Interferometric system with spatial carrier frequency capable of imaging in polychromatic radiation

An interferometer with a spatial carrier frequency and capable of imaging in polychromatic radiation, comprising:

• temporally and spatially incoherent source of waves, after which a wave splitter is inserted which splits incoming waves into two separated branches of the interferometer, specifically into a first branch and into a second branch;
• a first imaging setup being provided on the axis of the first branch, an image plane of the first imaging setup being with respect to the first imaging setup an image of a first object plane of the first imaging setup;
• a second imaging setup being provided on the axis of the second branch, an image plane of the second imaging setup being with respect to the second imaging setup an image of a second object plane of the second imaging setup, said second imaging setup being identical with said first imaging setup with respect to both time of propagation of waves and magnification;
• a detector located in an output plane of the interferometer, a difference of time of propagation of the waves in the first branch and the second branch being smaller than a coherence time of the waves measured from a beam splitting point at the wave splitter up to the output plane of the interferometer;
• a first output imaging setup being located after an image plane of the first imaging setup and before the output plane of the interferometer, the output plane of the interferometer being with respect to the first output imaging setup an image of the image plane of the first imaging setup;
• a second output imaging setup being located after an image plane of the second imaging setup and before the output plane of the interferometer, the output plane of the interferometer being with respect to the second output imaging setup an image of the image plane of the second imaging setup, and a total magnification between the first object plane of the first imaging setup of the first branch and the output plane of the interferometer being equal to the total magnification between the second object plane of the second imaging setup of the second branch and the output plane of the interferometer;
• a transmission system of reflectors being provided in at least one of the said branches and being arranged so that the axis of the first branch and the axis of the second branch coincide before an entrance to the output plane of the interferometer and the axis of the first branch and the axis of the second branch are parallel with a normal line of the output plane of the interferometer;
• a first diffraction grating provided in a vicinity of the image plane of the first imaging setup of the first branch, so that a beam of waves travelling on the axis of the first branch is diffracted by the first diffraction grating at an angle (α1) and enters into the first output imaging setup at the angle (α1) with respect to the axis of the first output imaging setup and exits from this first imaging setup at an angle (β1) with respect to the axis of the first branch and enters into the output plane of the interferometer with respect to its normal line also at the angle (β1), and the relation between angles (β1) and (α1) is sin(β1) =sin(α1)/m1 where m is a magnification of the first output imaging setup;
• and,
• a second diffraction grating provided in a vicinity of the image plane of the second imaging setup of the second branch, so that a beam of waves travelling on the axis of the second branch is diffracted by the second diffraction grating at an angle (α2) and enters into the second output imaging setup at the angle (α2) with respect to the axis of the second output imaging setup and exits from this second imaging setup at an angle (β2) with respect to the axis of the second branch and enters into the output plane of the interferometer with respect to its normal line also at the angle (β2), and the relation between angles (β2) and (α2) is sin(β2) =sin(α2)/m2 where m2 is a magnification of the second output imaging setup.