interference microscope

An interference microscope is a specialized optical microscope that creates images by utilizing the difference between an unmodified light beam and one that has passed through a specimen. A beam splitter divides light into two paths; one goes through the specimen, and the other bypasses it. When these beams recombine, their interference reveals the specimen's structure. This technique was first developed in 1947 by Francis Smith and Maurice Franςon. Differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, developed by Georges Nomarski in 1952, is a related technique that uses polarized light to generate contrast from differences in the index of refraction within transparent specimens.1