Multi-frame Interferometric Imaging with a Femtosecond Stroboscopic Pulse Train for Observing Irreversible Phenomena

Abstract: 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 which 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.