Self-mixing interferometry: A universal yardstick for optical measurements

Self-mixing interferometry (SMI) is a new scheme of interferometry having several advantages compared to standard configurations: it can work with no optical part external to the laser, is self-aligned, is immune to external stray light, and can measure also on target with diffusing surfaces. In this paper, an overview of the several measurements already demonstrated with self-mixing is presented, with application tthe measurements of kinematic quantities (displacement, vibration. etc.) as well physical (linewidth, alfa factor, etc.).