Error propagation in differential phase evaluation.

In many metrological applications the data being measured is associated to the phase difference codified in two fringe patterns. This phase difference can be recovered directly with what are called Differential Phase Shifting Algorithms (DPSAs) by using a combination of irradiance values from both patterns in the arctangent argument. Use of such algorithms requires characterisation mechanisms to inform of their sensitivity to the various random and systematic error sources, which is the same as for well-studied Phase Shifting Algorithms (PSAs). Thus, we present a new analysis of error propagation for DPSAs taking into account the frequency shifting property of the employed arctangent function. The general analysis is verified for significant specific cases associated to large errors that appear during phase difference evaluation using the Monte Carlo method, which provides a characterisation of a DPSA's sensitivity; this is an alternative to spatial and temporal techniques but has wholly coinciding results. Monte Carlo simulation opens up the possibilities for the analysis of other error types for any DPSA.

Fourier analysis of two-stage phase-shifting algorithms.

Differential phase-shifting algorithms (DPSAs) and sum phase-shifting algorithms (SPSAs) recover directly the phase difference and the phase sum, respectively, encoded in two patterns. These algorithms can be obtained, for instance, by an appropriate combination of phase-shifting algorithms (PSAs), which makes unnecessary the previous calculation and subtraction or addition of each individual optical phase by means of conventional PSAs. A filtering process in the frequency domain is presented that allows us to obtain in a simple and elegant manner a qualitative characterization with a Fourier description of the two-stage phase-shifting evaluation that reveals possible phase shifter miscalibration errors and unexpected harmonics in the signal.

Detection of transient surface acoustic waves of nanometric amplitude with double-pulsed TV holography.

We describe the detection of bursts of surface acoustic waves by a double-pulsed TV holography technique. We describe mathematically the long- and short-wave bursts in the output correlograms and validate theoretical results with experimental images. The use of short-wave bursts permits us to scan the surface and makes it easier to distinguish, for purposes of nondestructive testing, the disturbances produced by flaws.