Importance

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for optically detecting transient motion from a scattering surface. A laser beam having a predetermined frequency is directed onto such a surface to thereby scatter the laser beam and produce a scattered laser beam defining an optical wavefront and having an optical spectrum with a central peak at the laser frequency and a sideband on either side of the central peak. The scattered laser beam is caused to interfere inside a photorefractive crystal with a pump beam derived from the laser beam so as to form an index of refraction grating diffracting the pump beam into a reference beam having an optical wavefront substantially matching the wavefront of the scattered laser beam and an optical spectrum with a single peak at the laser frequency and no sidebands, whereby to produce at an exit face of the photorefractive crystal a transmitted scattered laser beam and a diffracted reference beam interfering with one another. The interfering beams at the exit face of the photorefractive crystal, or polarization components thereof, are at least temporarily out of phase, thereby obtaining an optical signal sensitive to phase perturbations produced by the transient motion, which optical signal is detected and converted into an electrical signal representative of the transient motion. The invention is particularly useful for detecting small surface formations or displacement of a material subjected to ultrasonic energy, enabling displacements ranging from a fraction of 1.ANG. to a few hundred .ANG. to be detected with a large etendue or light gathering efficiency and a broad frequency bandwidth extending from frequencies as low as 1 KHz, and even below.

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First Claim