Multiple cavity laser holographic system

A four pulse multiple cavity laser (MCL) holographic system was developed for use in recording time sequential holograms of fast events. It was used to record four double exposed holograms of an exploding bridge wire on a single 10E75 plate with 2 or 5 microsecond framing time. The complex change in index of refraction of the plasma created is visible in the fringe structure of the reconstructed image. The shock front was measured to propagate at an average speed of between 0.13 and 0.14 cm microsecond. Main advantages of MCL holographic system are: (1) low cost, (2) greater energy/time interval, and (3) electronic control of the time interval between frames.