Multi-frame interferometric imaging with a femtosecond stroboscopic pulse train for observing irreversible phenomena

We describe a high-speed single-shot multi-frame interferometric imaging technique enabling multiple interferometric images with femtosecond exposure time over a 50 ns event window to be recorded, following a single laser-induced excitation event. The stroboscopic illumination of a framing camera is...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Martynowych, Dmitro, Veysset, David Georges, Maznev, Alexei, Sun, Yuchen, Kooi, Steven E, Nelson, Keith Adam
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemistry
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIP Publishing 2021
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129715
Description
Summary:We describe a high-speed single-shot multi-frame interferometric imaging technique enabling multiple interferometric images with femtosecond exposure time over a 50 ns event window to be recorded, following a single laser-induced excitation event. The stroboscopic illumination of a framing camera is made possible through the use of a doubling cavity that produces a femtosecond pulse train that is synchronized to the gated exposure windows of the individual frames of the camera. The imaging system utilizes a Michelson interferometer to extract phase and ultimately displacement information. We demonstrate the method by monitoring laser-induced deformation and the propagation of high-amplitude acoustic waves in a silicon nitride membrane. The method is applicable to a wide range of fast irreversible phenomena such as crack branching, shock-induced material damage, cavitation, and dielectric breakdown.