从探寻“以太”到探测“引力波”——迈克耳孙干涉仪的应用

摘要

The most famous Michelson and Edward W.Morley experiment designed to detect small changes in the speed of light was first performed in 1881.Till now,the direct observation of gravitational wave confirmed the prediction of the general relativity of Einstein 100 years ago.Either detecting the ether or gravitational wave,the Michelson interferometer played the important role in these explorations.In this article,some applications of the Michelson interferometer will be introduced as a reference for the readers.%在19世纪末,著名的迈克耳孙-莫雷实验检测光速的微小变化用来探寻“以太”;目前,“引力波”的成功直接探测验证了爱因斯坦100年前广义相对论的预言;无论是探寻“以太”还是探测“引力波”,迈克耳孙干涉仪功不可没.本文简述迈克耳孙干涉仪的一些应用,以飨读者.