Patent ID: 7463363

Claim:
An apparatus for generating and detecting ultrasonic surface displacements on a remote target comprising: a first pulsed laser to generate a first pulsed laser beam to illuminate a portion of a surface of the remote target and produce ultrasonic surface displacements substantially within the illuminated portion of the surface of the remote target; a second pulsed laser to generate a second pulsed laser beam coaxial with said first pulsed laser beam, wherein the second pulsed laser beam substantially illuminates the portion of the surface illuminated by the first pulsed laser beam to detect the ultrasonic surface displacements on the surface of the remote target; a scanning optical assembly operable to direct the first pulsed laser beam and second pulsed laser beam to the surface of the remote target; collection optics, optically coupled to the scanning optical assembly, operable to collect phase modulated light from the second pulsed laser beam either reflected or scattered by the remote target; an interferometer self-stabilized with the phase modulated light, wherein the interferometer is operable to process the phase modulated light and generate at least one output signal; and a processor operable to: process the at least one output signal to obtain data representative of the ultrasonic surface displacements on the surface of the remote target; and process the data representative of the surface displacements to assess the structural integrity of the remote target.