Color schlieren imaging with a two-path, double knife edge system.

The traditional arrangement for visualizing optical phenomena with the schlieren technique is modified to include a Mach-Zehnder geometry. This allows for the implementation of two independent knife edges along two different beam paths, resulting in an enhanced combined image that is uniquely adjustable. Post-processed combined images are also generated by spatially separating the paths from each arm and then colorizing and combining the images into a single composite. In this way, bidirectional, color schlieren images have been produced using both white-light and monochromatic sources.