Shifting of localization planes in optical testing: application to a shearing interferometer

Abstract

An amplitude-division two-beam interferometer illuminated by a quasi-monochromatic, spatially incoherent, and periodic source yields multiple localization planes of interference fringes. If a thick transmission sample with a few localized phase disturbances in various layers is placed in the interferometer, the disturbances in a layer can be detected, making its images through the two arms coincide with a chosen localization plane. Different layers can be analyzed by means of shifting the localization plane by a variation of the source period without any other changes in the device. Here we illustrate this method by applying it to a shearing interferometer, a classical Wollaston prism placed between crossed polarizers. Experimental images of different observation planes are obtained, and they are in good agreement with the theoretical expectations.

© 2001 Optical Society of America

Zero fringe visibility in the classical localization plane of a two-beam interferometer

Juan M. Simon and Silvia A. Comastri
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 21(8) 1488-1495 (2004)

Multilocalization and the van Cittert–Zernike theorem. 1. Theory

Silvia A. Comastri, Juan M. Simon, and Catherine Tardin
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 17(7) 1265-1276 (2000)

Multilocalization and the van Cittert–Zernike theorem. 2. Application to the Wollaston prism

Juan M. Simon, Silvia A. Comastri, and Catherine Tardin
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Phase-shifting shearing interferometer

DeVon W. Griffin
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