Three-color differential interferometry

It is shown that differential interferometry using a Wollaston prism and a three-color laser source is an optical technique that has all the advantages of differential interferometry in polarized white light and of classical monochromatic interferometry. The interference fringe pattern obtained is very large and colored and presents a central white fringe that enables easy identification of the zero order of the interferogram. The three-color source is obtained by filtering the unwanted lines of the ionized laser (mixed argon and krypton) and balancing the three red, green, and blue lines by a technique that involves placing birefringent plates between the polarizer and the analyzer, the thickness of which has been calculated to create a natural filter. The unsteady aerodynamic flow downstream of a diamond shape airfoil has been visualized with this technique, which shows that the power of the light source is sufficient to record the interferograms at a high rate. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.