A simple air wedge shearing interferometer for studying exploding wires

A new type of shearing interferometer using an air wedge is described. This interferometer is based on a beam splitter constructed using two 90-degree prisms. A small air gap, which varies in spacing from top-to-bottom, separates the second prism from the first and forms the air wedge. The single incident laser beam is focused near the gap, and the two primary reflections from the long sides of each prism form the two coherent virtual sources necessary for interferometry. The shift between the two images of the object at the detector, as well as the orientation and frequency of the fringes, can be independently adjusted by altering the air gap thickness and angle, as well as the position of the laser focus in the gap. This interferometry scheme is inexpensive and easily aligned, and has been successfully and reliably used in exploding wire experiments.