavy slab just perceptibly. The adjusting screws are manipulated by means of spindles passing through short flexible tubes in such a way as to be freely rotatable but air tight. After the mirrors are given preliminary alignment, the cover is carefully lowered into place, sealed to the slab, and then filled with helium.
Schematically, the arrangement of the interferometer is shown in Figure 9. A beam of practically plane-parallel, homogeneous light, plane-polarized so that its electric vector lies in the plane of the paper, moves to the right and falls on the mirror Ms at the polarizing angle for the given wave-length. At the upper face the beam