New type of liquid refractometer

Abstract

In a new type of liquid refractometer, the phase difference variation between s and p polarizations produced by the total internal reflection is measured using a heterodyne interferometer with a specially designed probe. Substituting the phase difference variation into the Fresnel's equation, the refractive index can be calculated and displayed. The prototype is set up to demonstrate its feasibility. (C) 1998 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [S0091-3286(98)02510-0].