Pulsed laser source digital holography efficiency measurements

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Digital Holography
• Infrared Imaging

Background:

• Digital holography systems are crucial for 3D imaging and metrology.
• Previous studies utilized continuous-wave lasers and visible cameras for efficiency measurements.
• Pulsed laser sources and short-wave infrared (SWIR) cameras offer potential advantages in specific applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure the total system efficiency of a digital holography system using a 1064 nm pulsed laser and a SWIR camera.
• To compare the measured efficiency with previous results obtained using different laser and camera technologies.
• To characterize system efficiency as a function of temporal delay between signal and reference pulses.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 1064 nm pulsed laser source and a short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera.
• Employed an off-axis image plane recording geometry for digital holography.
• Formulated component efficiency from the ambiguity function to characterize system performance.

Main Results:

• Achieved a total system efficiency of 15.9% at zero path-length difference, consistent with prior research.
• Accurately characterized total system efficiency as a function of temporal delay using component efficiency derived from the ambiguity function.
• Demonstrated robust system performance characterization despite pulsed laser multimode behavior and SWIR camera dark current noise.

Conclusions:

• The study validates the use of pulsed lasers and SWIR cameras for digital holography efficiency measurements.
• Ambiguity function-based component efficiency provides an accurate method for characterizing system performance.
• The findings contribute to understanding and optimizing digital holography systems for various applications.