Study of optical phase change measurement using the Hilbert Transform and interferometric techniques

Advances in the fields of optics and optical communications have created a demand for effectively measuring relative phase changes along an optical path or within an optical system. We present a method for obtaining these measurements using an interferometric setup with processing involving Empirical Mode Decomposition and the Hilbert Transform. In this work, the Hilbert Transform algorithm is justified by accurately measuring the phase changes in software generated signals. Progress and improvements are shown regarding the ongoing design and implementation of an experimental benchtop setup. This testbed will prove the method in applications such as measuring and recording phase changes caused by propagating light through a turbulent freespace channel.