In this paper, the optical Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) in classical regime is fully analysed. One of our main goals is to supply the basis for future transpositions to the quantum regime. The MZI is a device totally analogous to the double-slit experiment [1] but a more modern version in technological terms. It has been used extensively in papers related to quantum computation and quantum cryptography [2]. Those are fields grounded on quantum superposition and quantum interference phenomena. It has also appeared in papers related to the teaching of introductory quantum physics where the conceptual problem of which path a given photon goes through arises more naturally [3-10]. The analytical results shown here were used in the production of an educational software to simulate the classical and quantum interference phenomena. The software has been widely used in introductory quantum physics courses in IF-UFRGS.
optical physics; Mach-Zehnder interferometer; wave-particle duality
