Phase-shifted dynamic speckle pattern interferometry at 1 kHz

We describe a phase-shifting out-of-plane speckle interferometer operating at 1 kHz for studying dynamic events. The system is based on a Pockels cell that is synchronized to a high-speed video camera to ensure that the phase shifting occurs between frames. Phase extraction is performed by use of a standard four-frame algorithm, and temporal phase unwrapping allows sequences of several hundred absolute (rather than relative) displacement maps to be obtained fully automatically. The maximum theoretical surface velocity of 67 mu m s(-1) is a factor of 40 greater than can be achieved with a speckle interferometer based on a conventional video camera. We test the system using a target that is displaced with constant speed in a direction normal to its surface by means of a piezoelectric transducer. The system's performance in a practical situation is illustrated with measurements on a thin plate undergoing out-elf-plane deformation. (C) 1999 Optical Society of America. OCIS codes: 120.2650, 120.6160, 120.5050, 120.7280.