Interference figures

 Very important tool to determine optical

characteristics. They will tell you:
 Uniaxial vs biaxial
 Optic sign
 2V angle – for biaxial
 Used for estimating chemistry of mineral
 Technique
 Focus with highest power objective
 Be certain observation is conoscopic light
 Flip in conoscope on some microscopes
 Most of them have to raise light sources as high as
possible
 Insert Betrand lens or remove ocular
 Interference figure forms on top of objective lens
 Betrand lens required to refocus the image
 Slightly more modern version

Bertrand lens

conoscope
 One type of Uniaxial
Interference Figure
Isogyres
Isochromes

Melatope

Fig. 7-35
 Figure consist of isogyres and isochromes
 Isochromes: patterns of interference colors
 Isogyres: dark bands (extinction)
 Nature of interference figure and patterns
as stage rotated determines optical
property
 Types of figures controlled by cut of the
grain
 Uniaxial Interference Figure

 Three types:
 Optic axis figure
 Off-center optic axis figure
 Flash Figure
 Note – these correspond with the principle
cuts of the indicatrix
 Optic Axis Figure
 Forms when optic axis perpendicular to
stage
 Grain exhibits low interference color (extinct)
 Figure
 Black cross of isogyres
 Circular isochromes
 Melatope - location of optic axis
 Isochromes are increasingly higher order
colors outward
 Isochromes (and isogyres) result from ray paths
of conoscopic light:
 Light traveling along optic axis (melatope) has no
retardation
 Light near melatope has low retardation (d and d little
higher
 Light far from melatope have higher retardation (d
and d increase more)
 Thicker and high birefringent minerals have
more isochromes
 E.g. calcite (large d) vs quartz (small d)
 Thin section
Indicatrix
(1) Longer path length,
greater d, higher
interference colors
(2) Perpendicular to
light ray is section
of indicatrix, larger d
Fig. 7-36
 Origin of Isochromes and
Isogyres

 w rays vibrate tangent to isochromes

 e rays vibrate perpendicular to isochromes
 Isogyres are where vibration directions are
N-S and E-W, extinct
Note: each ray path
has its own section
of indicatrix;
Each has unique ne’,
so has increasing d
outward

Thin section
Indicatrix

Fig. 7-37
 Off-center OA figure

 Figure forms when OA is not perpendicular

to stage
 Correct grain will have intermediate
interference colors
 Use of figure similar to centered OA figure
 Off-center OA figure

 If OA < ~30º to stage, melatope in field

of view
 Isogyres swing around center of cross
hairs
 If melatope is out of field of view, difficult
but possible to determine optic sign
 Off-center OA, melatope in field of view

Optic Axis inside

field of view

Fig. 7-38
 Off-center OA figure, melatope outside
field of view

Thin section
Indicatrix

Optic Axis outside

field of view

Fig. 7-38
 Optic Normal (Flash Figure)

 Formed when OA is parallel to stage

 Grains have highest interference colors
 Broad diffuse isogyres, split and leave field
of view
 Not much use
 Determines orientation of OA – e.g.
pleochroism
Fig.7-39
 Determining Optic Sign

 Orientation of vibration directions known

in each quadrant
 Insertion of accessory plate will cause
subtraction and addition
 Determines sign
 e’ always points toward melatope,
Orientation of vibration directions
from fig. 3-37

Addition Subtraction

e>w + e<w -
Fig. 7-
40
 Biaxial Interference Figures

 5 major figures
 2 useful ones:
 Acute bisectrix (Bxa) figure
 Optic axis figure
 3 worthless ones:
 Obtuse Bisectrix (Bxo) figure
 Optic Normal figure (Flash figure)
 Off-center figure
 Acute bisectrix figure
 Bxa axis (X or Z depending on sign) oriented
perpendicular to stage

Biaxial
Indicatrix

Optically positive Optically negative Fig. 7-27

 Acute bisectrix figure
 Grains have intermediate to low
interference colors (depends on 2V)
 Isogyres form cross that splits and leaves
field of view as stage is rotated
 Two melatopes (i.e. two OA)
 Isochromes are oval or figure 8 around
the melatope
 Acute bisectrix figure

Optic Plane

Grain at extinction Grain 45º from extinction

Fig. 7-41
 Optic Axis Figure

 Formed when OA is vertical

 These grains have zero or small
retardation
 If 2V > 30º, only one melatope (OA) in
field of view
 If 2V very small, looks like an off-center
Bxa figure
2V < 30º 2V > 30º

Fig. 7-44
 Determining Optic Sign
 Done with Bxa or OA figure
 Example of Bxa figure:
 Two light rays vibrate along Bxa axis (either Z or X,
the other must be Y)
 Y vibration is nb, this one is perpendicular to the optic
plane
 Other depends if mineral is + or –
 If +, then vibration is X = na
 If -, then vibration is Z = ng
 Use accessory plate to determine if vibration is fast or
slow
 Addition
Subtraction

Fast on slow?
Slow on slow?

Shows if Bxa
is Z or X

Remember:
Think about Two vibration
slice of directions depend on
indicatrix to which axis is Bxa
give you
vibration
directions Fig. 7-48

Light from bottom

Determining optic sign with Biaxial OA figure

Subtraction

Addition

Slow over fast - Slow over slow -

subtraction addition
Fig. 7-49
 Determining 2V – several
techniques
 Bxa figure:
 Spacing between melatopes relates to 2V
 Depends on numerical aperture (NA) of
objectives
 Can guess within about 10º
Numerical
aperture

15º 30º

45º 60º

Fig. 7-51
 Optic axis figure

 Curvature of the isogyre depends on 2V

 If 2V = 90º, the isogyre is a straight line
 If 2V = 0º, the isogyre forms a cross – it
is uniaxial
Fig. 7-52