In situ calibration of a Michelson type, speckle-shearing interferometer: Wobbling mirror effect

In situ calibration of piezoelectric transducers in a phase stepping, Michelson type, speckle-shearing interferometer can be affected by mirror wobbling introduced by the transducers. When this happens, a modulation of the curves employed for calibration can be readily detected in imaging systems with large apertures. A calibration method that takes into account the modulation of these curves is, therefore, essential to insure the required regularity of the phase steps. A computer model of speckle-shearing interferometry is used to deal with piezoelectric non-linearities and mirror wobbling in the interferometer, and to show how the calibration curves are affected when both phenomena are present. Computer simulated and experimental results validate the calibration technique advanced here.