Lateral chromatic aberration: a tool for retrieving the fringes phase

Area of Science:

• Optics
• Image Processing
• Metrology

Background:

• Phase shifting algorithms are crucial for quantitative analysis of fringe patterns in optical metrology.
• Traditional methods often require multiple fringe patterns captured over time or space.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of utilizing the intrinsic lateral chromatic aberration (LCA) of optical lenses for phase retrieval.
• To develop a method for decomposing a single fringe pattern into multiple phase-shifted components using LCA.

Main Methods:

• Exploiting the wavelength-dependent lateral shift (LCA) inherent in lens systems.
• Decomposing a single captured fringe pattern into three distinct phase-shifted images.
• Applying phase retrieval algorithms to the generated phase-shifted images.

Main Results:

• Successful retrieval of phase information from a single fringe pattern using LCA.
• Demonstration of the decomposition of one fringe pattern into three phase-shifted equivalents.
• Experimental validation of the proposed method.

Conclusions:

• Lateral chromatic aberration offers a novel approach for single-shot phase retrieval from fringe patterns.
• This method provides a viable alternative to conventional temporal and spatial phase shifting techniques.
• Potential for simplified and faster optical measurement systems.