Laser interferometer
Laser interferometer
A set of 22 mirrors and beam splitters is installed on a block made of Zerodur glass ceramics with a square base of 20 centimetres edge length – the optical bench of LISA Pathfinder’s interferometer. The two gold-coated test masses on either side of the optical bench are used as the mirrors for the interferometer and are located approximately 38 centimetres apart. The laser interferometer produces highly precise measurements of the position and attitude of the masses relative to each other and the orbiter.
