PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low-coherence interferometer which improves measurement efficiency by reducing the width of the scanning range of an optical path length difference.;SOLUTION: The low-coherence interferometer includes light sources (1, 21) which have optical frequency widths for measuring a distance range as an object to be measured by a low-coherence interference method and generate wide-band modulated light which is intensity-modulated over the optical frequency direction, and optical systems (9, 18) which divide the wide-band modulated light generated by the light sources and guides the light to both an object (12) to be measured, and a reference object (15) and generates an interference signal by allowing measuring light from the object to be measured and reference light from the reference object to interfere with each other.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT
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