a device that measures reality by making light argue with itself.
means an instrument that splits a wave into two paths and recombines them, using the resulting interference pattern to measure tiny differences in distance, angle, or medium.
from from latin inter (between) plus ferire (to strike), via french interferer, named after the phenomenon of overlapping waves striking each other; the physical device was formalized by albert michelson in 1881 while trying to detect earth's motion through the hypothetical ether.
ligo — detected gravitational waves from colliding black holes, 2015
michelson-morley experiment — 1887 cleveland lab, killed the luminiferous ether theory
james webb space telescope — uses wavefront sensing interferometry to align its mirrors