Holographic interferometry for aerosol particle characterization

Abstract

Using simulations based on Mie theory, this work shows how double-exposure digital holography can be used to measure the change in size of an expanding, or contracting, spherical particle. Here, a single particle is illuminated by a plane wave twice during its expansion: once when the particle is 27λ in radius, and again when it is 47λ. A hologram is formed from each illumination stage from the interference of the scattered and unscattered, i.e., incident, light. The two holograms are then superposed to form a double exposure. By applying the Fresnel–Kirchhoff diffraction theory to the double-exposed hologram, a silhouette-like image of the particle is computationally reconstructed that is superposed with interference fringes. These fringes are a direct result of the change in particle size occurring between the two illumination stages. The study finds that expansion on the scale of ~6λ is readily discerned from the reconstructed particle image. This work could be important for improved characterization of single and multiple aerosol particles in situ. For example, by illuminating an aerosol particle with infrared light, it may be possible to measure photothermally induced particle expansion, thus providing insight into a particle׳s material properties simultaneous with an image of the particle.