Radiation is coherent when there is a fixed phase relationship between the electric field values at different locations or at different times. The fixed phase relationship can be separated into a spatial relationship (a.k.a. spatial coherence) and a temporal relationship (a.k.a. temporal coherence). Partial coherence means that there is at least some correlation between phase values, either spatial coherence, temporal coherence or combinations thereof. In embodiments described herein, coherent radiation can be either coherent or partially coherent. In the case of coherent radiation used in combination with the interferometer, the coherency of the radiation is only limited by the ability of the interferometer to differentiate between interference patterns from the reflected radiation.