High-speed quantitative phase imaging of dynamic thermal deformation in laser irradiated films

We present a technique for high-speed imaging of the dynamic thermal deformation of transparent substrates under high-power laser irradiation. Traditional thermal sensor arrays are not fast enough to capture thermal decay events. Our system adapts a Mach-Zender interferometer, along with a high-speed camera to capture phase images on sub-millisecond time-scales. These phase images are related to temperature by thermal expansion effects and by the change of refractive index with temperature. High power continuous-wave and long-pulse laser damage often hinges on thermal phenomena rather than the field-induced effects of ultra-short pulse lasers. Our system was able to measure such phenomena. We were able to record 2D videos of 1 ms thermal deformation waves, with 6 frames per wave, from a 100 ns, 10 mJ Q-switched Nd:YAG laser incident on a yttria-coated glass slide. We recorded thermal deformation waves with peak temperatures on the order of 100 degrees Celsius during non-destructive testing.