 Rayleigh interferometer

A Rayleigh interferometer compares optical paths through a sample and a reference. A path-length difference $\Delta \ell$ shifts the interference phase by $2\pi \Delta \ell /\lambda$. In analytical ultracentrifugation, sample and reference sectors produce concentration-dependent fringe shifts, allowing radial concentration scans without requiring the solute to absorb at the probe wavelength.^[ref]