Mirror galvanometer (Thomson)
Galvanómetro de espejo (Thomson)
- Date
- 1858 · confidence high
- Place
- Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- William Thomson (Lord Kelvin)
- Field
- Matter & energy
What it is
A beam of light reflected in a tiny mirror attached to the needle magnifies minute deflections, so it detects very weak currents. It was designed to read signals through the transatlantic cable.
What it led to
- reception of signals through long submarine cables
- moving-coil galvanometers (d'Arsonval, Weston)
- high-sensitivity electrical measurement