(a)
(b)
(a)
(b)
Quantitative optical phase is useful for precise measurement of physical dimensions. My work from 2015-2016 involved developing a system to measure the small changes to glass during laser absorption. Glass used in high-power laser systems may absorb considerable radiation during operation. The measurement setup I selected allows quantification of the amount of energy as heat absorbed by the system.
Figure (a), above, is a video showing laser irradiation on a glass sample. The laser was a 1064 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG with a temporal pulse width of 100 ns, a beam waist of 100 microns and pulse energy of 10 mJ.
Figure (b), above, is a video showing an electrical current heating the air around the wire carrying it. It was measured with the same phase measurement system.
(c)
Figure (c), above, shows the laser irradiation/phase measurement setup.