A new heterodyne technique for the quantitative analysis of schlieren images is described. The technique is based on phase measurements of signals generated by a photodetector observing the variations in light intensity caused by a traveling grating of slits located at the knife-edge plane of a conventional schlieren system. The phase of the signal is proportional to the displacement of the slit image on the knife-edge plane as a result of the light deflection passing through a phase object. The displacement is proportional to the ray deflection angle and hence to the local gradient of the index of refraction. The technique, which is quantitatively precise and sensitive, is demonstrated by measurement of deflections caused by a lens with a focal length of f=20 m . A displacement of 0.22 mm and a deflection of an angle of 5.2×10^-4 rad were detected.

© 2003 Optical Society of America

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Citation lists with outbound citation links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Article level metrics are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

Related Journal Articles

• Lie algebraic treatment of dioptric power and optical aberrations (JOSAA)
• Simulation of Hamiltonian light-beam propagation in nonlinear media (JOSAB)
• Optical secure communications with chaotic erbium-doped fiber lasers (JOSAB)
• Chirped solitons with strong confinement in transmission links with in-line fiber Bragg gratings (OL)
• Scalar and Electromagnetic Diffraction Point-Spread Functions (AO)

Related Conference Papers

• Intermodulation Distortion in a Photonic Time-Stretch ADC
• Optimized Electroabsorption in Asymmetric Double Quantum Wells for Broadband Electric-Field Sensing
• Optimized Electroabsorption in Asymmetric Double Quantum Wells for Broadband Electric-Field Sensing
• Suppression of side fringes in a low-coherence measurement with gain-switched Fabry-Perot laser diode
• Novel resonant cavity TDM demodulation scheme for FBG sensing