A new direct method of continuous unwrapping phase from a single interferogram

A new method recovers the phase difference of interfering wavefronts from a pattern of interference fringes, avoiding the phase discontinuity problem. The method relies on the numerical solution of one-dimensional first-order ordinary differential equations. The solution of each equation allows to compute a corresponding cross section of the two-dimensional phase, leading to the effective recovery of the phase surface. The unwrapping procedure can be performed in each orthogonal direction.