Phase reconstruction by phase shift estimation with reliable parameter minimization

Abstract Achieving a balance between accuracy and speed in phase reconstruction is a challenging problem. In phase-shifting interferometry, increasing the speed by reducing the number of phase shifts while maintaining high accuracy is highly desirable. We propose an accurate and efficient two-step phase reconstruction method utilizing random phase shift. This method directly estimates the phase shift through reliable parameter minimization, allowing for easy and precise phase reconstruction. Simulations and experiments demonstrate the superior performance of our method across various scenarios, outperforming well-known two-step phase-shifting algorithms. We expect this paper to provide a general and powerful tool for phase reconstruction.