Surface-profile reconstruction of a liquid droplet based on layer-by-layer laser probing

Abstract

An experimental technique was developed for reconstructing the surface profile of a drop of liquid on a horizontal solid substrate using refractive images obtained by means of layer-by-layer laser probing. Examples of typical images obtained by vertical probing of drops of distilled water with a volume of 10–15 μL using a collimated laser beam are given. The inverse refraction problem is solved, and the global shape of the drop surface is restored. It is noted that, to restore the surface parameters of a microrelief, it is effective to use probing with a wide collimated beam.