Principle Component Analysis of Speckle Interferograms of Thermally Deformed Objects

Today speckle is just not a noise anymore; it is now recognized as the signal that carries information regarding the surface of the material under investigation. However, getting this information from the signal is not trivial and hence it needs proper mathematical analysis. Static speckle interferograms are easier to handle than dynamic as the surface information is constantly changing in the latter case. Time-dependent speckle interferograms can be captured and used for further mathematical analysis. Here, we have studied thermal deformation in a metal using the principle component analysis (PCA) technique. The aim of this study is to know whether intense regional thermal deformation can be highlighted more distinctively and prominently using this method. We will try to answer this question in this paper.