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Air-wedge shearing interferometer

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 Instruments and Experimental Techniques, Vol. 39, No. 5. 1996, pp. 727-731. Translated from Pribory i Tekhnika Eksperimenta, No. 5, 1996, pp. 110-114
Original Russian Text Copyright  1996 by Sarkisov.

GENERAL
EXPERIEMNTAL TECHNIQUES

Shearing Interferometer with an Air Wedge for the Electron

Density Diagnostics in a Dense Plasma

G. S. Sarkisov
Lebedev Institute of Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii pr. 53, Moscow, 117924 Russia
Received October 13, 1995; in final form, February 29, 1996

Abstract— A side-shearing interferometer with the field visualization for the study of the spatial electron density
distribution in Z-pinch and laser-produced plasmas is described. It consists of a lens and two glass wedges. The
interference is formed as a result of a superposition of two laser beams reflected by the faces of the air wedge, which is in
the gap between two surfaces of the glass wedges pressed to each other. The instrument makes it possible to adjust the
spatial separation between the interfering beams and the fringe width. The interferometer has a simple design and provides
a high-quality interference pattern. The efficiency of the instrument is demonstrated in experiments with a gas-puff Z-
pinch plasma.

Interference measurements with the field visualization represent and in θ- and Z-pinch plasmas as well. Its disadvantages are the
one of the most advanced techniques giving a large body of necessity of creating a reference beam and the necessity of a fairly
information when studying the spatial distribution of the electron accurate compensation for the initial phase difference. It happens
density in a hot dense plasma. In the case of a highly ionized dense that, when performing experiments at large-sized physical
plasma, the refractive index is determined by the concentration of installations, it is rather difficult to fulfill these requirements.
free electrons [1]. When a probe electromagnetic wave propagates
Shearing interferometers [6, 7] have a simpler design, which, in
through a plasma, its phase is shifted with respect to the phase of
contrast to two-beam interferometers, allows one to diagnose
the wave propagating through vacuum. Measuring the phase shift,
plasma with larger electron density gradients. A shearing
we can obtain the integral of the electron density along the probe
interferogram is formed in the interference of two images of an
direction. If the plasma under study has an axial or spherical
object, which are shifted with respect to each other by a certain dis-
symmetry (the objects of this kind are studied in most cases), the
tance. The fringe shift in a shearing interferometer depends on the
local distribution of the electron density can be reconstructed by
refractive index gradient in the shift direction [8]. In this
numerically solving Abel's integral equation [2].
connection, shearing interferometers are used to study highly non
Various types of interferometer with the field visualization are uniform and extended objects, in which, due to a large phase shift in
used for the dense plasma diagnostics. The two-beam Gamin [3], a standard two-beam interferometer, interference fringes crowd
Michelson's [4], and Mach-Zehnder [5] interferometers are most together to such an extent that they may disappear. A shearing
widespread among them. Their interference patterns are formed by interferometer is a version of a differential interferometer. The
the superposition of the object and reference beams. In this case, the problems of interpreting fringe shifts in a differential interferometer
fringe shift is proportional to the absolute phase shift for the object are considered in detail in [9]. Note that if the image shifts exceed
wave with respect to the reference wave phase. the size of phase non-uniformity, then a shearing interferometer
actually becomes an ordinary two-beam interferometer.
The drawback of the Gamin interferometer is its alignment to
the zero interference order only. The object beam of the There are side-shearing and radial-shearing interferometers. In
Michelson's interferometer passes twice through plasma, thus the former interferometer, the absolute phase difference is Sabs(y)=
raising the sensitivity of the device. However, it is often undesirable Srel(y) +Sabs(y-h), where h is the shift value and Srel, is the relative
when recording fast processes, because the increase in the exposure phase difference. In the radial-shearing interferometer, the
time by the optical delay value may lead to blurred fringes and, interference is a result of the superposition of two images with
consequently, to a more complicated interpretation of different magnifications, and then the absolute phase difference is
interferograms. The most widespread interferometer is the Mach- Sabs(y)= Srel(y) +Sabs(ky), where k is the ratio of the magnifications
Zehnder one, which was successfully applied to studying the elec- for two interfering images. Such interferometers are convenient to
tron density distribution in laser plasma, laser spark, study spherically symmetrical objects (e.g., when investigating laser
fusion).

0020-4412796/3905-0727515.00 © 1996 MAIK Hayka/ Lnterperiodica Publishing

728 SARKISOV

Then lenses 6 and 7, which have differing focal lengths, transmit

this image from plane 8 to the plane of recording 3. In this case, the
two beams travel through the collimator in opposite directions.
Thus, two images with different magnifications, K and K-1, are
formed on film 3. The intensity of each of the interfering beams in
three-mirror interferometers is 25% of the initial intensity.
A side-shearing polarization interferometer with an Iceland-
spar birefringent wedge with an angle of 3° and exit polarizer is
described in [7] (Fig. 1c). Lens 2 forms the image of plasma 1 on
film 3. The laser beam passes through wedge 9, where it is split
into two o- and e-waves with orthogonal linear polarizations and
with different refractive indices for the refracting crystal. Leaving
the crystal, the o- and e-waves are refracted at different angles.
Their difference is ∆µoeα = 0.17a, where ∆µoe, is the difference of
Fig. 1. Optical diagrams of three-mirror (a) side-shearing, (b)
the refractive indices for the o- and e- waves and a is the wedge
radial-shearing, and (c) polarization side-shearing interferometers: angle. Exit polarizer 10 transmits only one polarization component
(1) plasma; (2) lens; (3) film; (4) mirrors with a 100% reflectance; to the film and also provides for smoothing the intensities of
(5) mirrors with a 50% reflectance; (6 and 7) collimator lenses; interfering beams. The interference pattern in the plane of
(8) plane of the intermediate plasma image; (9) calcite wedge; and recording 3 is formed by the superposition of two shifted beams.
(10) film polarizer. The fringe width is adjusted by the change in the distance between
the lens focus and interferometer, and the spatial separation of
images changes slightly. The use of a wedge with a larger angle
increases the spatial separation of images. A polarization
interferometer is compact and simple in its alignment, which is
performed by the wedge and polarizer rotation. The intensity of
each of the interfering beams reaches 25% of the initial intensity
like for the three-mirror design. This interferometer was
successfully used in the experiments with a laser plasma [10] and
Z-pinch plasma [11, 12]. To carry out the experiments with a laser
plasma [10], a version of a polarization interferometer was devised
that allowed one to simultaneously obtain the Faraday and
interference plasma images on one film.
Fig. 2. Optical diagram of a side-shearing interferometer with
an adjusted air wedge: (1) plasma; (2) lens; (3) two glass The disadvantages of the shearing interferometers mentioned
wedges; and (4 and 5) planes of image recording. above are the dependence of the reflectance of the semitransparent
mirror on the polarization of the beam incident on it, the necessity
Figure 1 presents typical schematic diagrams of shearing of a fairly high accuracy in manufacturing this mirror, and the
interferometers, among which a three-mirror side-shearing rather large size of the instrument. The simplicity of the instrument
interferometer is most widespread (Fig. la). Semitransparent design, the ease of its alignment, and its dimensions are often of
mirror 5 and two mirrors 4 with a reflectance of 100% are placed decisive importance for the experiments at large-scale physical
between lens 2 and film 3. The positions of the mirrors are such installations. Although a polarization interferometer is a simple and
that the beam entering the interferometer is split into two beams of compact instrument, it should be noted that it has limited
identical intensity. Each of them travels an identical distance possibilities for adjusting the separation of beams and a high
inside the interferometer, but in opposite directions. Both beams manufacturing cost for the large-aperture instruments.
leave the interferometer in the same direction and are incident on
film 3. The spatial separation of the beams and fringe width are The design of a side-shearing interferometer with an air wedge
adjusted by rotating semitransparent mirror 5 and varying the described below has no such disadvantages and allows us to create
distance between the interferometer mirrors and focus of lens 2. a cheap, high-quality large-aperture instrument consisting of only
two glass wedges.
In a three-mirror radial-shearing interferometer (Fig. 1b), lens
2 focuses the plasma image not on the plane of film 3, but in front The optical diagram of this interferometer is shown in Fig. 2.
of the interferometer in plane 8. Lens 2 transmits the image of plasma 1 to the

INTRUMENTS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Vol. 39 No. 5 1996

 SHEARING INTERFEROMETER WITH AN AIR WEDGE 729

Fig. 3. (a) Interference and (b) shadow images of a Z-pinch plasma obtained at the moment of second pinching by using the side-shearing
interferometer with an air wedge. The pinch axis is shown with a vertical line.

plane of recording 5. Two 3°-5° glass wedges are placed between The intensity of the interfering beams amounts to 4% of the
the lens and plane of recording. They are pressed against each initial intensity.
other so that a wedge-like air gap forms between them. The
It is easy to show that at small angles of the entrance glass and
reflection of light by the air wedge faces forms an interference
air wedges, as well as at a small angle of reflection of the laser
pattern in the plane of recording 4. Note that the reflections
beam by the entrance wedge surface, the angular separation of the
produced by the entrance face of the first wedge and by the exit
beams is β = 2α, where a is the air wedge angle. The angular
face of the second wedge are separate in angle from the interfering
separation between the internal reflections of the interferometer
beams reflected by the air wedge. To minimize aberrations of the
and reflections from the entrance and exit surfaces of the
optical system, the angles of the wedges and the angle between the
entering beam and reflected light must be small. Because the instrument is 2αo, where αo is the angle of the glass wedge. The
interference channel is formed due to the light reflected by the fringe width s and displacements of the beams S in the plane of
faces of the air wedge, an additional schlieren recording channel recording can be calculated from the formulas
can be arranged in the transmitted beam.
s=λ(b-F)/∆ , S = 2α(b - F - x) (1)

INTRUMENTS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Vol. 39 No. 5 1996

 730 SARKISOV

where λ is the probe laser wavelength, b is the distance between the

lens and image plane, F is the lens focal length, ∆ = 2αx is the
distance between the sources of interference in the lens focal plane,
and x is the distance between this plane and the wedges.
If glass wedges with differing angles are used in the
interferometer, then the reflections from the entrance and exit faces
of the interferometer can be spatially separated, and additional
recording channels can be created. For instance, this interferometer
can be used in a polarointerferometric diagnostic system with
interference, shadow, Faraday, and schlieren recording channels.
Note that a single glass wedge (or a plate) cannot be used as an
interferometer for the following reasons: First, plasma images
resulting from the reflections from the external and internal wedge
surfaces are focused in different planes separated by the double
optical thickness of the wedge. In principle, a thin wedge can be
manufactured, but technological factors do not allow us to achieve
the ratio of its thickness to the diameter of below 0.1. At smaller
thickness, as a rule, it is impossible to obtain the necessary
planeness of polished surfaces, and this substantially affects the
quality of the interference pattern. Second, problems with the time
coherence of light may arise at a significant optical thickness of the
wedge, thus also deteriorating the interference quality. Finally, such
an interferometer virtually does not allow us to adjust the spatial
separation of the beams.
Figure 3a presents the interferogram of the Z-pinch plasma with
the maximal current of 200 kA, which is formed upon the injection
of a supersonic argon jet from a nozzle to a 10-mm cathode-anode
gap. Probing was performed by using an Nd laser with a
wavelength of 532 nm and pulse duration of 5 ns. Figure 3b shows
a shadow image of the 2-pinch plasma. The moment of probing
corresponds to that of the second pinching. The line in the shadow
pattern is the axis of pinch symmetry. To obtain this interferogram,
we used two glass wedges with an angle of 3°. The angular aperture
of the optical system was 10°.
Figure 4 shows the results of processing the interferogram in the
section A-A. When reconstructing the absolute phase shift (Fig. 4a),
we used the fact that interference fringes are not perturbed at the
periphery of the Z-pinch plasma. This makes it possible to obtain a
highly precise model for the position of unperturbed fringes in the
region where a phase non uniformity arises (near the plasma non
transparency boundary) and, consequently, to reconstruct the
Fig. 4. (a) The distribution of the absolute phase shift in the radial departure of fringes from their initial unperturbed position. In this
section A-A (experimental points are designated by squares, the solid approach, the noise amplitude in the region where the phase non
line is an approximation with a polynomial of the third degree); (b) uniformity is absent is within 0.15 of the fringe width. The
electron density distribution derived from a numerical solution of the maximum electron density (Fig. 4b) at the boundary with the region
Abel's equation; (c) profile of the angle of refraction. of nontransparent plasma is 1.27×1019 cm-3 ± 8%. The maximum
angle of refraction at the same boundary (Fig. 4c) is 0.38°

INTRUMENTS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Vol. 39 No. 5 1996

 SHEARING INTERFEROMETER WITH AN AIR WEDGE 731

2. Vest, Ch.M., Holographic Interferometry, New York:

(the angular aperture of the optical channel is 10°). These
measurements confirm the result [13], where it was shown that the Wiley, 1979. Translated under the title Golograficheskaya
interferometriya, Moscow: Mir. 1982, p. 347.
nontransparent zone in the Z-pinch plasma is associated with the
absorption, but not with the refraction of the probe radiation. Just 3. Zakharenkov, Yu.A., Rode. A.V., and Sklizkov, G.V..
this property was used in [14] for laser measurements of the Kvantovaya Elektron. (Moscow), 1977, vol. 4, no. 4, p.815.
electron temperature distribution in the inner region of the Z-pinch 4. Dolgov-Savel’ev, G.G., Kruglyakov, E.R, Malinovskii, V.K., et
formed upon electrical explosion of a micro-conductor. al., in Diagnostika plazmy (Plasma Diagnostics), Moscow:
Atomizdat, 1968, no. 2, p. 3.
In conclusion we note that if a negative lens that is pressed 5. Basov, N.G., Gribkov, V.A., Krokhin, O.N., et al., Zh. Eksp.
with its concave side against the first wedge surface replaces the
Teor. Fiz., 1968, vol. 54, no. 4. p. 1073.
second wedge, then we obtain another version of differential
interferometer, a radial-shearing interferometer (Fig. 1b). The 6. Zakharenkov, Yu.A., Sklizkov, G.V., and Shikanov, A.S.,
interference pattern is formed by the light reflected by the surfaces Fiz.Plazmy, 1980, vol. 6, no. 2, p. 453.
of this air lens, and represents a system of concentric Newton 7. Patron, Z., Pisarchik, T., Rupasov, A.A., and Sarkisov, G.S.,
rings. In this case, the fringe width is adjusted by displacing the Prib. Tekh. Eksp., 1990, no. 1, p. 183; Pisarzyk, T., Rupasov,
lens witch the wedge with respect to the entrance lens of the A.A., Sarkisov, G.S., and Shikanov, A.S., J. Sov. Laser Res.,
interferometer (Fig. 2). This type of interferometer is quite 1990, vol. 11, no. 1. p. 1.
convenient when studying spherically symmetrical plasma. 8. Bryngdahl, O., Progress in Optics, Wolf, E., Ed., Amsterdam:
North-Holland, 1965, vol. 4. p. 39.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
9. Oertel, H.. in High-Speed Physics, Vollrath, K. and Thomer, G.,
The author is grateful to A.G. Russkikh, P.A. Pal'yanov, and Eds., Vienna: Springer, 1967. Translated under the title Fizika
A.Yu. Labetskii, staff members of the Tomsk Institute of High- bystroprotekayushchikh protsessov, Moscow: Mir, 1971, vol.
Current Electronics, for help in performing a demonstration 3, p. 103.
experiment, and to R.B. Baksht for assistance and interest in this 10. Kas'yanov, Yu.S., Sarkisov, G.S., and Shikanov, A.S., Prib.
work. Tekh. Eksp., 1994, no. 6. p. 146.
This work was supported by the International Science 11. Branitskii, A.V, Vikharev, V.D. Kasimov, A.G., et. al., Fiz.
Foundation, grant no. NY5000. Plazmy, 1992, vol. 18, no. 9. p. 1131.
12. Sarkisov, G.S., Etlicher, B., Yan'kov, V.V., et al., Zh. Eksp.
Teor. Fiz., 1995. vol. 108, no. 4(10), p. 1355.
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1. Dolgov, G.G. and Mandel'shtam, S.L., Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz; Pis’ma Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz., 1995. vol. 61, no. 7, p. 547.
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INTRUMENTS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Vol. 39 No. 5 1996

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