Fixed Q pulsed holographic interferometry

Continuous wave laser time-averaged type holographic interferometry has long been used for the analysis of structural vibrations. The exposure time is usually much larger than the vibration period. The brightest interference fringe corresponds with the nodal region, i.e. that portion of the surface that remains stationary during exposure. The application of the technique is, however, like all continuous wave laser holography, limited to structures that can be observed in a vibration free environment.The output of a ruby laser oscillator in use at Marchwood Engineering Laboratories (MEL) consists of a random series of spikes contained in an envelope of about 800 μ. The coherence length of the output is greater than 1 m. Use of this output allows the production of time-averaged holograms in unstable environments. Due to the random nature of the output, the fringes are not readily quantifiable but show the characteristic bright zero-order fringe of continuous wave time-averaged holography.