Asymmetric Mach-Zehnder fiber interferometer test of the anisotropy of the speed of light

TL;DR

This study used two highly stabilized Mach-Zehnder fiber interferometers to test the anisotropy of the speed of light, finding azimuth-dependent phase differences in one setup but not the other, contributing to fundamental physics tests.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel experimental setup with two fiber interferometers to detect potential anisotropy in light speed, with precise control and environmental stabilization.

Findings

Azimuth-dependent phase difference observed in one interferometer.

No azimuth dependence detected in the control interferometer.

Environmental stability achieved better than 1 mK per day.

Abstract

Two optical fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometers were constructed in an environment with a temperature stabilization of better than 1 mK per day. One interferometer with a length of 2 m optical fiber in each arm with the main direction of the arms parallel to each other. A path (length 175 mm) filled with atmospheric air is inserted in one arm. Another interferometer with a length of 2 m optical fiber in each parallel arm acts as a control. In each arm 1 m of fiber was wound around a ring made of piezo material enabling the control of the length of the arms by means of a voltage. The influence of rotation of the interferometers at the Earth surface on the observed phase differences was determined. For one interferometer (with the air path) it was found that the phase difference depends on the azimuth of the interferometer. For the other one no relevant dependence on the azimuth has been measured.