PHASE UNWRAPPING BY REGIONS USING LEAST-SQUARES APPROACH

An algebraic method based on finding least-squares solutions from a se t of simultaneous linear equations (SLEs) is applied to phase unwrappi ng by regions in optical interferometry. By transforming the phase unw rapping problem into a matrix equation, the characteristics of the pha se map can be observed entirely from the properties, such as the rank or the null space, of the matrix that represents the phase unwrapping problem. The familiarity of solving SLEs using common numerical routin es such as QR decomposition means that the algebraic method is easily formulated and computed. The robustness of the phase-unwrapping method is then tested computationally and experimentally and its enhancement is proven through the simulation and experimental results, (C) 1998 S ociety of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [S0091-3286(98)0231 1-3].