Fringe analysis and phase reconstruction from modulated intensity patterns

A novel method of determining phase from a modulated intensity pattern is described. A line integral of the gradient of the phase is used to reconstruct the phase, eliminating the necessity for complex methods of phase unwrapping. The new algorithm can be used with any technique that experimentally or theoretically yields the cosine and sine or the tangent of the phase. This phase-reconstruction process works effectively even in the regions of high-intensity gradients and is insensitive to the profile of the illuminating beams and to the shape of the domain boundaries.