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glossary

Interference: superposition of light waves whose resulting intensity depends on the phase shifts between them
Wavelength ( of a light wave ): distance between two consecutive identical states of the electric ( or magnetic ) field
Fabry Perot interferometer: multi-wave interferometer made of a parallel plate which surfaces have a non null reflectivity
Reflectance: reflection coefficient related to the intensity
Refraction index: for a transparent medium, ratio between the light speed in the air and the light speed in the medium ; for a reflective surface in the air or vacuum, the refraction index is « - 1 »
Angle of incidence: angle of a light ray incident on a surface with the normal to the surface
Phase: characterizes the instantaneous relative amplitude value of a light wave
Phase dispersion: derived function of the phase with respect to the wavelength
Power of resolution (spectrometer): ratio between the wavelength and the minimum distinguishable variation of wavelength