Enchanting Microscope Accessories No. 35: Leitz Interferometer Attachment

Leitz Michelson and Miro interferometer attachments.
Leitz Michelson and Millow's interferometer attachments
Manufactured in the 1970s

The Michelson and Miro interferometer attachments are accessories used with reflected light polarizing microscopes.

There are no defects in the attachment set or the objective lenses. The optical system is also in clean condition.

Leitz interferometer attachments (2 types) that attach to objective lenses.
(See image 3)
The Michelson interferometer is on the left.
The Miro interferometer is on the right.

The objective lens is attached to the objective lens clutch of the polarizing microscope.
(See images 6-8)
The 20x and 32x objective lenses are RMS thread standard, so they can be attached to polarizing microscopes other than Leitz.

Disassembled view of the Michelson interferometer attachment.
(See image 12)
The Michelson interferometer attachment is specified for a 20x reflected light objective lens.

Disassembly of the Miro interferometer attachment.
(See image 13)
The Miro interferometer is specified for 20x and 32x reflected light objective lenses.

The Miro interferometer has six types of inserts.
(See image 15)
Use by attaching the appropriate insert to the attachment.

When the black gear-like dial on the surface of the Michelson interferometer is rotated, three black dot shadows appear on the specimen, making it easier to find interference fringes. (See image 16)

Michelson interferometer mounted on a Leitz polarizing microscope Orthoplan Pol (See image 18)
*The microscope is not included in the listing.

Image showing interference fringes.
(See image 19)
Even on the surface of a CD, which appears flat like a mirror at first glance, interference fringes will appear if there are uneven areas.
The depth (height) of scratches and dents can be measured by measuring the spacing of the interference fringes (yellow arrows).
I recall that it was possible to measure unevenness at the tens of nanometer level with a microscope, but honestly, I do not fully understand the correct usage.

[The interferometer attachments (2 types) are used by attaching them to Leitz RMS thread standard objective lenses (2 types). We recommend using an anti-vibration table when observing with a polarizing microscope. Both interferometer attachments are rare items in good storage condition.]