Optical vortices as phase markers to wave-front deformation measurement

In this paper a new method to the test deformation of the wave-front of the plane wave is presented. In the method Optical Vortex Interferometry is applied. In the OVI a regular lattice of optical vortices is generated by the interference of three plane waves. The wave-front of one wave is deformed after crossing the measured object. The deformation of the wave-front is measurable because the deformation of vortex lattice structure arises from the wave-front deformation. The record of the positions of the vortex points before and after the object insertion in the optical arrangement is essential. The analysis of the change of vortex points positions, as shown in this paper gives highly precise information about the real deformation of the wave-front caused by the object insertion.