INTERFEROMETRY SYSTEM AND METHOD EMPLOYING AN ANGULAR DIFFERENCE IN PROPAGATION BETWEEN ORTHOGONALLY POLARIZED INPUT BEAM COMPONENTS

摘要

The invention features an interferometry system that uses a small angular difference in the propagation directions of orthogonally polarized components of an input beam to an interferometer. The orthogonally polarized components define reference and measurement beams for the interferometer. The angular difference allows one to distinguish between the reference and measurement beam components of the input beam and facilitates the suppression of at least some of the cyclic errors caused by interferometer imperfections.