1 research outputs found
Mach-Zehnder fiber interferometer test of the anisotropy of the speed of light
Two optical fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometers were constructed in an
environment with a temperature stabilization of better than 1 mK per day. One
interferometer with a length of 12 m optical fiber in each arm with the main
direction of the arms perpendicular to each other. Another with a length of 2 m
optical fiber in each arm where the main direction of the arms are parallel as
a control. In each arm 1 m of fiber was wound around a ring made of piezo
material enabling the control of the length of the arms by means of a voltage.
The influence of the temperature on the optical phase difference between the
interferometer arms was measured. It is attributed to the temperature change
induced variation of the interaction region of the optical fiber couplers.
Further, the influence of rotation of the interferometers at the Earth surface
on the observed phase differences was determined. For one interferometer (with
the long and perpendicular arms) it was found that the phase difference depends
on the azimuth of the interferometer. For the other one (with the short and
parallel arms) no relevant dependence on the azimuth has been measured.Comment: Errata: data of interferometers were interchange