Phase-tilting interferometry for optical testing.

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Metrology
• Image Processing

Background:

• Interferometry is crucial for optical testing but is sensitive to random phase tilts.
• Existing methods often require phase shifters or struggle with environmental vibrations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel phase retrieval method for interferograms with random phase tilts.
• To enhance the accuracy and robustness of interferometric measurements.
• To enable high-precision analysis without phase shifters.

Main Methods:

• Phase-tilting interferometry is proposed.
• The Radon transform is utilized to extract the tilted phase plane.
• Least squares method is employed for phase distribution retrieval.

Main Results:

• Satisfactory results were obtained for both simulated and experimental interferograms.
• The method demonstrates high accuracy and good robustness.
• Successful application in environments with vibrations was shown.

Conclusions:

• The proposed phase-tilting interferometry effectively retrieves phase from tilted interferograms.
• This technique provides a robust solution for optical testing and interferometric measurements.
• It enables high-precision analysis, even in challenging conditions and without phase shifters.