Sample records for future wide-field optical

  1. Novel wide-field x-ray optics for space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hudec, René; Pína, Ladislav; Inneman, Adolf

    2017-11-01

    We report on the program of design and development of innovative very wide field X-ray optics for space applications. We describe the idea of wide field X-ray optics of the lobster-eye type of both Angel and Schmidt arrangements. This optics was suggested in 70ies but not yet used in space experiment due to severe manufacturing problems. The lobster-eye X-ray optics may achieve up to 180 degrees (diameter) field of view at angular resolution of order of 1 arcmin. We report on various prototypes of lobster-eye X-ray lenses based on alternative technologies (replicated double sided X-ray reflecting flats, float glass, replicated square channels etc.) as well as on their optical and X-ray tests. We also discuss the importance and performance of lobster-eye X-ray telescopes in future X-ray astronomy projects.

  2. Wide field/planetary camera optics study. [for the large space telescope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1979-01-01

    Design feasibility of the baseline optical design concept was established for the wide field/planetary camera (WF/PC) and will be used with the space telescope (ST) to obtain high angular resolution astronomical information over a wide field. The design concept employs internal optics to relay the ST image to a CCD detector system. Optical design performance predictions, sensitivity and tolerance analyses, manufacturability of the optical components, and acceptance testing of the two mirror Cassegrain relays are discussed.

  3. Optical Design of WFIRST-AFTA Wide-Field Instrument

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pasquale, Bert; Content, Dave; Kruk, Jeffrey; Vaughn, David; Gong, Qian; Howard, Joseph; Jurling, Alden; Mentzell, Eric; Armani, Nerses; Kuan, Gary

    2014-01-01

    The WFIRSTAFTA Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope TMA optical design provides 0.28-sq FOV at 0.11 pixel scale, operating between 0.6 2.4m, including a spectrograph mode (1.3-1.95m.) An IFU provides a discrete 3x3.15 field at 0.15 sampling.

  4. Time-resolved wide-field optically sectioned fluorescence microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dupuis, Guillaume; Benabdallah, Nadia; Chopinaud, Aurélien; Mayet, Céline; Lévêque-Fort, Sandrine

    2013-02-01

    We present the implementation of a fast wide-field optical sectioning technique called HiLo microscopy on a fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope. HiLo microscopy is based on the fusion of two images, one with structured illumination and another with uniform illumination. Optically sectioned images are then digitally generated thanks to a fusion algorithm. HiLo images are comparable in quality with confocal images but they can be acquired faster over larger fields of view. We obtain 4D imaging by combining HiLo optical sectioning, time-gated detection, and z-displacement. We characterize the performances of this set-up in terms of 3D spatial resolution and time-resolved capabilities in both fixed- and live-cell imaging modes.

  5. Wide field strip-imaging optical system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vaughan, Arthur H. (Inventor)

    1994-01-01

    A strip imaging wide angle optical system is provided. The optical system is provided with a 'virtual' material stop to avoid aberrational effects inherent in wide angle optical systems. The optical system includes a spherical mirror section for receiving light from a 180-degree strip or arc of a target image. Light received by the spherical mirror section is reflected to a frusto-conical mirror section for subsequent rereflection to a row of optical fibers. Each optical fiber transmits a portion of the received light to a detector. The optical system exploits the narrow cone of acceptance associated with optical fibers to substantially eliminate vignetting effects inherent in wide-angle systems. Further, the optical system exploits the narrow cone of acceptance of the optical fibers to substantially limit spherical aberration. The optical system is ideally suited for any application wherein a 180-degree strip image need be detected, and is particularly well adapted for use in hostile environments such as in planetary exploration.

  6. Optical Design of the WFIRST Phase-A Wide Field Instrument

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pasquale, Bert A.; Marx, Catherine T.; Gao, Guangjun; Armani, Nerses; Casey, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    The WFIRST Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope TMA optical design provides 0.28-sq degrees FOV at 0.11” pixel scale to the Wide Field Instrument, operating between 0.48-2.0 micrometers, including a spectrograph mode (1.0-2.0 micrometers). An Integral Field Channel provides 2-D discrete spectroscopy at 0.15” & 0.3” sampling.

  7. SHOK—The First Russian Wide-Field Optical Camera in Space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lipunov, V. M.; Gorbovskoy, E. S.; Kornilov, V. G.; Panasyuk, M. I.; Amelushkin, A. M.; Petrov, V. L.; Yashin, I. V.; Svertilov, S. I.; Vedenkin, N. N.

    2018-02-01

    Onboard the spacecraft Lomonosov is established two fast, fixed, very wide-field cameras SHOK. The main goal of this experiment is the observation of GRB optical emission before, synchronously, and after the gamma-ray emission. The field of view of each of the cameras is placed in the gamma-ray burst detection area of other devices located onboard the "Lomonosov" spacecraft. SHOK provides measurements of optical emissions with a magnitude limit of ˜ 9-10m on a single frame with an exposure of 0.2 seconds. The device is designed for continuous sky monitoring at optical wavelengths in the very wide field of view (1000 square degrees each camera), detection and localization of fast time-varying (transient) optical sources on the celestial sphere, including provisional and synchronous time recording of optical emissions from the gamma-ray burst error boxes, detected by the BDRG device and implemented by a control signal (alert trigger) from the BDRG. The Lomonosov spacecraft has two identical devices, SHOK1 and SHOK2. The core of each SHOK device is a fast-speed 11-Megapixel CCD. Each of the SHOK devices represents a monoblock, consisting of a node observations of optical emission, the electronics node, elements of the mechanical construction, and the body.

  8. Scalable wide-field optical coherence tomography-based angiography for in vivo imaging applications

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Jingjiang; Wei, Wei; Song, Shaozhen; Qi, Xiaoli; Wang, Ruikang K.

    2016-01-01

    Recent advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based angiography have demonstrated a variety of biomedical applications in the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of diseases with vascular involvement. While promising, its imaging field of view (FOV) is however still limited (typically less than 9 mm2), which somehow slows down its clinical acceptance. In this paper, we report a high-speed spectral-domain OCT operating at 1310 nm to enable wide FOV up to 750 mm2. Using optical microangiography (OMAG) algorithm, we are able to map vascular networks within living biological tissues. Thanks to 2,048 pixel-array line scan InGaAs camera operating at 147 kHz scan rate, the system delivers a ranging depth of ~7.5 mm and provides wide-field OCT-based angiography at a single data acquisition. We implement two imaging modes (i.e., wide-field mode and high-resolution mode) in the OCT system, which gives highly scalable FOV with flexible lateral resolution. We demonstrate scalable wide-field vascular imaging for multiple finger nail beds in human and whole brain in mice with skull left intact at a single 3D scan, promising new opportunities for wide-field OCT-based angiography for many clinical applications. PMID:27231630

  9. Optical Characterization of Wide Field-of-View Night Vision Devices

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1999-01-01

    This paper has been cleared by ASC 99-2354 Optical Characterization of Wide Field-Of-View Night Vision Devices Peter L. Marasco and H. Lee Task Air...the SAFE SocietyÕs 36th Annual Symposium. Task, H.L., Hartman, R., Marasco , P.L., Zobel, A, (1993) Methods for measuring characteristics of night

  10. Handheld Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography and Ultra-Wide-Field Optical Coherence Tomography in Retinopathy of Prematurity.

    PubMed

    Campbell, J Peter; Nudleman, Eric; Yang, Jianlong; Tan, Ou; Chan, R V Paul; Chiang, Michael F; Huang, David; Liu, Gangjun

    2017-09-01

    Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of childhood blindness worldwide. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has improved the care of adults with vitreoretinal disease, and OCT angiography (OCTA) is demonstrating promise as a technique to visualize the retinal vasculature with lower risk and cost than fluorescein angiography. However, to date, there are no commercially available devices able to obtain ultra-wide-field OCT or OCTA images in neonates. To obtain ultra-wide-field OCT and OCTA images in neonates with ROP using a prototype handheld OCT and OCTA device. This observational case series was conducted from March 1 to April 1, 2017, in an academic medical center among 4 neonates with ROP in the neonatal intensive care unit and in the operating room. Acquisition of wide-field OCT and OCTA images using a handheld prototype OCTA and ultra-wide-field OCT device. Images were obtained from 4 neonates (1 girl and 3 boys; mean age, 38 weeks' postmenstrual age [range, 34-43 weeks]) with various stages of ROP: 3 in the neonatal intensive care unit and 1 in the operating room. The system can obtain noncontact en face OCT images and horizontal line scans with an approximately 40° field of view and up to 100° (ultra-wide-field) using a contact lens-based approach in a single 2-second scan. In addition, 20° × 20° (approximately 4 × 4-mm) OCTA scans were obtained in patients with ROP in a single 2-second scan. Optical coherence tomography and OCTA are gaining popularity in pediatric retinal imaging. This study reports on OCTA and ultra-wide-field OCT images in 4 neonates with various stages of ROP that were obtained using a prototype handheld device. Additional studies will be needed to prove the clinical value of this technology.

  11. Application of a wide-field phantom eye for optical coherence tomography and reflectance imaging.

    PubMed

    Corcoran, Anthony; Muyo, Gonzalo; van Hemert, Jano; Gorman, Alistair; Harvey, Andrew R

    2015-12-15

    Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and reflectance imaging are used in clinical practice to measure the thickness and transverse dimensions of retinal features. The recent trend towards increasing the field of view (FOV) of these devices has led to an increasing significance of the optical aberrations of both the human eye and the device. We report the design, manufacture and application of the first phantom eye that reproduces the off-axis optical characteristics of the human eye, and allows the performance assessment of wide-field ophthalmic devices. We base our design and manufacture on the wide-field schematic eye, [Navarro, R. J. Opt. Soc. Am. A , 1985, 2 .] as an accurate proxy to the human eye and enable assessment of ophthalmic imaging performance for a [Formula: see text] external FOV. We used multi-material 3D-printed retinal targets to assess imaging performance of the following ophthalmic instruments: the Optos 200Tx, Heidelberg Spectralis, Zeiss FF4 fundus camera and Optos OCT SLO and use the phantom to provide an insight into some of the challenges of wide-field OCT.

  12. Application of a wide-field phantom eye for optical coherence tomography and reflectance imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corcoran, Anthony; Muyo, Gonzalo; van Hemert, Jano; Gorman, Alistair; Harvey, Andrew R.

    2015-12-01

    Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and reflectance imaging are used in clinical practice to measure the thickness and transverse dimensions of retinal features. The recent trend towards increasing the field of view (FOV) of these devices has led to an increasing significance of the optical aberrations of both the human eye and the device. We report the design, manufacture and application of the first phantom eye that reproduces the off-axis optical characteristics of the human eye, and allows the performance assessment of wide-field ophthalmic devices. We base our design and manufacture on the wide-field schematic eye, [Navarro, R. J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, 1985, 2.] as an accurate proxy to the human eye and enable assessment of ophthalmic imaging performance for a ? external FOV. We used multi-material 3D-printed retinal targets to assess imaging performance of the following ophthalmic instruments: the Optos 200Tx, Heidelberg Spectralis, Zeiss FF4 fundus camera and Optos OCT SLO and use the phantom to provide an insight into some of the challenges of wide-field OCT.

  13. Final Optical Design of PANIC, a Wide-Field Infrared Camera for CAHA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cárdenas, M. C.; Gómez, J. Rodríguez; Lenzen, R.; Sánchez-Blanco, E.

    We present the Final Optical Design of PANIC (PAnoramic Near Infrared camera for Calar Alto), a wide-field infrared imager for the Ritchey-Chrtien focus of the Calar Alto 2.2 m telescope. This will be the first instrument built under the German-Spanish consortium that manages the Calar Alto observatory. The camera optical design is a folded single optical train that images the sky onto the focal plane with a plate scale of 0.45 arcsec per 18 μm pixel. The optical design produces a well defined internal pupil available to reducing the thermal background by a cryogenic pupil stop. A mosaic of four detectors Hawaii 2RG of 2 k ×2 k, made by Teledyne, will give a field of view of 31.9 arcmin ×31.9 arcmin.

  14. Preliminary optical design of PANIC, a wide-field infrared camera for CAHA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cárdenas, M. C.; Rodríguez Gómez, J.; Lenzen, R.; Sánchez-Blanco, E.

    2008-07-01

    In this paper, we present the preliminary optical design of PANIC (PAnoramic Near Infrared camera for Calar Alto), a wide-field infrared imager for the Calar Alto 2.2 m telescope. The camera optical design is a folded single optical train that images the sky onto the focal plane with a plate scale of 0.45 arcsec per 18 μm pixel. A mosaic of four Hawaii 2RG of 2k x 2k made by Teledyne is used as detector and will give a field of view of 31.9 arcmin x 31.9 arcmin. This cryogenic instrument has been optimized for the Y, J, H and K bands. Special care has been taken in the selection of the standard IR materials used for the optics in order to maximize the instrument throughput and to include the z band. The main challenges of this design are: to produce a well defined internal pupil which allows reducing the thermal background by a cryogenic pupil stop; the correction of off-axis aberrations due to the large field available; the correction of chromatic aberration because of the wide spectral coverage; and the capability of introduction of narrow band filters (~1%) in the system minimizing the degradation in the filter passband without a collimated stage in the camera. We show the optomechanical error budget and compensation strategy that allows our as built design to met the performances from an optical point of view. Finally, we demonstrate the flexibility of the design showing the performances of PANIC at the CAHA 3.5m telescope.

  15. Wide-field optical coherence tomography based microangiography for retinal imaging

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Qinqin; Lee, Cecilia S.; Chao, Jennifer; Chen, Chieh-Li; Zhang, Thomas; Sharma, Utkarsh; Zhang, Anqi; Liu, Jin; Rezaei, Kasra; Pepple, Kathryn L.; Munsen, Richard; Kinyoun, James; Johnstone, Murray; Van Gelder, Russell N.; Wang, Ruikang K.

    2016-01-01

    Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) allows for the evaluation of functional retinal vascular networks without a need for contrast dyes. For sophisticated monitoring and diagnosis of retinal diseases, OCTA capable of providing wide-field and high definition images of retinal vasculature in a single image is desirable. We report OCTA with motion tracking through an auxiliary real-time line scan ophthalmoscope that is clinically feasible to image functional retinal vasculature in patients, with a coverage of more than 60 degrees of retina while still maintaining high definition and resolution. We demonstrate six illustrative cases with unprecedented details of vascular involvement in retinal diseases. In each case, OCTA yields images of the normal and diseased microvasculature at all levels of the retina, with higher resolution than observed with fluorescein angiography. Wide-field OCTA technology will be an important next step in augmenting the utility of OCT technology in clinical practice. PMID:26912261

  16. Wide-field optical coherence tomography based microangiography for retinal imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Qinqin; Lee, Cecilia S.; Chao, Jennifer; Chen, Chieh-Li; Zhang, Thomas; Sharma, Utkarsh; Zhang, Anqi; Liu, Jin; Rezaei, Kasra; Pepple, Kathryn L.; Munsen, Richard; Kinyoun, James; Johnstone, Murray; van Gelder, Russell N.; Wang, Ruikang K.

    2016-02-01

    Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) allows for the evaluation of functional retinal vascular networks without a need for contrast dyes. For sophisticated monitoring and diagnosis of retinal diseases, OCTA capable of providing wide-field and high definition images of retinal vasculature in a single image is desirable. We report OCTA with motion tracking through an auxiliary real-time line scan ophthalmoscope that is clinically feasible to image functional retinal vasculature in patients, with a coverage of more than 60 degrees of retina while still maintaining high definition and resolution. We demonstrate six illustrative cases with unprecedented details of vascular involvement in retinal diseases. In each case, OCTA yields images of the normal and diseased microvasculature at all levels of the retina, with higher resolution than observed with fluorescein angiography. Wide-field OCTA technology will be an important next step in augmenting the utility of OCT technology in clinical practice.

  17. Wide-field optical coherence tomography based microangiography for retinal imaging.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Qinqin; Lee, Cecilia S; Chao, Jennifer; Chen, Chieh-Li; Zhang, Thomas; Sharma, Utkarsh; Zhang, Anqi; Liu, Jin; Rezaei, Kasra; Pepple, Kathryn L; Munsen, Richard; Kinyoun, James; Johnstone, Murray; Van Gelder, Russell N; Wang, Ruikang K

    2016-02-25

    Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) allows for the evaluation of functional retinal vascular networks without a need for contrast dyes. For sophisticated monitoring and diagnosis of retinal diseases, OCTA capable of providing wide-field and high definition images of retinal vasculature in a single image is desirable. We report OCTA with motion tracking through an auxiliary real-time line scan ophthalmoscope that is clinically feasible to image functional retinal vasculature in patients, with a coverage of more than 60 degrees of retina while still maintaining high definition and resolution. We demonstrate six illustrative cases with unprecedented details of vascular involvement in retinal diseases. In each case, OCTA yields images of the normal and diseased microvasculature at all levels of the retina, with higher resolution than observed with fluorescein angiography. Wide-field OCTA technology will be an important next step in augmenting the utility of OCT technology in clinical practice.

  18. Optical design of a Michelson wide-field multiple-aperture telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cassaing, Frederic; Sorrente, Beatrice; Fleury, Bruno; Laubier, David

    2004-02-01

    Multiple-Aperture Optical Telescopes (MAOTs) are a promising solution for very high resolution imaging. In the Michelson configuration, the instrument is made of sub-telescopes distributed in the pupil and combined by a common telescope via folding periscopes. The phasing conditions of the sub-pupils lead to specific optical constraints in these subsystems. The amplitude of main contributors to the wavefront error (WFE) is given as a function of high level requirements (such as field or resolution) and free parameters, mainly the sub-telescope type, magnification and diameter. It is shown that for the periscopes, the field-to-resolution ratio is the main design driver and can lead to severe specifications. The effect of sub-telescopes aberrations on the global WFE can be minimized by reducing their diameter. An analytical tool for the MAOT design has been derived from this analysis, illustrated and validated in three different cases: LEO or GEO Earth observation and astronomy with extremely large telescopes. The last two cases show that a field larger than 10 000 resolution elements can be covered with a very simple MAOT based on Mersenne paraboloid-paraboloid sub-telescopes. Michelson MAOTs are thus a solution to be considered for high resolution wide-field imaging, from space or ground.

  19. Wide field of view swept-source optical coherence tomography for peripheral retinal disease

    PubMed Central

    McNabb, Ryan P.; Grewal, Dilraj S.; Mehta, Rajvi; Schuman, Stefanie G.; Izatt, Joseph A.; Mahmoud, Tamer H.; Jaffe, Glenn J.; Mruthyunjaya, Prithvi; Kuo, Anthony N.

    2016-01-01

    Background/Aims To assess peripheral retinal lesions and the posterior pole in single, widefield optical coherence tomography (OCT) volumes. Methods A wide field of view swept source OCT (WFOV SSOCT) system was developed using a commercial swept source laser and a custom sample arm consisting of two indirect ophthalmic lenses. Twenty-seven subjects with peripheral lesions (choroidal melanomas, choroidal nevii, sclerochoroidal calcification, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy, retinoschisis, and uveitis) were imaged with the WFOV SSOCT. Volumes were taken in primary gaze. Using the optic nerve to fovea distance as a reference measurement, comparisons were made between the lateral field of view (FOV) of the WFOV SSOCT, current generation spectral domain OCT (SDOCT), and widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) of the same eyes. Results Peripheral pathologies were captured with WFOV SSOCT in 26 of the 27 subjects. The one not captured was in the far nasal periphery and was not seen in the primary gaze volume. Posterior pole associated pathologies were captured in all subjects. Current generation SDOCT had a mean lateral FOV of 2.08 ± 0.21 optic nerve-to-fovea distance units, WFOV SSOCT had a FOV of 4.62 ± 0.62 units, and SLO had a FOV of 9.35 ± 1.02 units. Conclusion WFOV OCT can be used to examine both peripheral retinal pathology and the posterior pole within a single volume acquisition. SLO had the greatest FOV, but does not provide depth information. Future studies using widefield OCT systems will help further delineate the role of WFOV OCT to quantitatively assess and monitor peripheral retinal disease in three dimensions. PMID:26755643

  20. Supernova and optical transient observations using the three wide-field telescope array of the KMTNet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moon, Dae-Sik; Kim, Sang Chul; Lee, Jae-Joon; Pak, Mina; Park, Hong Soo; He, Matthias Y.; Antoniadis, John; Ni, Yuan Qi; Lee, Chung-Uk; Kim, Seung-Lee; Park, Byeong-Gon; Kim, Dong-Jin; Cha, Sang-Mok; Lee, Yongseok; Gonzalez, Santiago

    2016-08-01

    The Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) is a network of three new 1.6-m, wide-field telescopes spread over three different sites in Chile, South Africa and Australia. Each telescope is equipped with a four square degree wide-field CCD camera, making the KMTNet an ideal facility for discovering and monitoring early supernovae and other rapidly evolving optical transients by providing 24-hour continuous sky coverage. We describe our inaugurating program of observing supernovae and optical transients using about 20% of the KMTNet time in 2015-2019. Our early results include detection of infant supernovae, novae and peculiar transients as well as numerous variable stars and low surface brightness objects such as dwarf galaxies.

  1. Lensless imaging for wide field of view

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagahara, Hajime; Yagi, Yasushi

    2015-02-01

    It is desirable to engineer a small camera with a wide field of view (FOV) because of current developments in the field of wearable cameras and computing products, such as action cameras and Google Glass. However, typical approaches for achieving wide FOV, such as attaching a fisheye lens and convex mirrors, require a trade-off between optics size and the FOV. We propose camera optics that achieve a wide FOV, and are at the same time small and lightweight. The proposed optics are a completely lensless and catoptric design. They contain four mirrors, two for wide viewing, and two for focusing the image on the camera sensor. The proposed optics are simple and can be simply miniaturized, since we use only mirrors for the proposed optics and the optics are not susceptible to chromatic aberration. We have implemented the prototype optics of our lensless concept. We have attached the optics to commercial charge-coupled device/complementary metal oxide semiconductor cameras and conducted experiments to evaluate the feasibility of our proposed optics.

  2. Wide field of view telescope

    DOEpatents

    Ackermann, Mark R [Albuquerque, NM; McGraw, John T [Placitas, NM; Zimmer, Peter C [Albuquerque, NM

    2008-01-15

    A wide field of view telescope having two concave and two convex reflective surfaces, each with an aspheric surface contour, has a flat focal plane array. Each of the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary reflective surfaces are rotationally symmetric about the optical axis. The combination of the reflective surfaces results in a wide field of view in the range of approximately 3.8.degree. to approximately 6.5.degree.. The length of the telescope along the optical axis is approximately equal to or less than the diameter of the largest of the reflective surfaces.

  3. Optimizing X-Ray Optical Prescriptions for Wide-Field Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elsner, R. F.; O'Dell, S. L.; Ramsey, B. D.; Weisskopf, M. C.

    2010-01-01

    X-ray telescopes with spatial resolution optimized over the field of view (FOV) are of special interest for missions, such as WFXT, focused on moderately deep and deep surveys of the x-ray sky, and for solar x-ray observations. Here we report on the present status of an on-going study of the properties of Wolter I and polynominal grazing incidence designs with a view to gain a deeper insight into their properties and simply the design process. With these goals in mind, we present some results in the complementary topics of (1) properties of Wolter I x-ray optics and polynominal x-ray optic ray tracing. Of crucial importance for the design of wide-field x-ray optics is the optimization criteria. Here we have adopted the minimization of a merit function, M, which measures the spatial resolution averaged over the FOV: M= ((integral of d phi) between the limits of 0 and 2 pi) (integral of d theta theta w(theta) sigma square (theta,phi) between the limits of 0 and theta(sub FOV)) (integral of d phi between the limits of 0 and phi/4) (Integral of d theta theta w(theta) between the limits of 0 and theta(sub FOV) where w(theta(sub 1) is a weighting function and Merit function: sigma-square (theta, phi) = summation of (x,y,z) [-<(x,y,z)> (exp 2)] is the spatial variance for a point source on the sky at polar and azimuthal off-axis angles (theta,phi).

  4. A small animal time-resolved optical tomography platform using wide-field excitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Venugopal, Vivek

    Small animal imaging plays a critical role in present day biomedical research by filling an important gap in the translation of research from the bench to the bedside. Optical techniques constitute an emerging imaging modality which have tremendous potential in preclinical applications. Optical imaging methods are capable of non-invasive assessment of the functional and molecular characteristics of biological tissue. The three-dimensional optical imaging technique, referred to as diffuse optical tomography, provides an approach for the whole-body imaging of small animal models and can provide volumetric maps of tissue functional parameters (e.g. blood volume, oxygen saturation etc.) and/or provide 3D localization and quantification of fluorescence-based molecular markers in vivo. However, the complex mathematical reconstruction problem associated with optical tomography and the cumbersome instrumental designs limits its adoption as a high-throughput quantitative whole-body imaging modality in current biomedical research. The development of new optical imaging paradigms is thus necessary for a wide-acceptance of this new technology. In this thesis, the design, development, characterization and optimization of a small animal optical tomography system is discussed. Specifically, the platform combines a highly sensitive time-resolved imaging paradigm with multi-spectral excitation capability and CCD-based detection to provide a system capable of generating spatially, spectrally and temporally dense measurement datasets. The acquisition of such data sets however can take long and translate to often unrealistic acquisition times when using the classical point source based excitation scheme. The novel approach in the design of this platform is the adoption of a wide-field excitation scheme which employs extended excitation sources and in the process allows an estimated ten-fold reduction in the acquisition time. The work described herein details the design of the imaging

  5. Wide-field fluorescence diffuse optical tomography with epi-illumination of sinusoidal pattern

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Tongxin; Gao, Feng; Chen, Weiting; Qi, Caixia; Yan, Panpan; Zhao, Huijuan

    2017-02-01

    We present a wide-field fluorescence tomography with epi-illumination of sinusoidal pattern. In this scheme, a DMD projector is employed as a spatial light modulator to generate independently wide-field sinusoidal illumination patterns at varying spatial frequencies on a sample, and then the emitted photons at the sample surface were captured with a EM-CCD camera. This method results in a significantly reduced number of the optical field measurements as compared to the point-source-scanning ones and thereby achieves a fast data acquisition that is desired for a dynamic imaging application. Fluorescence yield images are reconstructed using the normalized-Born formulated inversion of the diffusion model. Experimental reconstructions are presented on a phantom embedding the fluorescent targets and compared for a combination of the multiply frequencies. The results validate the ability of the method to determine the target relative depth and quantification with an increasing accuracy.

  6. Wide-field optical mapping of neural activity and brain haemodynamics: considerations and novel approaches

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Ying; Shaik, Mohammed A.; Kozberg, Mariel G.; Thibodeaux, David N.; Zhao, Hanzhi T.; Yu, Hang

    2016-01-01

    Although modern techniques such as two-photon microscopy can now provide cellular-level three-dimensional imaging of the intact living brain, the speed and fields of view of these techniques remain limited. Conversely, two-dimensional wide-field optical mapping (WFOM), a simpler technique that uses a camera to observe large areas of the exposed cortex under visible light, can detect changes in both neural activity and haemodynamics at very high speeds. Although WFOM may not provide single-neuron or capillary-level resolution, it is an attractive and accessible approach to imaging large areas of the brain in awake, behaving mammals at speeds fast enough to observe widespread neural firing events, as well as their dynamic coupling to haemodynamics. Although such wide-field optical imaging techniques have a long history, the advent of genetically encoded fluorophores that can report neural activity with high sensitivity, as well as modern technologies such as light emitting diodes and sensitive and high-speed digital cameras have driven renewed interest in WFOM. To facilitate the wider adoption and standardization of WFOM approaches for neuroscience and neurovascular coupling research, we provide here an overview of the basic principles of WFOM, considerations for implementation of wide-field fluorescence imaging of neural activity, spectroscopic analysis and interpretation of results. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Interpreting BOLD: a dialogue between cognitive and cellular neuroscience’. PMID:27574312

  7. Wide-angle Optical Telescope for the EUSO Experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hillman, L. W.; Takahaski, Y.; Zuccaro, A.; Lamb, D.; Pitalo, K.; Lopado, A.; Keys, A.

    2003-01-01

    Future spacebased air shower experiments, including the planned Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO) mission, require a wide-angle telescope in the near-UV wavelengths 330 - 400 nm. Widest possible target aperture of earth's atmosphere, such as greater than 10(exp 5) square kilometers sr, can be viewed within the field-of-view of 30 degrees from space. EUSO's optical design is required to be compact, being constrained by the allocated mass and diameter for use in space. Two doublesided Fresnel lenses with 2.5-m diameter are chosen for the baseline design. It satisfies the imaging resolution of 0.1 degree over the 30-degree field of view.

  8. Developing Wide-Field Spatio-Spectral Interferometry for Far-Infrared Space Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leisawitz, David; Bolcar, Matthew R.; Lyon, Richard G.; Maher, Stephen F.; Memarsadeghi, Nargess; Rinehart, Stephen A.; Sinukoff, Evan J.

    2012-01-01

    Interferometry is an affordable way to bring the benefits of high resolution to space far-IR astrophysics. We summarize an ongoing effort to develop and learn the practical limitations of an interferometric technique that will enable the acquisition of high-resolution far-IR integral field spectroscopic data with a single instrument in a future space-based interferometer. This technique was central to the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT) and Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS) space mission design concepts, and it will first be used on the Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII). Our experimental approach combines data from a laboratory optical interferometer (the Wide-field Imaging Interferometry Testbed, WIIT), computational optical system modeling, and spatio-spectral synthesis algorithm development. We summarize recent experimental results and future plans.

  9. Optically sectioned wide-field fluorescence lifetime imaging endoscopy enabled by structured illumination (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hinsdale, Taylor; Malik, Bilal H.; Rico-Jimenez, Jose J.; Jo, Javier A.; Maitland, Kristen C.

    2016-03-01

    We present a wide-field fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) system with optical sectioning by structured illumination microscopy (SIM). FLIM measurements were made using a time gated ICCD camera in conjunction with a pulsed nitrogen dye laser operating at 450 nm. Intensity images were acquired at multiple time delays from a trigger initiated by a laser pulse to create a wide-field FLIM image, which was then combined with three phase SIM to provide optical sectioning. Such a mechanism has the potential to increase the reliability and accuracy of the FLIM measurements by rejecting background intensity. SIM also provides the opportunity to create volumetric FLIM images with the incorporation of scanning mechanisms for the sample plane. We present multiple embodiments of such a system: one as a free space endoscope and the other as a fiber microendoscope enabled by the introduction of a fiber bundle. Finally, we demonstrate the efficacy of such an imaging system by imaging dyes embedded in a tissue phantom.

  10. Wide-Field Optic for Autonomous Acquisition of Laser Link

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Page, Norman A.; Charles, Jeffrey R.; Biswas, Abhijit

    2011-01-01

    An innovation reported in Two-Camera Acquisition and Tracking of a Flying Target, NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 8 (August 2008), p. 20, used a commercial fish-eye lens and an electronic imaging camera for initially locating objects with subsequent handover to an actuated narrow-field camera. But this operated against a dark-sky background. An improved solution involves an optical design based on custom optical components for the wide-field optical system that directly addresses the key limitations in acquiring a laser signal from a moving source such as an aircraft or a spacecraft. The first challenge was to increase the light collection entrance aperture diameter, which was approximately 1 mm in the first prototype. The new design presented here increases this entrance aperture diameter to 4.2 mm, which is equivalent to a more than 16 times larger collection area. One of the trades made in realizing this improvement was to restrict the field-of-view to +80 deg. elevation and 360 azimuth. This trade stems from practical considerations where laser beam propagation over the excessively high air mass, which is in the line of sight (LOS) at low elevation angles, results in vulnerability to severe atmospheric turbulence and attenuation. An additional benefit of the new design is that the large entrance aperture is maintained even at large off-axis angles when the optic is pointed at zenith. The second critical limitation for implementing spectral filtering in the design was tackled by collimating the light prior to focusing it onto the focal plane. This allows the placement of the narrow spectral filter in the collimated portion of the beam. For the narrow band spectral filter to function properly, it is necessary to adequately control the range of incident angles at which received light intercepts the filter. When this angle is restricted via collimation, narrower spectral filtering can be implemented. The collimated beam (and the filter) must be relatively large to

  11. WFIRST: Simulating the Wide-Field Sky

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peeples, Molly; WFIRST Wide Field Imager Simulations Working Group

    2018-01-01

    As astronomy’s first high-resolution wide-field multi-mode instrument, simulated data will play a vital role in the planning for and analysis of data from WFIRST’s WFI (Wide Field Imager) instrument. Part of the key to WFIRST’s scientific success lies in our ability to push the systematics limit, but in order to do so, the WFI pipeline will need to be able to measure and take out said systematics. The efficacy of this pipeline can only be verified with large suites of synthetic data; these data must include both the range of astrophysical sky scenes (from crowded starfields to high-latitude grism data observations) and the systematics from the detector and telescope optics the WFI pipeline aims to mitigate. We summarize here(1) the status of current and planned astrophysical simulations in support of the WFI,(2) the status of current WFI instrument simulators and requirements on future generations thereof, and(3) plans, methods, and requirements on interfacing astrophysical simulations and WFI instrument simulators.

  12. Progress Report on Optimizing X-ray Optical Prescriptions for Wide-Field Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elsner, R. F.; O'Dell, S. L.; Ramsey, B. D.; Weisskopf, M. C.

    2011-01-01

    We report on the present status of our continuing efforts to develop a method for optimizing wide-field nested x-ray telescope mirror prescriptions. Utilizing extensive Monte-Carlo ray trace simulations, we find an analytic form for the root-mean-square dispersion of rays from a Wolter I optic on the surface of a flat focal plane detector as a function of detector tilt away from the nominal focal plane and detector displacement along the optical axis. The configuration minimizing the ray dispersion from a nested array of Wolter I telescopes is found by solving a linear system of equations for tilt and individual mirror pair displacement. Finally we outline our initial efforts at expanding this method to include higher order polynomial terms in the mirror prescriptions.

  13. An all-reflective wide-angle flat-field telescope for space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hallam, K. L.; Howell, B. J.; Wilson, M. E.

    1984-01-01

    An all-reflective wide-angle flat-field telescope (WAFFT) designed and built at Goddard Space Flight Center demonstrates the markedly improved wide-angle imaging capability which can be achieved with a design based on a recently announced class of unobscured 3-mirror optical systems. Astronomy and earth observation missions in space dictate the necessity or preference for wide-angle all-reflective systems which can provide UV through IR wavelength coverage and tolerate the space environment. An initial prototype unit has been designed to meet imaging requirements suitable for monitoring the ultraviolet sky from space. The unobscured f/4, 36 mm efl system achieves a full 20 x 30 deg field of view with resolution over a flat focal surface that is well matched for use with advanced ultraviolet image array detectors. Aspects of the design and fabrication approach, which have especially important bearing on the system solution, are reviewed; and test results are compared with the analytic performance predictions. Other possible applications of the WAFFT class of imaging system are briefly discussed. The exceptional wide-angle, high quality resolution, and very wide spectral coverage of the WAFFT-type optical system could make it a very important tool for future space research.

  14. Ti:LiNbO3 Integrated Optic Electric-Field Sensors based on Electro-Optic Effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jung, Hongsik

    2016-07-01

    The need for electric-field sensing technology has widely increased, playing a critical role in various scientific and technical areas. This article comprehensively reviews and compares Ti:LiNbO3 integrated optic electric-field sensors, including the asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), 1 × 2 directional coupler (DC), and Y-fed balanced-bridge Mach-Zehnder interferometer (YBB-MZI), based on the operating principles, the electrical and optical performance, and measurements of each fabricated device. We also discuss future works to improve the sensitivity, operating stability, response speed, and bandwidth.

  15. Concerning the Development of the Wide-Field Optics for WFXT Including Methods of Optimizing X-Ray Optical Prescriptions for Wide-Field Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weisskopf, M. C.; Elsner, R. F.; O'Dell, S. L.; Ramsey, B. D.

    2010-01-01

    We present a progress report on the various endeavors we are undertaking at MSFC in support of the Wide Field X-Ray Telescope development. In particular we discuss assembly and alignment techniques, in-situ polishing corrections, and the results of our efforts to optimize mirror prescriptions including polynomial coefficients, relative shell displacements, detector placements and tilts. This optimization does not require a blind search through the multi-dimensional parameter space. Under the assumption that the parameters are small enough so that second order expansions are valid, we show that the performance at the detector can be expressed as a quadratic function with numerical coefficients derived from a ray trace through the underlying Wolter I optic. The optimal values for the parameters are found by solving the linear system of equations creating by setting derivatives of this function with respect to each parameter to zero.

  16. Radial Peripapillary Capillary Network Visualized Using Wide-Field Montage Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

    PubMed

    Mase, Tomoko; Ishibazawa, Akihiro; Nagaoka, Taiji; Yokota, Harumasa; Yoshida, Akitoshi

    2016-07-01

    We quantitatively analyzed the features of a radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) network visualized using wide-field montage optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography in healthy human eyes. Twenty eyes of 20 healthy subjects were recruited. En face 3 × 3-mm OCT angiograms of multiple locations in the posterior pole were acquired using the RTVue XR Avanti, and wide-field montage images of the RPC were created. To evaluate the RPC density, the montage images were binarized and skeletonized. The correlation between the RPC density and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measured by an OCT circle scan was investigated. The RPC at the temporal retina was detected as far as 7.6 ± 0.7 mm from the edge of the optic disc but not around the perifoveal area within 0.9 ± 0.1 mm of the fovea. Capillary-free zones beside the first branches of the arterioles were significantly (P < 0.0001) narrower than those beside the second ones. The RPC densities at 0.5, 2.5, and 5 mm from the optic disc edge were 13.6 ± 0.8, 11.9 ± 0.9, and 10.4 ± 0.9 mm-1. The RPC density also was correlated significantly (r = 0.64, P < 0.0001) with the RNFL thickness, with the greatest density in the inferotemporal region. Montage OCT angiograms can visualize expansion of the RPC network. The RPC is present in the superficial peripapillary retina in proportion to the RNFL thickness, supporting the idea that the RPC may be the vascular network primarily responsible for RNFL nourishment.

  17. Optical system design with wide field of view and high resolution based on monocentric multi-scale construction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Fang; Wang, Hu; Xiao, Nan; Shen, Yang; Xue, Yaoke

    2018-03-01

    With the development of related technology gradually mature in the field of optoelectronic information, it is a great demand to design an optical system with high resolution and wide field of view(FOV). However, as it is illustrated in conventional Applied Optics, there is a contradiction between these two characteristics. Namely, the FOV and imaging resolution are limited by each other. Here, based on the study of typical wide-FOV optical system design, we propose the monocentric multi-scale system design method to solve this problem. Consisting of a concentric spherical lens and a series of micro-lens array, this system has effective improvement on its imaging quality. As an example, we designed a typical imaging system, which has a focal length of 35mm and a instantaneous field angle of 14.7", as well as the FOV set to be 120°. By analyzing the imaging quality, we demonstrate that in different FOV, all the values of MTF at 200lp/mm are higher than 0.4 when the sampling frequency of the Nyquist is 200lp/mm, which shows a good accordance with our design.

  18. Optomechanical design concept for GMACS: a wide-field multi-object moderate resolution optical spectrograph for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smee, Stephen A.; Prochaska, Travis; Shectman, Stephen A.; Hammond, Randolph P.; Barkhouser, Robert H.; DePoy, D. L.; Marshall, J. L.

    2012-09-01

    We describe the conceptual optomechanical design for GMACS, a wide-field, multi-object, moderate-resolution optical spectrograph for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). GMACS is a candidate first-light instrument for the GMT and will be one of several instruments housed in the Gregorian Instrument Rotator (GIR) located at the Gregorian focus. The instrument samples a 9 arcminute x 18 arcminute field of view providing two resolution modes (i.e, low resolution, R ~ 2000, and moderate resolution, R ~ 4000) over a 3700 Å to 10200 Å wavelength range. To minimize the size of the optics, four fold mirrors at the GMT focal plane redirect the full field into four individual "arms", that each comprises a double spectrograph with a red and blue channel. Hence, each arm samples a 4.5 arcminute x 9 arcminute field of view. The optical layout naturally leads to three separate optomechanical assemblies: a focal plane assembly, and two identical optics modules. The focal plane assembly contains the last element of the telescope's wide-field corrector, slit-mask, tent-mirror assembly, and slit-mask magazine. Each of the two optics modules supports two of the four instrument arms and houses the aft-optics (i.e. collimators, dichroics, gratings, and cameras). A grating exchange mechanism, and articulated gratings and cameras facilitate multiple resolution modes. In this paper we describe the details of the GMACS optomechanical design, including the requirements and considerations leading to the design, mechanism details, optics mounts, and predicted flexure performance.

  19. Design of refractive fore-optics with wide field of view and waveband for miniature imaging spectrometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mao, Jingchao; Xu, Minyi; Liu, Qinghan; Shen, Weimin

    2016-10-01

    With the development of unmanned airborne vehicle (UAV) remote sensing technology, miniature high-resolution imaging spectrometers are greatly needed. In order to improve remote sensing efficiency and get wider coverage, it's urgent to design and develop fore-optics with wide field of view and waveband for imaging spectrometer. As the refractive system has no central obscuration and it's conducive to manufacture and assemble, so it's used for our fore-optics. The key is the correction of secondary spectrum of systems working in broad waveband and meeting the requirement of imagery telecentricity to be appropriate for linear pushbroom imaging system. Suitable glasses are selected on the Glass Map, from where each glass has an Abbe number υd and Partial Dispersion. Based on the theory of Gaussian Optics and Seidel third-order aberration theory, the paper derives apochromatic formula, and the power of individual lenses can be calculated. Then with a required value of spherical aberration and coma, this paper derives equations to calculate the initial structure of apochromatic optical systems. Finally, optimized refractive SWIR fore-optics working in 1μm-2.5μm with effective focal length (EFFL) of 11mm is reported. Its full field and F-number are respectively 40°, F/2.8. The system has many advantages such as simple and compact structure, small size, near diffraction-limited imaging quality, small secondary spectrum and imagery telecentricity. Especially it consists of spherical surfaces that can greatly reduce the difficulty and the cost of manufacture as well as test, which is applicable for SWIR imaging spectrometer with wide field of view.

  20. Optical system design of CCD star sensor with large aperture and wide field of view

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Chao; Jiang, Lun; Li, Ying-chao; Liu, Zhuang

    2017-10-01

    The star sensor is one of the sensors which are used to determine the spatial attitude of the space vehicle. An optical system of star sensor with large aperture and wide field of view was designed in this paper. The effective focal length of the optics was 16mm, and the F-number is 1.2, the field of view of the optical system is 20°.The working spectrum is 500 to 800 nanometer. The lens system selects a similar complicated Petzval structure and special glass-couple, and get a high imaging quality in the whole spectrum range. For each field-of-view point, the values of the modulation transfer function at 50 cycles/mm is higher than 0.3. On the detecting plane, the encircled energy in a circle of 14μm diameter could be up to 80% of the total energy. In the whole range of the field of view, the dispersion spot diameter in the imaging plane is no larger than 13μm. The full field distortion was less than 0.1%, which was helpful to obtain the accurate location of the reference star through the picture gotten by the star sensor. The lateral chromatic aberration is less than 2μm in the whole spectrum range.

  1. Active optics and the axisymmetric case: MINITRUST wide-field three-reflection telescopes with mirrors aspherized from tulip and vase forms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lemaitre, Gerard R.; Montiel, Pierre; Joulie, Patrice; Dohlen, Kjetil; Lanzoni, Patrick

    2004-09-01

    Wide-field astronomy requires larger size telescopes. Compared to the catadioptric Schmidt, the optical properties of a three mirror telescope provides significant advantages. (1) The flat field design is anastigmatic at any wavelength, (2) the system is extremely compact -- four times shorter than a Schmidt -- and, (3) compared to a Schmidt with refractive corrector -- requiring the polishing of three optical surfaces --, the presently proposed Modified-Rumsey design uses all of eight available free parameters of a flat fielded anastigmatic three mirror telescope for mirrors generated by active optics methods. Compared to a Rumsey design, these parameters include the additional slope continuity condition at the primary-tertiary link for in-situ stressing and aspherization from a common sphere. Then, active optics allows the polishing of only two spherical surfaces: the combined primary-tertiary mirror and the secondary mirror. All mirrors are spheroids of the hyperboloid type. This compact system is of interest for space and ground-based astronomy and allows to built larger wide-field telescopes such as demonstrated by the design and construction of identical telescopes MINITRUST-1 and -2, f/5 - 2° FOV, consisting of an in-situ stressed double vase form primary-tertiary and of a stress polished tulip form secondary. Optical tests of these telescopes, showing diffraction limited images, are presented.

  2. Invited Article: First flight in space of a wide-field-of-view soft x-ray imager using lobster-eye optics: Instrument description and initial flight results.

    PubMed

    Collier, Michael R; Porter, F Scott; Sibeck, David G; Carter, Jenny A; Chiao, Meng P; Chornay, Dennis J; Cravens, Thomas E; Galeazzi, Massimiliano; Keller, John W; Koutroumpa, Dimitra; Kujawski, Joseph; Kuntz, Kip; Read, Andy M; Robertson, Ina P; Sembay, Steve; Snowden, Steven L; Thomas, Nicholas; Uprety, Youaraj; Walsh, Brian M

    2015-07-01

    We describe the development, launch into space, and initial results from a prototype wide field-of-view soft X-ray imager that employs lobster-eye optics and targets heliophysics, planetary, and astrophysics science. The sheath transport observer for the redistribution of mass is the first instrument using this type of optics launched into space and provides proof-of-concept for future flight instruments capable of imaging structures such as the terrestrial cusp, the entire dayside magnetosheath from outside the magnetosphere, comets, the Moon, and the solar wind interaction with planetary bodies like Venus and Mars [Kuntz et al., Astrophys. J. (in press)].

  3. Cycloid scanning for wide field optical coherence tomography endomicroscopy and angiography in vivo

    PubMed Central

    Liang, Kaicheng; Wang, Zhao; Ahsen, Osman O.; Lee, Hsiang-Chieh; Potsaid, Benjamin M.; Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar; Cable, Alex; Mashimo, Hiroshi; Li, Xingde; Fujimoto, James G.

    2018-01-01

    Devices that perform wide field-of-view (FOV) precision optical scanning are important for endoscopic assessment and diagnosis of luminal organ disease such as in gastroenterology. Optical scanning for in vivo endoscopic imaging has traditionally relied on one or more proximal mechanical actuators, limiting scan accuracy and imaging speed. There is a need for rapid and precise two-dimensional (2D) microscanning technologies to enable the translation of benchtop scanning microscopies to in vivo endoscopic imaging. We demonstrate a new cycloid scanner in a tethered capsule for ultrahigh speed, side-viewing optical coherence tomography (OCT) endomicroscopy in vivo. The cycloid capsule incorporates two scanners: a piezoelectrically actuated resonant fiber scanner to perform a precision, small FOV, fast scan and a micromotor scanner to perform a wide FOV, slow scan. Together these scanners distally scan the beam circumferentially in a 2D cycloid pattern, generating an unwrapped 1 mm × 38 mm strip FOV. Sequential strip volumes can be acquired with proximal pullback to image centimeter-long regions. Using ultrahigh speed 1.3 μm wavelength swept-source OCT at a 1.17 MHz axial scan rate, we imaged the human rectum at 3 volumes/s. Each OCT strip volume had 166 × 2322 axial scans with 8.5 μm axial and 30 μm transverse resolution. We further demonstrate OCT angiography at 0.5 volumes/s, producing volumetric images of vasculature. In addition to OCT applications, cycloid scanning promises to enable precision 2D optical scanning for other imaging modalities, including fluorescence confocal and nonlinear microscopy. PMID:29682598

  4. Wide-field in vivo oral OCT imaging

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Anthony M. D.; Cahill, Lucas; Liu, Kelly; MacAulay, Calum; Poh, Catherine; Lane, Pierre

    2015-01-01

    We have built a polarization-sensitive swept source Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) instrument capable of wide-field in vivo imaging in the oral cavity. This instrument uses a hand-held side-looking fiber-optic rotary pullback catheter that can cover two dimensional tissue imaging fields approximately 2.5 mm wide by up to 90 mm length in a single image acquisition. The catheter spins at 100 Hz with pullback speeds up to 15 mm/s allowing imaging of areas up to 225 mm2 field-of-view in seconds. A catheter sheath and two optional catheter sheath holders have been designed to allow imaging at all locations within the oral cavity. Image quality of 2-dimensional image slices through the data can be greatly enhanced by averaging over the orthogonal dimension to reduce speckle. Initial in vivo imaging results reveal a wide-field view of features such as epithelial thickness and continuity of the basement membrane that may be useful in clinic for chair-side management of oral lesions. PMID:26203389

  5. Agreement in Cone Density Derived from Gaze-Directed Single Images Versus Wide-Field Montage Using Adaptive Optics Flood Illumination Ophthalmoscopy

    PubMed Central

    Chew, Avenell L.; Sampson, Danuta M.; Kashani, Irwin; Chen, Fred K.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose We compared cone density measurements derived from the center of gaze-directed single images with reconstructed wide-field montages using the rtx1 adaptive optics (AO) retinal camera. Methods A total of 29 eyes from 29 healthy subjects were imaged with the rtx1 camera. Of 20 overlapping AO images acquired, 12 (at 3.2°, 5°, and 7°) were used for calculating gaze-directed cone densities. Wide-field AO montages were reconstructed and cone densities were measured at the corresponding 12 loci as determined by field projection relative to the foveal center aligned to the foveal dip on optical coherence tomography. Limits of agreement in cone density measurement between single AO images and wide-field AO montages were calculated. Results Cone density measurements failed in 1 or more gaze directions or retinal loci in up to 58% and 33% of the subjects using single AO images or wide-field AO montage, respectively. Although there were no significant overall differences between cone densities derived from single AO images and wide-field AO montages at any of the 12 gazes and locations (P = 0.01–0.65), the limits of agreement between the two methods ranged from as narrow as −2200 to +2600, to as wide as −4200 to +3800 cones/mm2. Conclusions Cone density measurement using the rtx1 AO camera is feasible using both methods. Local variation in image quality and altered visibility of cones after generating montages may contribute to the discrepancies. Translational Relevance Cone densities from single AO images are not interchangeable with wide-field montage derived–measurements. PMID:29285417

  6. Wide-Field Plate Database

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsvetkov, M. K.; Stavrev, K. Y.; Tsvetkova, K. P.; Semkov, E. H.; Mutatov, A. S.

    The Wide-Field Plate Database (WFPDB) and the possibilities for its application as a research tool in observational astronomy are presented. Currently the WFPDB comprises the descriptive data for 400 000 archival wide field photographic plates obtained with 77 instruments, from a total of 1 850 000 photographs stored in 269 astronomical archives all over the world since the end of last century. The WFPDB is already accessible for the astronomical community, now only in batch mode through user requests sent by e-mail. We are working on on-line interactive access to the data via INTERNET from Sofia and parallel from the Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg. (Initial information can be found on World Wide Web homepage URL http://www.wfpa.acad.bg.) The WFPDB may be useful in studies of a variety of astronomical objects and phenomena, andespecially for long-term investigations of variable objects and for multi-wavelength research. We have analysed the data in the WFPDB in order to derive the overall characteristics of the totality of wide-field observations, such as the sky coverage, the distributions by observation time and date, by spectral band, and by object type. We have also examined the totality of wide-field observations from point of view of their quality, availability and digitisation. The usefulness of the WFPDB is demonstrated by the results of identification and investigation of the photometrical behaviour of optical analogues of gamma-ray bursts.

  7. Active optics and modified-Rumsey wide-field telescopes: MINITRUST demonstrators with vase- and tulip-form mirrors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lemaître, Gérard R.; Montiel, Pierre; Joulié, Patrice; Dohlen, Kjetil; Lanzoni, Patrick

    2005-12-01

    Wide-field astronomy requires the development of larger aperture telescopes. The optical properties of a three-mirror modified-Rumsey design provide significant advantages when compared to other telescope designs: (i) at any wavelength, the design has a flat field and is anastigmatic; (ii) the system is extremely compact, i.e., it is almost four times shorter than a Schmidt. Compared to the equally compact flat-field Ritchey-Chrétien with a doublet-lens corrector, as developed for the Sloan digital sky survey - and which requires the polishing of six optical surfaces - the proposed modified-Rumsey design requires only a two-surface polishing and provides a better imaging quality. All the mirrors are spheroids of the hyperboloid type. Starting from the classical Rumsey design, it is shown that the use of all eight available free parameters allows the simultaneous aspherization of the primary and tertiary mirrors by active optics methods from a single deformable substrate. The continuity conditions between the primary and the tertiary hyperbolizations are achieved by an intermediate narrow ring of constant thickness that is not optically used. After the polishing of a double vase form in a spherical shape, the primary-tertiary hyperbolizations are achieved by in situ stressing. The tulip-form secondary is hyperbolized by stress polishing. Other active optics alternatives are possible for a space telescope. The modified-Rumsey design is of interest for developing large space- and ground-based survey telescopes in UV, visible, or IR ranges, such as currently demonstrated with the construction of identical telescopes MINITRUST-1 and -2, f/5 - 2° field of view. Double-pass optical tests show diffraction-limited images.

  8. Methods of Optimizing X-Ray Optical Prescriptions for Wide-Field Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elsner, R. F.; O'Dell, S. L.; Ramsey, B. D.; Weisskopf, M. C.

    2010-01-01

    We are working on the development of a method for optimizing wide-field x-ray telescope mirror prescriptions, including polynomial coefficients, mirror shell relative displacements, and (assuming 4 focal plane detectors) detector placement and tilt that does not require a search through the multi-dimensional parameter space. Under the assumption that the parameters are small enough that second order expansions are valid, we show that the performance at the detector surface can be expressed as a quadratic function of the parameters with numerical coefficients derived from a ray trace through the underlying Wolter I optic. The best values for the parameters are found by solving the linear system of equations creating by setting derivatives of this function with respect to each parameter to zero. We describe the present status of this development effort.

  9. Dual-conjugate adaptive optics for wide-field high-resolution retinal imaging.

    PubMed

    Thaung, Jörgen; Knutsson, Per; Popovic, Zoran; Owner-Petersen, Mette

    2009-03-16

    We present analysis and preliminary laboratory testing of a real-time dual-conjugate adaptive optics (DCAO) instrument for ophthalmology that will enable wide-field high resolution imaging of the retina in vivo. The setup comprises five retinal guide stars (GS) and two deformable mirrors (DM), one conjugate to the pupil and one conjugate to a plane close to the retina. The DCAO instrument has a closed-loop wavefront sensing wavelength of 834 nm and an imaging wavelength of 575 nm. It incorporates an array of collimator lenses to spatially filter the light from all guide stars using one adjustable iris, and images the Hartmann patterns of multiple reference sources on a single detector. Zemax simulations were performed at 834 nm and 575 nm with the Navarro 99 and the Liou- Brennan eye models. Two correction alternatives were evaluated; conventional single conjugate AO (SCAO, using one GS and a pupil DM) and DCAO (using multiple GS and two DM). Zemax simulations at 575 nm based on the Navarro 99 eye model show that the diameter of the corrected field of view for diffraction-limited imaging (Strehl >or= 0.8) increases from 1.5 deg with SCAO to 6.5 deg using DCAO. The increase for the less stringent condition of a wavefront error of 1 rad or less (Strehl >or= 0.37) is from 3 deg with SCAO to approximately 7.4 deg using DCAO. Corresponding results for the Liou-Brennan eye model are 3.1 deg (SCAO) and 8.2 deg (DCAO) for Strehl >or= 0.8, and 4.8 deg (SCAO) and 9.6 deg (DCAO) for Strehl >or= 0.37. Potential gain in corrected field of view with DCAO is confirmed both by laboratory experiments on a model eye and by preliminary in vivo imaging of a human eye. (c) 2009 Optical Society of America

  10. Wide-field retinal optical coherence tomography with wavefront sensorless adaptive optics for enhanced imaging of targeted regions.

    PubMed

    Polans, James; Keller, Brenton; Carrasco-Zevallos, Oscar M; LaRocca, Francesco; Cole, Elijah; Whitson, Heather E; Lad, Eleonora M; Farsiu, Sina; Izatt, Joseph A

    2017-01-01

    The peripheral retina of the human eye offers a unique opportunity for assessment and monitoring of ocular diseases. We have developed a novel wide-field (>70°) optical coherence tomography system (WF-OCT) equipped with wavefront sensorless adaptive optics (WSAO) for enhancing the visualization of smaller (<25°) targeted regions in the peripheral retina. We iterated the WSAO algorithm at the speed of individual OCT B-scans (~20 ms) by using raw spectral interferograms to calculate the optimization metric. Our WSAO approach with a 3 mm beam diameter permitted primarily low- but also high- order peripheral wavefront correction in less than 10 seconds. In preliminary imaging studies in five normal human subjects, we quantified statistically significant changes with WSAO correction, corresponding to a 10.4% improvement in average pixel brightness (signal) and 7.0% improvement in high frequency content (resolution) when visualizing 1 mm (~3.5°) B-scans of the peripheral (>23°) retina. We demonstrated the ability of our WF-OCT system to acquire non wavefront-corrected wide-field images rapidly, which could then be used to locate regions of interest, zoom into targeted features, and visualize the same region at different time points. A pilot clinical study was conducted on seven healthy volunteers and two subjects with prodromal Alzheimer's disease which illustrated the capability to image Drusen-like pathologies as far as 32.5° from the fovea in un-averaged volume scans. This work suggests that the proposed combination of WF-OCT and WSAO may find applications in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular, and potentially neurodegenerative, diseases of the peripheral retina, including diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

  11. Wide-field retinal optical coherence tomography with wavefront sensorless adaptive optics for enhanced imaging of targeted regions

    PubMed Central

    Polans, James; Keller, Brenton; Carrasco-Zevallos, Oscar M.; LaRocca, Francesco; Cole, Elijah; Whitson, Heather E.; Lad, Eleonora M.; Farsiu, Sina; Izatt, Joseph A.

    2016-01-01

    The peripheral retina of the human eye offers a unique opportunity for assessment and monitoring of ocular diseases. We have developed a novel wide-field (>70°) optical coherence tomography system (WF-OCT) equipped with wavefront sensorless adaptive optics (WSAO) for enhancing the visualization of smaller (<25°) targeted regions in the peripheral retina. We iterated the WSAO algorithm at the speed of individual OCT B-scans (~20 ms) by using raw spectral interferograms to calculate the optimization metric. Our WSAO approach with a 3 mm beam diameter permitted primarily low- but also high- order peripheral wavefront correction in less than 10 seconds. In preliminary imaging studies in five normal human subjects, we quantified statistically significant changes with WSAO correction, corresponding to a 10.4% improvement in average pixel brightness (signal) and 7.0% improvement in high frequency content (resolution) when visualizing 1 mm (~3.5°) B-scans of the peripheral (>23°) retina. We demonstrated the ability of our WF-OCT system to acquire non wavefront-corrected wide-field images rapidly, which could then be used to locate regions of interest, zoom into targeted features, and visualize the same region at different time points. A pilot clinical study was conducted on seven healthy volunteers and two subjects with prodromal Alzheimer’s disease which illustrated the capability to image Drusen-like pathologies as far as 32.5° from the fovea in un-averaged volume scans. This work suggests that the proposed combination of WF-OCT and WSAO may find applications in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular, and potentially neurodegenerative, diseases of the peripheral retina, including diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. PMID:28101398

  12. Optical sectioning in wide-field microscopy obtained by dynamic structured light illumination and detection based on a smart pixel detector array.

    PubMed

    Mitić, Jelena; Anhut, Tiemo; Meier, Matthias; Ducros, Mathieu; Serov, Alexander; Lasser, Theo

    2003-05-01

    Optical sectioning in wide-field microscopy is achieved by illumination of the object with a continuously moving single-spatial-frequency pattern and detecting the image with a smart pixel detector array. This detector performs an on-chip electronic signal processing that extracts the optically sectioned image. The optically sectioned image is directly observed in real time without any additional postprocessing.

  13. Wide-field and high-resolution optical imaging for early detection of oral neoplasia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pierce, Mark C.; Schwarz, Richard A.; Rosbach, Kelsey; Roblyer, Darren; Muldoon, Tim; Williams, Michelle D.; El-Naggar, Adel K.; Gillenwater, Ann M.; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca

    2010-02-01

    Current procedures for oral cancer screening typically involve visual inspection of the entire tissue surface at risk under white light illumination. However, pre-cancerous lesions can be difficult to distinguish from many benign conditions when viewed under these conditions. We have developed wide-field (macroscopic) imaging system which additionally images in cross-polarized white light, narrowband reflectance, and fluorescence imaging modes to reduce specular glare, enhance vascular contrast, and detect disease-related alterations in tissue autofluorescence. We have also developed a portable system to enable high-resolution (microscopic) evaluation of cellular features within the oral mucosa in situ. This system is a wide-field epi-fluorescence microscope coupled to a 1 mm diameter, flexible fiber-optic imaging bundle. Proflavine solution was used to specifically label cell nuclei, enabling the characteristic differences in N/C ratio and nuclear distribution between normal, dysplastic, and cancerous oral mucosa to be quantified. This paper discusses the technical design and performance characteristics of these complementary imaging systems. We will also present data from ongoing clinical studies aimed at evaluating diagnostic performance of these systems for detection of oral neoplasia.

  14. Wide Field Radio Transient Surveys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bower, Geoffrey

    2011-04-01

    The time domain of the radio wavelength sky has been only sparsely explored. Nevertheless, serendipitous discovery and results from limited surveys indicate that there is much to be found on timescales from nanoseconds to years and at wavelengths from meters to millimeters. These observations have revealed unexpected phenomena such as rotating radio transients and coherent pulses from brown dwarfs. Additionally, archival studies have revealed an unknown class of radio transients without radio, optical, or high-energy hosts. The new generation of centimeter-wave radio telescopes such as the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) will exploit wide fields of view and flexible digital signal processing to systematically explore radio transient parameter space, as well as lay the scientific and technical foundation for the Square Kilometer Array. Known unknowns that will be the target of future transient surveys include orphan gamma-ray burst afterglows, radio supernovae, tidally-disrupted stars, flare stars, and magnetars. While probing the variable sky, these surveys will also provide unprecedented information on the static radio sky. I will present results from three large ATA surveys (the Fly's Eye survey, the ATA Twenty CM Survey (ATATS), and the Pi GHz Survey (PiGSS)) and several small ATA transient searches. Finally, I will discuss the landscape and opportunities for future instruments at centimeter wavelengths.

  15. Wide-field high-speed space-division multiplexing optical coherence tomography using an integrated photonic device

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Yongyang; Badar, Mudabbir; Nitkowski, Arthur; Weinroth, Aaron; Tansu, Nelson; Zhou, Chao

    2017-01-01

    Space-division multiplexing optical coherence tomography (SDM-OCT) is a recently developed parallel OCT imaging method in order to achieve multi-fold speed improvement. However, the assembly of fiber optics components used in the first prototype system was labor-intensive and susceptible to errors. Here, we demonstrate a high-speed SDM-OCT system using an integrated photonic chip that can be reliably manufactured with high precisions and low per-unit cost. A three-layer cascade of 1 × 2 splitters was integrated in the photonic chip to split the incident light into 8 parallel imaging channels with ~3.7 mm optical delay in air between each channel. High-speed imaging (~1s/volume) of porcine eyes ex vivo and wide-field imaging (~18.0 × 14.3 mm2) of human fingers in vivo were demonstrated with the chip-based SDM-OCT system. PMID:28856055

  16. Coherent Optical Control of Electronic Excitations in Wide-Band-Gap Semiconductor Structures

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-05-01

    ABSTRACT The main objective of this research is to study coherent quantum effects, such as Rabi oscillations in optical spectra of wide- band-gap...field corresponds to the rotation of the B vector about the pseudo field vector, Ω, with components determined by the effective Rabi frequency ( )e...to examine coherent quantum effects, such as Rabi oscillations and quantum entanglement in optical spectra of wide-band-gap materials, and to

  17. Instrumentation of LOTIS: Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System; a fully automated wide field of view telescope system searching for simultaneous optical counterparts of gamma ray bursts

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Park, H.S.; Ables, E.; Barthelmy, S.D.

    LOTIS is a rapidly slewing wide-field-of-view telescope which was designed and constructed to search for simultaneous gamma-ray burst (GRB) optical counterparts. This experiment requires a rapidly slewing ({lt} 10 sec), wide-field-of-view ({gt} 15{degrees}), automatic and dedicated telescope. LOTIS utilizes commercial tele-photo lenses and custom 2048 x 2048 CCD cameras to view a 17.6 x 17.6{degrees} field of view. It can point to any part of the sky within 5 sec and is fully automated. It is connected via Internet socket to the GRB coordinate distribution network which analyzes telemetry from the satellite and delivers GRB coordinate information in real-time. LOTISmore » started routine operation in Oct. 1996. In the idle time between GRB triggers, LOTIS systematically surveys the entire available sky every night for new optical transients. This paper will describe the system design and performance.« less

  18. Affordable Wide-field Optical Space Surveillance using sCMOS and GPUs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zimmer, P.; McGraw, J.; Ackermann, M.

    2016-09-01

    Recent improvements in sCMOS technology allow for affordable, wide-field, and rapid cadence surveillance from LEO to out past GEO using largely off-the-shelf hardware. sCMOS sensors, until very recently, suffered from several shortcomings when compared to CCD sensors - lower sensitivity, smaller physical size and less predictable noise characteristics. Sensors that overcome the first two of these are now available commercially and the principals at J.T. McGraw and Associates (JTMA) have developed observing strategies that minimize the impact of the third, while leveraging the key features of sCMOS, fast readout and low average readout noise. JTMA has integrated a new generation sCMOS sensor into an existing COTS telescope system in order to develop and test new detection techniques designed for uncued optical surveillance across a wide range of apparent object angular rates - from degree per second scale of LEO objects to a few arcseconds per second for objects out past GEO. One further complication arises from this: increased useful frame rate means increased data volume. Fortunately, GPU technology continues to advance at a breakneck pace and we report on the results and performance of our new detection techniques implemented on new generation GPUs. Early results show significance within 20% of the expected theoretical limiting signal-to-noise using commodity GPUs in near real time across a wide range of object parameters, closing the gap in detectivity between moving objects and tracked objects.

  19. The optical blocking filter for the ATHENA wide field imager: ongoing activities towards the conceptual design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barbera, M.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Collura, A.; Comastri, A.; Eder, J.; Kamisiński, T.; Lo Cicero, U.; Meidinger, N.; Mineo, T.; Molendi, S.; Parodi, G.; Pilch, A.; Piro, L.; Rataj, M.; Rauw, G.; Sciortino, L.; Sciortino, S.; Wawer, P.

    2015-08-01

    ATHENA is the L2 mission selected by ESA to pursue the science theme "Hot and Energetic Universe" (launch scheduled in 2028). One of the key instruments of ATHENA is the Wide Field Imager (WFI) which will provide imaging in the 0.1-15 keV band over a 40'x40' large field of view, together with spectrally and time-resolved photon counting. The WFI camera, based on arrays of DEPFET active pixel sensors, is also sensitive to UV/Vis photons. Optically generated electron-hole pairs may degrade the spectral resolution as well as change the energy scale by introducing a signal offset. For this reason, the use of an X-ray transparent optical blocking filter is needed to allow the observation of all type of X-ray sources that present a UV/Visible bright counterpart. In this paper, we describe the main activities that we are carrying on for the conceptual design of the optical blocking filter, that will be mounted on the filter wheel, in order to satisfy the scientific requirements on optical load from bright UV/Vis astrophysical source, to maximize the X-ray transmission, and to withstand the severe acoustic and vibration loads foreseen during launch.

  20. Combining freeform optics and curved detectors for wide field imaging: a polynomial approach over squared aperture.

    PubMed

    Muslimov, Eduard; Hugot, Emmanuel; Jahn, Wilfried; Vives, Sebastien; Ferrari, Marc; Chambion, Bertrand; Henry, David; Gaschet, Christophe

    2017-06-26

    In the recent years a significant progress was achieved in the field of design and fabrication of optical systems based on freeform optical surfaces. They provide a possibility to build fast, wide-angle and high-resolution systems, which are very compact and free of obscuration. However, the field of freeform surfaces design techniques still remains underexplored. In the present paper we use the mathematical apparatus of orthogonal polynomials defined over a square aperture, which was developed before for the tasks of wavefront reconstruction, to describe shape of a mirror surface. Two cases, namely Legendre polynomials and generalization of the Zernike polynomials on a square, are considered. The potential advantages of these polynomials sets are demonstrated on example of a three-mirror unobscured telescope with F/# = 2.5 and FoV = 7.2x7.2°. In addition, we discuss possibility of use of curved detectors in such a design.

  1. Wide-field absolute transverse blood flow velocity mapping in vessel centerline

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Nanshou; Wang, Lei; Zhu, Bifeng; Guan, Caizhong; Wang, Mingyi; Han, Dingan; Tan, Haishu; Zeng, Yaguang

    2018-02-01

    We propose a wide-field absolute transverse blood flow velocity measurement method in vessel centerline based on absorption intensity fluctuation modulation effect. The difference between the light absorption capacities of red blood cells and background tissue under low-coherence illumination is utilized to realize the instantaneous and average wide-field optical angiography images. The absolute fuzzy connection algorithm is used for vessel centerline extraction from the average wide-field optical angiography. The absolute transverse velocity in the vessel centerline is then measured by a cross-correlation analysis according to instantaneous modulation depth signal. The proposed method promises to contribute to the treatment of diseases, such as those related to anemia or thrombosis.

  2. Nerve Fiber Flux Analysis Using Wide-Field Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography.

    PubMed

    Tan, Ou; Liu, Liang; Liu, Li; Huang, David

    2018-02-01

    To devise a method to quantify nerve fibers over their arcuate courses over an extended peripapillary area using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Participants were imaged with 8 × 8-mm volumetric OCT scans centered at the optic disc. A new quantity, nerve fiber flux (NFF), represents the cross-sectional area transected perpendicular to the nerve fibers. The peripapillary area was divided into 64 tracks with equal flux. An iterative algorithm traced the trajectory of the tracks assuming that the relative distribution of the NFF was conserved with compensation for fiber connections to ganglion cells on the macular side. Average trajectory was averaged from normal eyes and use to calculate the NFF maps for glaucomatous eyes. The NFF maps were divided into eight sectors that correspond to visual field regions. There were 24 healthy and 10 glaucomatous eyes enrolled. The algorithm converged on similar patterns of NFL tracks for all healthy eyes. In glaucomatous eyes, NFF correlated with visual field sensitivity in the arcuate sectors (Spearman ρ = 0.53-0.62). Focal nerve fiber loss in glaucomatous eyes appeared as uniform tracks of NFF defects that followed the expected arcuate fiber trajectory. Using an algorithm based on the conservation of flux, we derived nerve fiber trajectories in the peripapillary area. The NFF map is useful for the visualization of focal defects and quantification of sector nerve fiber loss from wide-area volumetric OCT scans. NFF provides a cumulative measure of volumetric loss along nerve fiber tracks and could improve the detection of focal glaucoma damage.

  3. OPTICAL IMAGES AND SOURCE CATALOG OF AKARI NORTH ECLIPTIC POLE WIDE SURVEY FIELD

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jeon, Yiseul; Im, Myungshin; Lee, Induk

    2010-09-15

    We present the source catalog and the properties of the B-, R-, and I-band images obtained to support the AKARI North Ecliptic Pole Wide (NEP-Wide) survey. The NEP-Wide is an AKARI infrared imaging survey of the north ecliptic pole covering a 5.8 deg{sup 2} area over 2.5-6 {mu}m wavelengths. The optical imaging data were obtained at the Maidanak Observatory in Uzbekistan using the Seoul National University 4k x 4k Camera on the 1.5 m telescope. These images cover 4.9 deg{sup 2} where no deep optical imaging data are available. Our B-, R-, and I-band data reach the depths of {approx}23.4,more » {approx}23.1, and {approx}22.3 mag (AB) at 5{sigma}, respectively. The source catalog contains 96,460 objects in the R band, and the astrometric accuracy is about 0.''15 at 1{sigma} in each R.A. and decl. direction. These photometric data will be useful for many studies including identification of optical counterparts of the infrared sources detected by AKARI, analysis of their spectral energy distributions from optical through infrared, and the selection of interesting objects to understand the obscured galaxy evolution.« less

  4. Wide-field lensless fluorescent microscopy using a tapered fiber-optic faceplate on a chip.

    PubMed

    Coskun, Ahmet F; Sencan, Ikbal; Su, Ting-Wei; Ozcan, Aydogan

    2011-09-07

    We demonstrate lensless fluorescent microscopy over a large field-of-view of ~60 mm(2) with a spatial resolution of <4 µm. In this on-chip fluorescent imaging modality, the samples are placed on a fiber-optic faceplate that is tapered such that the density of the fiber-optic waveguides on the top facet is >5 fold larger than the bottom one. Placed on this tapered faceplate, the fluorescent samples are pumped from the side through a glass hemisphere interface. After excitation of the samples, the pump light is rejected through total internal reflection that occurs at the bottom facet of the sample substrate. The fluorescent emission from the sample is then collected by the smaller end of the tapered faceplate and is delivered to an opto-electronic sensor-array to be digitally sampled. Using a compressive sampling algorithm, we decode these raw lensfree images to validate the resolution (<4 µm) of this on-chip fluorescent imaging platform using microparticles as well as labeled Giardia muris cysts. This wide-field lensfree fluorescent microscopy platform, being compact and high-throughput, might provide a valuable tool especially for cytometry, rare cell analysis (involving large area microfluidic systems) as well as for microarray imaging applications.

  5. Wide field and highly sensitive angiography based on optical coherence tomography with akinetic swept source.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jingjiang; Song, Shaozhen; Wei, Wei; Wang, Ruikang K

    2017-01-01

    Wide-field vascular visualization in bulk tissue that is of uneven surface is challenging due to the relatively short ranging distance and significant sensitivity fall-off for most current optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) systems. We report a long ranging and ultra-wide-field OCTA (UW-OCTA) system based on an akinetic swept laser. The narrow instantaneous linewidth of the swept source with its high phase stability, combined with high-speed detection in the system enable us to achieve long ranging (up to 46 mm) and almost negligible system sensitivity fall-off. To illustrate these advantages, we compare the basic system performances between conventional spectral domain OCTA and UW-OCTA systems and their functional imaging of microvascular networks in living tissues. In addition, we show that the UW-OCTA is capable of different depth-ranging of cerebral blood flow within entire brain in mice, and providing unprecedented blood perfusion map of human finger in vivo . We believe that the UW-OCTA system has promises to augment the existing clinical practice and explore new biomedical applications for OCT imaging.

  6. Wide field and highly sensitive angiography based on optical coherence tomography with akinetic swept source

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Jingjiang; Song, Shaozhen; Wei, Wei; Wang, Ruikang K.

    2016-01-01

    Wide-field vascular visualization in bulk tissue that is of uneven surface is challenging due to the relatively short ranging distance and significant sensitivity fall-off for most current optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) systems. We report a long ranging and ultra-wide-field OCTA (UW-OCTA) system based on an akinetic swept laser. The narrow instantaneous linewidth of the swept source with its high phase stability, combined with high-speed detection in the system enable us to achieve long ranging (up to 46 mm) and almost negligible system sensitivity fall-off. To illustrate these advantages, we compare the basic system performances between conventional spectral domain OCTA and UW-OCTA systems and their functional imaging of microvascular networks in living tissues. In addition, we show that the UW-OCTA is capable of different depth-ranging of cerebral blood flow within entire brain in mice, and providing unprecedented blood perfusion map of human finger in vivo. We believe that the UW-OCTA system has promises to augment the existing clinical practice and explore new biomedical applications for OCT imaging. PMID:28101428

  7. Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) Integrated Modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, Kuo-Chia; Blaurock, Carl

    2017-01-01

    Contents: introduction to WFIRST (Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope) and integrated modeling; WFIRST stability requirement summary; instability mitigation strategies; dynamic jitter results; STOP (structural-thermal-optical performance) (thermal distortion) results; STOP and jitter capability limitations; model validation philosophy.

  8. The Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed: Recent Progress

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rinehart, Stephen A.

    2010-01-01

    The Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center was designed to demonstrate the practicality and application of techniques for wide-field spatial-spectral ("double Fourier") interferometry. WIIT is an automated system, and it is now producing substantial amounts of high-quality data from its state-of-the-art operating environment, Goddard's Advanced Interferometry and Metrology Lab. In this paper, we discuss the characterization and operation of the testbed and present the most recent results. We also outline future research directions. A companion paper within this conference discusses the development of new wide-field double Fourier data analysis algorithms.

  9. Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Padgett, Deborah

    2012-01-01

    We present WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mid-infrared photometry of young stellar object candidates in the Canis Majoris clouds at a distance of 1 kpc. WISE has identified 682 objects with apparent 12 and 22 micron excess emission in a 7 deg x 10 deg field around the CMa Rl cloud . While a substantial fraction of these candidates are likely galaxies, AGB stars, and artifacts from confusion along the galactic plane, others are part of a spectacular cluster of YSOs imaged by WISE along a dark filament in the R1 cloud. Palomar Double Spectrograph observations of several sources in this cluster confirm their identity as young A and B stars with strong emission lines. In this contribution, we plot the optical -mid-infrared spectral energy distribution for the WISE YSO candidates and discuss potential contaminants to the sample . The data demonstrate the utility of WISE in performing wide-area surveys for young stellar objects.

  10. KMTNET: A Network of 1.6 m Wide-Field Optical Telescopes Installed at Three Southern Observatories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Seung-Lee; Lee, Chung-Uk; Park, Byeong-Gon; Kim, Dong-Jin; Cha, Sang-Mok; Lee, Yongseok; Han, Cheongho; Chun, Moo-Young; Yuk, Insoo

    2016-02-01

    The Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) is a wide-field photometric system installed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). Here, we present the overall technical specifications of the KMTNet observation system, test observation results, data transfer and image processing procedure, and finally, the KMTNet science programs. The system consists of three 1.6 m wide-field optical telescopes equipped with mosaic CCD cameras of 18k by 18k pixels. Each telescope provides a 2.0 by 2.0 square degree field of view. We have finished installing all three telescopes and cameras sequentially at the Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in South Africa, and the Siding Spring Observatory (SSO) in Australia. This network of telescopes, which is spread over three different continents at a similar latitude of about -30 degrees, enables 24-hour continuous monitoring of targets observable in the Southern Hemisphere. The test observations showed good image quality that meets the seeing requirement of less than 1.0 arcsec in I-band. All of the observation data are transferred to the KMTNet data center at KASI via the international network communication and are processed with the KMTNet data pipeline. The primary scientific goal of the KMTNet is to discover numerous extrasolar planets toward the Galactic bulge by using the gravitational microlensing technique, especially earth-mass planets in the habitable zone. During the non-bulge season, the system is used for wide-field photometric survey science on supernovae, asteroids, and external galaxies.

  11. Origin and Future of Plasmonic Optical Tweezers

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Jer-Shing; Yang, Ya-Tang

    2015-01-01

    Plasmonic optical tweezers can overcome the diffraction limits of conventional optical tweezers and enable the trapping of nanoscale objects. Extension of the trapping and manipulation of nanoscale objects with nanometer position precision opens up unprecedented opportunities for applications in the fields of biology, chemistry and statistical and atomic physics. Potential applications include direct molecular manipulation, lab-on-a-chip applications for viruses and vesicles and the study of nanoscale transport. This paper reviews the recent research progress and development bottlenecks and provides an overview of possible future directions in this field. PMID:28347051

  12. Origin and Future of Plasmonic Optical Tweezers.

    PubMed

    Huang, Jer-Shing; Yang, Ya-Tang

    2015-06-12

    Plasmonic optical tweezers can overcome the diffraction limits of conventional optical tweezers and enable the trapping of nanoscale objects. Extension of the trapping and manipulation of nanoscale objects with nanometer position precision opens up unprecedented opportunities for applications in the fields of biology, chemistry and statistical and atomic physics. Potential applications include direct molecular manipulation, lab-on-a-chip applications for viruses and vesicles and the study of nanoscale transport. This paper reviews the recent research progress and development bottlenecks and provides an overview of possible future directions in this field.

  13. Wide Field and Planetary Camera for Space Telescope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lockhart, R. F.

    1982-01-01

    The Space Telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera instrument, presently under construction, will be used to map the observable universe and to study the outer planets. It will be able to see 1000 times farther than any previously employed instrument. The Wide Field system will be located in a radial bay, receiving its signals via a pick-off mirror centered on the optical axis of the telescope assembly. The external thermal radiator employed by the instrument for cooling will be part of the exterior surface of the Space Telescope. In addition to having a larger (1200-12,000 A) wavelength range than any of the other Space Telescope instruments, its data rate, at 1 Mb/sec, exceeds that of the other instruments. Attention is given to the operating modes and projected performance levels of the Wide Field Camera and Planetary Camera.

  14. FRD in optical fibres at low temperatures: investigations for Gemini's Wide-field Fibre Multi-Object Spectrograph

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Oliveira, A. C.; de Oliveira, L. S.; Dos Santos, J. B.; Arruda, M. V.; Dos Santos, L. G. C.; Rodrigues, F.; de Castro, F. L. F.

    2011-06-01

    While there is no direct evidence for the deterioration in Focal Ratio Degradation (FRD) of optical fibres in severe temperature gradients, the fibre ends inserted into metallic containment devices such as steel ferrules can be a source of stress, and hence increased FRD at low temperatures. In such conditions, instruments using optical fibres may suffer some increase in FRD and consequent loss of system throughput when they are working in environments with significant thermal gradients, a common characteristic of ground-based observatories. In this paper we present results of experiments with optical fibres inserted in different materials as a part of our prototyping study for Gemini's Wide-field Multi-Object Spectrograph (WFMOS) project. Thermal effects and the use of new holding techniques will be discussed in the context of Integral Field Units and multi-fibres systems. In this work, we have used careful methodologies that give absolute measurements of FRD to quantify the advantages of using epoxy-based composites rather than metals as support structures for the fibre ends. This is shown to be especially important in minimizing thermally induced stresses in the fibre terminations. Not only is this important for optimizing fibre spectrograph performance but the benefits of using such materials are demonstrated in the minimization of positional variations and the avoidance of metal-to-glass delamination. Furthermore, by impregnating the composites with small zirconium oxide particles the composite materials supply their own fine polishing grit which aids significantly to the optical quality of the finished product.

  15. Wide field-of-view bifocal eyeglasses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barbero, Sergio; Rubinstein, Jacob

    2015-09-01

    When vision is affected simultaneously by presbyopia and myopia or hyperopia, a solution based on eyeglasses implies a surface with either segmented focal regions (e.g. bifocal lenses) or a progressive addition profile (PALs). However, both options have the drawback of reducing the field-of-view for each power position, which restricts the natural eye-head movements of the wearer. To avoid this serious limitation we propose a new solution which is essentially a bifocal power-adjustable optical design ensuring a wide field-of-view for every viewing distance. The optical system is based on the Alvarez principle. Spherical refraction correction is considered for different eccentric gaze directions covering a field-of-view range up to 45degrees. Eye movements during convergence for near objects are included. We designed three bifocal systems. The first one provides 3 D for far vision (myopic eye) and -1 D for near vision (+2 D Addition). The second one provides a +3 D addition with 3 D for far vision. Finally the last system is an example of reading glasses with +1 D power Addition.

  16. Large-field-of-view wide-spectrum artificial reflecting superposition compound eyes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Chi-Chieh

    The study of the imaging principles of natural compound eyes has become an active area of research and has fueled the advancement of modern optics with many attractive design features beyond those available with conventional technologies. Most prominent among all compound eyes is the reflecting superposition compound eyes (RSCEs) found in some decapods. They are extraordinary imaging systems with numerous optical features such as minimum chromatic aberration, wide-angle field of view (FOV), high sensitivity to light and superb acuity to motion. Inspired by their remarkable visual system, we were able to implement the unique lens-free, reflection-based imaging mechanisms into a miniaturized, large-FOV optical imaging device operating at the wide visible spectrum to minimize chromatic aberration without any additional post-image processing. First, two micro-transfer printing methods, a multiple and a shear-assisted transfer printing technique, were studied and discussed to realize life-sized artificial RSCEs. The processes exploited the differential adhesive tendencies of the microstructures formed between a donor and a transfer substrate to accomplish an efficient release and transfer process. These techniques enabled conformal wrapping of three-dimensional (3-D) microstructures, initially fabricated in two-dimensional (2-D) layouts with standard fabrication technology onto a wide range of surfaces with complex and curvilinear shapes. Final part of this dissertation was focused on implementing the key operational features of the natural RSCEs into large-FOV, wide-spectrum artificial RSCEs as an optical imaging device suitable for the wide visible spectrum. Our devices can form real, clear images based on reflection rather than refraction, hence avoiding chromatic aberration due to dispersion by the optical materials. Compared to the performance of conventional refractive lenses of comparable size, our devices demonstrated minimum chromatic aberration, exceptional

  17. Innovative compact focal plane array for wide field vis and ir orbiting telescopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hugot, Emmanuel; Vives, Sébastien; Ferrari, Marc; Gaeremynck, Yann; Jahn, Wilfried

    2017-11-01

    The future generation of high angular resolution space telescopes will require breakthrough technologies to combine large diameters and large focal plane arrays with compactness and lightweight mirrors and structures. Considering the allocated volume medium-size launchers, short focal lengths are mandatory, implying complex optical relays to obtain diffraction limited images on large focal planes. In this paper we present preliminary studies to obtain compact focal plane arrays (FPA) for earth observations on low earth orbits at high angular resolution. Based on the principle of image slicers, we present an optical concept to arrange a 1D FPA into a 2D FPA, allowing the use of 2D detector matrices. This solution is particularly attractive for IR imaging requiring a cryostat, which volume could be considerably reduced as well as the relay optics complexity. Enabling the use of 2D matrices for such an application offers new possibilities. Recent developments on curved FPA allows optimization without concerns on the field curvature. This innovative approach also reduces the complexity of the telescope optical combination, specifically for fast telescopes. This paper will describe the concept and optical design of an F/5 - 1.5m telescope equipped with such a FPA, the performances and the impact on the system with a comparison with an equivalent 1.5m wide field Korsch telescope.

  18. Novel concepts in near-field optics: from magnetic near-field to optical forces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Honghua

    Driven by the progress in nanotechnology, imaging and spectroscopy tools with nanometer spatial resolution are needed for in situ material characterizations. Near-field optics provides a unique way to selectively excite and detect elementary electronic and vibrational interactions at the nanometer scale, through interactions of light with matter in the near-field region. This dissertation discusses the development and applications of near-field optical imaging techniques, including plasmonic material characterization, optical spectral nano-imaging and magnetic field detection using scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM), and exploring new modalities of optical spectroscopy based on optical gradient force detection. Firstly, the optical dielectric functions of one of the most common plasmonic materials---silver is measured with ellipsometry, and analyzed with the Drude model over a broad spectral range from visible to mid-infrared. This work was motivated by the conflicting results of previous measurements, and the need for accurate values for a wide range of applications of silver in plasmonics, optical antennas, and metamaterials. This measurement provides a reference for dielectric functions of silver used in metamaterials, plasmonics, and nanophotonics. Secondly, I implemented an infrared s-SNOM instrument for spectroscopic nano-imaging at both room temperature and low temperature. As one of the first cryogenic s-SNOM instruments, the novel design concept and key specifications are discussed. Initial low-temperature and high-temperature performances of the instrument are examined by imaging of optical conductivity of vanadium oxides (VO2 and V2O 3) across their phase transitions. The spectroscopic imaging capability is demonstrated on chemical vibrational resonances of Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and other samples. The third part of this dissertation explores imaging of optical magnetic fields. As a proof-of-principle, the magnetic

  19. Advanced MOKE magnetometry in wide-field Kerr-microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soldatov, I. V.; Schäfer, R.

    2017-10-01

    The measurement of MOKE (Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect) magnetization loops in a wide-field Kerr microscope offers the advantage that the relevant domain images along the loop can be readily recorded. As the microscope's objective lens is exposed to the magnetic field, the loops are usually strongly distorted by non-linear Faraday rotations of the polarized light that occur in the objective lens and that are superimposed to the MOKE signal. In this paper, an experimental method, based on a motorized analyzer, is introduced which allows to compensate the Faraday contributions, thus leading to pure MOKE loops. A wide field Kerr microscope, equipped with this technology, works well as a laser-based MOKE magnetometer, additionally offering domain images and thus providing the basis for loop interpretation.

  20. Wide-band acousto-optic deflectors for large field of view two-photon microscope.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Runhua; Zhou, Zhenqiao; Lv, Xiaohua; Zeng, Shaoqun

    2012-04-01

    Acousto-optic deflector (AOD) is an attractive scanner for two-photon microscopy because it can provide fast and versatile laser scanning and does not involve any mechanical movements. However, due to the small scan range of available AOD, the field of view (FOV) of the AOD-based microscope is typically smaller than that of the conventional galvanometer-based microscope. Here, we developed a novel wide-band AOD to enlarge the scan angle. Considering the maximum acceptable acoustic attenuation in the acousto-optic crystal, relatively lower operating frequencies and moderate aperture were adopted. The custom AOD was able to provide 60 MHz 3-dB bandwidth and 80% peak diffraction efficiency at 840 nm wavelength. Based on a pair of such AOD, a large FOV two-photon microscope was built with a FOV up to 418.5 μm (40× objective). The spatiotemporal dispersion was compensated simultaneously with a single custom-made prism. By means of dynamic power modulation, the variation of laser intensity within the FOV was reduced below 5%. The lateral and axial resolution of the system were 0.58-2.12 μm and 2.17-3.07 μm, respectively. Pollen grain images acquired by this system were presented to demonstrate the imaging capability at different positions across the entire FOV. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

  1. Gemini Frontier Fields: Wide-field Adaptive Optics Ks-band Imaging of the Galaxy Clusters MACS J0416.1-2403 and Abell 2744

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schirmer, M.; Carrasco, E. R.; Pessev, P.; Garrel, V.; Winge, C.; Neichel, B.; Vidal, F.

    2015-04-01

    We have observed two of the six Frontier Fields galaxy clusters, MACS J0416.1-2403 and Abell 2744, using the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS) and the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI). With 0.″ 08-0.″ 10 FWHM our data are nearly diffraction-limited over a 100\\prime\\prime × 100\\prime\\prime wide area. GeMS/GSAOI complements the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) redwards of 1.6 μm with twice the angular resolution. We reach a 5σ depth of {{K}s}˜ 25.6 mag (AB) for compact sources. In this paper, we describe the observations, data processing, and initial public data release. We provide fully calibrated, co-added images matching the native GSAOI pixel scale as well as the larger plate scales of the HST release, adding to the legacy value of the Frontier Fields. Our work demonstrates that even for fields at high galactic latitude where natural guide stars are rare, current multi-conjugated adaptive optics technology at 8 m telescopes has opened a new window on the distant universe. Observations of a third Frontier Field, Abell 370, are planned. Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (United Kingdom), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brazil) and Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (Argentina). Based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla and Paranal Observatories, Chile.

  2. Optoelectronics components and technology for optical networking in China: recent progress and future trends

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Shan; Liu, Shuihua

    2004-04-01

    Current optical communication systems are more and more relying on the advanced opto-electronic components. A series of revolutionary optical and optoelectronics components technology accounts for the fast progress and field deployment of high-capacity telecommunication and data-transmission systems. Since 1990s, the optical communication industry in China entered a high-speed development period and its wide deployment had already established the solid base for China information infrastructure. In this presentation, the main progress of optoelectronics components and technology in China are reviewed, which includes semiconductor laser diode/photo receiver, fiber optical amplifier, DWDM multiplexer/de-multiplexer, dispersion compensation components and all optical network node components, such as optical switch, OADM, tunable optical filters and variable optical attenuators, etc. Integration discrete components into monolithic/hybrid platform component is an inevitable choice for the consideration of performance, mass production and cost reduction. The current status and the future trends of OEIC and PIC components technology in China will also be discuss mainly on the monolithic integration DFB LD + EA modulator, and planar light-wave circuit (PLC) technology, etc.

  3. WFIRST: Astrometry with the Wide-Field Imager

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bellini, Andrea; WFIRST Astrometry Working Group

    2018-01-01

    The wide field of view and stable, sharp images delivered by WFIRST's Wide-Field Imager make it an excellent instrument for astrometry, one of five major discovery areas identified in the 2010 Decadal Survey. Compared to the Hubble Space Telescope, WFIRST's wider field of view with similar image quality will provide hundreds more astrometric targets per image as well as background galaxies and stars with precise positions in the Gaia catalog. In addition, WFIRST will operate in the infrared, a wavelength regime where the most precise astrometry has so far been achieved with adaptive optics images from large ground-based telescopes. WFIRST will provide at least a factor of three improvement in astrometry over the current state of the art in this wavelength range, while spanning a field of view thousands of times larger. WFIRST is thus poised to make major contributions to multiple science topics in which astrometry plays an important role, without major alterations to the planned mission or instrument. We summarize a few of the most compelling science cases where WFIRST astrometry could prove transformational.

  4. BOMBOLO: a Multi-Band, Wide-field, Near UV/Optical Imager for the SOAR 4m Telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Angeloni, R.; Guzmán, D.; Puzia, T. H.; Infante, L.

    2014-10-01

    BOMBOLO is a new multi-passband visitor instrument for SOAR observatory. The first fully Chilean instrument of its kind, it is a three-arms imager covering the near-UV and optical wavelengths. The three arms work simultaneously and independently, providing synchronized imaging capability for rapid astronomical events. BOMBOLO will be able to address largely unexplored events in the minute-to-second timescales, with the following leading science cases: 1) Simultaneous Multiband Flickering Studies of Accretion Phenomena; 2) Near UV/Optical Diagnostics of Stellar Evolutionary Phases; 3) Exoplanetary Transits and 4) Microlensing Follow-Up. BOMBOLO optical design consists of a wide field collimator feeding two dychroics at 390 and 550 nm. Each arm encompasses a camera, filter wheel and a science CCD230-42, imaging a 7 x 7 arcmin field of view onto a 2k x 2k image. The three CCDs will have different coatings to optimise the efficiencies of each camera. The detector controller to run the three cameras will be Torrent (the NOAO open-source system) and a PanView application will run the instrument and produce the data-cubes. The instrument is at Conceptual Design stage, having been approved by the SOAR Board of Directors as a visitor instrument in 2012 and having been granted full funding from CONICYT, the Chilean State Agency of Research, in 2013. The Design Phase is starting now and will be completed in late 2014, followed by a construction phase in 2015 and 2016A, with expected Commissioning in 2016B and 2017A.

  5. Optical rectification using geometrical field enhancement in gold nano-arrays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piltan, S.; Sievenpiper, D.

    2017-11-01

    Conversion of photons to electrical energy has a wide variety of applications including imaging, solar energy harvesting, and IR detection. A rectenna device consists of an antenna in addition to a rectifying element to absorb the incident radiation within a certain frequency range. We designed, fabricated, and measured an optical rectifier taking advantage of asymmetrical field enhancement for forward and reverse currents due to geometrical constraints. The gold nano-structures as well as the geometrical parameters offer enhanced light-matter interaction at 382 THz. Using the Taylor expansion of the time-dependent current as a function of the external bias and oscillating optical excitation, we obtained responsivities close to quantum limit of operation. This geometrical approach can offer an efficient, broadband, and scalable solution for energy conversion and detection in the future.

  6. Unusual electro-optical behavior in a wide-temperature BPIII cell.

    PubMed

    Chen, Hui-Yu; Lu, Sheng-Feng; Hsieh, Yi-Chun

    2013-04-22

    A low driving voltage and fast response blue phase III (BPIII) liquid-crystal device with very low dielectric anisotropy is demonstrated. To stabilize BPIII in a wide temperature range (> 15°C), a chiral molecule with good solubility was chosen. By studying field-dependent polarization state of the transmitting light, it was found that the field-induced birefringence becomes saturated in the high field. However, the transmitting intensity exhibits a tendency to increase as the electric field increases. This indicates that the electro-optical behavior in BPIII device may be from the flexoelectric effect, which induces tilted optical axis and then induces birefringence. Because the phase transition from BPIII to chiral nematic phase does not happen, the device shows no hysteresis effect and no residual birefringence, exhibits fast response, and can be a candidate for fast photonic application.

  7. The Wide Integral Field Infrared Spectrograph (WIFIS): optomechanical design and development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meyer, R. Elliot; Moon, Dae-Sik; Sivanandam, Suresh; Ma, Ke; Henderson, Chuck; Blank, Basil; Chou, Chueh-Yi; Jarvis, Miranda; Eikenberry, Stephen S.

    2016-08-01

    We present the optomechanical design and development of the Wide Integral Field Infrared Spectrograph (WIFIS). WIFIS will provide an unrivalled integral field size of 20"×50" for a near-infrared (0.9-1.7 μm) integral-field spectrograph at the 2.3-meter Steward Bok telescope. Its main optomechanical system consists of two assemblies: a room-temperature bench housing the majority of the optical components and a cryostat for a field-flattening lens, thermal blocking filter, and detector. Two additional optical subsystems will provide calibration functionality, telescope guiding, and off-axis optical imaging. WIFIS will be a highly competitive instrument for seeing-limited astronomical investigations of the dynamics and chemistry of extended objects in the near-infrared wavebands. WIFIS is expected to be commissioned during the end of 2016 with scientific operations beginning in 2017.

  8. Wide-field reflective scanning optical systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abel, I. R.

    1973-01-01

    Catoptric optical scanning system provides relatively fast line-scan rate for two-dimensional coverage. Rapid scan rates require low focal ratios between components and smallest possible masses. System is relatively free from monochromatic defects and chromatic aberrations.

  9. Imaging spectrometer wide field catadioptric design

    DOEpatents

    Chrisp,; Michael, P [Danville, CA

    2008-08-19

    A wide field catadioptric imaging spectrometer with an immersive diffraction grating that compensates optical distortions. The catadioptric design has zero Petzval field curvature. The imaging spectrometer comprises an entrance slit for transmitting light, a system with a catadioptric lens and a dioptric lens for receiving the light and directing the light, an immersion grating, and a detector array. The entrance slit, the system for receiving the light, the immersion grating, and the detector array are positioned wherein the entrance slit transmits light to the system for receiving the light and the system for receiving the light directs the light to the immersion grating and the immersion grating receives the light and directs the light through the system for receiving the light to the detector array.

  10. Megahertz ultra-wide-field swept-source retina optical coherence tomography compared to current existing imaging devices.

    PubMed

    Reznicek, Lukas; Klein, Thomas; Wieser, Wolfgang; Kernt, Marcus; Wolf, Armin; Haritoglou, Christos; Kampik, Anselm; Huber, Robert; Neubauer, Aljoscha S

    2014-06-01

    To investigate the image quality of wide-angle cross-sectional and reconstructed fundus images based on ultra-megahertz swept-source Fourier domain mode locking (FDML) OCT compared to current generation diagnostic devices. A 1,050 nm swept-source FDML OCT system was constructed running at 1.68 MHz A-scan rate covering approximately 70° field of view. Twelve normal eyes were imaged with the device applying an isotropically dense sampling protocol (1,900 × 1,900 A-scans) with a fill factor of 100 %. Obtained OCT scan image quality was compared with two commercial OCT systems (Heidelberg Spectralis and Stratus OCT) of the same 12 eyes. Reconstructed en-face fundus images from the same FDML-OCT data set were compared to color fundus, infrared and ultra-wide-field scanning laser images (SLO). Comparison of cross-sectional scans showed a high overall image quality of the 15× averaged FDML images at 1.68 MHz [overall quality grading score: 8.42 ± 0.52, range 0 (bad)-10 (excellent)] comparable to current spectral-domain OCTs (overall quality grading score: 8.83 ± 0.39, p = 0.731). On FDML OCT, a dense 3D data set was obtained covering also the central and mid-peripheral retina. The reconstructed FDML OCT en-face fundus images had high image quality comparable to scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) as judged from retinal structures such as vessels and optic disc. Overall grading score was 8.36 ± 0.51 for FDML OCT vs 8.27 ± 0.65 for SLO (p = 0.717). Ultra-wide-field megahertz 3D FDML OCT at 1.68 MHz is feasible, and provides cross-sectional image quality comparable to current spectral-domain OCT devices. In addition, reconstructed en-face visualization of fundus images result in a wide-field view with high image quality as compared to currently available fundus imaging devices. The improvement of >30× in imaging speed over commercial spectral-domain OCT technology enables high-density scan protocols leading to a data set for high

  11. Optical and thermal simulation for wide acceptance angle CPV module

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmad, Nawwar; Ota, Yasuyuki; Araki, Kenji; Lee, Kan-Hua; Yamaguchi, Masafumi; Nishioka, Kensuke

    2017-09-01

    Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology has the potential to decrease the cost of systems in the near future by using less expensive optical elements in the system which replace the receiving surface aperture and concentrate the sunlight onto small solar cells. One of the main concerns of CPV is the need for high precision tracking system and the relation to the acceptance angle. In this paper, we proposed a CPV module with concentration ratio larger than 100 times and wide acceptance angle. An optical simulation for the module with S-TIM2 glass as a lens material was conducted to estimate the optical performance of the module. Thermal and electrical simulation was also conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics and SPICE respectively to evaluate the working temperature and electrical characteristics of the multijunction solar cell under concentration conditions.

  12. Compact and wide-field-of-view head-mounted display

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Uchiyama, Shoichi; Kamakura, Hiroshi; Karasawa, Joji; Sakaguchi, Masafumi; Furihata, Takeshi; Itoh, Yoshitaka

    1997-05-01

    A compact and wide field of view HMD having 1.32-in full color VGA poly-Si TFT LCDs and simple eyepieces much like LEEP optics has been developed. The total field of view is 80 deg with a 40 deg overlap in its central area. Each optical unit which includes an LCD and eyepiece is 46 mm in diameter and 42 mm in length. The total number of pixels is equivalent to (864 times 3) times 480. This HMD realizes its wide field of view and compact size by having a narrower binocular area (overlap area) than that of commercialized HMDs. For this reason, it is expected that the frequency of monocular vision will be more than that of commercialized HMDs and human natural vision. Therefore, we researched the convergent state of eyes while observing the monocular areas of this HMD by employing an EOG and considered the suitability of this HMD to human vision. As a result, it was found that the convergent state of the monocular vision was nearly equal to that of binocular vision. That is, it can be said that this HMD has the possibility of being well suited to human vision in terms of the convergence.

  13. The Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT): Recent Progress and Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rinehart, Stephen A.; Frey, Bradley J.; Leisawitz, David T.; Lyon, Richard G.; Maher, Stephen F.; Martino, Anthony J.

    2008-01-01

    Continued research with the Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT) has achieved several important milestones. We have moved WIIT into the Advanced Interferometry and Metrology (AIM) Laboratory at Goddard, and have characterized the testbed in this well-controlled environment. The system is now completely automated and we are in the process of acquiring large data sets for analysis. In this paper, we discuss these new developments and outline our future research directions. The WIIT testbed, combined with new data analysis techniques and algorithms, provides a demonstration of the technique of wide-field interferometric imaging, a powerful tool for future space-borne interferometers.

  14. A Study on the Application of Normalized Point Source Sensitivity in Wide Field Optical Spectrometer of the Thirty Meter Telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Li-si; Hu, Zhong-wen

    2017-10-01

    The image evaluation of an optical system is the core of optical design. Based on the analysis and comparison of the PSSN (Normalized Point Source Sensitivity) proposed in the image evaluation of the TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope) and the common image evaluation methods, the application of PSSN in the TMT WFOS (Wide Field Optical Spectrometer) is studied. It includes an approximate simulation of the atmospheric seeing, the effect of the displacement of M3 in the TMT on the PSSN of the system, the effect of the displacement of collimating mirror in the WFOS on the PSSN of the system, the relations between the PSSN and the zenith angle under different conditions of atmospheric turbulence, and the relation between the PSSN and the wavefront aberration. The results show that the PSSN is effective for the image evaluation of the TMT under a limited atmospheric seeing.

  15. Wide-angle flat field telescope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hallam, K. L.; Howell, B. J.; Wilson, M. E.

    1986-01-01

    Described is an unobscured three mirror wide angle telescopic imaging system comprised of an input baffle which provides a 20 deg (Y axis) x 30 deg (X axis) field of view, a primary mirror having a convex spherical surface, a secondary mirror having a concave ellipsoidal reflecting surface, a tertiary mirror having a concave spherical reflecting surface. The mirrors comprise mirror elements which are offset segments of parent mirrors whose axes and vertices commonly lie on the system's optical axis. An iris diaphragm forming an aperture stop is located between the secondary and tertiary mirror with its center also being coincident with the optical axis and being further located at the beam waist of input light beams reflected from the primary and secondary mirror surfaces. At the system focus following the tertiary mirror is located a flat detector which may be, for example, a TV imaging tube or a photographic film. When desirable, a spectral transmission filter is placed in front of the detector in close proximity thereto.

  16. Label-Free Biological and Chemical Sensing Using Whispering Gallery Mode Optical Resonators: Past, Present, and Future

    PubMed Central

    Su, Judith

    2017-01-01

    Sensitive and rapid label-free biological and chemical sensors are needed for a wide variety of applications including early disease diagnosis and prognosis, the monitoring of food and water quality, as well as the detection of bacteria and viruses for public health concerns and chemical threat sensing. Whispering gallery mode optical resonator based sensing is a rapidly developing field due to the high sensitivity and speed of these devices as well as their label-free nature. Here, we describe the history of whispering gallery mode optical resonator sensors, the principles behind detection, the latest developments in the fields of biological and chemical sensing, current challenges toward widespread adoption of these devices, and an outlook for the future. In addition, we evaluate the performance capabilities of these sensors across three key parameters: sensitivity, selectivity, and speed. PMID:28282881

  17. Fractal vector optical fields.

    PubMed

    Pan, Yue; Gao, Xu-Zhen; Cai, Meng-Qiang; Zhang, Guan-Lin; Li, Yongnan; Tu, Chenghou; Wang, Hui-Tian

    2016-07-15

    We introduce the concept of a fractal, which provides an alternative approach for flexibly engineering the optical fields and their focal fields. We propose, design, and create a new family of optical fields-fractal vector optical fields, which build a bridge between the fractal and vector optical fields. The fractal vector optical fields have polarization states exhibiting fractal geometry, and may also involve the phase and/or amplitude simultaneously. The results reveal that the focal fields exhibit self-similarity, and the hierarchy of the fractal has the "weeding" role. The fractal can be used to engineer the focal field.

  18. Optics of wide-angle panoramic viewing system-assisted vitreous surgery.

    PubMed

    Chalam, Kakarla V; Shah, Vinay A

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of the article is to describe the optics of the contact wide-angle lens system with stereo-reinverter for vitreous surgery. A panoramic viewing system is made up of two components; an indirect ophthalmoscopy lens system for fundus image viewing, which is placed on the patient's cornea as a contact lens, and a separate removable prism system for reinversion of the image mounted on the microscope above the zooming system. The system provides a 104 degrees field of view in a phakic emmetropic eye with minification, which can be magnified by the operating microscope. It permits a binocular stereoptic view even through a small pupil (3 mm) or larger. In an air-filled phakic eye, field of view increases to approximately 130 degrees. The obtained image of the patient's fundus is reinverted to form true, erect, stereoscopic image by the reinversion system. In conclusion, this system permits wide-angle panoramic view of the surgical field. The contact lens neutralizes the optical irregularities of the corneal surface and allows improved visualization in eyes with irregular astigmatism induced by corneal scars. Excellent visualization is achieved in complex clinical situations such as miotic pupils, lenticular opacities, and in air-filled phakic eyes.

  19. Fabrication of a wide-field NIR integral field unit for SWIMS using ultra-precision cutting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kitagawa, Yutaro; Yamagata, Yutaka; Morita, Shin-ya; Motohara, Kentaro; Ozaki, Shinobu; Takahashi, Hidenori; Konishi, Masahiro; Kato, Natsuko M.; Kobayakawa, Yutaka; Terao, Yasunori; Ohashi, Hirofumi

    2016-07-01

    We describe overview of fabrication methods and measurement results of test fabrications of optical surfaces for an integral field unit (IFU) for Simultaneous color Wide-field Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph, SWIMS, which is a first-generation instrument for the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory 6.5-m telescope. SWIMS-IFU provides entire near-infrared spectrum from 0.9 to 2.5 μm simultaneously covering wider field of view of 17" × 13" compared with current near-infrared IFUs. We investigate an ultra-precision cutting technique to monolithically fabricate optical surfaces of IFU optics such as an image slicer. Using 4- or 5-axis ultra precision machine we compare the milling process and shaper cutting process to find the best way of fabrication of image slicers. The measurement results show that the surface roughness almost satisfies our requirement in both of two methods. Moreover, we also obtain ideal surface form in the shaper cutting process. This method will be adopted to other mirror arrays (i.e. pupil mirror and slit mirror, and such monolithic fabrications will also help us to considerably reduce alignment procedure of each optical elements.

  20. Field-programmable logic devices with optical input-output.

    PubMed

    Szymanski, T H; Saint-Laurent, M; Tyan, V; Au, A; Supmonchai, B

    2000-02-10

    A field-programmable logic device (FPLD) with optical I/O is described. FPLD's with optical I/O can have their functionality specified in the field by means of downloading a control-bit stream and can be used in a wide range of applications, such as optical signal processing, optical image processing, and optical interconnects. Our device implements six state-of-the-art dynamically programmable logic arrays (PLA's) on a 2 mm x 2 mm die. The devices were fabricated through the Lucent Technologies-Advanced Research Projects Agency-Consortium for Optical and Optoelectronic Technologies in Computing (Lucent/ARPA/COOP) workshop by use of 0.5-microm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor-self-electro-optic device technology and were delivered in 1998. All devices are fully functional: The electronic data paths have been verified at 200 MHz, and optical tests are pending. The device has been programmed to implement a two-stage optical switching network with six 4 x 4 crossbar switches, which can realize more than 190 x 10(6) unique programmable input-output permutations. The same device scaled to a 2 cm x 2 cm substrate could support as many as 4000 optical I/O and 1 Tbit/s of optical I/O bandwidth and offer fully programmable digital functionality with approximately 110,000 programmable logic gates. The proposed optoelectronic FPLD is also ideally suited to realizing dense, statically reconfigurable crossbar switches. We describe an attractive application area for such devices: a rearrangeable three-stage optical switch for a wide-area-network backbone, switching 1000 traffic streams at the OC-48 data rate and supporting several terabits of traffic.

  1. Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Spatial-Spectral Image Synthesis Algorithms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lyon, Richard G.; Leisawitz, David T.; Rinehart, Stephen A.; Memarsadeghi, Nargess; Sinukoff, Evan J.

    2012-01-01

    Developed is an algorithmic approach for wide field of view interferometric spatial-spectral image synthesis. The data collected from the interferometer consists of a set of double-Fourier image data cubes, one cube per baseline. These cubes are each three-dimensional consisting of arrays of two-dimensional detector counts versus delay line position. For each baseline a moving delay line allows collection of a large set of interferograms over the 2D wide field detector grid; one sampled interferogram per detector pixel per baseline. This aggregate set of interferograms, is algorithmically processed to construct a single spatial-spectral cube with angular resolution approaching the ratio of the wavelength to longest baseline. The wide field imaging is accomplished by insuring that the range of motion of the delay line encompasses the zero optical path difference fringe for each detector pixel in the desired field-of-view. Each baseline cube is incoherent relative to all other baseline cubes and thus has only phase information relative to itself. This lost phase information is recovered by having point, or otherwise known, sources within the field-of-view. The reference source phase is known and utilized as a constraint to recover the coherent phase relation between the baseline cubes and is key to the image synthesis. Described will be the mathematical formalism, with phase referencing and results will be shown using data collected from NASA/GSFC Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT).

  2. Adaptive optics for MOSAIC: design and performance of the wide(st)-field AO system for the E-ELT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morris, Tim; Basden, Alastair; Buey, Tristan; Chemla, Fanny; Conan, Jean-Marc; Fitzsimons, Ewan; Fusco, Thierry; Gendron, Eric; Hammer, Francois; Jagourel, Pascal; Morel, Carine; Myers, Richard; Neichel, Benoit; Petit, Cyril; Rodrigues, Myriam; Rousset, Gérard

    2016-07-01

    MOSAIC is the proposed multiple-object spectrograph for the E-ELT that will utilise the widest possible field of view provided by the telescope. In terms of adaptive optics, there are two distinct operating modes required to meet the top-level science requirements. The MOSAIC High Multiplex Mode (HMM) requires either seeing-limited or GLAO correction within a 0.6 (NIR) and 0.9 (VIS) arcsecond sub-fields over the widest possible field for a few hundred objects. To achieve seeing limited operation whilst maintaining the maximum unvignetted field of view for scientific observation will require recreating some of the functionality present in the Pre-Focal Station relating to control of the E-ELT active optics. MOSAIC High Definition Mode Control (HDM) requires a 25% Ensquared Energy (EE) within 150mas in the H-band element for approximately 10 targets distributed across the full E-ELT field, implying the use of Multiple Object AO (MOAO). Initial studies have shown that to meet the EE requirements whilst maintaining high-sky coverage will require the combination of wavefront signals from both high-order NGS and LGS to provide a tomographic estimate for the correction to be applied to the open-loop MOAO DMs. In this paper we present the current MOSAIC AO design and provide the first performance estimates for the baseline instrument design. We then report on the various trade-offs that will be investigated throughout the course of the Phase A study, such as the requirement to mix NGS and LGS signals tomographically. Finally, we discuss how these will impact the AO architecture, the MOSAIC design and ultimately the scientific performance of this wide-field workhorse instrument at the E-ELT.

  3. Andromeda (M31) optical and infrared disk survey. I. Insights in wide-field near-IR surface photometry

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sick, Jonathan; Courteau, Stéphane; Cuillandre, Jean-Charles

    We present wide-field near-infrared J and K{sub s} images of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) taken with WIRCam at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope as part of the Andromeda Optical and Infrared Disk Survey. This data set allows simultaneous observations of resolved stars and near-infrared (NIR) surface brightness across M31's entire bulge and disk (within R = 22 kpc), permitting a direct test of the stellar composition of near-infrared light in a nearby galaxy. Here we develop NIR observation and reduction methods to recover a uniform surface brightness map across the 3° × 1° disk of M31 with 27 WIRCam fields. Two sky-targetmore » nodding strategies are tested, and we find that strictly minimizing sky sampling latency cannot improve background subtraction accuracy to better than 2% of the background level due to spatio-temporal variations in the NIR skyglow. We fully describe our WIRCam reduction pipeline and advocate using flats built from night-sky images over a single night, rather than dome flats that do not capture the WIRCam illumination field. Contamination from scattered light and thermal background in sky flats has a negligible effect on the surface brightness shape compared to the stochastic differences in background shape between sky and galaxy disk fields, which are ∼0.3% of the background level. The most dramatic calibration step is the introduction of scalar sky offsets to each image that optimizes surface brightness continuity. Sky offsets reduce the mean surface brightness difference between observation blocks from 1% to <0.1% of the background level, though the absolute background level remains statistically uncertain to 0.15% of the background level. We present our WIRCam reduction pipeline and performance analysis to give specific recommendations for the improvement of NIR wide-field imaging methods.« less

  4. Diagnostic Ability of Wide-field Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Maps Using Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography for Detection of Preperimetric and Early Perimetric Glaucoma.

    PubMed

    Lee, Won June; Na, Kyeong Ik; Kim, Young Kook; Jeoung, Jin Wook; Park, Ki Ho

    2017-06-01

    To evaluate the diagnostic ability of wide-field retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) maps with swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) for detection of preperimetric (PPG) and early perimetric glaucoma (EG). One hundred eighty-four eyes, including 67 healthy eyes, 43 eyes with PPG, and 74 eyes with EG, were analyzed. Patients underwent a comprehensive ocular examination including red-free RNFL photography, visual field testing and wide-field SS-OCT scanning (DRI-OCT-1 Atlantis; Topcon, Tokyo, Japan). SS-OCT provides a wide-field RNFL thickness map and a SuperPixel map, which are composed of the RNFL deviation map of the peripapillary area and the deviation map of the composition of the ganglion cell layer with the inner plexiform layer and RNFL (GC-IPL+RNFL) in the macular area. The ability to discriminate PPG and EG from healthy eyes was assessed using sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for all parameters and criteria provided by the wide-field SS-OCT scan. The wide-field RNFL thickness map using SS-OCT showed the highest sensitivity of PPG-diagnostic and EG-diagnostic performance compared with the other SS-OCT criteria based on the internal normative base (93.0 and 97.3%, respectively). Among the SS-OCT continuous parameters, the RFNL thickness of the 7 clock-hour, inferior and inferotemporal macular ganglion cell analyses showed the largest AUC of PPG-diagnostic and EG-diagnostic performance (AUC=0.809 to 0.865). The wide-field RNFL thickness map using SS-OCT performed well in distinguishing eyes with PPG and EG from healthy eyes. In the clinical setting, wide-field RNFL maps of SS-OCT can be useful tools for detection of early-stage glaucoma.

  5. Wide-Field Ultraviolet Spectrometer for Planetary Exospheres and Thermospheres

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fillingim, M. O.; Wishnow, E. H.; Miller, T.; Edelstein, J.; Lillis, R. J.; Korpela, E.; England, S.; Shourt, W. V.; Siegmund, O.; McPhate, J.; Courtade, S.; Curtis, D. W.; Deighan, J.; Chaffin, M.; Harmoul, A.; Almatroushi, H. R.

    2016-12-01

    Understanding the composition, structure, and variability of a planet's upper atmosphere - the exosphere and thermosphere - is essential for understanding how the upper atmosphere is coupled to the lower atmosphere, magnetosphere and near-space environment, and the Sun. Ultraviolet spectroscopy can directly observe emissions from constituents in the exosphere and thermosphere. From such observations, the structure, composition, and variability can be determined.We will present the preliminary design for a wide field ultraviolet imaging spectrometer for remote sensing of planetary atmospheres. The imaging spectrometer achieves an extremely large instantaneous 110 degree field of view with no moving scanning mirror. The imaging resolution is very appropriate for extended atmospheric emission studies, with a resolution of better than 0.3 degrees at the center to 0.4 degrees at the edges of the field. The spectral range covers 120 - 170 nm, encompassing emissions from H, O, C, N, CO, and N2, with an average spectral resolution of 1.5 nm. The instrument is composed of a 2-element wide-field telescope, a 3-element Offner spectrometer, and a sealed MCP detector system contained within a compact volume of about 40 x 25 x 20 cm. We will present the optical and mechanical design as well as the predicted optical performance.The wide instantaneous FOV simplifies instrument and spacecraft operations by removing the need for multiple scans (either from a scan mirror or spacecraft slews) to cover the regions of interest. This instrumentation can allow for two-dimensional spectral information to be built up with simple spacecraft operation or just using spacecraft motion. Applications to the terrestrial geocorona and thermosphere will be addressed as well as applications to the upper atmospheres of other planetary objects.

  6. WINGS: A WIde-field Nearby Galaxy-cluster Survey. II. Deep optical photometry of 77 nearby clusters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Varela, J.; D'Onofrio, M.; Marmo, C.; Fasano, G.; Bettoni, D.; Cava, A.; Couch, W. J.; Dressler, A.; Kjærgaard, P.; Moles, M.; Pignatelli, E.; Poggianti, B. M.; Valentinuzzi, T.

    2009-04-01

    Context: This is the second paper of a series devoted to the WIde Field Nearby Galaxy-cluster Survey (WINGS). WINGS is a long term project which is gathering wide-field, multi-band imaging and spectroscopy of galaxies in a complete sample of 77 X-ray selected, nearby clusters (0.04 < z < 0.07) located far from the galactic plane (|b|≥ 20°). The main goal of this project is to establish a local reference for evolutionary studies of galaxies and galaxy clusters. Aims: This paper presents the optical (B,V) photometric catalogs of the WINGS sample and describes the procedures followed to construct them. We have paid special care to correctly treat the large extended galaxies (which includes the brightest cluster galaxies) and the reduction of the influence of the bright halos of very bright stars. Methods: We have constructed photometric catalogs based on wide-field images in B and V bands using SExtractor. Photometry has been performed on images in which large galaxies and halos of bright stars were removed after modeling them with elliptical isophotes. Results: We publish deep optical photometric catalogs (90% complete at V ~ 21.7, which translates to ˜ M^*_V+6 at mean redshift), giving positions, geometrical parameters, and several total and aperture magnitudes for all the objects detected. For each field we have produced three catalogs containing galaxies, stars and objects of “unknown” classification (~6%). From simulations we found that the uncertainty of our photometry is quite dependent of the light profile of the objects with stars having the most robust photometry and de Vaucouleurs profiles showing higher uncertainties and also an additional bias of ~-0.2^m. The star/galaxy classification of the bright objects (V < 20) was checked visually making negligible the fraction of misclassified objects. For fainter objects, we found that simulations do not provide reliable estimates of the possible misclassification and therefore we have compared our data

  7. Predicting scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy of mass-produced plasmonic devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Otto, Lauren M.; Burgos, Stanley P.; Staffaroni, Matteo; Ren, Shen; Süzer, Özgün; Stipe, Barry C.; Ashby, Paul D.; Hammack, Aeron T.

    2018-05-01

    Scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy enables optical imaging and characterization of plasmonic devices with nanometer-scale resolution well below the diffraction limit. This technique enables developers to probe and understand the waveguide-coupled plasmonic antenna in as-fabricated heat-assisted magnetic recording heads. In order to validate and predict results and to extract information from experimental measurements that is physically comparable to simulations, a model was developed to translate the simulated electric field into expected near-field measurements using physical parameters specific to scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy physics. The methods used in this paper prove that scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy can be used to determine critical sub-diffraction-limited dimensions of optical field confinement, which is a crucial metrology requirement for the future of nano-optics, semiconductor photonic devices, and biological sensing where the near-field character of light is fundamental to device operation.

  8. Towards an automatic wind speed and direction profiler for Wide Field adaptive optics systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sivo, G.; Turchi, A.; Masciadri, E.; Guesalaga, A.; Neichel, B.

    2018-05-01

    Wide Field Adaptive Optics (WFAO) systems are among the most sophisticated adaptive optics (AO) systems available today on large telescopes. Knowledge of the vertical spatio-temporal distribution of wind speed (WS) and direction (WD) is fundamental to optimize the performance of such systems. Previous studies already proved that the Gemini Multi-Conjugated AO system (GeMS) is able to retrieve measurements of the WS and WD stratification using the SLOpe Detection And Ranging (SLODAR) technique and to store measurements in the telemetry data. In order to assess the reliability of these estimates and of the SLODAR technique applied to such complex AO systems, in this study we compared WS and WD values retrieved from GeMS with those obtained with the atmospheric model Meso-NH on a rich statistical sample of nights. It has previously been proved that the latter technique provided excellent agreement with a large sample of radiosoundings, both in statistical terms and on individual flights. It can be considered, therefore, as an independent reference. The excellent agreement between GeMS measurements and the model that we find in this study proves the robustness of the SLODAR approach. To bypass the complex procedures necessary to achieve automatic measurements of the wind with GeMS, we propose a simple automatic method to monitor nightly WS and WD using Meso-NH model estimates. Such a method can be applied to whatever present or new-generation facilities are supported by WFAO systems. The interest of this study is, therefore, well beyond the optimization of GeMS performance.

  9. Wide-field optical coherence elastography for intraoperative assessment of tumour margins in breast cancer (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allen, Wes M.; Chin, Lixin; Sampson, David D.; Kennedy, Brendan F.

    2016-03-01

    Incomplete excision of tumour margins is a major issue in breast-conserving surgery. Currently 20 - 60% of cases require a second surgical procedure required as a result of cancer recurrence. A number of techniques have been proposed to assess margin status, including frozen section analysis and imprint cytology. However, the recurrence rate after using these techniques remains very high. Over the last several years, our group has been developing optical coherence elastography (OCE) as a tool for the intraoperative assessment of tumour margins in breast cancer. We have reported a feasibility study on 65 ex vivo samples from patients undergoing mastectomy or wide local excision demonstrates the potential of OCE in differentiating benign from malignant tissue. In this study, malignant tissue was readily distinguished from surrounding relative tissue by a distinctive heterogeneous pattern in micro-elastograms. To date the largest field of view for a micro-elastogram is 20 x 20mm, however, lumpectomy samples are typically ~50 x 50 x 30mm. For OCE to progress as a useful clinical tool, elastograms must be acquired over larger areas to allow a greater portion of the surface area of lumpectomies to be assessed. Here, we propose a wide-field OCE scanner that utilizes a piezoelectric transducer with an internal diameter of 65mm. In this approach partially overlapped elastograms are stitched together forming a mosaic with overall dimensions of 50 x 50mm in a total acquisition time of 15 - 30 minutes. We present results using this approach on both tissue-mimicking phantoms and tissue, and discuss prospects for shorter acquisitions times.

  10. Experimental implementation of fiber optic bundle array wide FOV free space optical communications receiver.

    PubMed

    Brown, Andrea M; Hahn, Daniel V; Brown, David M; Rolander, Nathan W; Bair, Chun-Huei; Sluz, Joseph E

    2012-06-20

    A gimbal-free wide field-of-regard (FOR) optical receiver has been built in a laboratory setting for proof-of-concept testing. Multiple datasets are presented that examine the overall FOR of the system and the receiver's ability to track and collect a signal from a moving source. The design is not intended to compete with traditional free space optical communication systems, but rather offer an alternative design that minimizes the number and complexity of mechanical components required at the surface of a small mobile platform. The receiver is composed of a micro-lens array and hexagonal bundles of large core optical fibers that route the optical signal to remote detectors and electronics. Each fiber in the bundle collects power from a distinct solid angle of space and a piezo-electric transducer is used to translate the micro-lens array and optimize coupling into a given fiber core in the bundle. The micro-lens to fiber bundle design is scalable, modular, and can be replicated in an array to increase aperture size.

  11. Wide-field phase imaging for the endoscopic detection of dysplasia and early-stage esophageal cancer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fitzpatrick, C. R. M.; Gordon, G. S. D.; Sawyer, T. W.; Wilkinson, T. D.; Bohndiek, S. E.

    2018-02-01

    Esophageal cancer has a 5-year survival rate below 20%, but can be curatively resected if it is detected early. At present, poor contrast for early lesions in white light imaging leads to a high miss rate in standard-of- care endoscopic surveillance. Early lesions in the esophagus, referred to as dysplasia, are characterized by an abundance of abnormal cells with enlarged nuclei. This tissue has a different refractive index profile to healthy tissue, which results in different light scattering properties and provides a source of endogenous contrast that can be exploited for advanced endoscopic imaging. For example, point measurements of such contrast can be made with scattering spectroscopy, while optical coherence tomography generates volumetric data. However, both require specialist interpretation for diagnostic decision making. We propose combining wide-field phase imaging with existing white light endoscopy in order to provide enhanced contrast for dysplasia and early-stage cancer in an image format that is familiar to endoscopists. Wide-field phase imaging in endoscopy can be achieved using coherent illumination combined with phase retrieval algorithms. Here, we present the design and simulation of a benchtop phase imaging system that is compatible with capsule endoscopy. We have undertaken preliminary optical modelling of the phase imaging setup, including aberration correction simulations and an investigation into distinguishing between different tissue phantom scattering coefficients. As our approach is based on phase retrieval rather than interferometry, it is feasible to realize a device with low-cost components for future clinical implementation.

  12. Wide Field Camera 3 Accommodations for HST Robotics Servicing Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ginyard, Amani

    2005-01-01

    This slide presentation discusses the objectives of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Robotics Servicing and Deorbit Mission (HRSDM), reviews the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), and also reviews the contamination accomodations for the WFC3. The objectives of the HRSDM are (1) to provide a disposal capability at the end of HST's useful life, (2) to upgrade the hardware by installing two new scientific instruments: replace the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), and to replace the Wide Field/Planetary Camera-2 (WFPC2) with Wide Field Camera-3, and (3) Extend the Scientific life of HST for a minimum of 5 years after servicing. Included are slides showing the Hubble Robotic Vehicle (HRV) and slides describing what the HRV contains. There are also slides describing the WFC3. One of the mechanisms of the WFC3 is to serve partially as replacement gyroscopes for HST. There are also slides that discuss the contamination requirements for the Rate Sensor Units (RSUs), that are part of the Rate Gyroscope Assembly on the WFC3.

  13. Wide angle near-field optical probes by reverse tube etching.

    PubMed

    Patanè, S; Cefalì, E; Arena, A; Gucciardi, P G; Allegrini, M

    2006-04-01

    We present a simple modification of the tube etching process for the fabrication of fiber probes for near-field optical microscopy. It increases the taper angle of the probe by a factor of two. The novelty is that the fiber is immersed in hydrofluoric acid and chemically etched in an upside-down geometry. The tip formation occurs inside the micrometer tube cavity formed by the polymeric jacket. By applying this approach, called reverse tube etching, to multimode fibers with 200/250 microm core/cladding diameter, we have fabricated tapered regions featuring high surface smoothness and average cone angles of approximately 30 degrees . A simple model based on the crucial role of the gravity in removing the etching products, explains the tip formation process.

  14. Selected aspects of wide-field stellar interferometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    D'Arcio, Luigi Arsenio

    1999-11-01

    In Michelson stellar interferometry, the high-resolution information about the source structure is detected by performing observations with widely separated telescopes, interconnected to form an interferometer. At optical wavelengths, this method provides a technically viable approach for achieving angular resolutions in the milliarcsecond range, comparable to those of a 100 m diameter telescope, whose realization is beyond the immediate engineering capabilities. Considerable efforts are currently devoted to the definition of dedicated interferometric instruments, which will allow to address ambitious astronomical tasks such as high-resolution imaging, astrometry at microarcsecond level, and the direct detection of exoplanets. Astrometry and related techniques employ the so-called wide field-of-view interferometric mode, where phase measurements are performed simultaneously at two (or more) sources; often, the actual observable is the instantaneous phase difference of the two object signals. The future success of wide-field interferometry critically depends on the development of techniques for the accurate control of field-dependent (anisoplanatic) phase errors. In this thesis, we address two aspects of this problem in detail. The first one is theoretical in nature. For ground-based measurements, atmospheric turbulence is the largest source of random phase fluctuations between the on- and the off-axis fringes. We developed a model of the temporal power spectrum of this disturbance, whose validity is not limited to low frequencies only, as it is the case with earlier models. This extension opens the possibility of the analysis of dynamic issues, such as the determination of the allowable coherent integration time T for the off-axis fringes. The spectrum turns out to be well approximated by a sequences of four power-law branches. In first instance, its overall form is determined by the values of the baseline length, telescope diameter, and average beam separation in

  15. Portable wide-field hand-held NIR scanner

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jung, Young-Jin; Roman, Manuela; Carrasquilla, Jennifer; Erickson, Sarah J.; Godavarty, Anuradha

    2013-03-01

    Near-infrared (NIR) optical imaging modality is one of the widely used medical imaging techniques for breast cancer imaging, functional brain mapping, and many other applications. However, conventional NIR imaging systems are bulky and expensive, thereby limiting their accelerated clinical translation. Herein a new compact (6 × 7 × 12 cm3), cost-effective, and wide-field NIR scanner has been developed towards contact as well as no-contact based real-time imaging in both reflectance and transmission mode. The scanner mainly consists of an NIR source light (between 700- 900 nm), an NIR sensitive CCD camera, and a custom-developed image acquisition and processing software to image an area of 12 cm2. Phantom experiments have been conducted to estimate the feasibility of diffuse optical imaging by using Indian-Ink as absorption-based contrast agents. As a result, the developed NIR system measured the light intensity change in absorption-contrasted target up to 4 cm depth under transillumination mode. Preliminary in-vivo studies demonstrated the feasibility of real-time monitoring of blood flow changes. Currently, extensive in-vivo studies are carried out using the ultra-portable NIR scanner in order to assess the potential of the imager towards breast imaging..

  16. Curved sensors for compact high-resolution wide-field designs: prototype demonstration and optical characterization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chambion, Bertrand; Gaschet, Christophe; Behaghel, Thibault; Vandeneynde, Aurélie; Caplet, Stéphane; Gétin, Stéphane; Henry, David; Hugot, Emmanuel; Jahn, Wilfried; Lombardo, Simona; Ferrari, Marc

    2018-02-01

    Over the recent years, a huge interest has grown for curved electronics, particularly for opto-electronics systems. Curved sensors help the correction of off-axis aberrations, such as Petzval Field Curvature, astigmatism, and bring significant optical and size benefits for imaging systems. In this paper, we first describe advantages of curved sensor and associated packaging process applied on a 1/1.8'' format 1.3Mpx global shutter CMOS sensor (Teledyne EV76C560) into its standard ceramic package with a spherical radius of curvature Rc=65mm and 55mm. The mechanical limits of the die are discussed (Finite Element Modelling and experimental), and electro-optical performances are investigated. Then, based on the monocentric optical architecture, we proposed a new design, compact and with a high resolution, developed specifically for a curved image sensor including optical optimization, tolerances, assembly and optical tests. Finally, a functional prototype is presented through a benchmark approach and compared to an existing standard optical system with same performances and a x2.5 reduction of length. The finality of this work was a functional prototype demonstration on the CEA-LETI during Photonics West 2018 conference. All these experiments and optical results demonstrate the feasibility and high performances of systems with curved sensors.

  17. Telescope with a wide field of view internal optical scanner

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zheng, Yunhui (Inventor); Degnan, III, John James (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    A telescope with internal scanner utilizing either a single optical wedge scanner or a dual optical wedge scanner and a controller arranged to control a synchronous rotation of the first and/or second optical wedges, the wedges constructed and arranged to scan light redirected by topological surfaces and/or volumetric scatterers. The telescope with internal scanner further incorporates a first converging optical element that receives the redirected light and transmits the redirected light to the scanner, and a second converging optical element within the light path between the first optical element and the scanner arranged to reduce an area of impact on the scanner of the beam collected by the first optical element.

  18. Invited Article: First Flight in Space of a Wide-field-of-view Soft X-Ray Imager Using Lobster-Eye Optics: Instrument Description and Initial Flight Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Collier, Michael; Porter, F. Scott; Sibeck, David G.; Carter, Jenny A.; Chiao, Meng P.; Chomay, Dennis J.; Cravens, Thomas E.; Galeazzi, Massiniliano; Keller, John; Koutroumpa, Dimitra

    2015-01-01

    We describe the development, launch into space, and initial results from a prototype wide eld-of-view (FOV) soft X-ray imager that employs Lobster-eye optics and targets heliophysics, planetary, and astrophysics science. The Sheath Transport Observer for the Redistribution of Mass (STORM) is the rst instrument using this type of optics launched into space and provides proof-of-concept for future ight instruments capable of imaging structures such as the terrestrial cusp, the entire dayside magnetosheath from outside the magnetosphere, comets, the moon, and the solar wind interaction with planetary bodies like Venus and Mars.

  19. Invited Article: First Flight in Space of a Wide-Field-of-View Soft X-Ray Imager Using Lobster-Eye Optics: Instrument Description and Initial Flight Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Collier, Michael R.; Porter, Frederick S.; Sibeck, David G.; Carter, Jenny A.; Chiao, Meng P.; Chornay, Dennis J.; Cravens, Thomas E.; Galeazzi, Massimiliano; Keller, John W.; Koutroumpa, Dimitra; hide

    2015-01-01

    We describe the development, launch into space, and initial results from a prototype wide eld-of-view (FOV) soft X-ray imager that employs Lobster-eye optics and targets heliophysics, planetary, and astrophysics science. The Sheath Transport Observer for the Redistribution of Mass (STORM) is the rst instrument using this type of optics launched into space and provides proof-of-concept for future ight instruments capable of imaging structures such as the terrestrial cusp, the entire dayside magnetosheath from outside the magnetosphere, comets, the moon, and the solar wind interaction with planetary bodies like Venus and Mars.

  20. Design Evolution of the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope using Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (WFIRST-AFTA) and Lessons Learned

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peabody, Hume; Peters, Carlton; Rodriguez, Juan; McDonald, Carson; Content, David A.; Jackson, Cliff

    2015-01-01

    The design of the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope using Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (WFIRST-AFTA) continues to evolve as each design cycle is analyzed. In 2012, two Hubble sized (2.4 m diameter) telescopes were donated to NASA from elsewhere in the Federal Government. NASA began investigating potential uses for these telescopes and identified WFIRST as a mission to benefit from these assets. With an updated, deeper, and sharper field of view than previous design iterations with a smaller telescope, the optical designs of the WFIRST instruments were updated and the mechanical and thermal designs evolved around the new optical layout. Beginning with Design Cycle 3, significant analysis efforts yielded a design and model that could be evaluated for Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance (STOP) purposes for the Wide Field Imager (WFI) and provided the basis for evaluating the high level observatory requirements. Development of the Cycle 3 thermal model provided some valuable analysis lessons learned and established best practices for future design cycles. However, the Cycle 3 design did include some major liens and evolving requirements which were addressed in the Cycle 4 Design. Some of the design changes are driven by requirements changes, while others are optimizations or solutions to liens from previous cycles. Again in Cycle 4, STOP analysis was performed and further insights into the overall design were gained leading to the Cycle 5 design effort currently underway. This paper seeks to capture the thermal design evolution, with focus on major design drivers, key decisions and their rationale, and lessons learned as the design evolved.

  1. Design Evolution of the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope Using Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (WFIRST-AFTA) and Lessons Learned

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peabody, Hume L.; Peters, Carlton V.; Rodriguez-Ruiz, Juan E.; McDonald, Carson S.; Content, David A.; Jackson, Clifton E.

    2015-01-01

    The design of the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope using Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (WFIRST-AFTA) continues to evolve as each design cycle is analyzed. In 2012, two Hubble sized (2.4 m diameter) telescopes were donated to NASA from elsewhere in the Federal Government. NASA began investigating potential uses for these telescopes and identified WFIRST as a mission to benefit from these assets. With an updated, deeper, and sharper field of view than previous design iterations with a smaller telescope, the optical designs of the WFIRST instruments were updated and the mechanical and thermal designs evolved around the new optical layout. Beginning with Design Cycle 3, significant analysis efforts yielded a design and model that could be evaluated for Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance (STOP) purposes for the Wide Field Imager (WFI) and provided the basis for evaluating the high level observatory requirements. Development of the Cycle 3 thermal model provided some valuable analysis lessons learned and established best practices for future design cycles. However, the Cycle 3 design did include some major liens and evolving requirements which were addressed in the Cycle 4 Design. Some of the design changes are driven by requirements changes, while others are optimizations or solutions to liens from previous cycles. Again in Cycle 4, STOP analysis was performed and further insights into the overall design were gained leading to the Cycle 5 design effort currently underway. This paper seeks to capture the thermal design evolution, with focus on major design drivers, key decisions and their rationale, and lessons learned as the design evolved.

  2. Optic for an endoscope/borescope having high resolution and narrow field of view

    DOEpatents

    Stone, Gary F.; Trebes, James E.

    2003-10-28

    An optic having optimized high spatial resolution, minimal nonlinear magnification distortion while at the same time having a limited chromatic focal shift or chromatic aberrations. The optic located at the distal end of an endoscopic inspection tool permits a high resolution, narrow field of view image for medical diagnostic applications, compared to conventional optics for endoscopic instruments which provide a wide field of view, low resolution image. The image coverage is over a narrow (<20 degrees) field of view with very low optical distortion (<5% pin cushion or barrel distortion. The optic is also optimized for best color correction as well as to aid medical diagnostics.

  3. Wide-Field Fundus Autofluorescence for Retinitis Pigmentosa and Cone/Cone-Rod Dystrophy.

    PubMed

    Oishi, Akio; Oishi, Maho; Ogino, Ken; Morooka, Satoshi; Yoshimura, Nagahisa

    2016-01-01

    Retinitis pigmentosa and cone/cone-rod dystrophy are inherited retinal diseases characterized by the progressive loss of rod and/or cone photoreceptors. To evaluate the status of rod/cone photoreceptors and visual function, visual acuity and visual field tests, electroretinogram, and optical coherence tomography are typically used. In addition to these examinations, fundus autofluorescence (FAF) has recently garnered attention. FAF visualizes the intrinsic fluorescent material in the retina, which is mainly lipofuscin contained within the retinal pigment epithelium. While conventional devices offer limited viewing angles in FAF, the recently developed Optos machine enables recording of wide-field FAF. With wide-field analysis, an association between abnormal FAF areas and visual function was demonstrated in retinitis pigmentosa and cone-rod dystrophy. In addition, the presence of "patchy" hypoautofluorescent areas was found to be correlated with symptom duration. Although physicians should be cautious when interpreting wide-field FAF results because the peripheral parts of the image are magnified significantly, this examination method provides previously unavailable information.

  4. An optical design of the wide-field imaging and multi-object spectrograph for an Antarctic infrared telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ichikawa, Takashi; Obata, Tomokazu

    2016-08-01

    A design of the wide-field infrared camera (AIRC) for Antarctic 2.5m infrared telescope (AIRT) is presented. The off-axis design provides a 7'.5 ×7'. 5 field of view with 0".22 pixel-1 in the wavelength range of 1 to 5 μm for the simultaneous three-color bands using cooled optics and three 2048×2048 InSb focal plane arrays. Good image quality is obtained over the entire field of view with practically no chromatic aberration. The image size corresponds to the refraction limited for 2.5 m telescope at 2 μm and longer. To enjoy the stable atmosphere with extremely low perceptible water vapor (PWV), superb seeing quality, and the cadence of the polar winter at Dome Fuji on the Antarctic plateau, the camera will be dedicated to the transit observations of exoplanets. The function of a multi-object spectroscopic mode with low spectra resolution (R 50-100) will be added for the spectroscopic transit observation at 1-5 μm. The spectroscopic capability in the environment of extremely low PWV of Antarctica will be very effective for the study of the existence of water vapor in the atmosphere of super earths.

  5. Rigorous numerical modeling of scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy and spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xinzhong; Lo, Chiu Fan Bowen; Zheng, William; Hu, Hai; Dai, Qing; Liu, Mengkun

    2017-11-01

    Over the last decade, scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy and spectroscopy have been widely used in nano-photonics and material research due to their fine spatial resolution and broad spectral range. A number of simplified analytical models have been proposed to quantitatively understand the tip-scattered near-field signal. However, a rigorous interpretation of the experimental results is still lacking at this stage. Numerical modelings, on the other hand, are mostly done by simulating the local electric field slightly above the sample surface, which only qualitatively represents the near-field signal rendered by the tip-sample interaction. In this work, we performed a more comprehensive numerical simulation which is based on realistic experimental parameters and signal extraction procedures. By directly comparing to the experiments as well as other simulation efforts, our methods offer a more accurate quantitative description of the near-field signal, paving the way for future studies of complex systems at the nanoscale.

  6. Future electro-optical sensors and processing in urban operations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grönwall, Christina; Schwering, Piet B.; Rantakokko, Jouni; Benoist, Koen W.; Kemp, Rob A. W.; Steinvall, Ove; Letalick, Dietmar; Björkert, Stefan

    2013-10-01

    In the electro-optical sensors and processing in urban operations (ESUO) study we pave the way for the European Defence Agency (EDA) group of Electro-Optics experts (IAP03) for a common understanding of the optimal distribution of processing functions between the different platforms. Combinations of local, distributed and centralized processing are proposed. In this way one can match processing functionality to the required power, and available communication systems data rates, to obtain the desired reaction times. In the study, three priority scenarios were defined. For these scenarios, present-day and future sensors and signal processing technologies were studied. The priority scenarios were camp protection, patrol and house search. A method for analyzing information quality in single and multi-sensor systems has been applied. A method for estimating reaction times for transmission of data through the chain of command has been proposed and used. These methods are documented and can be used to modify scenarios, or be applied to other scenarios. Present day data processing is organized mainly locally. Very limited exchange of information with other platforms is present; this is performed mainly at a high information level. Main issues that arose from the analysis of present-day systems and methodology are the slow reaction time due to the limited field of view of present-day sensors and the lack of robust automated processing. Efficient handover schemes between wide and narrow field of view sensors may however reduce the delay times. The main effort in the study was in forecasting the signal processing of EO-sensors in the next ten to twenty years. Distributed processing is proposed between hand-held and vehicle based sensors. This can be accompanied by cloud processing on board several vehicles. Additionally, to perform sensor fusion on sensor data originating from different platforms, and making full use of UAV imagery, a combination of distributed and

  7. The Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed: Recent Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rinehart, Stephen

    2006-01-01

    We present recent results from the Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT). The data acquired with the WIIT is "double Fourier" data, including both spatial and spectral information within each data cube. We have been working with this data, and starting to develop algorithms, implementations, and techniques for reducing this data. Such algorithms and tools are of great importance for a number of proposed future missions, including the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT), the Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS), and the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-I)/Darwin. Recent results are discussed and future study directions are described.

  8. Non-mydriatic, wide field, fundus video camera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoeher, Bernhard; Voigtmann, Peter; Michelson, Georg; Schmauss, Bernhard

    2014-02-01

    We describe a method we call "stripe field imaging" that is capable of capturing wide field color fundus videos and images of the human eye at pupil sizes of 2mm. This means that it can be used with a non-dilated pupil even with bright ambient light. We realized a mobile demonstrator to prove the method and we could acquire color fundus videos of subjects successfully. We designed the demonstrator as a low-cost device consisting of mass market components to show that there is no major additional technical outlay to realize the improvements we propose. The technical core idea of our method is breaking the rotational symmetry in the optical design that is given in many conventional fundus cameras. By this measure we could extend the possible field of view (FOV) at a pupil size of 2mm from a circular field with 20° in diameter to a square field with 68° by 18° in size. We acquired a fundus video while the subject was slightly touching and releasing the lid. The resulting video showed changes at vessels in the region of the papilla and a change of the paleness of the papilla.

  9. Ultra-Wide-Field Fundus Autofluorescence and Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Findings in Syphilitic Outer Retinitis.

    PubMed

    Saleh, Mohamed G A; Campbell, John Peter; Yang, Paul; Lin, Phoebe

    2017-03-01

    To determine the ultra-wide-field fundus autofluorescence (UWFFAF) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) features of syphilitic outer retinopathy (SOR). Retrospective chart review. Three patients with SOR were investigated. Treatment with parenteral penicillin led to improvement of outer retinopathy, visual acuity, and symptoms. UWFFAF showed speckled hyperautofluorescence, hypoautofluorescence, and normal autofluorescence, similar to what has been described as a trizonal pattern in acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) in the chronic case of SOR, but with hyperautofluorescent areas in the two acute cases. OCT showed disruption of the photoreceptor outer segment ellipsoid zone and external limiting membrane, which improved after penicillin treatment, and corresponded to normalization of the hyperautofluorescent areas on UWFFAF. There was irregularity and nodular thickening of retinal pigment epithelium on OCT in areas of mottled hyperautofluorescence. SOR can present similarly to AZOOR on UWFFAF and should be highly suspected in cases presenting like AZOOR. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:208-215. ]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

  10. Huygens' optical vector wave field synthesis via in-plane electric dipole metasurface.

    PubMed

    Park, Hyeonsoo; Yun, Hansik; Choi, Chulsoo; Hong, Jongwoo; Kim, Hwi; Lee, Byoungho

    2018-04-16

    We investigate Huygens' optical vector wave field synthesis scheme for electric dipole metasurfaces with the capability of modulating in-plane polarization and complex amplitude and discuss the practical issues involved in realizing multi-modulation metasurfaces. The proposed Huygens' vector wave field synthesis scheme identifies the vector Airy disk as a synthetic unit element and creates a designed vector optical field by integrating polarization-controlled and complex-modulated Airy disks. The metasurface structure for the proposed vector field synthesis is analyzed in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio of the synthesized field distribution. The design of practical metasurface structures with true vector modulation capability is possible through the analysis of the light field modulation characteristics of various complex modulated geometric phase metasurfaces. It is shown that the regularization of meta-atoms is a key factor that needs to be considered in field synthesis, given that it is essential for a wide range of optical field synthetic applications, including holographic displays, microscopy, and optical lithography.

  11. Wide-field optical detection of nanoparticles using on-chip microscopy and self-assembled nanolenses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mudanyali, Onur; McLeod, Euan; Luo, Wei; Greenbaum, Alon; Coskun, Ahmet F.; Hennequin, Yves; Allier, Cédric P.; Ozcan, Aydogan

    2013-03-01

    The direct observation of nanoscale objects is a challenging task for optical microscopy because the scattering from an individual nanoparticle is typically weak at optical wavelengths. Electron microscopy therefore remains one of the gold standard visualization methods for nanoparticles, despite its high cost, limited throughput and restricted field-of-view. Here, we describe a high-throughput, on-chip detection scheme that uses biocompatible wetting films to self-assemble aspheric liquid nanolenses around individual nanoparticles to enhance the contrast between the scattered and background light. We model the effect of the nanolens as a spatial phase mask centred on the particle and show that the holographic diffraction pattern of this effective phase mask allows detection of sub-100 nm particles across a large field-of-view of >20 mm2. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we report on-chip detection of individual polystyrene nanoparticles, adenoviruses and influenza A (H1N1) viral particles.

  12. Wide-field optical detection of nanoparticles using on-chip microscopy and self-assembled nanolenses

    PubMed Central

    Mudanyali, Onur; McLeod, Euan; Luo, Wei; Greenbaum, Alon; Coskun, Ahmet F.; Hennequin, Yves; Allier, Cédric P.; Ozcan, Aydogan

    2013-01-01

    The direct observation of nanoscale objects is a challenging task for optical microscopy because the scattering from an individual nanoparticle is typically weak at optical wavelengths. Electron microscopy therefore remains one of the gold standard visualization methods for nanoparticles, despite its high cost, limited throughput and restricted field-of-view. Here, we describe a high-throughput, on-chip detection scheme that uses biocompatible wetting films to self-assemble aspheric liquid nanolenses around individual nanoparticles to enhance the contrast between the scattered and background light. We model the effect of the nanolens as a spatial phase mask centred on the particle and show that the holographic diffraction pattern of this effective phase mask allows detection of sub-100 nm particles across a large field-of-view of >20 mm2. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we report on-chip detection of individual polystyrene nanoparticles, adenoviruses and influenza A (H1N1) viral particles. PMID:24358054

  13. An Experimental Study of Ultra-Wide-Band and Ultra-Wide-Aperture Non-Collinear Acousto-Optic Diffraction in an Optically Biaxial Potassium Arsenate Titanyl Crystal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Milkov, M. G.; Voloshinov, V. B.; Isaenko, L. I.; Vedenyapin, V. N.

    2018-01-01

    Acousto-optic interaction in an optically biaxial crystalline medium under propagation of light close to one of the optical axes of a potassium arsenate titanyl KTiOAsO4 crystal has been studied. The experimental dependences of the intensity of a diffracted optical beam on the angle of light incidence on an ultrasonic wave have been obtained. It has been shown that a flat cut of a wave-vector surface provides development of an ultra-wide-aperture and ultra-wide-band acousto-optic deflector to control radiation in the visible and infrared electromagnetic spectral ranges.

  14. Fundamental study of flow field generated by rotorcraft blades using wide-field shadowgraph

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parthasarathy, S. P.; Cho, Y. I.; Back, L. H.

    1985-01-01

    The vortex trajectory and vortex wake generated by helicopter rotors are visualized using a wide-field shadowgraph technique. Use of a retro-reflective Scotchlite screen makes it possible to investigate the flow field generated by full-scale rotors. Tip vortex trajectories are visible in shadowgraphs for a range of tip Mach number of 0.38 to 0.60. The effect of the angle of attack is substantial. At an angle of attack greater than 8 degrees, the visibility of the vortex core is significant even at relatively low tip Mach numbers. The theoretical analysis of the sensitivity is carried out for a rotating blade. This analysis demonstrates that the sensitivity decreases with increasing dimensionless core radius and increases with increasing tip Mach number. The threshold value of the sensitivity is found to be 0.0015, below which the vortex core is not visible and above which it is visible. The effect of the optical path length is also discussed. Based on this investigation, it is concluded that the application of this wide-field shadowgraph technique to a large wind tunnel test should be feasible. In addition, two simultaneous shadowgraph views would allow three-dimensional reconstruction of vortex trajectories.

  15. Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy with reconstruction of vertical interaction

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Le; Xu, Xiaoji G.

    2015-01-01

    Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy provides access to super-resolution spectroscopic imaging of the surfaces of a variety of materials and nanostructures. In addition to chemical identification, it enables observations of nano-optical phenomena, such as mid-infrared plasmons in graphene and phonon polaritons in boron nitride. Despite the high lateral spatial resolution, scattering-type near-field optical microscopy is not able to provide characteristics of near-field responses in the vertical dimension, normal to the sample surface. Here, we present an accurate and fast reconstruction method to obtain vertical characteristics of near-field interactions. For its first application, we investigated the bound electromagnetic field component of surface phonon polaritons on the surface of boron nitride nanotubes and found that it decays within 20 nm with a considerable phase change in the near-field signal. The method is expected to provide characterization of the vertical field distribution of a wide range of nano-optical materials and structures. PMID:26592949

  16. Cryogenic solid Schmidt camera as a base for future wide-field IR systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yudin, Alexey N.

    2011-11-01

    Work is focused on study of capability of solid Schmidt camera to serve as a wide-field infrared lens for aircraft system with whole sphere coverage, working in 8-14 um spectral range, coupled with spherical focal array of megapixel class. Designs of 16 mm f/0.2 lens with 60 and 90 degrees sensor diagonal are presented, their image quality is compared with conventional solid design. Achromatic design with significantly improved performance, containing enclosed soft correcting lens behind protective front lens is proposed. One of the main goals of the work is to estimate benefits from curved detector arrays in 8-14 um spectral range wide-field systems. Coupling of photodetector with solid Schmidt camera by means of frustrated total internal reflection is considered, with corresponding tolerance analysis. The whole lens, except front element, is considered to be cryogenic, with solid Schmidt unit to be flown by hydrogen for improvement of bulk transmission.

  17. Design, manufacturing and testing of a four-mirror telescope with a wide field of view

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gloesener, P.; Wolfs, F.; Lemagne, F.; Cola, M.; Flebus, C.; Blanchard, G.; Kirschner, V.

    2017-11-01

    Regarding Earth observation missions, it has become unnecessary to point out the importance of making available wide field of view optical instruments for the purpose of spectral imaging. Taking advantage of the pushbroom instrument concept with its linear field across the on-ground track, it is in particular relevant to consider front-end optical configurations that involve an all-reflective system presenting inherent and dedicated advantages such as achromaticity, unobscuration and compactness, while ensuring the required image quality over the whole field. The attractiveness of the concept must be balanced with respect to the state-of-the-art mirror manufacturing technologies as the need for fast, broadband and wide field systems increases the constraints put on the feasibility of each individual component. As part of an ESTEC contract, AMOS designed, manufactured and tested a breadboard of a four-mirror wide field telescope for typical Earth observation superspectral missions. The initial purpose of the development was to assess the feasibility of a telecentric spaceborne three-mirror system covering an unobscured rectangular field of view of 26 degrees across track (ACT) by 6 degrees along track (ALT) with a f-number of 3.5 and a focal length of 500 mm and presenting an overall image quality better than 100 nm RMS wavefront error within the whole field.

  18. Miniature Optical Wide-Angle-Lens Startracker (Mini-OWLS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, Rick; Coulter, Joe E.; Levine, Seymour

    1993-02-01

    This paper provides a brief overview of the design considerations and the current status of the Miniature Optical Wide-Angle Lens Startracker Program. Mini-OWLS offers a revolutionary alternative to the conventional startracker. It is a small, lightweight, low cost, high performance startracker that can be used in a variety of applications including calibration and alignment of Inertial Measurement Units (IMU's) Mini-OWLS makes use of a strap down design incorporating Holographic Optical Elements (HOES) in place of conventional optics. HOES can be multiplexed so that the same aperture can be used for multiple separate optical paths looking in several directions simultaneously without startracker rotation. Additionally, separate Schmidt corrector plates are not required to compensate for spherical aberration. The optical assembly, or what would normally be considered as the telescope, is less than 20 cc in volume, weighs less than 55 grams, and contains the equivalent of three individual telescopes. Each one has a 4 deg Field of View (FOV) with a field of regard of 48 square degrees. Mini-OWLS has a bandwidth of approximately 300 nm in or near the visible wavelength. The projected resolution of the startracker is 5 to 10 arcseconds, depending on the centroiding algorithm used. The Mini-OWLS program was initiated last year and represents a miniaturized version of a similar design for aeronautical applications. The contract is managed by Wright Laboratory, Air Force Systems Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, with funding from the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization through Eglin AFB. The initial phase of the program is to build and test a development unit. The second phase is to integrate the startracker with the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Micromechanical Inertial Guidance System (MIGS) and the Signal Processing Packaging Design (SPPD) being developed by Texas Instruments. The preliminary design review was conducted in November 1991. Three-axes prototype

  19. Miniature Optical Wide-Angle-Lens Startracker (Mini-OWLS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, Rick; Coulter, Joe E.; Levine, Seymour

    1993-01-01

    This paper provides a brief overview of the design considerations and the current status of the Miniature Optical Wide-Angle Lens Startracker Program. Mini-OWLS offers a revolutionary alternative to the conventional startracker. It is a small, lightweight, low cost, high performance startracker that can be used in a variety of applications including calibration and alignment of Inertial Measurement Units (IMU's) Mini-OWLS makes use of a strap down design incorporating Holographic Optical Elements (HOES) in place of conventional optics. HOES can be multiplexed so that the same aperture can be used for multiple separate optical paths looking in several directions simultaneously without startracker rotation. Additionally, separate Schmidt corrector plates are not required to compensate for spherical aberration. The optical assembly, or what would normally be considered as the telescope, is less than 20 cc in volume, weighs less than 55 grams, and contains the equivalent of three individual telescopes. Each one has a 4 deg Field of View (FOV) with a field of regard of 48 square degrees. Mini-OWLS has a bandwidth of approximately 300 nm in or near the visible wavelength. The projected resolution of the startracker is 5 to 10 arcseconds, depending on the centroiding algorithm used. The Mini-OWLS program was initiated last year and represents a miniaturized version of a similar design for aeronautical applications. The contract is managed by Wright Laboratory, Air Force Systems Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, with funding from the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization through Eglin AFB. The initial phase of the program is to build and test a development unit. The second phase is to integrate the startracker with the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Micromechanical Inertial Guidance System (MIGS) and the Signal Processing Packaging Design (SPPD) being developed by Texas Instruments. The preliminary design review was conducted in November 1991. Three-axes prototype

  20. Wide-Field Imaging Using Nitrogen Vacancies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Englund, Dirk Robert (Inventor); Trusheim, Matthew Edwin (Inventor)

    2017-01-01

    Nitrogen vacancies in bulk diamonds and nanodiamonds can be used to sense temperature, pressure, electromagnetic fields, and pH. Unfortunately, conventional sensing techniques use gated detection and confocal imaging, limiting the measurement sensitivity and precluding wide-field imaging. Conversely, the present sensing techniques do not require gated detection or confocal imaging and can therefore be used to image temperature, pressure, electromagnetic fields, and pH over wide fields of view. In some cases, wide-field imaging supports spatial localization of the NVs to precisions at or below the diffraction limit. Moreover, the measurement range can extend over extremely wide dynamic range at very high sensitivity.

  1. Wide-field Astronomy Projects at the UKATC

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hawarden, T. G.; Casali, M. M.; Holland, W. S.; Ivison, R. J.; Wright, G. S.

    2001-12-01

    The UK Astronomy Technology Centre is engaged on a number of projects which are defining the stare of the art in several areas of wide-field astronomy. The most advanced of these will equip the UK Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) with a wide-field NIR (1 - 2.5 um) imager, WFCAM, in 2003. WFCAM will use 4 2k-square HgCdTe arrays to cover 0.19 square degrees in a single exposure. It will have 0."4 pixels and will employ multiple exposures (16 in the basic case) and microstepping to obtain full sampling of the PSF. WFCAM will reach K=19.4 at 5 sigma over 1 sq. deg. in 1 hour. Several deep surveys are planned; details are at http://www.roe.ac.uk/atc/projects/wfcam/science/. The project is in collaboration with the SUBARU telescope of the National Astronomy Observatory of Japan. Major data centres and archives will be established within the UK widefield astronomy groups and at SUBARU. SCUBA, on the JCMT, is currently the most-cited facility in Astronomy after the HST. Plans and technology development are well advanced for its replacement, SCUBA-2. This ambitious instrument is also an imager working at 450 and 850 um, but with greatly enlarged FOV and improved sensitivity. Technical developments at the NIST, Boulder, Co. are aimed at producing 2 6400-pixel arrays of Transition Edge Sensors, covering 8' x 8', with a system NEFD of 30mJy at 850 and 100 mJy at 450um. The 850 um FOV will be fully sampled; the 450 um FOV will be 2X undersampled. SCUBA-2 will be able to make a confusion-limited survey of 1 ° 2 of sky in just 24 hours of observing; indeed it will map large areas of sky up to an order of magnitude faster than ALMA in compact mode; it will make major new contributions to all areas of astronomy, from the solar system to Z=10 galaxies. Lastly, designs are well advanced for a powerful multiple cryogenic Integral Field spectroscopic facility. The design is well suited to VLTs or ELTs and will employ up to 8 unit spectrometers, each with a 2k2 array fed by four cryogenic

  2. A future wide field-of-view TeV gamma-ray observatory in the Southern Hemisphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mostafa, Miguel; HAWC Collaboration

    2017-01-01

    High-energy gamma-ray observations are an essential probe of cosmic-ray acceleration. Detection of the highest energies and the shortest timescales of variability are key motivations when designing the next generation of gamma-ray experiments. The Milagro experiment was the first-generation of gamma-ray detectors based on the water-Cherenkov technique, and demonstrated that it is possible to continuously monitor a large fraction of the TeV sky. The second-generation water-Cherenkov experiment, the High Altitude Water Cherenkov observatory, consists of an array of 300 water-Cherenkov detectors covering an area of 22,000 m2 at 4,100 m a.s.l. The larger effective area, the higher altitude, and the optical isolation of the detectors led to a 15-fold increase in sensitivity relative to Milagro. Instruments with a wide field of view and large duty cycle are capable of surveying the TeV sky, mapping the diffuse emission, detecting emission from extended regions, and observing transient events such as gamma ray bursts. They also have the potential for discovering electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves and astrophysical neutrinos. I will present the preliminary design of a third-generation water-Cherenkov observatory located at very high altitude in South America.

  3. Three-reflections telescope proposal as flat-field anastigmat for wide field observations at Dome C

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ferrari, M.; Lemaître, G.; Viotti, R.; La Padula, C.; Comte, G.; Blanc, M.; Boer, M.

    It is now evident that the exceptional seeing at Dome C will allow, in the next years, to pursue astronomical programs with conditions better than at any other observatory in the world, and very close to space experiments. Considering a new type of wide-field telescope, particular astronomical programs could be well optimized for observations at Dome C such as surveys for the discovery and follow up of near-Earth asteroids, search for extra-solar planets using transit or micro-lensing events, and stellar luminosity variations. We propose to build a 1.5 2m class three-reflections telescope, with 1 1.5degree FOV, four times shorter than an equivalent Schmidt telescope, and providing a flat field without requiring a triplet- or quadruplet-lens corrector since its design is anastigmatic. We present the preliminary optical tests of such designs: MINITRUST1 and 2 are two 45cm identical prototypes based in France and Italy, and manufactured using active optics techniques.

  4. Electro-Optic Surface Field Imaging System

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-06-01

    ELECTRO - OPTIC SURFACE FIELD IMAGING SYSTEM L. E. Kingsley and W. R. Donaldson LABORATORY FOR LASER ENERGETICS University of Rochester 250 East...surface electric fields present during switch operation. The electro - optic , or Pockel’s effect, provides an extremely useful probe of surface electric...fields. Using the electro - optic effect, surface fields can be measured with an optical probe. This paper describes an electro - optic probe which is

  5. Ground to on-orbit alignment study of the WFIRST wide-field channel and resulting changes in the telescope architecture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hagopian, John; Armani, Nerses; Bartusek, Lisa; Casey, Tom; Content, Dave; Conturie, Yves; Gao, Guangjun; Jurling, Alden; Marx, Cathy; Marzouk, Joe; Pasquale, Bert; Smith, J. Scott; Tang, Hong; Whipple, Arthur

    2017-08-01

    The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) mission[1] is the top-ranked large space mission in the New Worlds, New Horizon (NWNH) Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics. WFIRST will settle essential questions in both exoplanet and dark energy research and will advance topics ranging from galaxy evolution to the study of objects within the galaxy. The WFIRST mission uses a repurposed 2.4-m Forward Optical Telescope assembly (FOA), which, when completed with new aft optics will be an Integrated Optical Assembly (IOA). WFIRST is equipped with a Wide Field Instrument (WFI) and a Coronagraph Instrument (CGI). An Instrument Carrier (IC) meters these payload elements together and to the spacecraft bus (S/C). A distributed ground system receives the data, uploads commands and software updates, and processes the data. After transition from the study phase, Pre-Phase-A (a.k.a., "Cycle 6") design to NASA Phase A formulation, a significant change to the IOA was initiated; including moving the tertiary mirror from the instrument package to a unified three-mirror anastigmat (TMA) placement, that provides a wide 0.28-sq° instrumented field of view to the Wide Field Instrument (WFI). In addition, separate relays from the primary and secondary mirror feed the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) and Coronagraph Instrument (CGI). During commissioning the telescope is aligned using wavefront sensing with the WFI[2]. A parametric and Monte-Carlo analysis was performed, which determined that alignment compensation with the secondary mirror alone degraded performance in the other instruments. This led to the addition of a second compensator in the WFI optical train to alleviate this concern. This paper discusses the trades and analyses that were performed and resulting changes to the WFIRST telescope architecture.

  6. Prime Focus Spectrograph: A very wide-field, massively multiplexed, optical & near-infrared spectrograph for Subaru Telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    TAMURA, NAOYUKI

    2015-08-01

    PFS (Prime Focus Spectrograph), a next generation facility instrument on Subaru, is a very wide-field, massively-multiplexed, and optical & near-infrared spectrograph. Exploiting the Subaru prime focus, 2400 reconfigurable fibers will be distributed in the 1.3 degree field. The spectrograph will have 3 arms of blue, red, and near-infrared cameras to simultaneously observe spectra from 380nm to 1260nm at one exposure. The development of this instrument has been undertaken by the international collaboration at the initiative of Kavli IPMU. The project is now going into the construction phase aiming at system integration and on-sky commissioning in 2017-2018, and science operation in 2019. In parallel, the survey design has also been developed envisioning a Subaru Strategic Program (SSP) that spans roughly speaking 300 nights over 5 years. The major science areas are three-folds: Cosmology, galaxy/AGN evolution, and Galactic archaeology (GA). The cosmology program will be to constrain the nature of dark energy via a survey of emission line galaxies over a comoving volume of ~10 Gpc^3 in the redshift range of 0.8 < z < 2.4. In the GA program, radial velocities and chemical abundances of stars in the Milky Way, dwarf spheroidal galaxies, and M31 will be used to understand the past assembly histories of those galaxies and the structures of their dark matter halos. Spectra will be taken for ~1 million stars as faint as V = 22 therefore out to large distances from the Sun. For the extragalactic program, our simulations suggest the wide wavelength coverage of PFS will be particularly powerful in probing the galaxy populations and its clustering properties over a wide redshift range. We will conduct a survey of color-selected 1 < z < 2 galaxies and AGN over 20 square degrees down to J = 23.4, yielding a fair sample of galaxies with stellar masses above ˜10^10 solar masses. Further, PFS will also provide unique spectroscopic opportunities even in the era of Euclid, LSST

  7. Elliptic-symmetry vector optical fields.

    PubMed

    Pan, Yue; Li, Yongnan; Li, Si-Min; Ren, Zhi-Cheng; Kong, Ling-Jun; Tu, Chenghou; Wang, Hui-Tian

    2014-08-11

    We present in principle and demonstrate experimentally a new kind of vector fields: elliptic-symmetry vector optical fields. This is a significant development in vector fields, as this breaks the cylindrical symmetry and enriches the family of vector fields. Due to the presence of an additional degrees of freedom, which is the interval between the foci in the elliptic coordinate system, the elliptic-symmetry vector fields are more flexible than the cylindrical vector fields for controlling the spatial structure of polarization and for engineering the focusing fields. The elliptic-symmetry vector fields can find many specific applications from optical trapping to optical machining and so on.

  8. Optical sensor of magnetic fields

    DOEpatents

    Butler, M.A.; Martin, S.J.

    1986-03-25

    An optical magnetic field strength sensor for measuring the field strength of a magnetic field comprising a dilute magnetic semi-conductor probe having first and second ends, longitudinally positioned in the magnetic field for providing Faraday polarization rotation of light passing therethrough relative to the strength of the magnetic field. Light provided by a remote light source is propagated through an optical fiber coupler and a single optical fiber strand between the probe and the light source for providing a light path therebetween. A polarizer and an apparatus for rotating the polarization of the light is provided in the light path and a reflector is carried by the second end of the probe for reflecting the light back through the probe and thence through the polarizer to the optical coupler. A photo detector apparatus is operably connected to the optical coupler for detecting and measuring the intensity of the reflected light and comparing same to the light source intensity whereby the magnetic field strength may be calculated.

  9. Beyond MOS and Fibers: Wide-FoV Imaging Fourier Transform Spectroscopy - an Instrumentation Proposal for the Present and Future Mexican Telescopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosales-Ortega, F. F.; Castillo, E.; Sánchez, S. F.; Iglesias-Páramo, J.; Mollá, J. I. M.; Chávez, M.

    2016-10-01

    In order to extend the current suite of instruments offered in the Observatorio Astrofísico Guillermo Haro (OAGH) in Cananea, Mexico (INAOE), and to explore a second-generation instrument for the future 6.5 m Telescopio San Pedro Martir (TSPM), we propose a prototype instrument that will provide un-biased wide-field (few arcmin) spectroscopic information, with the flexibility of operating at different spectral resolutions (R˜1-104), with a spatial resolution limited by seeing, and therefore to be used in a wide range of astronomical problems. This instrument will make use of the Fourier Transform Spectroscopy technique, which has been proved to be feasible in the optical wavelength range. Here we give the basic technical description of a Fourier transform spectrograph, as well as the technical advantages and weaknesses, and the science cases in which this instrument can be implemented.

  10. 3D wide field-of-view Gabor-domain optical coherence microscopy advancing real-time in-vivo imaging and metrology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Canavesi, Cristina; Cogliati, Andrea; Hayes, Adam; Tankam, Patrice; Santhanam, Anand; Rolland, Jannick P.

    2017-02-01

    Real-time volumetric high-definition wide-field-of-view in-vivo cellular imaging requires micron-scale resolution in 3D. Compactness of the handheld device and distortion-free images with cellular resolution are also critically required for onsite use in clinical applications. By integrating a custom liquid lens-based microscope and a dual-axis MEMS scanner in a compact handheld probe, Gabor-domain optical coherence microscopy (GD-OCM) breaks the lateral resolution limit of optical coherence tomography through depth, overcoming the tradeoff between numerical aperture and depth of focus, enabling advances in biotechnology. Furthermore, distortion-free imaging with no post-processing is achieved with a compact, lightweight handheld MEMS scanner that obtained a 12-fold reduction in volume and 17-fold reduction in weight over a previous dual-mirror galvanometer-based scanner. Approaching the holy grail of medical imaging - noninvasive real-time imaging with histologic resolution - GD-OCM demonstrates invariant resolution of 2 μm throughout a volume of 1 x 1 x 0.6 mm3, acquired and visualized in less than 2 minutes with parallel processing on graphics processing units. Results on the metrology of manufactured materials and imaging of human tissue with GD-OCM are presented.

  11. Ultra-wide-field fundus autofluorescence in multiple evanescent white dot syndrome.

    PubMed

    Hashimoto, Hideaki; Kishi, Shoji

    2015-04-01

    To observe the progression of affected lesions using ultra-wide-field fundus autofluorescence (FAF) in multiple evanescent white dot syndrome. Retrospective, observational case series. setting: Institutional. 14 eyes of 13 patients (mean age, 35.8 years) with acute disease unilaterally. Patients underwent ultra-wide-field FAF, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT), multifocal electroretinography (mfERG), and Goldmann or automated perimetry; the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and refractive error were measured. Ability of ultra-wide-field FAF to detect lesions with greater sensitivity compared with color fundus photography. Ultra-wide-field FAF imaging enabled improved visualization of the affected lesions and showed that the core lesion was in the posterior fundus involving the peripapillary retina and posterior pole and surrounded by hyper-autofluorescent spots outside the vascular arcade. The posterior lesions expanded rapidly and peripheral spots spread farther peripherally and reached a maximal extent during the acute stage. During follow-up, the peripheral hyper-autofluorescent spots resolved and then hyper-autofluorescence of the posterior fundus gradually faded. SD OCT showed diffuse disruption of the photoreceptor inner segment/outer segment junction (IS/OS) in the posterior fundus during the acute stage. The correlation between the IS/OS abnormality and hyper-autofluorescent areas was unclear. The disrupted IS/OS was restored with normalization of the FAF. Ultra-wide-field FAF showed that the lesions arise from the peripapillary retina and the posterior pole and spread peripherally in a centrifugal manner during the acute stage. The hyper-autofluorescent spots faded from the periphery in a centripetal manner. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Wide Swath Stereo Mapping from Gaofen-1 Wide-Field-View (WFV) Images Using Calibration

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Shoubin; Liu, Jingbin; Huang, Wenchao

    2018-01-01

    The development of Earth observation systems has changed the nature of survey and mapping products, as well as the methods for updating maps. Among optical satellite mapping methods, the multiline array stereo and agile stereo modes are the most common methods for acquiring stereo images. However, differences in temporal resolution and spatial coverage limit their application. In terms of this issue, our study takes advantage of the wide spatial coverage and high revisit frequencies of wide swath images and aims at verifying the feasibility of stereo mapping with the wide swath stereo mode and reaching a reliable stereo accuracy level using calibration. In contrast with classic stereo modes, the wide swath stereo mode is characterized by both a wide spatial coverage and high-temporal resolution and is capable of obtaining a wide range of stereo images over a short period. In this study, Gaofen-1 (GF-1) wide-field-view (WFV) images, with total imaging widths of 800 km, multispectral resolutions of 16 m and revisit periods of four days, are used for wide swath stereo mapping. To acquire a high-accuracy digital surface model (DSM), the nonlinear system distortion in the GF-1 WFV images is detected and compensated for in advance. The elevation accuracy of the wide swath stereo mode of the GF-1 WFV images can be improved from 103 m to 30 m for a DSM with proper calibration, meeting the demands for 1:250,000 scale mapping and rapid topographic map updates and showing improved efficacy for satellite imaging. PMID:29494540

  13. An approach to improving the signal-to-optical-noise ratio of pulsed magnetic field photonic sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jiang-ping; Li, Yu-quan

    2008-12-01

    During last years, interest in pulsed magnetic field sensors has widely increased. In fact, magnetic field measurement has a critical part in various scientific and technical areas. In order to research on pulsed magnetic field characteristic and corresponding measuring and defending means, a sensor with high immunity to electrical noise, high sensitivity, high accuracy and wide dynamic range is needed. The conventional magnetic field measurement system currently use active metallic probes which can disturb the measuring magnetic field and make sensor very sensitive to electromagnetic noise. Photonic magnetic field sensor exhibit great advantages with respect to the electronic ones: a very good galvanic insulation, high sensitivity and very wide bandwidth. Photonic sensing technology is fit for demand of a measure pulsed magnetic field. A type of pulsed magnetic field photonic sensor has been designed, analyzed, and tested. The cross polarization angle in photonic sensor effect on the signal-to-optical-noise ratio is theoretically analyzed in this paper. A novel approach for improving the signal-to-optical-noise ratio of pulsed magnetic field sensors was proposed. The experiments have proved that this approach is practical. The theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the signal-to-optical-noise ratio can potentially be considerably improved by setup suitable for the cross polarization angle.

  14. Optics for multimode lasers with elongated depth of field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laskin, Alexander; Laskin, Vadim; Ostrun, Aleksei

    2017-02-01

    Modern multimode high-power lasers are widely used in industrial applications and control of their radiation, especially by focusing, is of great importance. Because of relatively low optical quality, characterized by high values of specifications Beam Parameter Product (BPP) or M², the depth of field by focusing of multimode laser radiation is narrow. At the same time laser technologies like deep penetration welding, cutting of thick metal sheets get benefits from elongated depth of field in area of focal plane, therefore increasing of zone along optical axis with minimized spot size is important technical task. As a solution it is suggested to apply refractive optical systems splitting an initial laser beam into several beamlets, which are focused in different foci separated along optical axis with providing reliable control of energy portions in each separate focus, independently of beam size or mode structure. With the multi-focus optics, the length of zone of material processing along optical axis is defined rather by distances between separate foci, which are determined by optical design of the optics and can be chosen according to requirements of a particular laser technology. Due to stability of the distances between foci there is provided stability of a technology process. This paper describes some design features of refractive multi-focus optics, examples of real implementations and experimental results will be presented as well.

  15. Optical Near-Field Plates

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-04-08

    AFRL-OSR-VA-TR-2015-0085 OPTICAL NEAR-FILED PLATES Roberto Merlin UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Final Report 04/08/2015 DISTRIBUTION A: Distribution...03-2015 Final 09/01/2009-12/31/2014 Optical Near-Field Plates FA9550-09-1-0636 erlin, Roberto, D. The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109...distribution unlimited Optical near-field plates were designed using antisymmetric plasmon modes to generate abrupt phase changes within a fraction of a

  16. Prime Focus Spectrograph: A very wide-field, massively multiplexed, optical & near-infrared spectrograph for Subaru Telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tamura, Naoyuki

    This short article is about Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS), a very wide-field, massively-multiplexed, and optical & near-infrared (NIR) spectrograph as a next generation facility instrument on Subaru Telescope. More details and updates are available on the PFS official website (http://pfs.ipmu.jp), blog (http://pfs.ipmu.jp/blog/), and references therein. The project, instrument, & timeline PFS will position 2400 fibers to science targets or blank sky in the 1.3 degree field on the Subaru prime focus. These fibers will be quickly (~60sec) reconfigurable and feed the photons during exposures to the Spectrograph System (SpS). SpS consists of 4 modules each of which accommodate ~600 fibers and deliver spectral images ranging from 380nm to 1260nm simultaneously at one exposure via the 3 arms of blue, red, and NIR cameras. The instrument development has been undertaken by the international collaboration at the initiative of Kavli IPMU. The project is now going into the construction phase aiming at system integration and on-sky engineering observations in 2017-2018, and science operation in 2019. The survey design has also been under development envisioning a survey spanning ~300 nights over ~5 years in the framework of Subaru Strategic Program (SSP). The key science areas are: Cosmology, galaxy/AGN evolution, and Galactic Archaeology (GA) (Takada et al. 2014). The cosmology program will be to constrain the nature of dark energy via a survey of emission line galaxies over a comoving volume of 10 Gpc3 at z=0.8-2.4. In the galaxy/AGN program, the wide wavelength coverage of PFS as well as the large field of view will be exploited to characterize the galaxy populations and its clustering properties over a wide redshift range. A survey of color-selected galaxies/AGN at z = 1-2 will be conducted over 20 square degrees yielding a fair sample of galaxies with stellar masses down to ~1010 M ⊙. In the GA program, radial velocities and chemical abundances of stars in the Milky

  17. Miniature wide field-of-view star trackers for spacecraft attitude sensing and navigation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mccarty, William; Curtis, Eric; Hull, Anthony; Morgan, William

    1993-01-01

    Introducing a family of miniature, wide field-of-view star trackers for low cost, high performance spacecraft attitude determination and navigation applications. These devices, derivative of the WFOV Star Tracker Camera developed cooperatively by OCA Applied Optics and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the Brilliant Pebbles program, offer a suite of options addressing a wide range of spacecraft attitude measurement and control requirements. These sensors employ much wider fields than are customary (ranging between 20 and 60 degrees) to assure enough bright stars for quick and accurate attitude determinations without long integration intervals. The key benefit of this approach are light weight, low power, reduced data processing loads and high information carrier rates for wide ACS bandwidths. Devices described range from the proven OCA/LLNL WFOV Star Tracker Camera (a low-cost, space-qualified star-field imager utilizing the spacecraft's own computer and centroiding and position-finding), to a new autonomous subsystem design featuring dual-redundant cameras and completely self-contained star-field data processing with output quaternion solutions accurate to 100 micro-rad, 3 sigma, for stand-alone applications.

  18. Speckle correlation resolution enhancement of wide-field fluorescence imaging (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yilmaz, Hasan

    2016-03-01

    Structured illumination enables high-resolution fluorescence imaging of nanostructures [1]. We demonstrate a new high-resolution fluorescence imaging method that uses a scattering layer with a high-index substrate as a solid immersion lens [2]. Random scattering of coherent light enables a speckle pattern with a very fine structure that illuminates the fluorescent nanospheres on the back surface of the high-index substrate. The speckle pattern is raster-scanned over the fluorescent nanospheres using a speckle correlation effect known as the optical memory effect. A series of standard-resolution fluorescence images per each speckle pattern displacement are recorded by an electron-multiplying CCD camera using a commercial microscope objective. We have developed a new phase-retrieval algorithm to reconstruct a high-resolution, wide-field image from several standard-resolution wide-field images. We have introduced phase information of Fourier components of standard-resolution images as a new constraint in our algorithm which discards ambiguities therefore ensures convergence to a unique solution. We demonstrate two-dimensional fluorescence images of a collection of nanospheres with a deconvolved Abbe resolution of 116 nm and a field of view of 10 µm × 10 µm. Our method is robust against optical aberrations and stage drifts, therefore excellent for imaging nanostructures under ambient conditions. [1] M. G. L. Gustafsson, J. Microsc. 198, 82-87 (2000). [2] H. Yilmaz, E. G. van Putten, J. Bertolotti, A. Lagendijk, W. L. Vos, and A. P. Mosk, Optica 2, 424-429 (2015).

  19. Fiber-Coupled Wide Field of View Optical Receiver for High Speed Space Communication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suddath, Shannon N.

    Research groups at NASA Glenn Research Center are interested in improving data rates on the International Space Station (ISS) using a free-space optical (FSO) link. However, known flexure of the ISS structure is expected to cause misalignment of the FSO link. Passive-control designs for mitigating misalignment are under investigation, including using a fiber-bundle for improved field of view. The designs must overcome the obstacle of coupling directly to fiber, rather than a photodetector, as NASA will maintain the use of small form-factor pluggable optical transceivers (SFPs) in the ISS network. In this thesis, a bundle-based receiver capable of coupling directly to fiber is designed, simulated, and tested in lab. Two 3-lens systems were evaluated for power performance in the lab, one with a 20 mm focal length aspheric lens and the other with a 50 mm focal length aspheric lens. The maximum output power achieved was 8 muW.

  20. Space infrared telescope facility wide field and diffraction limited array camera (IRAC)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fazio, Giovanni G.

    1988-01-01

    The wide-field and diffraction limited array camera (IRAC) is capable of two-dimensional photometry in either a wide-field or diffraction-limited mode over the wavelength range from 2 to 30 microns with a possible extension to 120 microns. A low-doped indium antimonide detector was developed for 1.8 to 5.0 microns, detectors were tested and optimized for the entire 1.8 to 30 micron range, beamsplitters were developed and tested for the 1.8 to 30 micron range, and tradeoff studies of the camera's optical system performed. Data are presented on the performance of InSb, Si:In, Si:Ga, and Si:Sb array detectors bumpbonded to a multiplexed CMOS readout chip of the source-follower type at SIRTF operating backgrounds (equal to or less than 1 x 10 to the 8th ph/sq cm/sec) and temperature (4 to 12 K). Some results at higher temperatures are also presented for comparison to SIRTF temperature results. Data are also presented on the performance of IRAC beamsplitters at room temperature at both 0 and 45 deg angle of incidence and on the performance of the all-reflecting optical system baselined for the camera.

  1. Collimating slicer for optical integral field spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laurent, Florence; Hénault, François

    2016-07-01

    Integral Field Spectroscopy (IFS) is a technique that gives simultaneously the spectrum of each spatial sampling element of a given field. It is a powerful tool which rearranges the data cube represented by two spatial dimensions defining the field and the spectral decomposition (x, y, λ) in a detector plane. In IFS, the "spatial" unit reorganizes the field, the "spectral" unit is being composed of a classical spectrograph. For the spatial unit, three main techniques - microlens array, microlens array associated with fibres and image slicer - are used in astronomical instrumentations. The development of a Collimating Slicer is to propose a new type of optical integral field spectroscopy which should be more compact. The main idea is to combine the image slicer with the collimator of the spectrograph mixing the "spatial" and "spectral" units. The traditional combination of slicer, pupil and slit elements and spectrograph collimator is replaced by a new one composed of a slicer and spectrograph collimator only. After testing few configurations, this new system looks very promising for low resolution spectrographs. In this paper, the state of art of integral field spectroscopy using image slicers will be described. The new system based onto the development of a Collimating Slicer for optical integral field spectroscopy will be depicted. First system analysis results and future improvements will be discussed.

  2. Wide-Field InfraRed Survey Telescope (WFIRST) Slitless Spectrometer: Design, Prototype, and Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gong, Qian; Content, David; Dominguez, Margaret; Emmett, Thomas; Griesmann, Ulf; Hagopian, John; Kruk, Jeffrey; Marx, Catherine; Pasquale, Bert; Wallace, Thomas; hide

    2016-01-01

    The slitless spectrometer plays an important role in the Wide-Field InfraRed Survey Telescope (WFIRST) mission for the survey of emission-line galaxies. This will be an unprecedented very wide field, HST quality 3D survey of emission line galaxies. The concept of the compound grism as a slitless spectrometer has been presented previously. The presentation briefly discusses the challenges and solutions of the optical design, and recent specification updates, as well as a brief comparison between the prototype and the latest design. However, the emphasis of this paper is the progress of the grism prototype: the fabrication and test of the complicated diffractive optical elements and powered prism, as well as grism assembly alignment and testing. Especially how to use different tools and methods, such as IR phase shift and wavelength shift interferometry, to complete the element and assembly tests. The paper also presents very encouraging results from recent element tests to assembly tests. Finally we briefly touch the path forward plan to test the spectral characteristic, such as spectral resolution and response.

  3. Three-dimensional wide-field pump-probe structured illumination microscopy

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Yang-Hyo; So, Peter T.C.

    2017-01-01

    We propose a new structured illumination scheme for achieving depth resolved wide-field pump-probe microscopy with sub-diffraction limit resolution. By acquiring coherent pump-probe images using a set of 3D structured light illumination patterns, a 3D super-resolution pump-probe image can be reconstructed. We derive the theoretical framework to describe the coherent image formation and reconstruction scheme for this structured illumination pump-probe imaging system and carry out numerical simulations to investigate its imaging performance. The results demonstrate a lateral resolution improvement by a factor of three and providing 0.5 µm level axial optical sectioning. PMID:28380860

  4. Broadband and Wide Field-of-view Plasmonic Metasurface-enabled Waveplates

    PubMed Central

    Jiang, Zhi Hao; Lin, Lan; Ma, Ding; Yun, Seokho; Werner, Douglas H.; Liu, Zhiwen; Mayer, Theresa S.

    2014-01-01

    Quasi two-dimensional metasurfaces composed of subwavelength nanoresonator arrays can dramatically alter the properties of light in an ultra-thin planar geometry, enabling new optical functions such as anomalous reflection and refraction, polarization filtering, and wavefront modulation. However, previous metasurface-based nanostructures suffer from low efficiency, narrow bandwidth and/or limited field-of-view due to their operation near the plasmonic resonance. Here we demonstrate plasmonic metasurface-based nanostructures for high-efficiency, angle-insensitive polarization transformation over a broad octave-spanning bandwidth. The structures are realized by optimizing the anisotropic response of an array of strongly coupled nanorod resonators to tailor the interference of light at the subwavelength scale. Nanofabricated reflective half-wave and quarter-wave plates designed using this approach have measured polarization conversion ratios and reflection magnitudes greater than 92% over a broad wavelength range from 640 to 1290 nm and a wide field-of-view up to ±40°. This work outlines a versatile strategy to create metasurface-based photonics with diverse optical functionalities. PMID:25524830

  5. Wide field-of-view dual-band multispectral muzzle flash detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Montoya, J.; Melchor, J.; Spiliotis, P.; Taplin, L.

    2013-06-01

    Sensor technologies are undergoing revolutionary advances, as seen in the rapid growth of multispectral methodologies. Increases in spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution, and in breadth of spectral coverage, render feasible sensors that function with unprecedented performance. A system was developed that addresses many of the key hardware requirements for a practical dual-band multispectral acquisition system, including wide field of view and spectral/temporal shift between dual bands. The system was designed using a novel dichroic beam splitter and dual band-pass filter configuration that creates two side-by-side images of a scene on a single sensor. A high-speed CMOS sensor was used to simultaneously capture data from the entire scene in both spectral bands using a short focal-length lens that provided a wide field-of-view. The beam-splitter components were arranged such that the two images were maintained in optical alignment and real-time intra-band processing could be carried out using only simple arithmetic on the image halves. An experiment related to limitations of the system to address multispectral detection requirements was performed. This characterized the system's low spectral variation across its wide field of view. This paper provides lessons learned on the general limitation of key hardware components required for multispectral muzzle flash detection, using the system as a hardware example combined with simulated multispectral muzzle flash and background signatures.

  6. Orbit Determination of KOMPSAT-1 and Cryosat-2 Satellites Using Optical Wide-field Patrol Network (OWL-Net) Data with Batch Least Squares Filter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Eunji; Park, Sang-Young; Shin, Bumjoon; Cho, Sungki; Choi, Eun-Jung; Jo, Junghyun; Park, Jang-Hyun

    2017-03-01

    The optical wide-field patrol network (OWL-Net) is a Korean optical surveillance system that tracks and monitors domestic satellites. In this study, a batch least squares algorithm was developed for optical measurements and verified by Monte Carlo simulation and covariance analysis. Potential error sources of OWL-Net, such as noise, bias, and clock errors, were analyzed. There is a linear relation between the estimation accuracy and the noise level, and the accuracy significantly depends on the declination bias. In addition, the time-tagging error significantly degrades the observation accuracy, while the time-synchronization offset corresponds to the orbital motion. The Cartesian state vector and measurement bias were determined using the OWL-Net tracking data of the KOMPSAT-1 and Cryosat-2 satellites. The comparison with known orbital information based on two-line elements (TLE) and the consolidated prediction format (CPF) shows that the orbit determination accuracy is similar to that of TLE. Furthermore, the precision and accuracy of OWL-Net observation data were determined to be tens of arcsec and sub-degree level, respectively.

  7. Wide-field imaging through scattering media by scattered light fluorescence microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Yulan; Li, Xun

    2017-08-01

    To obtain images through scattering media, scattered light fluorescence (SLF) microscopy that utilizes the optical memory effect has been developed. However, the small field of view (FOV) of SLF microscopy limits its application. In this paper, we have introduced a re-modulation method to achieve wide-field imaging through scattering media by SLF microscopy. In the re-modulation method, to raster scan the focus across the object plane, the incident wavefront is re-modulated via a spatial light modulator (SLM) in the updated phase compensation calculated using the optimized iterative algorithm. Compared with the conventional optical memory effect method, the re-modulation method can greatly increase the FOV of a SLF microscope. With the phase compensation theoretically calculated, the process of updating the phase compensation of a high speed SLM is fast. The re-modulation method does not increase the imaging time. The re-modulation method is, therefore, expected to make SLF microscopy have much wider applications in biology, medicine and physiology.

  8. Wide-field fundus imaging with trans-palpebral illumination.

    PubMed

    Toslak, Devrim; Thapa, Damber; Chen, Yanjun; Erol, Muhammet Kazim; Paul Chan, R V; Yao, Xincheng

    2017-01-28

    In conventional fundus imaging devices, transpupillary illumination is used for illuminating the inside of the eye. In this method, the illumination light is directed into the posterior segment of the eye through the cornea and passes the pupillary area. As a result of sharing the pupillary area for the illumination beam and observation path, pupil dilation is typically necessary for wide-angle fundus examination, and the field of view is inherently limited. An alternative approach is to deliver light from the sclera. It is possible to image a wider retinal area with transcleral-illumination. However, the requirement of physical contact between the illumination probe and the sclera is a drawback of this method. We report here trans-palpebral illumination as a new method to deliver the light through the upper eyelid (palpebra). For this study, we used a 1.5 mm diameter fiber with a warm white LED light source. To illuminate the inside of the eye, the fiber illuminator was placed at the location corresponding to the pars plana region. A custom designed optical system was attached to a digital camera for retinal imaging. The optical system contained a 90 diopter ophthalmic lens and a 25 diopter relay lens. The ophthalmic lens collected light coming from the posterior of the eye and formed an aerial image between the ophthalmic and relay lenses. The aerial image was captured by the camera through the relay lens. An adequate illumination level was obtained to capture wide angle fundus images within ocular safety limits, defined by the ISO 15004-2: 2007 standard. This novel trans-palpebral illumination approach enables wide-angle fundus photography without eyeball contact and pupil dilation.

  9. An automated wide-field time-gated optically sectioning fluorescence lifetime imaging multiwell plate reader for high-content analysis of protein-protein interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alibhai, Dominic; Kumar, Sunil; Kelly, Douglas; Warren, Sean; Alexandrov, Yuriy; Munro, Ian; McGinty, James; Talbot, Clifford; Murray, Edward J.; Stuhmeier, Frank; Neil, Mark A. A.; Dunsby, Chris; French, Paul M. W.

    2011-03-01

    We describe an optically-sectioned FLIM multiwell plate reader that combines Nipkow microscopy with wide-field time-gated FLIM, and its application to high content analysis of FRET. The system acquires sectioned FLIM images in <10 s/well, requiring only ~11 minutes to read a 96 well plate of live cells expressing fluorescent protein. It has been applied to study the formation of immature HIV virus like particles (VLPs) in live cells by monitoring Gag-Gag protein interactions using FLIM FRET of HIV-1 Gag transfected with CFP or YFP. VLP formation results in FRET between closely packed Gag proteins, as confirmed by our FLIM analysis that includes automatic image segmentation.

  10. Optical properties of new wide heterogeneous waveguides with thermo optical shifters.

    PubMed

    De Leonardis, Francesco; Tsarev, Andrei V; Passaro, Vittorio M

    2008-12-22

    We present analysis and simulation of novel silicon-on-insulator (SOI) heterogeneous waveguides with thermo-optic phase shifters. New structure design contains a p-n junction on both sides of SOI ridge waveguide with 220 nm x 35 microm silicon core. Strongly mode-dependent optical losses (by additional free charge absorption) provide quasi-singe-mode behavior of wide waveguide with mode size approximately 10 microm. Local heater produces an efficient phase shifting by small temperature increase (DeltaT approximately 2K), switching power (< 40 mW) and switching time (< 10 micros). Mode optical losses are significantly decreased at high heating (DeltaT approximately 120 K).

  11. Nanoscale Probing of Thermal, Stress, and Optical Fields under Near-Field Laser Heating

    PubMed Central

    Tang, Xiaoduan; Xu, Shen; Wang, Xinwei

    2013-01-01

    Micro/nanoparticle induced near-field laser ultra-focusing and heating has been widely used in laser-assisted nanopatterning and nanolithography to pattern nanoscale features on a large-area substrate. Knowledge of the temperature and stress in the nanoscale near-field heating region is critical for process control and optimization. At present, probing of the nanoscale temperature, stress, and optical fields remains a great challenge since the heating area is very small (∼100 nm or less) and not immediately accessible for sensing. In this work, we report the first experimental study on nanoscale mapping of particle-induced thermal, stress, and optical fields by using a single laser for both near-field excitation and Raman probing. The mapping results based on Raman intensity variation, wavenumber shift, and linewidth broadening all give consistent conjugated thermal, stress, and near-field focusing effects at a 20 nm resolution (<λ/26, λ = 32 nm). Nanoscale mapping of near-field effects of particles from 1210 down to 160 nm demonstrates the strong capacity of such a technique. By developing a new strategy for physical analysis, we have de-conjugated the effects of temperature, stress, and near-field focusing from the Raman mapping. The temperature rise and stress in the nanoscale heating region is evaluated at different energy levels. High-fidelity electromagnetic and temperature field simulation is conducted to accurately interpret the experimental results. PMID:23555566

  12. Infrared Testing of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Telescope Grism Using Computer Generated Holograms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dominguez, Margaret Z.; Content, David A.; Gong, Qian; Griesmann, Ulf; Hagopian, John G.; Marx, Catherine T; Whipple, Arthur L.

    2017-01-01

    Infrared Computer Generated Holograms (CGHs) were designed, manufactured and used to measure the performance of the grism (grating prism) prototype which includes testing Diffractive Optical Elements (DOE). The grism in the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) will allow the surveying of a large section of the sky to find bright galaxies.

  13. IOT Overview: Wide-Field Imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Selman, F. J.

    The Wide Field Imager (WFI) instrument at La Silla has been the workhorse of wide-field imaging instruments at ESO for several years. In this contribution I will summarize the issues relating to its productivity for the community both in terms of the quality and quantity of data that has come out of it. Although only surveys of limited scope have been completed using WFI, it is ESO's stepping-stone to the new generation of survey telescopes.

  14. Self-Management of Patient Body Position, Pose, and Motion Using Wide-Field, Real-Time Optical Measurement Feedback: Results of a Volunteer Study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Parkhurst, James M.; Price, Gareth J., E-mail: gareth.price@christie.nhs.uk; Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester

    2013-12-01

    Purpose: We present the results of a clinical feasibility study, performed in 10 healthy volunteers undergoing a simulated treatment over 3 sessions, to investigate the use of a wide-field visual feedback technique intended to help patients control their pose while reducing motion during radiation therapy treatment. Methods and Materials: An optical surface sensor is used to capture wide-area measurements of a subject's body surface with visualizations of these data displayed back to them in real time. In this study we hypothesize that this active feedback mechanism will enable patients to control their motion and help them maintain their setup posemore » and position. A capability hierarchy of 3 different level-of-detail abstractions of the measured surface data is systematically compared. Results: Use of the device enabled volunteers to increase their conformance to a reference surface, as measured by decreased variability across their body surfaces. The use of visual feedback also enabled volunteers to reduce their respiratory motion amplitude to 1.7 ± 0.6 mm compared with 2.7 ± 1.4 mm without visual feedback. Conclusions: The use of live feedback of their optically measured body surfaces enabled a set of volunteers to better manage their pose and motion when compared with free breathing. The method is suitable to be taken forward to patient studies.« less

  15. Electro-optic spatial decoding on the spherical-wavefront Coulomb fields of plasma electron sources.

    PubMed

    Huang, K; Esirkepov, T; Koga, J K; Kotaki, H; Mori, M; Hayashi, Y; Nakanii, N; Bulanov, S V; Kando, M

    2018-02-13

    Detections of the pulse durations and arrival timings of relativistic electron beams are important issues in accelerator physics. Electro-optic diagnostics on the Coulomb fields of electron beams have the advantages of single shot and non-destructive characteristics. We present a study of introducing the electro-optic spatial decoding technique to laser wakefield acceleration. By placing an electro-optic crystal very close to a gas target, we discovered that the Coulomb field of the electron beam possessed a spherical wavefront and was inconsistent with the previously widely used model. The field structure was demonstrated by experimental measurement, analytic calculations and simulations. A temporal mapping relationship with generality was derived in a geometry where the signals had spherical wavefronts. This study could be helpful for the applications of electro-optic diagnostics in laser plasma acceleration experiments.

  16. Multimodal wide-field two-photon excitation imaging: characterization of the technique for in vivo applications

    PubMed Central

    Hwang, Jae Youn; Wachsmann-Hogiu, Sebastian; Ramanujan, V Krishnan; Nowatzyk, Andreas G.; Koronyo, Yosef; Medina-Kauwe, Lali K.; Gross, Zeev; Gray, Harry B.; Farkas, Daniel L.

    2011-01-01

    We report fast, non-scanning, wide-field two-photon fluorescence excitation with spectral and lifetime detection for in vivo biomedical applications. We determined the optical characteristics of the technique, developed a Gaussian flat-field correction method to reduce artifacts resulting from non-uniform excitation such that contrast is enhanced, and showed that it can be used for ex vivo and in vivo cellular-level imaging. Two applications were demonstrated: (i) ex vivo measurements of beta-amyloid plaques in retinas of transgenic mice, and (ii) in vivo imaging of sulfonated gallium(III) corroles injected into tumors. We demonstrate that wide-field two photon fluorescence excitation with flat-field correction provides more penetration depth as well as better contrast and axial resolution than the corresponding one-photon wide field excitation for the same dye. Importantly, when this technique is used together with spectral and fluorescence lifetime detection modules, it offers improved discrimination between fluorescence from molecules of interest and autofluorescence, with higher sensitivity and specificity for in vivo applications. PMID:21339880

  17. Bilateral chorioretinal coloboma discovered with ultra-wide field retinal imaging

    PubMed Central

    Barnard, Simon; Shneor, Einat; Brauner, Joel; Millodot, Michel; Gordon-Shaag, Ariela

    2012-01-01

    Uveal coloboma results from incomplete closure of the optic cup fissure. While conducting an evaluation of a new ultra-wide field retinal imaging camera (Optomap), which provides a view of the fundus up to 200° at one time without mydriasis, we discovered a case of bilateral chorioretinal coloboma in a 21-year-old student. The lesion was located in the midperiphery of each eye less than 2 disc diameters (DD) below the optic disc in the inferonasal quadrants. The size of the coloboma in the right eye was 1.8 DD in height and 1.3 DD in width, while the left lesion was 2.4 DD in height and 2.6 DD in width. The subject was totally asymptomatic and without any complication such as retinal detachment or choroidal neovascularization, which often accompany this type of lesion. The visual field of each eye displayed an absolute scotoma corresponding to the size and location of the coloboma. No management was necessary but the subject was advised to report for visual examination at regular intervals because complications can occur at any age.

  18. High-Speed Optical Wide-Area Data-Communication Network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Monacos, Steve P.

    1994-01-01

    Proposed fiber-optic wide-area network (WAN) for digital communication balances input and output flows of data with its internal capacity by routing traffic via dynamically interconnected routing planes. Data transmitted optically through network by wavelength-division multiplexing in synchronous or asynchronous packets. WAN implemented with currently available technology. Network is multiple-ring cyclic shuffle exchange network ensuring traffic reaches its destination with minimum number of hops.

  19. Using the Cn2 and wind profiler method with wide-field laser-guide-stars adaptive optics to quantify the frozen-flow decay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guesalaga, Andrés; Neichel, Benoit; Cortés, Angela; Béchet, Clémentine; Guzmán, Dani

    2014-05-01

    We use the spatio-temporal cross-correlations of slopes from five Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors to analyse the temporal evolution of the atmospheric turbulence layers at different altitudes. The focus is on the verification of the frozen-flow assumption. The data come from the Gemini South Multiconjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS). First, we present the Cn2 and wind profiling technique. This method provides useful information for the operation of the adaptive optics system, such as the number of existing turbulence layers, their associated velocities, altitudes and strengths, and also a mechanism to estimate the dome-seeing contribution to the total turbulence. Next, by identifying the turbulence layers, we show that it is possible to estimate the rate of decay in time of the correlation among turbulence measurements. We reduce on-sky data obtained during the 2011, 2012 and 2013 campaigns. The first results suggest that the rate of temporal decorrelation can be expressed in terms of a single parameter that is independent of the layer altitude and turbulence strength. Finally, we show that the decay rate of the frozen-flow contribution increases linearly with the layer speed. The observed evolution of the decay rate confirms the potential interest of the predictive control for wide-field adaptive optics systems.

  20. Real-time turbulence profiling with a pair of laser guide star Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors for wide-field adaptive optics systems on large to extremely large telescopes.

    PubMed

    Gilles, L; Ellerbroek, B L

    2010-11-01

    Real-time turbulence profiling is necessary to tune tomographic wavefront reconstruction algorithms for wide-field adaptive optics (AO) systems on large to extremely large telescopes, and to perform a variety of image post-processing tasks involving point-spread function reconstruction. This paper describes a computationally efficient and accurate numerical technique inspired by the slope detection and ranging (SLODAR) method to perform this task in real time from properly selected Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor measurements accumulated over a few hundred frames from a pair of laser guide stars, thus eliminating the need for an additional instrument. The algorithm is introduced, followed by a theoretical influence function analysis illustrating its impulse response to high-resolution turbulence profiles. Finally, its performance is assessed in the context of the Thirty Meter Telescope multi-conjugate adaptive optics system via end-to-end wave optics Monte Carlo simulations.

  1. Comparison of the crossed and the Gregorian Mizuguchi-Dragone for wide-field millimeter-wave astronomy.

    PubMed

    Tran, Huan; Lee, Adrian; Hanany, Shaul; Milligan, Michael; Renbarger, Tom

    2008-01-10

    We compare the geometric and physical-optics performance of two configurations of offset dual-reflector antennas that obey the Mizuguchi-Dragone condition. The traditional Gregorian configuration is compared with the larger crossed configuration. These configurations are candidates for experiments that measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. Particular attention is given to wide-field performance and polarization fidelity. Both a ray tracer and a physical optics simulation package are used to conclude that the crossed configuration has a larger diffraction-limited field of view, but within this limit both configurations have roughly the same instrumental polarization and both show excellent cross-polarization levels, with the crossed configuration showing approximately 10 dB better performance.

  2. Comparison of the crossed and the Gregorian Mizuguchi-Dragone for wide-field millimeter-wave astronomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tran, Huan; Lee, Adrian; Hanany, Shaul; Milligan, Michael; Renbarger, Tom

    2008-01-01

    We compare the geometric and physical-optics performance of two configurations of offset dual-reflector antennas that obey the Mizuguchi-Dragone condition. The traditional Gregorian configuration is compared with the larger crossed configuration. These configurations are candidates for experiments that measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. Particular attention is given to wide-field performance and polarization fidelity. Both a ray tracer and a physical optics simulation package are used to conclude that the crossed configuration has a larger diffraction-limited field of view, but within this limit both configurations have roughly the same instrumental polarization and both show excellent cross-polarization levels, with the crossed configuration showing ~10 dB better performance.

  3. Near-Field Magneto-Optical Microscope

    DOEpatents

    Vlasko-Vlasov, Vitalii; Welp, Ulrich; and Crabtree, George W.

    2005-12-06

    A device and method for mapping magnetic fields of a sample at a resolution less than the wavelength of light without altering the magnetic field of the sample is disclosed. A device having a tapered end portion with a magneto-optically active particle positioned at the distal end thereof in communication with a fiber optic for transferring incoming linearly polarized light from a source thereof to the particle and for transferring reflected light from the particle is provided. The fiber optic has a reflective material trapping light within the fiber optic and in communication with a light detector for determining the polarization of light reflected from the particle as a function of the strength and direction of the magnetic field of the sample. Linearly polarized light from the source thereof transferred to the particle positioned proximate the sample is affected by the magnetic field of the sample sensed by the particle such that the difference in polarization of light entering and leaving the particle is due to the magnetic field of the sample. Relative movement between the particle and sample enables mapping.

  4. Near Field Magneto-Optical Microscope

    DOEpatents

    Vlasko-Vlasov, Vitalii K.; Welp, Ulrich; Crabtree, George W.

    2005-12-06

    A device and method for mapping magnetic fields of a sample at a resolution less than the wavelength of light without altering the magnetic field of the sample is disclosed. A device having a tapered end portion with a magneto-optically active particle positioned at the distal end thereof in communication with a fiber optic for transferring incoming linearly polarized light from a source thereof to the particle and for transferring reflected light from the particle is provided. The fiber optic has a reflective material trapping light within the fiber optic and in communication with a light detector for determining the polarization of light reflected from the particle as a function of the strength and direction of the magnetic field of the sample. Linearly polarized light from the source thereof transferred to the particle positioned proximate the sample is affected by the magnetic field of the sample sensed by the particle such that the difference in polarization of light entering and leaving the particle is due to the magnetic field of the sample. Relative movement between the particle and sample enables mapping.

  5. A wide field-of-view microscope based on holographic focus grid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Jigang; Cui, Xiquan; Zheng, Guoan; Lee, Lap Man; Yang, Changhuei

    2010-02-01

    We have developed a novel microscope technique that can achieve wide field-of-view (FOV) imaging and yet possess resolution that is comparable to conventional microscope. The principle of wide FOV microscope system breaks the link between resolution and FOV magnitude of traditional microscopes. Furthermore, by eliminating bulky optical elements from its design and utilizing holographic optical elements, the wide FOV microscope system is more cost-effective. In our system, a hologram was made to focus incoming collimated beam into a focus grid. The sample is put in the focal plane and the transmissions of the focuses are detected by an imaging sensor. By scanning the incident angle of the incoming beam, the focus grid will scan across the sample and the time-varying transmission can be detected. We can then reconstruct the transmission image of the sample. The resolution of microscopic image is limited by the size of the focus formed by the hologram. The scanning area of each focus spot is determined by the separation of the focus spots and can be made small for fast imaging speed. We have fabricated a prototype system with a 2.4-mm FOV and 1-μm resolution. The prototype system was used to image onion skin cells for a demonstration. The preliminary experiments prove the feasibility of the wide FOV microscope technique, and the possibility of a wider FOV system with better resolution.

  6. The Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed: Enabling Techniques for High Angular Resolution Astronomy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rinehart, S. A.; Armstrong, T.; Frey, Bradley J.; Jung, J.; Kirk, J.; Leisawitz, David T.; Leviton, Douglas B.; Lyon, R.; Maher, Stephen; Martino, Anthony J.; hide

    2007-01-01

    The Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT) was designed to develop techniques for wide-field of view imaging interferometry, using "double-Fourier" methods. These techniques will be important for a wide range of future spacebased interferometry missions. We have provided simple demonstrations of the methodology already, and continuing development of the testbed will lead to higher data rates, improved data quality, and refined algorithms for image reconstruction. At present, the testbed effort includes five lines of development; automation of the testbed, operation in an improved environment, acquisition of large high-quality datasets, development of image reconstruction algorithms, and analytical modeling of the testbed. We discuss the progress made towards the first four of these goals; the analytical modeling is discussed in a separate paper within this conference.

  7. Combined high contrast and wide field of view in the scanning laser ophthalmoscope through dual detection of light paths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carles, Guillem; Muyo, Gonzalo; van Hemert, Jano; Harvey, Andrew R.

    2017-11-01

    We demonstrate a multimode detection system in a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) that enables simultaneous operation in confocal, indirect, and direct modes to permit an agile trade between image contrast and optical sensitivity across the retinal field of view to optimize the overall imaging performance, enabling increased contrast in very wide-field operation. We demonstrate the method on a wide-field SLO employing a hybrid pinhole at its image plane, to yield a twofold increase in vasculature contrast in the central retina compared to its conventional direct mode while retaining high-quality imaging across a wide field of the retina, of up to 200 deg and 20 μm on-axis resolution.

  8. Intense transient electric field sensor based on the electro-optic effect of LiNbO3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Qing; Sun, Shangpeng; Han, Rui; Sima, Wenxia; Liu, Tong

    2015-10-01

    Intense transient electric field measurements are widely applied in various research areas. An optical intense E-field sensor for time-domain measurements, based on the electro-optic effect of lithium niobate, has been studied in detail. Principles and key issues in the design of the sensor are presented. The sensor is insulated, small in size (65 mm × 15 mm × 15 mm), and suitable for high-intensity (<801 kV/m) electric field measurements over a wide frequency band (10 Hz-10 MHz). The input/output characteristics of the sensor were obtained and the sensor calibrated. Finally, an application using this sensor in testing laboratory lightning impulses and in measuring transient electric fields during switch-on of a disconnector confirmed that the sensor is expected to find widespread use in transient intense electric field measurement applications.

  9. Research on Wide-field Imaging Technologies for Low-frequency Radio Array

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lao, B. Q.; An, T.; Chen, X.; Wu, X. C.; Lu, Y.

    2017-09-01

    Wide-field imaging of low-frequency radio telescopes are subject to a number of difficult problems. One particularly pernicious problem is the non-coplanar baseline effect. It will lead to distortion of the final image when the phase of w direction called w-term is ignored. The image degradation effects are amplified for telescopes with the wide field of view. This paper summarizes and analyzes several w-term correction methods and their technical principles. Their advantages and disadvantages have been analyzed after comparing their computational cost and computational complexity. We conduct simulations with two of these methods, faceting and w-projection, based on the configuration of the first-phase Square Kilometre Array (SKA) low frequency array. The resulted images are also compared with the two-dimensional Fourier transform method. The results show that image quality and correctness derived from both faceting and w-projection are better than the two-dimensional Fourier transform method in wide-field imaging. The image quality and run time affected by the number of facets and w steps have been evaluated. The results indicate that the number of facets and w steps must be reasonable. Finally, we analyze the effect of data size on the run time of faceting and w-projection. The results show that faceting and w-projection need to be optimized before the massive amounts of data processing. The research of the present paper initiates the analysis of wide-field imaging techniques and their application in the existing and future low-frequency array, and fosters the application and promotion to much broader fields.

  10. Generalized expression for optical source fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamacıoğlu, Canan; Baykal, Yahya

    2012-09-01

    A generalized optical beam expression is developed that presents the majority of the existing optical source fields such as Bessel, Laguerre-Gaussian, dark hollow, bottle, super Gaussian, Lorentz, super-Lorentz, flat-topped, Hermite-sinusoidal-Gaussian, sinusoidal-Gaussian, annular, Gauss-Legendre, vortex, also their higher order modes with their truncated, elegant and elliptical versions. Source intensity profiles derived from the generalized optical source beam fields are checked to match the intensity profiles of many individual known beam types. Source intensities for several interesting beam combinations are presented. Our generalized optical source beam field expression can be used to examine both the source characteristics and the propagation properties of many different optical beams in a single formulation.

  11. A Precision Metrology System for the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 Instrument

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Toland, Ronald W.

    2003-01-01

    The Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) will replace the current Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). By providing higher throughput and sensitivity than WFPC2, and operating from the near-IR to the near-UV, WFC3 will once again bring the performance of HST above that from ground-based observatories. Crucial to the integration of the WFC3 optical bench is a pair of 2-axis cathetometers used to view targets which cannot be seen by other means when the bench is loaded into its enclosure. The setup and calibration of these cathetometers is described, along with results from a comparison of the cathetometer system with other metrology techniques.

  12. High throughput optical lithography by scanning a massive array of bowtie aperture antennas at near-field

    PubMed Central

    Wen, X.; Datta, A.; Traverso, L. M.; Pan, L.; Xu, X.; Moon, E. E.

    2015-01-01

    Optical lithography, the enabling process for defining features, has been widely used in semiconductor industry and many other nanotechnology applications. Advances of nanotechnology require developments of high-throughput optical lithography capabilities to overcome the optical diffraction limit and meet the ever-decreasing device dimensions. We report our recent experimental advancements to scale up diffraction unlimited optical lithography in a massive scale using the near field nanolithography capabilities of bowtie apertures. A record number of near-field optical elements, an array of 1,024 bowtie antenna apertures, are simultaneously employed to generate a large number of patterns by carefully controlling their working distances over the entire array using an optical gap metrology system. Our experimental results reiterated the ability of using massively-parallel near-field devices to achieve high-throughput optical nanolithography, which can be promising for many important nanotechnology applications such as computation, data storage, communication, and energy. PMID:26525906

  13. Wide field fluorescence epi-microscopy behind a scattering medium enabled by speckle correlations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hofer, Matthias; Soeller, Christian; Brasselet, Sophie; Bertolotti, Jacopo

    2018-04-01

    Fluorescence microscopy is widely used in biological imaging, however scattering from tissues strongly limits its applicability to a shallow depth. In this work we adapt a methodology inspired from stellar speckle interferometry, and exploit the optical memory effect to enable fluorescence microscopy through a turbid layer. We demonstrate efficient reconstruction of micrometer-size fluorescent objects behind a scattering medium in epi-microscopy, and study the specificities of this imaging modality (magnification, field of view, resolution) as compared to traditional microscopy. Using a modified phase retrieval algorithm to reconstruct fluorescent objects from speckle images, we demonstrate robust reconstructions even in relatively low signal to noise conditions. This modality is particularly appropriate for imaging in biological media, which are known to exhibit relatively large optical memory ranges compatible with tens of micrometers size field of views, and large spectral bandwidths compatible with emission fluorescence spectra of tens of nanometers widths.

  14. Field-Sensitive Materials for Optical Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Choi, Sang H.; Little, Mark

    2002-01-01

    The purpose of investigation is to develop the fundamental materials and fabrication technology for field-controlled spectrally active optics that are essential for industry, NASA, and DOD (Department of Defense) applications such as: membrane optics, filters for LIDARs (Light Detection and Ranging), windows for sensors and probes, telescopes, spectroscopes, cameras, light valves, light switches, flat-panel displays, etc. The proposed idea is based on the quantum-dots (QD) array or thin-film of field-sensitive Stark and Zeeman materials and the bound excitonic state of organic crystals that will offer optical adaptability and reconfigurability. Major tasks are the development of concept demonstration article and test data of field-controlled spectrally smart active optics (FCSAO) for optical multi-functional capabilities on a selected spectral range.

  15. The optical system of the proposed Chinese 12-m optical/infrared telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Su, Ding-qiang; Liang, Ming; Yuan, Xiangyan; Bai, Hua; Cui, Xiangqun

    2017-08-01

    The lack of a large-aperture optical/infrared telescope has seriously affected the development of astronomy in China. In 2016, the authors published their concept study and suggestions for a 12-m telescope optical system. This article presents the authors' further research and some new results. Considering that this telescope should be a general-purpose telescope for a wide range of scientific goals and could be used for frontier scientific research in the future, the authors studied and designed a variety of 12-m telescope optical systems for comparison and final decision-making. In general, we still adopt our previous configuration, but the Nasmyth and prime-focus corrector systems have been greatly improved. In this article, the adaptive optics is given special attention. Ground-layer adaptive optics (GLAO) is adopted. It has a 14-arcmin field of view. The secondary mirror is used as the adaptive optical deformable mirror. Obviously, not all the optical systems in this telescope configuration will be used or constructed at the same stage. Some will be for the future and some are meant for research rather than for construction.

  16. Response to the comment on ``Design and analysis of wide-field-of-view polarization imaging spectrometer''

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Chunmin; Mu, Tingkui

    2011-04-01

    Herein, we sincerely make an apology to readers for our misguidance. We have made a mistake on the analysis of the optical path difference produced by the Savart polariscope which resulted in the improper design of a wide-field-of-view Savart polariscope. The correct statements are presented.

  17. The Receiver System for the Ooty Wide Field Array

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Subrahmanya, C. R.; Prasad, P.; Girish, B. S.; Somashekar, R.; Manoharan, P. K.; Mittal, A. K.

    2017-03-01

    The legacy Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) is being reconfigured as a 264-element synthesis telescope, called the Ooty Wide Field Array (OWFA). Its antenna elements are the contiguous 1.92 m sections of the parabolic cylinder. It will operate in a 38-MHz frequency band centred at 326.5 MHz and will be equipped with a digital receiver including a 264-element spectral correlator with a spectral resolution of 48 kHz. OWFA is designed to retain the benefits of equatorial mount, continuous 9-hour tracking ability and large collecting area of the legacy telescope and use of modern digital techniques to enhance the instantaneous field-of-view by more than an order of magnitude. OWFA has unique advantages for contemporary investigations related to large scale structure, transient events and space weather watch. In this paper, we describe the RF subsystems, digitizers and fibre optic communication of OWFA and highlight some specific aspects of the system relevant for the observations planned during the initial operation.

  18. On the Fringe Field of Wide Angle LC Optical Phased Array

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Xighua; Wang, Bin; Bos, Philip J.; Anderson, James E.; Pouch, John; Miranda, Felix; McManamon, Paul F.

    2004-01-01

    For free space laser communication, light weighted large deployable optics is a critical component for the transmitter. However, such an optical element will introduce large aberrations due to the fact that the surface figure of the large optics is susceptable to deformation in the space environment. We propose to use a high-resolution liquid crystal spatial light modulator to correct for wavefront aberrations introduced by the primary optical element, and to achieve very fine beam steering and shaping at the same time. A 2-D optical phased array (OPA) antenna based on a Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) spatial light modulator is described. This device offers a combination of low cost, high resolution, high accuracy, high diffraction efficiency at video speed. To quantitatively understand the influence factor of the different design parameters, a computer simulation of the device is given by the 2-D director simulation and the Finite Difference Time domain (FDTD) simulation. For the 1-D OPA, we define the maximum steering angle to have a grating period of 8 pixel/reset scheme; as for larger steering angles than this criterion, the diffraction efficiency drops dramatically. In this case, the diffraction efficiency of 0.86 and the Strehl ratio of 0.9 are obtained in the simulation. The performance of the device in achieving high resolution wavefront correction and beam steering is also characterized experimentally.

  19. Field Tests of Optical Instruments

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1947-03-15

    s > S3KS55Ü j.6),&;i.r..fc..’.w.~— * s1 Field Tests of Optical Instruments ^. (Not known) (Same) Bureau of Ordnance. Washington, D..D...a large-scale field test of optical instruments are described. The tests were instituted to check the correctness of theoretical considerations and...of laboratory tests -which have been v.sed in the selection and design of such instruments. Field con- ditions approximated as far as possible those

  20. Light concentrator of the wide field of view Cherenkov telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Rui; Sheng, Xi Yi; Liao, Bo Lin

    2016-10-01

    The Wide Field of View Cherenkov Telescope (WFCT) is mainly constituted by optical reflector and focal-plane photomultiplier (PMT) array camera. In order to avoid loss of Cherenkov signal resulting from the dead area between circular PMT tubes and invalid fringe of each PMT, the light concentrator used as front window of PMT is considered to improve detective efficiency. Basing on the edge-ray principle and features of WFCT, several light concentrators are designed and simulated with ZEMAX. The result shows that the hollow hexahedral compound parabolic concentrator (hex-CPC) has good performance in collecting light. Moreover, the samples of the hollow hexahedral CPC have been manufactured and tested.

  1. Advanced Wide-Field Interferometric Microscopy for Nanoparticle Sensing and Characterization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Avci, Oguzhan

    Nanoparticles have a key role in today's biotechnological research owing to the rapid advancement of nanotechnology. While metallic, polymer, and semiconductor based artificial nanoparticles are widely used as labels or targeted drug delivery agents, labeled and label-free detection of natural nanoparticles promise new ways for viral diagnostics and therapeutic applications. The increasing impact of nanoparticles in bio- and nano-technology necessitates the development of advanced tools for their accurate detection and characterization. Optical microscopy techniques have been an essential part of research for visualizing micron-scale particles. However, when it comes to the visualization of individual nano-scale particles, they have shown inadequate success due to the resolution and visibility limitations. Interferometric microscopy techniques have gained significant attention for providing means to overcome the nanoparticle visibility issue that is often the limiting factor in the imaging techniques based solely on the scattered light. In this dissertation, we develop a rigorous physical model to simulate the single nanoparticle optical response in a common-path wide-field interferometric microscopy (WIM) system. While the fundamental elements of the model can be used to analyze nanoparticle response in any generic wide-field imaging systems, we focus on imaging with a layered substrate (common-path interferometer) where specular reflection of illumination provides the reference light for interferometry. A robust physical model is quintessential in realizing the full potential of an optical system, and throughout this dissertation, we make use of it to benchmark our experimental findings, investigate the utility of various optical configurations, reconstruct weakly scattering nanoparticle images, as well as to characterize and discriminate interferometric nanoparticle responses. This study investigates the integration of advanced optical schemes in WIM with two

  2. Ultra-Wideband Optical Modulation Spectrometer (OMS) Development: Study of the Optical Setup of a Wide-Band Optical Modulation Spectrometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tolls, Volker; Stringfellow, Guy (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to advance the design of the optical setup for a wide-band Optical Modulation Spectrometer (OMS) for use with astronomical heterodyne receiver systems. This report describes the progress of this investigation achieved from March until December 2001.

  3. Wide-field fluorescent microscopy on a cell-phone.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Hongying; Yaglidere, Oguzhan; Su, Ting-Wei; Tseng, Derek; Ozcan, Aydogan

    2011-01-01

    We demonstrate wide-field fluorescent imaging on a cell-phone, using compact and cost-effective optical components that are mechanically attached to the existing camera unit of the cell-phone. Battery powered light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used to side-pump the sample of interest using butt-coupling. The pump light is guided within the sample cuvette to excite the specimen uniformly. The fluorescent emission from the sample is then imaged with an additional lens that is put in front of the existing lens of the cell-phone camera. Because the excitation occurs through guided waves that propagate perpendicular to the detection path, an inexpensive plastic color filter is sufficient to create the dark-field background needed for fluorescent imaging. The imaging performance of this light-weight platform (~28 grams) is characterized with red and green fluorescent microbeads, achieving an imaging field-of-view of ~81 mm(2) and a spatial resolution of ~10 μm, which is enhanced through digital processing of the captured cell-phone images using compressive sampling based sparse signal recovery. We demonstrate the performance of this cell-phone fluorescent microscope by imaging labeled white-blood cells separated from whole blood samples as well as water-borne pathogenic protozoan parasites such as Giardia Lamblia cysts.

  4. Widely tuneable scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy using pulsed quantum cascade lasers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoxall, Edward; Navarro-Cía, Miguel; Rahmani, Mohsen; Maier, Stefan A.; Phillips, Chris C.

    2013-11-01

    We demonstrate the use of a pulsed quantum cascade laser, wavelength tuneable between 6 and 10 μm, with a scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM). A simple method for calculating the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the s-SNOM measurement is presented. For pulsed lasers, the SNR is shown to be highly dependent on the degree of synchronization between the laser pulse and the sampling circuitry; in measurements on a gold sample, the SNR is 26 with good synchronization and less than 1 without. Simulations and experimental s-SNOM images, with a resolution of 100 nm, corresponding to λ/80, and an acquisition time of less than 90 s, are presented as proof of concept. They show the change in the field profile of plasmon-resonant broadband antennas when they are excited with wavelengths of 7.9 and 9.5 μm.

  5. Multipass laser amplification with near-field far-field optical separation

    DOEpatents

    Hagen, Wilhelm F.

    1979-01-01

    This invention discloses two classes of optical configurations for high power laser amplification, one allowing near-field and the other allowing far-field optical separation, for the multiple passage of laser pulses through one or more amplifiers over an open optical path. These configurations may reimage the amplifier or any other part of the cavity on itself so as to suppress laser beam intensity ripples that arise from diffraction and/or non-linear effects. The optical cavities combine the features of multiple passes, spatial filtering and optical reimaging and allow sufficient time for laser gain recovery.

  6. Intense transient electric field sensor based on the electro-optic effect of LiNbO{sub 3}

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yang, Qing, E-mail: yangqing@cqu.edu.cn; Sun, Shangpeng; Han, Rui

    2015-10-15

    Intense transient electric field measurements are widely applied in various research areas. An optical intense E-field sensor for time-domain measurements, based on the electro-optic effect of lithium niobate, has been studied in detail. Principles and key issues in the design of the sensor are presented. The sensor is insulated, small in size (65 mm × 15 mm × 15 mm), and suitable for high-intensity (<801 kV/m) electric field measurements over a wide frequency band (10 Hz–10 MHz). The input/output characteristics of the sensor were obtained and the sensor calibrated. Finally, an application using this sensor in testing laboratory lightning impulsesmore » and in measuring transient electric fields during switch-on of a disconnector confirmed that the sensor is expected to find widespread use in transient intense electric field measurement applications.« less

  7. Ultra-wide-field imaging in diabetic retinopathy; an overview.

    PubMed

    Ghasemi Falavarjani, Khalil; Wang, Kang; Khadamy, Joobin; Sadda, Srinivas R

    2016-06-01

    To present an overview on ultra-wide-field imaging in diabetic retinopathy. A comprehensive search of the pubmed database was performed using the search terms of "ultra-wide-field imaging", "ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography" and "diabetic retinopathy". The relevant original articles were reviewed. New advances in ultra-wide-field imaging allow for precise measurements of the peripheral retinal lesions. A consistent finding amongst these articles was that ultra-wide-field imaging improved detection of peripheral lesion. There was discordance among the studies, however, on the correlation between peripheral diabetic lesions and diabetic macular edema. Visualization of the peripheral retina using ultra-wide-field imaging improves diagnosis and classification of diabetic retinopathy. Additional studies are needed to better define the association of peripheral diabetic lesions with diabetic macular edema.

  8. Stereoscopic wide field of view imaging system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prechtl, Eric F. (Inventor); Sedwick, Raymond J. (Inventor); Jonas, Eric M. (Inventor)

    2011-01-01

    A stereoscopic imaging system incorporates a plurality of imaging devices or cameras to generate a high resolution, wide field of view image database from which images can be combined in real time to provide wide field of view or panoramic or omni-directional still or video images.

  9. Wide-Field Raman Imaging of Dental Lesions

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Shan; Li, Bolan; Akkus, Anna; Akkus, Ozan; Lang, Lisa

    2014-01-01

    Detection of dental caries at the onset remains as a great challenge in dentistry. Raman spectroscopy could be successfully applied towards detecting caries since it is sensitive to the amount of the Raman active mineral crystals, the most abundant component of enamel. Effective diagnosis requires full examination of a tooth surface via a Raman mapping. Point-scan Raman mapping is not clinically relevant (feasible) due to lengthy data acquisition time. In this work, a wide-field Raman imaging system was assembled based on a high-sensitivity 2D CCD camera for imaging the mineralization status of teeth with lesions. Wide-field images indicated some lesions to be hypomineralized and others to be hypermineralized. The observations of wide-field Raman imaging were in agreement with point-scan Raman mapping. Therefore, sound enamel and lesions can be discriminated by Raman imaging of the mineral content. In conclusion, wide-field Raman imaging is a potentially useful tool for visualization of dental lesions in the clinic. PMID:24781363

  10. Active optics as enabling technology for future large missions: current developments for astronomy and Earth observation at ESA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hallibert, Pascal

    2017-09-01

    In recent years, a trend for higher resolution has increased the entrance apertures of future optical payloads for both Astronomy and Earth Observation most demanding applications, resulting in new opto-mechanical challenges for future systems based on either monolithic or segmented large primary mirrors. Whether easing feasibility and schedule impact of tight manufacturing and integration constraints or correcting mission-critical in-orbit and commissioning effects, Active Optics constitutes an enabling technology for future large optical space instruments at ESA and needs to reach the necessary maturity in time for future mission selection and implementation. We present here a complete updated overview of our current R and D activities in this field, ranging from deformable space-compatible components to full correction chains including wavefront sensing as well as control and correction algorithms. We share as well our perspectives on the way-forward to technological maturity and implementation within future missions.

  11. O-6 Optical Property Degradation of the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera-2 Pick Off Mirror

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McNamara, Karen M.; Hughes, D. W.; Lauer, H. V.; Burkett, P. J.; Reed, B. B.

    2011-01-01

    Degradation in the performance of optical components can be greatly affected by exposure to the space environment. Many factors can contribute to such degradation including surface contaminants; outgassing; vacuum, UV, and atomic oxygen exposure; temperature cycling; or combinations of parameters. In-situ observations give important clues to degradation processes, but there are relatively few opportunities to correlate those observations with post-flight ground analyses. The return of instruments from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) after its final servicing mission in May 2009 provided such an opportunity. Among the instruments returned from HST was the Wide-Field Planetary Camera-2 (WFPC-2), which had been exposed to the space environment for 16 years. This work focuses on the identifying the sources of degradation in the performance of the Pick-off mirror (POM) from WFPC-2. Techniques including surface reflectivity measurements, spectroscopic ellipsometry, FTIR (and ATR-FTIR) analyses, SEM/EDS, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with and without ion milling, and wet and dry physical surface sampling were performed. Destructive and contact analyses took place only after completion of the non-destructive measurements. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was then repeated to determine the extent of contaminant removal by the destructive techniques, providing insight into the nature and extent of polymerization of the contaminant layer.

  12. Imaging Cajal's neuronal avalanche: how wide-field optical imaging of the point-spread advanced the understanding of neocortical structure-function relationship.

    PubMed

    Frostig, Ron D; Chen-Bee, Cynthia H; Johnson, Brett A; Jacobs, Nathan S

    2017-07-01

    This review brings together a collection of studies that specifically use wide-field high-resolution mesoscopic level imaging techniques (intrinsic signal optical imaging; voltage-sensitive dye optical imaging) to image the cortical point spread (PS): the total spread of cortical activation comprising a large neuronal ensemble evoked by spatially restricted (point) stimulation of the sensory periphery (e.g., whisker, pure tone, point visual stimulation). The collective imaging findings, combined with supporting anatomical and electrophysiological findings, revealed some key aspects about the PS including its very large (radius of several mm) and relatively symmetrical spatial extent capable of crossing cytoarchitectural borders and trespassing into other cortical areas; its relationship with underlying evoked subthreshold activity and underlying anatomical system of long-range horizontal projections within gray matter, both also crossing borders; its contextual modulation and plasticity; the ability of its relative spatiotemporal profile to remain invariant to major changes in stimulation parameters; its potential role as a building block for integrative cortical activity; and its ubiquitous presence across various cortical areas and across mammalian species. Together, these findings advance our understanding about the neocortex at the mesoscopic level by underscoring that the cortical PS constitutes a fundamental motif of neocortical structure-function relationship.

  13. Wide-field Imaging System and Rapid Direction of Optical Zoom (WOZ)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-09-25

    commercial software packages: SolidWorks, COMSOL Multiphysics, and ZEMAX optical design. SolidWorks is a computer aided design package, which as a live...interface to COMSOL. COMSOL is a finite element analysis/partial differential equation solver. ZEMAX is an optical design package. Both COMSOL and... ZEMAX have live interfaces to MatLab. Our initial investigations have enabled a model in SolidWorks to be updated in COMSOL, an FEA calculation

  14. Enhanced Third-Order Optical Nonlinearity Driven by Surface-Plasmon Field Gradients.

    PubMed

    Kravtsov, Vasily; AlMutairi, Sultan; Ulbricht, Ronald; Kutayiah, A Ryan; Belyanin, Alexey; Raschke, Markus B

    2018-05-18

    Efficient nonlinear optical frequency mixing in small volumes is key for future on-chip photonic devices. However, the generally low conversion efficiency severely limits miniaturization to nanoscale dimensions. Here we demonstrate that gradient-field effects can provide for an efficient, conventionally dipole-forbidden nonlinear response. We show that a longitudinal nonlinear source current can dominate the third-order optical nonlinearity of the free electron response in gold in the technologically important near-IR frequency range where the nonlinearities due to other mechanisms are particularly small. Using adiabatic nanofocusing to spatially confine the excitation fields, from measurements of the 2ω_{1}-ω_{2} four-wave mixing response as a function of detuning ω_{1}-ω_{2}, we find up to 10^{-5} conversion efficiency with a gradient-field contribution to χ_{Au}^{(3)} of up to 10^{-19}  m^{2}/V^{2}. The results are in good agreement with the theory based on plasma hydrodynamics and underlying electron dynamics. The associated increase in the nonlinear conversion efficiency with a decreasing sample size, which can even overcompensate the volume decrease, offers a new approach for enhanced nonlinear nano-optics. This will enable more efficient nonlinear optical devices and the extension of coherent multidimensional spectroscopies to the nanoscale.

  15. Enhanced Third-Order Optical Nonlinearity Driven by Surface-Plasmon Field Gradients

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kravtsov, Vasily; AlMutairi, Sultan; Ulbricht, Ronald; Kutayiah, A. Ryan; Belyanin, Alexey; Raschke, Markus B.

    2018-05-01

    Efficient nonlinear optical frequency mixing in small volumes is key for future on-chip photonic devices. However, the generally low conversion efficiency severely limits miniaturization to nanoscale dimensions. Here we demonstrate that gradient-field effects can provide for an efficient, conventionally dipole-forbidden nonlinear response. We show that a longitudinal nonlinear source current can dominate the third-order optical nonlinearity of the free electron response in gold in the technologically important near-IR frequency range where the nonlinearities due to other mechanisms are particularly small. Using adiabatic nanofocusing to spatially confine the excitation fields, from measurements of the 2 ω1-ω2 four-wave mixing response as a function of detuning ω1-ω2, we find up to 10-5 conversion efficiency with a gradient-field contribution to χAu(3 ) of up to 10-19 m2/V2 . The results are in good agreement with the theory based on plasma hydrodynamics and underlying electron dynamics. The associated increase in the nonlinear conversion efficiency with a decreasing sample size, which can even overcompensate the volume decrease, offers a new approach for enhanced nonlinear nano-optics. This will enable more efficient nonlinear optical devices and the extension of coherent multidimensional spectroscopies to the nanoscale.

  16. A low-cost and versatile system for projecting wide-field visual stimuli within fMRI scanners

    PubMed Central

    Greco, V.; Frijia, F.; Mikellidou, K.; Montanaro, D.; Farini, A.; D’Uva, M.; Poggi, P.; Pucci, M.; Sordini, A.; Morrone, M. C.; Burr, D. C.

    2016-01-01

    We have constructed and tested a custom-made magnetic-imaging-compatible visual projection system designed to project on a very wide visual field (~80°). A standard projector was modified with a coupling lens, projecting images into the termination of an image fiber. The other termination of the fiber was placed in the 3-T scanner room with a projection lens, which projected the images relayed by the fiber onto a screen over the head coil, viewed by a participant wearing magnifying goggles. To validate the system, wide-field stimuli were presented in order to identify retinotopic visual areas. The results showed that this low-cost and versatile optical system may be a valuable tool to map visual areas in the brain that process peripheral receptive fields. PMID:26092392

  17. A processing work-flow for measuring erythrocytes velocity in extended vascular networks from wide field high-resolution optical imaging data.

    PubMed

    Deneux, Thomas; Takerkart, Sylvain; Grinvald, Amiram; Masson, Guillaume S; Vanzetta, Ivo

    2012-02-01

    Comprehensive information on the spatio-temporal dynamics of the vascular response is needed to underpin the signals used in hemodynamics-based functional imaging. It has recently been shown that red blood cells (RBCs) velocity and its changes can be extracted from wide-field optical imaging recordings of intrinsic absorption changes in cortex. Here, we describe a complete processing work-flow for reliable RBC velocity estimation in cortical networks. Several pre-processing steps are implemented: image co-registration, necessary to correct for small movements of the vasculature, semi-automatic image segmentation for fast and reproducible vessel selection, reconstruction of RBC trajectories patterns for each micro-vessel, and spatio-temporal filtering to enhance the desired data characteristics. The main analysis step is composed of two robust algorithms for estimating the RBCs' velocity field. Vessel diameter and its changes are also estimated, as well as local changes in backscattered light intensity. This full processing chain is implemented with a software suite that is freely distributed. The software uses efficient data management for handling the very large data sets obtained with in vivo optical imaging. It offers a complete and user-friendly graphical user interface with visualization tools for displaying and exploring data and results. A full data simulation framework is also provided in order to optimize the performances of the algorithm with respect to several characteristics of the data. We illustrate the performance of our method in three different cases of in vivo data. We first document the massive RBC speed response evoked by a spreading depression in anesthetized rat somato-sensory cortex. Second, we show the velocity response elicited by a visual stimulation in anesthetized cat visual cortex. Finally, we report, for the first time, visually-evoked RBC speed responses in an extended vascular network in awake monkey extrastriate cortex. Copyright

  18. Nano-optical conveyor belt, part II: Demonstration of handoff between near-field optical traps.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Yuxin; Ryan, Jason; Hansen, Paul; Cheng, Yao-Te; Lu, Tsung-Ju; Hesselink, Lambertus

    2014-06-11

    Optical tweezers have been widely used to manipulate biological and colloidal material, but the diffraction limit of far-field optics makes focused beams unsuitable for manipulating nanoscale objects with dimensions much smaller than the wavelength of light. While plasmonic structures have recently been successful in trapping nanoscale objects with high positioning accuracy, using such structures for manipulation over longer range has remained a significant challenge. In this work, we introduce a conveyor belt design based on a novel plasmonic structure, the resonant C-shaped engraving (CSE). We show how long-range manipulation is made possible by means of handoff between neighboring CSEs, and we present a simple technique for controlling handoff by rotating the polarization of laser illumination. We experimentally demonstrate handoff between a pair of CSEs for polystyrene spheres 200, 390, and 500 nm in diameter. We then extend this technique and demonstrate controlled particle transport down a 4.5 μm long "nano-optical conveyor belt."

  19. Parallel mapping of optical near-field interactions by molecular motor-driven quantum dots.

    PubMed

    Groß, Heiko; Heil, Hannah S; Ehrig, Jens; Schwarz, Friedrich W; Hecht, Bert; Diez, Stefan

    2018-04-30

    In the vicinity of metallic nanostructures, absorption and emission rates of optical emitters can be modulated by several orders of magnitude 1,2 . Control of such near-field light-matter interaction is essential for applications in biosensing 3 , light harvesting 4 and quantum communication 5,6 and requires precise mapping of optical near-field interactions, for which single-emitter probes are promising candidates 7-11 . However, currently available techniques are limited in terms of throughput, resolution and/or non-invasiveness. Here, we present an approach for the parallel mapping of optical near-field interactions with a resolution of <5 nm using surface-bound motor proteins to transport microtubules carrying single emitters (quantum dots). The deterministic motion of the quantum dots allows for the interpolation of their tracked positions, resulting in an increased spatial resolution and a suppression of localization artefacts. We apply this method to map the near-field distribution of nanoslits engraved into gold layers and find an excellent agreement with finite-difference time-domain simulations. Our technique can be readily applied to a variety of surfaces for scalable, nanometre-resolved and artefact-free near-field mapping using conventional wide-field microscopes.

  20. An Empirical Study of Contamination in Deep, Rapid, and Wide-field Optical Follow-up of Gravitational Wave Events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cowperthwaite, P. S.; Berger, E.; Rest, A.; Chornock, R.; Scolnic, D. M.; Williams, P. K. G.; Fong, W.; Drout, M. R.; Foley, R. J.; Margutti, R.; Lunnan, R.; Metzger, B. D.; Quataert, E.

    2018-05-01

    We present an empirical study of contamination in wide-field optical follow-up searches of gravitational wave sources from Advanced LIGO/Virgo using dedicated observations with the Dark Energy Camera. Our search covered ∼56 deg2, with two visits per night, in the i and z bands, followed by an additional set of griz images three weeks later to serve as reference images for subtraction. We achieve 5σ point-source limiting magnitudes of i ≈ 23.5 and z ≈ 22.4 mag in the coadded single-epoch images. We conduct a search for transient objects that mimic the i ‑ z color behavior of both red (i‑z > 0.5 mag) and blue (i‑z < 0 mag) kilonova emission, finding 11 and 10 contaminants, respectively. Independent of color, we identify 48 transients of interest. Additionally, we leverage the rapid cadence of our observations to search for sources with characteristic timescales of ≈1 day and ≈3 hr, finding no potential contaminants. We assess the efficiency of our search with injected point sources, finding that we are 90% (60%) efficient when searching for red (blue) kilonova-like sources to a limiting magnitude of i ≲ 22.5 mag. Using our efficiencies, we derive sky rates for kilonova contaminants of {{ \\mathcal R }}red} ≈ 0.16 deg‑2 and {{ \\mathcal R }}blue}≈ 0.80 deg‑2. The total contamination rate is {{ \\mathcal R }}all}≈ 1.79 deg‑2. We compare our results to previous optical follow-up efforts and comment on the outlook for gravitational wave follow-up searches as additional detectors (e.g., KAGRA, LIGO India) come online in the next decade.

  1. Ultra-wide-field imaging in diabetic retinopathy.

    PubMed

    Ghasemi Falavarjani, Khalil; Tsui, Irena; Sadda, Srinivas R

    2017-10-01

    Since 1991, 7-field images captured with 30-50 degree cameras in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study were the gold standard for fundus imaging to study diabetic retinopathy. Ultra-wide-field images cover significantly more area (up to 82%) of the fundus and with ocular steering can in many cases image 100% of the fundus ("panretinal"). Recent advances in image analysis of ultra-wide-field imaging allow for precise measurements of the peripheral retinal lesions. There is a growing consensus in the literature that ultra-wide-field imaging improves detection of peripheral lesions in diabetic retinopathy and leads to more accurate classification of the disease. There is discordance among studies, however, on the correlation between peripheral diabetic lesions and diabetic macular edema and optimal management strategies to treat diabetic retinopathy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Sub-micron materials characterization using near-field optics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blodgett, David Wesley

    1998-12-01

    High-resolution sub-surface materials characterization and inspection are critical in the microelectronics and thin films industries. To this end, a technique is described that couples the bulk property measurement capabilities of high-frequency ultrasound with the high-resolution surface imaging capabilities of the near-field optical microscope. Sensing bulk microstructure variations in the material, such as grain boundaries, requires a detection footprint smaller than the variation itself. The near-field optical microscope, with the ability to exceed the diffraction limit in optical resolution, meets this requirement. Two apertureless near-field optical microscopes, on-axis and off-axis illumination, have been designed and built. Near-field and far-field approach curves for both microscopes are presented. The sensitivity of the near-field approach curve was 8.3 muV/nm. Resolution studies for the near-field microscope indicate optical resolutions on the order of 50 nm, which exceeds the diffraction limit. The near-field microscope has been adapted to detect both contact-transducer-generated and laser-generated ultrasound. The successful detection of high-frequency ultrasound with the near-field optical microscope demonstrates the potential of this technique.

  3. The Wide-Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT): Recent Progress in the Simulation and Synthesis of WIIT Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Juanola Parramon, Roser; Leisawitz, David T.; Bolcar, Matthew R.; Maher, Stephen F.; Rinehart, Stephen A.; Iacchetta, Alex; Savini, Giorgio

    2016-01-01

    The Wide-field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT) is a double Fourier (DF) interferometer operating at optical wavelengths, and provides data that are highly representative of those from a space-based far-infrared interferometer like SPIRIT. This testbed has been used to measure both a geometrically simple test scene and an astronomically representative test scene. Here we present the simulation of recent WIIT measurements using FIInS (the Far-infrared Interferometer Instrument Simulator), the main goal of which is to simulate both the input and the output of a DFM system. FIInS has been modified to perform calculations at optical wavelengths and to include an extended field of view due to the presence of a detector array.

  4. Wide-field Infrared Polarimetry of the ρ Ophiuchi Cloud Core

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kwon, Jungmi; Tamura, Motohide; Hough, James H.; Nakajima, Yasushi; Nishiyama, Shogo; Kusakabe, Nobuhiko; Nagata, Tetsuya; Kandori, Ryo

    2015-09-01

    We conducted wide and deep simultaneous JHKs-band imaging polarimetry of the ρ Ophiuchi cloud complex. Aperture polarimetry in the JHKs band was conducted for 2136 sources in all three bands, of which 322 sources have significant polarizations in all the JHKs bands and have been used for a discussion of the core magnetic fields. There is a positive correlation between degrees of polarization and H - Ks color up to H - Ks ≈ 3.5. The magnetic field structures in the core region are revealed up to at least AV ≈ 47 mag and are unambiguously defined in each sub-region (core) of Oph-A, Oph-B, Oph-C, Oph-E, Oph-F, and Oph-AC. Their directions, degrees of polarization, and polarization efficiencies differ but their changes are gradual; thus, the magnetic fields appear to be connected from core to core, rather than as a simple overlap of the different cloud core components. Comparing our results with the large-scale field structures obtained from previous optical polarimetric studies, we suggest that the magnetic field structures in the core were distorted by the cluster formation in this region, which may have been induced by shock compression due to wind/radiation from the Scorpius-Centaurus association.

  5. Structured caustic vector vortex optical field: manipulating optical angular momentum flux and polarization rotation.

    PubMed

    Chen, Rui-Pin; Chen, Zhaozhong; Chew, Khian-Hooi; Li, Pei-Gang; Yu, Zhongliang; Ding, Jianping; He, Sailing

    2015-05-29

    A caustic vector vortex optical field is experimentally generated and demonstrated by a caustic-based approach. The desired caustic with arbitrary acceleration trajectories, as well as the structured states of polarization (SoP) and vortex orders located in different positions in the field cross-section, is generated by imposing the corresponding spatial phase function in a vector vortex optical field. Our study reveals that different spin and orbital angular momentum flux distributions (including opposite directions) in different positions in the cross-section of a caustic vector vortex optical field can be dynamically managed during propagation by intentionally choosing the initial polarization and vortex topological charges, as a result of the modulation of the caustic phase. We find that the SoP in the field cross-section rotates during propagation due to the existence of the vortex. The unique structured feature of the caustic vector vortex optical field opens the possibility of multi-manipulation of optical angular momentum fluxes and SoP, leading to more complex manipulation of the optical field scenarios. Thus this approach further expands the functionality of an optical system.

  6. Wide-field imaging of birefringent synovial fluid crystals using lens-free polarized microscopy for gout diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yibo; Lee, Seung Yoon Celine; Zhang, Yun; Furst, Daniel; Fitzgerald, John; Ozcan, Aydogan

    2016-06-01

    Gout is a form of crystal arthropathy where monosodium urate (MSU) crystals deposit and elicit inflammation in a joint. Diagnosis of gout relies on identification of MSU crystals under a compensated polarized light microscope (CPLM) in synovial fluid aspirated from the patient’s joint. The detection of MSU crystals by optical microscopy is enhanced by their birefringent properties. However, CPLM partially suffers from the high-cost and bulkiness of conventional lens-based microscopy, and its relatively small field-of-view (FOV) limits the efficiency and accuracy of gout diagnosis. Here we present a lens-free polarized microscope which adopts a novel differential and angle-mismatched polarizing optical design achieving wide-field and high-resolution holographic imaging of birefringent objects with a color contrast similar to that of a standard CPLM. The performance of this computational polarization microscope is validated by imaging MSU crystals made from a gout patient’s tophus and steroid crystals used as negative control. This lens-free polarized microscope, with its wide FOV (>20 mm2), cost-effectiveness and field-portability, can significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of gout diagnosis, reduce costs, and can be deployed even at the point-of-care and in resource-limited clinical settings.

  7. Wide-field imaging of birefringent synovial fluid crystals using lens-free polarized microscopy for gout diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yibo; Lee, Seung Yoon Celine; Zhang, Yun; Furst, Daniel; Fitzgerald, John; Ozcan, Aydogan

    2016-01-01

    Gout is a form of crystal arthropathy where monosodium urate (MSU) crystals deposit and elicit inflammation in a joint. Diagnosis of gout relies on identification of MSU crystals under a compensated polarized light microscope (CPLM) in synovial fluid aspirated from the patient’s joint. The detection of MSU crystals by optical microscopy is enhanced by their birefringent properties. However, CPLM partially suffers from the high-cost and bulkiness of conventional lens-based microscopy, and its relatively small field-of-view (FOV) limits the efficiency and accuracy of gout diagnosis. Here we present a lens-free polarized microscope which adopts a novel differential and angle-mismatched polarizing optical design achieving wide-field and high-resolution holographic imaging of birefringent objects with a color contrast similar to that of a standard CPLM. The performance of this computational polarization microscope is validated by imaging MSU crystals made from a gout patient’s tophus and steroid crystals used as negative control. This lens-free polarized microscope, with its wide FOV (>20 mm2), cost-effectiveness and field-portability, can significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of gout diagnosis, reduce costs, and can be deployed even at the point-of-care and in resource-limited clinical settings. PMID:27356625

  8. Mini-MegaTORTORA Wide-Field Monitoring System with Subsecond Temporal Resolution: Observation of Transient Events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karpov, S.; Beskin, G.; Biryukov, A.; Bondar, S.; Ivanov, E.; Katkova, E.; Orekhova, N.; Perkov, A.; Sasyuk, V.

    2017-06-01

    Here we present the summary of first years of operation and the first results of a novel 9-channel wide-field optical monitoring system with sub-second temporal resolution, Mini-MegaTORTORA (MMT-9), which is in operation now at Special Astrophysical Observatory on Russian Caucasus. The system is able to observe the sky simultaneously in either wide (˜900 square degrees) or narrow (˜100 square degrees) fields of view, either in clear light or with any combination of color (Johnson-Cousins B, V or R) and polarimetric filters installed, with exposure times ranging from 0.1 s to hundreds of seconds.The real-time system data analysis pipeline performs automatic detection of rapid transient events, both near-Earth and extragalactic. The objects routinely detected by MMT include faint meteors and artificial satellites.

  9. Web Platform for Sharing Modeling Software in the Field of Nonlinear Optics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubenskaya, Julia; Kryukov, Alexander; Demichev, Andrey

    2018-02-01

    We describe the prototype of a Web platform intended for sharing software programs for computer modeling in the rapidly developing field of the nonlinear optics phenomena. The suggested platform is built on the top of the HUBZero open-source middleware. In addition to the basic HUBZero installation we added to our platform the capability to run Docker containers via an external application server and to send calculation programs to those containers for execution. The presented web platform provides a wide range of features and might be of benefit to nonlinear optics researchers.

  10. Fresnel Lenses for Wide-Aperture Optical Receivers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hemmati, Hamid

    2004-01-01

    Wide-aperture receivers for freespace optical communication systems would utilize Fresnel lenses instead of conventional telescope lenses, according to a proposal. Fresnel lenses weigh and cost much less than conventional lenses having equal aperture widths. Plastic Fresnel lenses are commercially available in diameters up to 5 m large enough to satisfy requirements for aperture widths of the order of meters for collecting sufficient light in typical long-distance free-space optical communication systems. Fresnel lenses are not yet suitable for high-quality diffraction-limited imaging, especially in polychromatic light. However, optical communication systems utilize monochromatic light, and there is no requirement for high-quality imaging; instead, the basic requirement for an optical receiver is to collect the incoming monochromatic light over a wide aperture and concentrate the light onto a photodetector. Because of lens aberrations and diffraction, the light passing through any lens is focused to a blur circle rather than to a point. Calculations for some representative cases of wide-aperture non-diffraction-limited Fresnel lenses have shown that it should be possible to attain blur-circle diameters of less than 2 mm. Preferably, the blur-circle diameter should match the width of the photodetector. For most high-bandwidth communication applications, the required photodetector diameters would be about 1 mm. In a less-preferable case in which the blur circle was wider than a single photodetector, it would be possible to occupy the blur circle with an array of photodetectors. As an alternative to using a single large Fresnel lens, one could use an array of somewhat smaller lenses to synthesize the equivalent aperture area. Such a configuration might be preferable in a case in which a single Fresnel lens of the requisite large size would be impractical to manufacture, and the blur circle could not be made small enough. For example one could construct a square array

  11. Rapid wide-field Mueller matrix polarimetry imaging based on four photoelastic modulators with no moving parts.

    PubMed

    Alali, Sanaz; Gribble, Adam; Vitkin, I Alex

    2016-03-01

    A new polarimetry method is demonstrated to image the entire Mueller matrix of a turbid sample using four photoelastic modulators (PEMs) and a charge coupled device (CCD) camera, with no moving parts. Accurate wide-field imaging is enabled with a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) optical gating technique and an evolutionary algorithm (EA) that optimizes imaging times. This technique accurately and rapidly measured the Mueller matrices of air, polarization elements, and turbid phantoms. The system should prove advantageous for Mueller matrix analysis of turbid samples (e.g., biological tissues) over large fields of view, in less than a second.

  12. Water-Immersible MEMS scanning mirror designed for wide-field fast-scanning photoacoustic microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yao, Junjie; Huang, Chih-Hsien; Martel, Catherine; Maslov, Konstantin I.; Wang, Lidai; Yang, Joon-Mo; Gao, Liang; Randolph, Gwendalyn; Zou, Jun; Wang, Lihong V.

    2013-03-01

    By offering images with high spatial resolution and unique optical absorption contrast, optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) has gained increasing attention in biomedical research. Recent developments in OR-PAM have improved its imaging speed, but have sacrificed either the detection sensitivity or field of view or both. We have developed a wide-field fast-scanning OR-PAM by using a water-immersible MEMS scanning mirror (MEMS-ORPAM). Made of silicon with a gold coating, the MEMS mirror plate can reflect both optical and acoustic beams. Because it uses an electromagnetic driving force, the whole MEMS scanning system can be submerged in water. In MEMS-ORPAM, the optical and acoustic beams are confocally configured and simultaneously steered, which ensures uniform detection sensitivity. A B-scan imaging speed as high as 400 Hz can be achieved over a 3 mm scanning range. A diffraction-limited lateral resolution of 2.4 μm in water and a maximum imaging depth of 1.1 mm in soft tissue have been experimentally determined. Using the system, we imaged the flow dynamics of both red blood cells and carbon particles in a mouse ear in vivo. By using Evans blue dye as the contrast agent, we also imaged the flow dynamics of lymphatic vessels in a mouse tail in vivo. The results show that MEMS-OR-PAM could be a powerful tool for studying highly dynamic and time-sensitive biological phenomena.

  13. Magneto-Optic Field Coupling in Optical Fiber Bragg Gratings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carman, Gregory P. (Inventor); Mohanchandra, Panduranga K. (Inventor); Emmons, Michael C. (Inventor); Richards, William Lance (Inventor)

    2016-01-01

    The invention is a magneto-optic coupled magnetic sensor that comprises a standard optical fiber Bragg grating system. The system includes an optical fiber with at least one Bragg grating therein. The optical fiber has at least an inner core and a cladding that surrounds the inner core. The optical fiber is part of an optical system that includes an interrogation device that provides a light wave through the optical fiber and a system to determine the change in the index of refraction of the optical fiber. The cladding of the optical fiber comprises at least a portion of which is made up of ferromagnetic particles so that the ferromagnetic particles are subject to the light wave provided by the interrogation system. When a magnetic field is present, the ferromagnetic particles change the optical properties of the sensor directly.

  14. Successful Fiber Sensing Technologies and Hot Topics for the Near Future

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    López-Higuera, J. M.; Cobo, A.; Conde, Olga; Lomer, M.; Madruga, F.; Quintela, M. A.; Quintela, A.; Mirapeix, J.

    2008-10-01

    Inside the Photonics field Optical Fiber Sensors (OFS) are currently being used and will still be used in the future in a wide number of applications because its properties present technical advantages over traditional techniques or, sometimes, is practically the only feasible solution. In this paper, the more successful techniques will be reviewed. Then a prospective for the near future of the market and hot topics in which invest research resources will be suggested.

  15. Development of feature extraction analysis for a multi-functional optical profiling device applied to field engineering applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Xu; Xie, Guangping; Laflen, Brandon; Jia, Ming; Song, Guiju; Harding, Kevin G.

    2015-05-01

    In the real application environment of field engineering, a large variety of metrology tools are required by the technician to inspect part profile features. However, some of these tools are burdensome and only address a sole application or measurement. In other cases, standard tools lack the capability of accessing irregular profile features. Customers of field engineering want the next generation metrology devices to have the ability to replace the many current tools with one single device. This paper will describe a method based on the ring optical gage concept to the measurement of numerous kinds of profile features useful for the field technician. The ring optical system is composed of a collimated laser, a conical mirror and a CCD camera. To be useful for a wide range of applications, the ring optical system requires profile feature extraction algorithms and data manipulation directed toward real world applications in field operation. The paper will discuss such practical applications as measuring the non-ideal round hole with both off-centered and oblique axes. The algorithms needed to analyze other features such as measuring the width of gaps, radius of transition fillets, fall of step surfaces, and surface parallelism will also be discussed in this paper. With the assistance of image processing and geometric algorithms, these features can be extracted with a reasonable performance. Tailoring the feature extraction analysis to this specific gage offers the potential for a wider application base beyond simple inner diameter measurements. The paper will present experimental results that are compared with standard gages to prove the performance and feasibility of the analysis in real world field engineering. Potential accuracy improvement methods, a new dual ring design and future work will be discussed at the end of this paper.

  16. Imaging Cajal’s neuronal avalanche: how wide-field optical imaging of the point-spread advanced the understanding of neocortical structure–function relationship

    PubMed Central

    Frostig, Ron D.; Chen-Bee, Cynthia H.; Johnson, Brett A.; Jacobs, Nathan S.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract. This review brings together a collection of studies that specifically use wide-field high-resolution mesoscopic level imaging techniques (intrinsic signal optical imaging; voltage-sensitive dye optical imaging) to image the cortical point spread (PS): the total spread of cortical activation comprising a large neuronal ensemble evoked by spatially restricted (point) stimulation of the sensory periphery (e.g., whisker, pure tone, point visual stimulation). The collective imaging findings, combined with supporting anatomical and electrophysiological findings, revealed some key aspects about the PS including its very large (radius of several mm) and relatively symmetrical spatial extent capable of crossing cytoarchitectural borders and trespassing into other cortical areas; its relationship with underlying evoked subthreshold activity and underlying anatomical system of long-range horizontal projections within gray matter, both also crossing borders; its contextual modulation and plasticity; the ability of its relative spatiotemporal profile to remain invariant to major changes in stimulation parameters; its potential role as a building block for integrative cortical activity; and its ubiquitous presence across various cortical areas and across mammalian species. Together, these findings advance our understanding about the neocortex at the mesoscopic level by underscoring that the cortical PS constitutes a fundamental motif of neocortical structure–function relationship. PMID:28630879

  17. The 64 Mpixel wide field imager for the Wendelstein 2m telescope: design and calibration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kosyra, Ralf; Gössl, Claus; Hopp, Ulrich; Lang-Bardl, Florian; Riffeser, Arno; Bender, Ralf; Seitz, Stella

    2014-11-01

    The Wendelstein Observatory of Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich has recently been upgraded with a modern 2m robotic telescope. One Nasmyth port of the telescope has been equipped with a wide-field corrector which preserves the excellent image quality (<0.8 " median seeing) of the site (Hopp et al. 2008) over a field of view of 0.7 degrees diameter. The available field is imaged by an optical imager (WWFI, the Wendelstein Wide Field Imager) built around a customized 2×2 mosaic of 4 k×4 k 15 μm e2v CCDs from Spectral Instruments. This paper provides an overview of the design and the WWFI's performance. We summarize the system mechanics (including a structural analysis), the electronics (and its electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection) and the control software. We discuss in detail detector system parameters, i.e. gain and readout noise, quantum efficiency as well as charge transfer efficiency (CTE) and persistent charges. First on sky tests yield overall good predictability of system throughput based on lab measurements.

  18. Wide-field computational imaging of pathology slides using lens-free on-chip microscopy.

    PubMed

    Greenbaum, Alon; Zhang, Yibo; Feizi, Alborz; Chung, Ping-Luen; Luo, Wei; Kandukuri, Shivani R; Ozcan, Aydogan

    2014-12-17

    Optical examination of microscale features in pathology slides is one of the gold standards to diagnose disease. However, the use of conventional light microscopes is partially limited owing to their relatively high cost, bulkiness of lens-based optics, small field of view (FOV), and requirements for lateral scanning and three-dimensional (3D) focus adjustment. We illustrate the performance of a computational lens-free, holographic on-chip microscope that uses the transport-of-intensity equation, multi-height iterative phase retrieval, and rotational field transformations to perform wide-FOV imaging of pathology samples with comparable image quality to a traditional transmission lens-based microscope. The holographically reconstructed image can be digitally focused at any depth within the object FOV (after image capture) without the need for mechanical focus adjustment and is also digitally corrected for artifacts arising from uncontrolled tilting and height variations between the sample and sensor planes. Using this lens-free on-chip microscope, we successfully imaged invasive carcinoma cells within human breast sections, Papanicolaou smears revealing a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, and sickle cell anemia blood smears over a FOV of 20.5 mm(2). The resulting wide-field lens-free images had sufficient image resolution and contrast for clinical evaluation, as demonstrated by a pathologist's blinded diagnosis of breast cancer tissue samples, achieving an overall accuracy of ~99%. By providing high-resolution images of large-area pathology samples with 3D digital focus adjustment, lens-free on-chip microscopy can be useful in resource-limited and point-of-care settings. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  19. An approach to the design of wide-angle optical systems with special illumination and IFOV requirements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pravdivtsev, Andrey V.

    2012-06-01

    The article presents the approach to the design wide-angle optical systems with special illumination and instantaneous field of view (IFOV) requirements. The unevenness of illumination reduces the dynamic range of the system, which negatively influence on the system ability to perform their task. The result illumination on the detector depends among other factors from the IFOV changes. It is also necessary to consider IFOV in the synthesis of data processing algorithms, as it directly affects to the potential "signal/background" ratio for the case of statistically homogeneous backgrounds. A numerical-analytical approach that simplifies the design of wideangle optical systems with special illumination and IFOV requirements is presented. The solution can be used for optical systems which field of view greater than 180 degrees. Illumination calculation in optical CAD is based on computationally expensive tracing of large number of rays. The author proposes to use analytical expression for some characteristics which illumination depends on. The rest characteristic are determined numerically in calculation with less computationally expensive operands, the calculation performs not every optimization step. The results of analytical calculation inserts in the merit function of optical CAD optimizer. As a result we reduce the optimizer load, since using less computationally expensive operands. It allows reducing time and resources required to develop a system with the desired characteristics. The proposed approach simplifies the creation and understanding of the requirements for the quality of the optical system, reduces the time and resources required to develop an optical system, and allows creating more efficient EOS.

  20. Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy and Raman Microscopy.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harootunian, Alec Tate

    1987-09-01

    Both a one dimensional near-field scanning optical microscope and Raman microprobe were constructed. In near -field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) a subwavelength aperture is scanned in the near-field of the object. Radiation transmitted through the aperture is collected to form an image as the aperture scans over the object. The resolution of an NSOM system is essentially wavelength independent and is limited by the diameter of the aperture used to scan the object. NSOM was developed in an effort to provide a nondestructive in situ high spatial resolution probe while still utilizing photons at optical wavelengths. The Raman microprobe constructed provided vibrational Raman information with spatial resolution equivalent that of a conventional diffraction limited microscope. Both transmission studies and near-field diffration studies of subwavelength apertures were performed. Diffraction theories for a small aperture in an infinitely thin conducting screen, a slit in a thick conducting screen, and an aperture in a black screen were examined. All three theories indicate collimation of radiation to the size to the size of the subwavelength aperture or slit in the near-field. Theoretical calculations and experimental results indicate that light transmitted through subwavelength apertures is readily detectable. Light of wavelength 4579 (ANGSTROM) was transmitted through apertures with diameters as small as 300 (ANGSTROM). These studies indicate the feasibility of constructing an NSOM system. One dimensional transmission and fluorescence NSOM systems were constructed. Apertures in the tips of metallized glass pipettes width inner diameters of less than 1000 (ANGSTROM) were used as a light source in the NSOM system. A tunneling current was used to maintain the aperture position in the near-field. Fluorescence NSOM was demonstrated for the first time. Microspectroscopic and Raman microscopic studies of turtle cone oil droplets were performed. Both the Raman vibrational

  1. Optical Design Trade Study for the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope [WFIRST

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Content, David A.; Goullioud, R.; Lehan, John P.; Mentzell, John E.

    2011-01-01

    The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) mission concept was ranked first in new space astrophysics mission by the Astro2010 Decadal Survey incorporating the Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM)-Omega payload concept and multiple science white papers. This mission is based on a space telescope at L2 studying exoplanets [via gravitational microlensing], probing dark energy, and surveying the near infrared sky. Since the release of NWNH, the WFIRST project has been working with the WFIRST science definition team (SDT) to refine mission and payload concepts. We present the driving requirements. The current interim reference mission point design, based on the use of a 1.3m unobscured aperture three mirror anastigmat form, with focal imaging and slitless spectroscopy science channels, is consistent with the requirements, requires no technology development, and out performs the JDEM-Omega design.

  2. IAU Working Group on Wide-Field Imaging.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacGillivray, H. T.

    1991-01-01

    Contents: 1. Introduction - The IAU Working Group on Wide-Field Imaging (R. M. West). 2. Reports from the Sub-Sections of the Working Group - a. Sky surveys and patrols (R. M. West). b. Photographic techniques (D. F. Malin). c. Digitization techniques (H. T. MacGillivray). d. Archival and retrieval of wide-field data (B. Lasker). 3. Meeting of the Organising Committee (R. M. West). 4. Wide-field plate archives (M. Tsvetkov). 5. Reproduction of the Palomar Observatory Sky Surveys (R. J. Brucato). 6. Status of the St ScI scan-distribution program (B. Lasker). 7. Pixel addition - pushing Schmidt plates to B = 25 (M. R. S. Hawkins). 8. Photometry from Estar film (S. Phillipps, Q. Parker). 9. ASCHOT - Astrophysical Schmidt Orbital Telescope (H. Lorenz). 10. The Hitchhiker parallel CCD camera (J. Davies, M. Disney, S. Driver, I. Morgan, S. Phillipps).

  3. SAAO's new robotic telescope and WiNCam (Wide-field Nasmyth Camera)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Worters, Hannah L.; O'Connor, James E.; Carter, David B.; Loubser, Egan; Fourie, Pieter A.; Sickafoose, Amanda; Swanevelder, Pieter

    2016-08-01

    The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is designing and manufacturing a wide-field camera for use on two of its telescopes. The initial concept was of a Prime focus camera for the 74" telescope, an equatorial design made by Grubb Parsons, where it would employ a 61mmx61mm detector to cover a 23 arcmin diameter field of view. However, while in the design phase, SAAO embarked on the process of acquiring a bespoke 1-metre robotic alt-az telescope with a 43 arcmin field of view, which needs a homegrown instrument suite. The Prime focus camera design was thus adapted for use on either telescope, increasing the detector size to 92mmx92mm. Since the camera will be mounted on the Nasmyth port of the new telescope, it was dubbed WiNCam (Wide-field Nasmyth Camera). This paper describes both WiNCam and the new telescope. Producing an instrument that can be swapped between two very different telescopes poses some unique challenges. At the Nasmyth port of the alt-az telescope there is ample circumferential space, while on the 74 inch the available envelope is constrained by the optical footprint of the secondary, if further obscuration is to be avoided. This forces the design into a cylindrical volume of 600mm diameter x 250mm height. The back focal distance is tightly constrained on the new telescope, shoehorning the shutter, filter unit, guider mechanism, a 10mm thick window and a tip/tilt mechanism for the detector into 100mm depth. The iris shutter and filter wheel planned for prime focus could no longer be accommodated. Instead, a compact shutter with a thickness of less than 20mm has been designed in-house, using a sliding curtain mechanism to cover an aperture of 125mmx125mm, while the filter wheel has been replaced with 2 peripheral filter cartridges (6 filters each) and a gripper to move a filter into the beam. We intend using through-vacuum wall PCB technology across the cryostat vacuum interface, instead of traditional hermetic connector-based wiring. This

  4. Wide-field direct CCD observations supporting the Astro-1 Space Shuttle mission's Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hintzen, Paul; Angione, Ron; Talbert, Freddie; Cheng, K.-P.; Smith, Eric; Stecher, Theodore P.

    1993-01-01

    Wide field direct CCD observations are being obtained to support and complement the vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) images provided by Astro's Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) during a Space Shuttle flight in December 1990. Because of the wide variety of projects addressed by UIT, the fields observed include (1) galactic supernova remnants such as the Cygnus Loop and globular clusters such as Omega Cen and M79; (2) the Magellanic Clouds, M33, M81, and other galaxies in the Local Group; and (3) rich clusters of galaxies, principally the Perseus cluster and Abell 1367. Ground-based observations have been obtained for virtually all of the Astro-1 UIT fields. The optical images allow identification of individual UV sources in each field and provide the long baseline in wavelength necessary for accurate analysis of UV-bright sources. To facilitate use of our optical images for analysis of UIT data and other projects, we plan to archive them, with the UIT images, at the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), where they will be universally accessible via anonymous FTP. The UIT, one of three telescopes comprising the Astro spacecraft, is a 38-cm f/9 Ritchey-Chretien telescope on which high quantum efficiency, solar-blind image tubes are used to record VUV images on photographic film. Five filters with passbands centered between 1250A and 2500A provide both VUV colors and a measurement of extinction via the 2200A dust feature. The resulting calibrated VUV pictures are 40 arcminutes in diameter at 2.5 arcseconds resolution. The capabilities of UIT, therefore, complement HST's WFPC: the latter has 40 times greater collecting area, while UIT's usable field has 170 times WFPC's field area.

  5. Wide-field microscopy using microcamera arrays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marks, Daniel L.; Youn, Seo Ho; Son, Hui S.; Kim, Jungsang; Brady, David J.

    2013-02-01

    A microcamera is a relay lens paired with image sensors. Microcameras are grouped into arrays to relay overlapping views of a single large surface to the sensors to form a continuous synthetic image. The imaged surface may be curved or irregular as each camera may independently be dynamically focused to a different depth. Microcamera arrays are akin to microprocessors in supercomputers in that both join individual processors by an optoelectronic routing fabric to increase capacity and performance. A microcamera may image ten or more megapixels and grouped into an array of several hundred, as has already been demonstrated by the DARPA AWARE Wide-Field program with multiscale gigapixel photography. We adapt gigapixel microcamera array architectures to wide-field microscopy of irregularly shaped surfaces to greatly increase area imaging over 1000 square millimeters at resolutions of 3 microns or better in a single snapshot. The system includes a novel relay design, a sensor electronics package, and a FPGA-based networking fabric. Biomedical applications of this include screening for skin lesions, wide-field and resolution-agile microsurgical imaging, and microscopic cytometry of millions of cells performed in situ.

  6. NEW ULTRA-WIDE-FIELD ANGIOGRAPHIC GRADING SCHEME FOR RADIATION RETINOPATHY AFTER IODINE-125 BRACHYTHERAPY FOR UVEAL MELANOMA.

    PubMed

    McCannel, Tara A; Kim, EunAh; Kamrava, Mitchell; Lamb, James; Caprioli, Joseph; Yang, Dong; McCannel, Colin A

    2017-10-06

    Radiation retinopathy remains incompletely characterized and may cause severe vision loss. Ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography provides a pan-fundus view of vascular alterations caused by radiation treatment and may predict visual and ocular outcomes. We have developed a grading scheme to describe pan-fundus severity and to predict the progression of radiation retinopathy in patients treated for uveal melanoma with iodine-125 brachytherapy. A retrospective review of patients treated with standard iodine-125 brachytherapy for uveal melanoma at the Ophthalmic Oncology Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, who had undergone both baseline and postbrachytherapy ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography. A grading scheme was devised based on observations of vascular leakage, retinal perfusion status, and retinal proliferation. The correlation of grade severity with patient characteristics, tumor features, visual acuity, optical coherence tomography findings, and neovascular glaucoma was measured with chi-square and one-way analysis of variance analyses. Sixty-seven patients were identified for review. Consistent wide-field angiographic patterns after brachytherapy were observed and graded as follows: Grade 0: normal; Grade 1: late foveal leakage; Grade 2: late peripheral leakage; Grade 3: presence of nonperfusion; and Grade 4: retinal neovascularization. Six eyes (8.9%) were Grade 0; 16 (23.8%) were Grade 1; 25 (37.3%) were Grade 2; 16 (23.4%) were Grade 3; and 4 (6.0%) were Grade 4. Higher grade radiation severity correlated significantly with duration of follow-up (P < 0.02); younger age (P = 0.035); worse visual acuity (P = 0.001); cystoid macular edema or atrophy on optical coherence tomography (P < 0.0001); and neovascular glaucoma (P = 0.003). Wide-field fluorescein angiography revealed distinct fundus-wide patterns of vascular damage, which were progressive in nature in eyes treated with iodine-125 brachytherapy for uveal melanoma and correlated

  7. Deepest Wide-Field Colour Image in the Southern Sky

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2003-01-01

    " (HDF-N in the northern and HDF-S in the southern sky, cf. e.g. ESO PR Photo 35a/98 ), but the field-of-view is about 200 times larger. The present image displays about 50 times more galaxies than the HDF images, and therefore provides a more representative view of the universe . The WFI CDF-S image will now form a most useful basis for the very extensive and systematic census of the population of distant galaxies and quasars, allowing at once a detailed study of all evolutionary stages of the universe since it was about 2 billion years old . These investigations have started and are expected to provide information about the evolution of galaxies in unprecedented detail. They will offer insights into the history of star formation and how the internal structure of galaxies changes with time and, not least, throw light on how these two evolutionary aspects are interconnected. GALAXIES IN THE WFI IMAGE ESO PR Photo 02b/03 ESO PR Photo 02b/03 [Preview - JPEG: 488 x 400 pix - 112k] [Normal - JPEG: 896 x 800 pix - 1.0M] [Full-Res - JPEG: 2591 x 2313 pix - 8.6M] Caption : PR Photo 02b/03 contains a collection of twelve subfields from the full WFI Chandra Deep Field South (WFI CDF-S), centred on (pairs or groups of) galaxies. Each of the subfields measures 2.5 x 2.5 arcmin 2 (635 x 658 pix 2 ; 1 pixel = 0.238 arcsec). North is up and East is left. Technical information is available below. The WFI CDF-S colour image - of which the full field is shown in PR Photo 02a/03 - was constructed from all available observations in the optical B- ,V- and R-bands obtained under good conditions with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the 2.2-m MPG/ESO telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory (Chile), and now stored in the ESO Science Data Archive. It is the "deepest" image ever taken with this instrument. It covers a sky field measuring 36 x 34 arcmin 2 , i.e., an area somewhat larger than that of the full moon. The observations were collected during a period of nearly four years, beginning in

  8. The Wide Field Imager for Athena

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rau, A.; Nandra, K.; Meidinger, N.; Plattner, M.

    2017-10-01

    The Wide Field Imager (WFI) is one of the two scientific instruments of Athena, ESA's next large X-ray Observatory with launch in 2028. The instrument will provide two defining capabilities to the mission sensitive wide-field imaging spectroscopy and excellent high-count rate performance. It will do so with the use of two separate detectors systems, the Large Detector Array (LDA) optimized for its field of view (40'×40') with a 100 fold survey speed increase compared to existing X-ray missions, and the Fast Detector (FD) tweaked for high throughput and low pile-up for point sources as bright as the Crab. In my talk I will present the key performance parameters of the instrument and their links to the scientific goals of Athena and summarize the status of the ongoing development activities.

  9. A generalized measurement equation and van Cittert-Zernike theorem for wide-field radio astronomical interferometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carozzi, T. D.; Woan, G.

    2009-05-01

    We derive a generalized van Cittert-Zernike (vC-Z) theorem for radio astronomy that is valid for partially polarized sources over an arbitrarily wide field of view (FoV). The classical vC-Z theorem is the theoretical foundation of radio astronomical interferometry, and its application is the basis of interferometric imaging. Existing generalized vC-Z theorems in radio astronomy assume, however, either paraxiality (narrow FoV) or scalar (unpolarized) sources. Our theorem uses neither of these assumptions, which are seldom fulfiled in practice in radio astronomy, and treats the full electromagnetic field. To handle wide, partially polarized fields, we extend the two-dimensional (2D) electric field (Jones vector) formalism of the standard `Measurement Equation' (ME) of radio astronomical interferometry to the full three-dimensional (3D) formalism developed in optical coherence theory. The resulting vC-Z theorem enables full-sky imaging in a single telescope pointing, and imaging based not only on standard dual-polarized interferometers (that measure 2D electric fields) but also electric tripoles and electromagnetic vector-sensor interferometers. We show that the standard 2D ME is easily obtained from our formalism in the case of dual-polarized antenna element interferometers. We also exploit an extended 2D ME to determine that dual-polarized interferometers can have polarimetric aberrations at the edges of a wide FoV. Our vC-Z theorem is particularly relevant to proposed, and recently developed, wide FoV interferometers such as Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) and Square Kilometer Array (SKA), for which direction-dependent effects will be important.

  10. Optical data communication: fundamentals and future directions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    DeCusatis, Casimer M.

    1998-12-01

    An overview of optical data communications is provided, beginning with a brief history and discussion of the unique requirements that distinguish this subfield from related areas such as telecommunications. Each of the major datacom standards is then discussed, including the physical layer specification, distances and data rates, fiber and connector types, data frame structures, and network considerations. These standards can be categorized by their prevailing applications, either storage [Enterprise System Connection, Fiber Channel Connection, and Fiber Channel], coupling (Fiber Channel), or networking [Fiber Distributed Data Interface, Gigabit Ethernet, and asynchronous transfer mode/synchronous optical network]. We also present some emerging technologies and their applications, including parallel optical interconnects, plastic optical fiber, wavelength multiplexing, and free- space optical links. We conclude with some cost/performance trade-offs and predictions of future bandwidth trends.

  11. WIDE-FIELD INFRARED POLARIMETRY OF THE ρ OPHIUCHI CLOUD CORE

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kwon, Jungmi; Tamura, Motohide; Kusakabe, Nobuhiko

    2015-09-15

    We conducted wide and deep simultaneous JHK{sub s}-band imaging polarimetry of the ρ Ophiuchi cloud complex. Aperture polarimetry in the JHK{sub s} band was conducted for 2136 sources in all three bands, of which 322 sources have significant polarizations in all the JHK{sub s} bands and have been used for a discussion of the core magnetic fields. There is a positive correlation between degrees of polarization and H − K{sub s} color up to H − K{sub s} ≈ 3.5. The magnetic field structures in the core region are revealed up to at least A{sub V} ≈ 47 mag andmore » are unambiguously defined in each sub-region (core) of Oph-A, Oph-B, Oph-C, Oph-E, Oph-F, and Oph-AC. Their directions, degrees of polarization, and polarization efficiencies differ but their changes are gradual; thus, the magnetic fields appear to be connected from core to core, rather than as a simple overlap of the different cloud core components. Comparing our results with the large-scale field structures obtained from previous optical polarimetric studies, we suggest that the magnetic field structures in the core were distorted by the cluster formation in this region, which may have been induced by shock compression due to wind/radiation from the Scorpius–Centaurus association.« less

  12. A novel optical system design of light field camera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ye; Li, Wenhua; Hao, Chenyang

    2016-01-01

    The structure of main lens - Micro Lens Array (MLA) - imaging sensor is usually adopted in optical system of light field camera, and the MLA is the most important part in the optical system, which has the function of collecting and recording the amplitude and phase information of the field light. In this paper, a novel optical system structure is proposed. The novel optical system is based on the 4f optical structure, and the micro-aperture array (MAA) is used to instead of the MLA for realizing the information acquisition of the 4D light field. We analyze the principle that the novel optical system could realize the information acquisition of the light field. At the same time, a simple MAA, line grating optical system, is designed by ZEMAX software in this paper. The novel optical system is simulated by a line grating optical system, and multiple images are obtained in the image plane. The imaging quality of the novel optical system is analyzed.

  13. Design and validation of a foldable and photovoltaic wide-field epiretinal prosthesis.

    PubMed

    Ferlauto, Laura; Airaghi Leccardi, Marta Jole Ildelfonsa; Chenais, Naïg Aurelia Ludmilla; Gilliéron, Samuel Charles Antoine; Vagni, Paola; Bevilacqua, Michele; Wolfensberger, Thomas J; Sivula, Kevin; Ghezzi, Diego

    2018-03-08

    Retinal prostheses have been developed to fight blindness in people affected by outer retinal layer dystrophies. To date, few hundred patients have received a retinal implant. Inspired by intraocular lenses, we have designed a foldable and photovoltaic wide-field epiretinal prosthesis (named POLYRETINA) capable of stimulating wireless retinal ganglion cells. Here we show that within a visual angle of 46.3 degrees, POLYRETINA embeds 2215 stimulating pixels, of which 967 are in the central area of 5 mm, it is foldable to allow implantation through a small scleral incision, and it has a hemispherical shape to match the curvature of the eye. We demonstrate that it is not cytotoxic and respects optical and thermal safety standards; accelerated ageing shows a lifetime of at least 2 years. POLYRETINA represents significant progress towards the improvement of both visual acuity and visual field with the same device, a current challenging issue in the field.

  14. Comparison between wide-angle OCT angiography and ultra-wide field fluorescein angiography for detecting non-perfusion areas and retinal neovascularization in eyes with diabetic retinopathy.

    PubMed

    Sawada, Osamu; Ichiyama, Yusuke; Obata, Syunpei; Ito, Yuka; Kakinoki, Masashi; Sawada, Tomoko; Saishin, Yoshitsugu; Ohji, Masahito

    2018-04-30

    To compare the ability of wide-angle optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) with that of ultra-wide field fluorescein angiography (UWFFA) to detect non-perfusion areas (NPAs) or retinal neovascularization (NV) in eyes with diabetic retinopathy (DR). Patients with DR underwent UWFFA using the Optos® panoramic 200Tx imaging system and wide-angle OCTA with 12 × 12 mm fields of five visual fixations using the PLEX Elite 9000®. We compared the abilities of UWFFA and OCTA to detect NPAs and NV. Fifty-eight eyes of 33 patients (mean age, 60.0 years old; female/male, 16/17) with DR were evaluated. NPAs were detected in 47 out of 58 eyes using UWFFA and in 48 eyes using OCTA. NVs were detected in 25 out of the 58 eyes using UWFFA and in 26 eyes using OCTA. The sensitivity for detection of NPA using OCTA was 0.98, and the specificity was 0.82. The sensitivity for detection of NV was 1.0, and the specificity was 0.97. The wide-angle OCTA seems to be clinically useful for the detection of NPAs or NV.

  15. Vector optical fields with bipolar symmetry of linear polarization.

    PubMed

    Pan, Yue; Li, Yongnan; Li, Si-Min; Ren, Zhi-Cheng; Si, Yu; Tu, Chenghou; Wang, Hui-Tian

    2013-09-15

    We focus on a new kind of vector optical field with bipolar symmetry of linear polarization instead of cylindrical and elliptical symmetries, enriching members of family of vector optical fields. We design theoretically and generate experimentally the demanded vector optical fields and then explore some novel tightly focusing properties. The geometric configurations of states of polarization provide additional degrees of freedom assisting in engineering the field distribution at the focus to the specific applications such as lithography, optical trapping, and material processing.

  16. Conjugation of fiber-coupled wide-band light sources and acousto-optical spectral elements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Machikhin, Alexander; Batshev, Vladislav; Polschikova, Olga; Khokhlov, Demid; Pozhar, Vitold; Gorevoy, Alexey

    2017-12-01

    Endoscopic instrumentation is widely used for diagnostics and surgery. The imaging systems, which provide the hyperspectral information of the tissues accessible by endoscopes, are particularly interesting and promising for in vivo photoluminescence diagnostics and therapy of tumour and inflammatory diseases. To add the spectral imaging feature to standard video endoscopes, we propose to implement acousto-optical (AO) filtration of wide-band illumination of incandescent-lamp-based light sources. To collect maximum light and direct it to the fiber-optic light guide inside the endoscopic probe, we have developed and tested the optical system for coupling the light source, the acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF) and the light guide. The system is compact and compatible with the standard endoscopic components.

  17. Calibrating Wide Field Surveys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    González Fernández, Carlos; Irwin, M.; Lewis, J.; González Solares, E.

    2017-09-01

    "In this talk I will review the strategies in CASU to calibrate wide field surveys, in particular applied to data taken with the VISTA telescope. These include traditional night-by-night calibrations along with the search for a global, coherent calibration of all the data once observations are finished. The difficulties of obtaining photometric accuracy of a few percent and a good absolute calibration will also be discussed."

  18. Magnetic field detection using magnetorheological optical resonators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rubino, Edoardo; Ioppolo, Tindaro

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of a magnetic field sensor that is based on a magnetorheological micro-optical resonator. The optical resonator has a spherical shape and a diameter of a few hundred micrometers. The resonator is fabricated by using a polymeric matrix made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastisol with embedded magnetically polarizable micro-particles. When the optical resonator is subjected to an external magnetic field, the morphology (radius and refractive index) of the resonator is perturbed by the magnetic forces acting on it, leading to a shift of the optical resonances also known as whispering gallery modes (WGM). In this study, the effect of a static and harmonic magnetic field, as well as the concentration of the magnetic micro-particles on the optical mode shift is investigated. The optical resonances obtained with the PVC plastisol resonator showed a quality factor of 106 . The dynamical behavior of the optical resonator is investigated in the range between 0 and 200 Hz. The sensitivity of the optical resonator reaches a maximum value for a ratio between micro-particles and the polymeric matrix of 2:1 in weight. Experimental results indicate a sensitivity of 0.297 pm/mT leading to a resolution of 336 μT.

  19. DMD-based programmable wide field spectrograph for Earth observation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zamkotsian, Frédéric; Lanzoni, Patrick; Liotard, Arnaud; Viard, Thierry; Costes, Vincent; Hébert, Philippe-Jean

    2015-03-01

    In Earth Observation, Universe Observation and Planet Exploration, scientific return could be optimized in future missions using MOEMS devices. In Earth Observation, we propose an innovative reconfigurable instrument, a programmable wide-field spectrograph where both the FOV and the spectrum could be tailored thanks to a 2D micromirror array (MMA). For a linear 1D field of view (FOV), the principle is to use a MMA to select the wavelengths by acting on intensity. This component is placed in the focal plane of a first grating. On the MMA surface, the spatial dimension is along one side of the device and for each spatial point, its spectrum is displayed along the perpendicular direction: each spatial and spectral feature of the 1D FOV is then fully adjustable dynamically and/or programmable. A second stage with an identical grating recomposes the beam after wavelengths selection, leading to an output tailored 1D image. A mock-up has been designed, fabricated and tested. The micromirror array is the largest DMD in 2048 x 1080 mirrors format, with a pitch of 13.68μm. A synthetic linear FOV is generated and typical images have been recorded o at the output focal plane of the instrument. By tailoring the DMD, we could modify successfully each pixel of the input image: for example, it is possible to remove bright objects or, for each spatial pixel, modify the spectral signature. The very promising results obtained on the mock-up of the programmable wide-field spectrograph reveal the efficiency of this new instrument concept for Earth Observation.

  20. Optical technologies for space sensor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Hu; Liu, Jie; Xue, Yaoke; Liu, Yang; Liu, Meiying; Wang, Lingguang; Yang, Shaodong; Lin, Shangmin; Chen, Su; Luo, Jianjun

    2015-10-01

    Space sensors are used in navigation sensor fields. The sun, the earth, the moon and other planets are used as frame of reference to obtain stellar position coordinates, and then to control the attitude of an aircraft. Being the "eyes" of the space sensors, Optical sensor system makes images of the infinite far stars and other celestial bodies. It directly affects measurement accuracy of the space sensor, indirectly affecting the data updating rate. Star sensor technology is the pilot for Space sensors. At present more and more attention is paid on all-day star sensor technology. By day and night measurements of the stars, the aircraft's attitude in the inertial coordinate system can be provided. Facing the requirements of ultra-high-precision, large field of view, wide spectral range, long life and high reliability, multi-functional optical system, we integration, integration optical sensors will be future space technology trends. In the meantime, optical technologies for space-sensitive research leads to the development of ultra-precision optical processing, optical and precision test machine alignment technology. It also promotes the development of long-life optical materials and applications. We have achieved such absolute distortion better than ±1um, Space life of at least 15years of space-sensitive optical system.

  1. Semimetallization of dielectrics in strong optical fields

    PubMed Central

    Kwon, Ojoon; Paasch-Colberg, Tim; Apalkov, Vadym; Kim, Bum-Kyu; Kim, Ju-Jin; Stockman, Mark I.; Kim, D.

    2016-01-01

    At the heart of ever growing demands for faster signal processing is ultrafast charge transport and control by electromagnetic fields in semiconductors. Intense optical fields have opened fascinating avenues for new phenomena and applications in solids. Because the period of optical fields is on the order of a femtosecond, the current switching and its control by an optical field may pave a way to petahertz optoelectronic devices. Lately, a reversible semimetallization in fused silica on a femtosecond time scale by using a few-cycle strong field (~1 V/Å) is manifested. The strong Wannier-Stark localization and Zener-type tunneling were expected to drive this ultrafast semimetallization. Wider spread of this technology demands better understanding of whether the strong field behavior is universally similar for different dielectrics. Here we employ a carrier-envelope-phase stabilized, few-cycle strong optical field to drive the semimetallization in sapphire, calcium fluoride and quartz and to compare this phenomenon and show its remarkable similarity between them. The similarity in response of these materials, despite the distinguishable differences in their physical properties, suggests the universality of the physical picture explained by the localization of Wannier-Stark states. Our results may blaze a trail to PHz-rate optoelectronics. PMID:26888147

  2. Semimetallization of dielectrics in strong optical fields

    DOE PAGES

    Kwon, Ojoon; Paasch-Colberg, Tim; Apalkov, Vadym; ...

    2016-02-18

    At the heart of ever growing demands for faster signal processing is ultrafast charge transport and control by electromagnetic fields in semiconductors. Intense optical fields have opened fascinating avenues for new phenomena and applications in solids. Because the period of optical fields is on the order of a femtosecond, the current switching and its control by an optical field may pave a way to petahertz optoelectronic devices. Lately, a reversible semimetallization in fused silica on a femtosecond time scale by using a few-cycle strong field (~1 V/Å) is manifested. The strong Wannier-Stark localization and Zener-type tunneling were expected to drivemore » this ultrafast semimetallization. Wider spread of this technology demands better understanding of whether the strong field behavior is universally similar for different dielectrics. Here we employ a carrier-envelope-phase stabilized, few-cycle strong optical field to drive the semimetallization in sapphire, calcium fluoride and quartz and to compare this phenomenon and show its remarkable similarity between them. The similarity in response of these materials, despite the distinguishable differences in their physical properties, suggests the universality of the physical picture explained by the localization of Wannier-Stark states. Lastly, our results may blaze a trail to PHz-rate optoelectronics.« less

  3. Semimetallization of dielectrics in strong optical fields.

    PubMed

    Kwon, Ojoon; Paasch-Colberg, Tim; Apalkov, Vadym; Kim, Bum-Kyu; Kim, Ju-Jin; Stockman, Mark I; Kim, D

    2016-02-18

    At the heart of ever growing demands for faster signal processing is ultrafast charge transport and control by electromagnetic fields in semiconductors. Intense optical fields have opened fascinating avenues for new phenomena and applications in solids. Because the period of optical fields is on the order of a femtosecond, the current switching and its control by an optical field may pave a way to petahertz optoelectronic devices. Lately, a reversible semimetallization in fused silica on a femtosecond time scale by using a few-cycle strong field (~1 V/Å) is manifested. The strong Wannier-Stark localization and Zener-type tunneling were expected to drive this ultrafast semimetallization. Wider spread of this technology demands better understanding of whether the strong field behavior is universally similar for different dielectrics. Here we employ a carrier-envelope-phase stabilized, few-cycle strong optical field to drive the semimetallization in sapphire, calcium fluoride and quartz and to compare this phenomenon and show its remarkable similarity between them. The similarity in response of these materials, despite the distinguishable differences in their physical properties, suggests the universality of the physical picture explained by the localization of Wannier-Stark states. Our results may blaze a trail to PHz-rate optoelectronics.

  4. DWARF IRREGULAR GALAXY LEO A: SUPRIME-CAM WIDE-FIELD STELLAR PHOTOMETRY

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stonkutė, Rima; Narbutis, Donatas; Vansevičius, Vladas

    2014-10-01

    We have surveyed a complete extent of Leo A—an apparently isolated gas-rich low-mass dwarf irregular galaxy in the Local Group. The B, V, and I passband CCD images (typical seeing ∼0.''8) were obtained with the Subaru Telescope equipped with the Suprime-Cam mosaic camera. The wide-field (20' × 24') photometry catalog of 38,856 objects (V ∼ 16-26 mag) is presented. This survey is also intended to serve as ''a finding chart'' for future imaging and spectroscopic observation programs of Leo A.

  5. Harmonic demodulation and minimum enhancement factors in field-enhanced near-field optical microscopy.

    PubMed

    Scarpettini, A F; Bragas, A V

    2015-01-01

    Field-enhanced scanning optical microscopy relies on the design and fabrication of plasmonic probes which had to provide optical and chemical contrast at the nanoscale. In order to do so, the scattering containing the near-field information recorded in a field-enhanced scanning optical microscopy experiment, has to surpass the background light, always present due to multiple interferences between the macroscopic probe and sample. In this work, we show that when the probe-sample distance is modulated with very low amplitude, the higher the harmonic demodulation is, the better the ratio between the near-field signal and the interferometric background results. The choice of working at a given n harmonic is dictated by the experiment when the signal at the n + 1 harmonic goes below the experimental noise. We demonstrate that the optical contrast comes from the nth derivative of the near-field scattering, amplified by the interferometric background. By modelling the far and near field we calculate the probe-sample approach curves, which fit very well the experimental ones. After taking a great amount of experimental data for different probes and samples, we conclude with a table of the minimum enhancement factors needed to have optical contrast with field-enhanced scanning optical microscopy. © 2014 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2014 Royal Microscopical Society.

  6. Aberration correction in wide-field fluorescence microscopy by segmented-pupil image interferometry.

    PubMed

    Scrimgeour, Jan; Curtis, Jennifer E

    2012-06-18

    We present a new technique for the correction of optical aberrations in wide-field fluorescence microscopy. Segmented-Pupil Image Interferometry (SPII) uses a liquid crystal spatial light modulator placed in the microscope's pupil plane to split the wavefront originating from a fluorescent object into an array of individual beams. Distortion of the wavefront arising from either system or sample aberrations results in displacement of the images formed from the individual pupil segments. Analysis of image registration allows for the local tilt in the wavefront at each segment to be corrected with respect to a central reference. A second correction step optimizes the image intensity by adjusting the relative phase of each pupil segment through image interferometry. This ensures that constructive interference between all segments is achieved at the image plane. Improvements in image quality are observed when Segmented-Pupil Image Interferometry is applied to correct aberrations arising from the microscope's optical path.

  7. Optical MEMS: past, present and future

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramani, Chandra Mouli

    2005-09-01

    Spurred by the growth of the internet, Optical Telecommunications bandwidth, experienced unprecedented growth during late 1990's. During this time of great economic expansion, the creation of new enterprises was vast and the expansion of established component, system and services companies was breathtaking. Unfortunately, this positive economic state was short-lived. This period was followed in 2001-2004 by one of the most significant market crashes in history. During those 10 years of economic growth, about $20B in venture capital was invested in the optical telecom industry, most of this investment was lost in recent years. Many start-up industries which experienced unprecedented growth at the end of the 20th century were lost at the start of the 21st. (1) During this time many, innovative technologies were born and buried. However, many new capabilities emerged from this period of unrest; one such example is the advent of Optical MEMS (MOEMS). Many academics and corporate laboratories pursued the development of MOEMS during the economic boom and, in the author's view; MOEMS surfaced as a powerful and versatile tool set that has proved invaluable and in the last few years during economic downturn, stood the test of time. In the Telecommunications industry, for optical switching and wavelength management applications MOEMS has proven to be the technology of choice. (2) Variable Optical Attenuators (VOA), Wavelength Blockers (WB), Dynamic Gain Equalizers (DGE), and most recently Wavelength Selective Switches (WSS) are being used in the numerous recent network deployments. Moreover, agile networks of the future will have MOEMS at every node. This presentation will provide an overview of the history of MOEMS in Telecommunications, discuss its byproducts and offer a window into the future of the technology.

  8. The reconnaissance and early-warning optical system design for dual field of space-based "solar blind ultraviolet"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Wen-cong; Jin, Dong-dong; Shao, Fei; Hu, Hui-jun; Shi, Yu-feng; Song, Juan; Zhang, Yu-tu; Yong, Liu

    2016-07-01

    With the development of modern technology, especially the development of information technology at high speed, the ultraviolet early warning system plays an increasingly important role. In the modern warfare, how to detect the threats earlier, prevent and reduce the attack of precision-guided missile has become a new challenge. Because the ultraviolet warning technology has high environmental adaptability, the low false alarm rate, small volume and other advantages, in the military field applications it has been developed rapidly. According to current application demands for solar blind ultraviolet detection and warning, this paper proposes a reconnaissance and early-warning optical system, which covers solar blind ultraviolet (250nm-280nm) and dual field. This structure takes advantage of a narrow field of view and long focal length optical system to achieve the target object detection, uses wide-field and short focal length optical system to achieve early warning of the target object. It makes use of an ultraviolet beam-splitter to achieve the separation of two optical systems. According to the detector and the corresponding application needs of two visual field of the optical system, the calculation and optical system design were completed. After the design, the MTF of the two optical system is more than 0.8@39lp/mm. A single pixel energy concentration is greater than 80%.

  9. Image irradiance distribution in the 3MI wide field of view polarimeter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gabrieli, Riccardo; Bartoli, Alessandro; Maiorano, Michele; Bruno, Umberto; Olivieri, Monica; Calamai, Luciano; Manolis, Ilias; Labate, Demetrio

    2015-09-01

    The Multi-Viewing, Multi-Channel, Multi-Polarisation Imager (3MI) is an imaging radiometer for the ESA/Eumetsat MeteOp-SG programme. Based on the heritage of the POLDER/PARASOL instrument, 3MI is designed to collect global observations of the top-of-atmosphere polarised bi-directional reflectance distribution function in 12 spectral bands, by observing the same target from multiple views using a pushbroom scanning concept. The demanding challenge of the 3MI optical design is represented by the polarisation and image irradiance fall-off (throughput uniformity) requirements. In a generic optical system, the image irradiance fall-off is a function of: target radiance distribution and polarisation, entrance pupil size and optical transmittance variations across the field of view (FOV), distortion and vignetting. In most applications these aspects can be considered as independent; however, when high image irradiance uniformity is required, they have to be considered as linked together. This is particularly true in case of a wide FOV polarimeter as 3MI is. In order to properly account for these aspects, an irradiance fall-off analytical model has been developed in the frame of 3MI Optics Pre-Development (OPD), whose aim is to mitigate any technological risks associated with the 3MI instrument development. It is shown how it is possible to control the image irradiance distribution acting on optical design parameters (e.g. distortion and entrance pupil size variation with FOV). Moreover, the impact of polarisation performances on irradiance fall-off is discussed.

  10. Imaging without lenses: achievements and remaining challenges of wide-field on-chip microscopy

    PubMed Central

    Greenbaum, Alon; Luo, Wei; Su, Ting-Wei; Göröcs, Zoltán; Xue, Liang; Isikman, Serhan O; Coskun, Ahmet F; Mudanyali, Onur; Ozcan, Aydogan

    2012-01-01

    We discuss unique features of lens-free computational imaging tools and report some of their emerging results for wide-field on-chip microscopy, such as the achievement of a numerical aperture (NA) of ~0.8–0.9 across a field of view (FOV) of more than 20 mm2 or an NA of ~0.1 across a FOV of ~18 cm2, which corresponds to an image with more than 1.5 gigapixels. We also discuss the current challenges that these computational on-chip microscopes face, shedding light on their future directions and applications. PMID:22936170

  11. Strong Field Optical and Quantum Control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schumacher, Douglass William

    1995-01-01

    This work presents the results of an effort to use unique forms of optical radiation to better probe and control matter. Results are presented of a study of intense field photo-ionization of krypton and xenon in a two-color field. The use of a two-color field provides a valuable probe, the relative optical phase, into the dynamics of the ionization process. It is found that phase dependent tunneling character is preserved even though the photoelectron spectra indicate that the experiments performed were well into the multi-photon regime of ionization. Evidence for core scattering of the departing electrons is seen in the changes to the phase dependent spectra as the polarization of the exciting light is varied from linear to slightly elliptical. To further control the optical field, a pulse shaper was constructed using liquid crystal modulators that allowed either spectral phase or spectral amplitude shaping of a short pulse. The results were characterized using cross-correlations. The shaped light was then subsequently amplified in a chirped pulse amplifier. This light was characterized using Frequency Resolved Optical Gating, a newly developed technique for the complete determination of the optical field in a short pulse. The shaped pulses were then used to tailor atomic radial wavepackets in cesium. The evolution of the wavepackets was monitored by measuring atomic auto-interferograms for the case of amplitude shaping, which was used to control the atomic states excited. Cross -interferograms were used for phase shaping, which was used to select the initial phase of the atomic states. The cross-interferograms required the simultaneous amplification of a shaped and an unshaped pulse in our amplifier.

  12. Wide-Field Imaging of Single-Nanoparticle Extinction with Sub-nm2 Sensitivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Payne, Lukas M.; Langbein, Wolfgang; Borri, Paola

    2018-03-01

    We report on a highly sensitive wide-field imaging technique for quantitative measurement of the optical extinction cross section σext of single nanoparticles. The technique is simple and high speed, and it enables the simultaneous acquisition of hundreds of nanoparticles for statistical analysis. Using rapid referencing, fast acquisition, and a deconvolution analysis, a shot-noise-limited sensitivity down to 0.4 nm2 is achieved. Measurements on a set of individual gold nanoparticles of 5 nm diameter using this method yield σext=(10.0 ±3.1 ) nm2, which is consistent with theoretical expectations and well above the background fluctuations of 0.9 nm2 .

  13. Fiber optic interconnect and optoelectronic packaging challenges for future generation avionics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beranek, Mark W.

    2007-02-01

    Forecasting avionics industry fiber optic interconnect and optoelectronic packaging challenges that lie ahead first requires an assumption that military avionics architectures will evolve from today's centralized/unified concept based on gigabit laser, optical-to-electrical-to-optical switching and optical backplane technology, to a future federated/distributed or centralized/unified concept based on gigabit tunable laser, electro-optical switch and add-drop wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology. The requirement to incorporate avionics optical built-in test (BIT) in military avionics fiber optic systems is also assumed to be correct. Taking these assumptions further indicates that future avionics systems engineering will use WDM technology combined with photonic circuit integration and advanced packaging to form the technical basis of the next generation military avionics onboard local area network (LAN). Following this theme, fiber optic cable plants will evolve from today's multimode interconnect solution to a single mode interconnect solution that is highly installable, maintainable, reliable and supportable. Ultimately optical BIT for fiber optic fault detection and isolation will be incorporated as an integral part of a total WDM-based avionics LAN solution. Cost-efficient single mode active and passive photonic component integration and packaging integration is needed to enable reliable operation in the harsh military avionics application environment. Rugged multimode fiber-based transmitters and receivers (transceivers) with in-package optical BIT capability are also needed to enable fully BIT capable single-wavelength fiber optic links on both legacy and future aerospace platforms.

  14. Wide field of view common-path lateral-shearing digital holographic interference microscope.

    PubMed

    Vora, Priyanka; Trivedi, Vismay; Mahajan, Swapnil; Patel, Nimit; Joglekar, Mugdha; Chhaniwal, Vani; Moradi, Ali-Reza; Javidi, Bahram; Anand, Arun

    2017-12-01

    Quantitative three-dimensional (3-D) imaging of living cells provides important information about the cell morphology and its time variation. Off-axis, digital holographic interference microscopy is an ideal tool for 3-D imaging, parameter extraction, and classification of living cells. Two-beam digital holographic microscopes, which are usually employed, provide high-quality 3-D images of micro-objects, albeit with lower temporal stability. Common-path digital holographic geometries, in which the reference beam is derived from the object beam, provide higher temporal stability along with high-quality 3-D images. Self-referencing geometry is the simplest of the common-path techniques, in which a portion of the object beam itself acts as the reference, leading to compact setups using fewer optical elements. However, it has reduced field of view, and the reference may contain object information. Here, we describe the development of a common-path digital holographic microscope, employing a shearing plate and converting one of the beams into a separate reference by employing a pin-hole. The setup is as compact as self-referencing geometry, while providing field of view as wide as that of a two-beam microscope. The microscope is tested by imaging and quantifying the morphology and dynamics of human erythrocytes. (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

  15. Simulation of optically pumped intersubband laser in magnetic field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Erić, Marko; Milanović, Vitomir; Ikonić, Zoran; Indjin, Dragan

    2007-06-01

    Simulations of an optically pumped intersubband laser in magnetic field up to 60 T are performed within the steady-state rate equations model. The electron-polar optical phonon scattering is calculated using the confined and interface phonon model. A strong oscillatory optical gain vs. magnetic field dependence is found, with two dominant gain peaks occurring at 20 and 40 T, the fields which bring appropriate states into resonance with optical phonons and thus open additional relaxation paths. The peak at 20 T exceeds the value of gain achieved at zero field.

  16. Dielectric resonator: cavity-enhanced optical manipulation in the near field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reece, Peter J.; Wright, Ewan; Garcés-Chávez, Veneranda; Dholakia, Kishan

    2006-08-01

    In the following paper we explore the dynamics of single colloidal particles and particle aggregates in a counterpropagating cavity-enhanced evanescent wave optical trap. For this study we make use of Fabry-Perot like cavity modes generated in a prism-coupled resonant dielectric waveguide. The advantage of using this type of optical structure is that there is an enhancement in the electric field of the evanescent at the sample surface that may be used to achieve greater coupling to colloidal particles for the purposes of optical micromanipulation. We demonstrate an order of magnitude increase in the optical forces acting on micrometer sized colloidal particles using cavity enhanced evanescent waves, compared with evanescent wave produced by conventional prism-coupling techniques. The combination of the enhanced optical interaction and the wide area illumination provided by the prism coupler makes it an ideal geometry for studying the collective dynamics of many particles over a large area. We study the different type of ordering observed when particles of different sizes are accumulated at the centre of this novel optical trap. We find that for large particles sizes (greater than 2μm), colloid dynamics are primarily driven by thermodynamics, whilst for smaller particles, in the range of 200-600nm, particles ordering is dictated by optical-matter interactions. We suggest a qualitative model for the observed optically induced ordering occurs and discuss how these results tie in with existing demonstrations of twodimensional optical binding.

  17. The Brazilian wide field imaging camera (WFI) for the China/Brazil earth resources satellite: CBERS 3 and 4

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scaduto, L. C. N.; Carvalho, E. G.; Modugno, R. G.; Cartolano, R.; Evangelista, S. H.; Segoria, D.; Santos, A. G.; Stefani, M. A.; Castro Neto, J. C.

    2017-11-01

    The purpose of this paper is to present the optical system developed for the Wide Field imaging Camera - WFI that will be integrated to the CBERS 3 and 4 satellites (China Brazil Earth resources Satellite). This camera will be used for remote sensing of the Earth and it is aimed to work at an altitude of 778 km. The optical system is designed for four spectral bands covering the range of wavelengths from blue to near infrared and its field of view is +/-28.63°, which covers 866 km, with a ground resolution of 64 m at nadir. WFI has been developed through a consortium formed by Opto Electrônica S. A. and Equatorial Sistemas. In particular, we will present the optical analysis based on the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) obtained during the Engineering Model phase (EM) and the optical tests performed to evaluate the requirements. Measurements of the optical system MTF have been performed using an interferometer at the wavelength of 632.8nm and global MTF tests (including the CCD and signal processing electronic) have been performed by using a collimator with a slit target. The obtained results showed that the performance of the optical system meets the requirements of project.

  18. Line scanning time-of-flight laser sensor for intelligent transport systems, combining wide field-of-view optics of 30 deg, high scanning speed of 0.9 ms/line, and simple sensor configuration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Imaki, Masaharu; Kameyama, Shumpei; Ishimura, Eitaro; Nakaji, Masaharu; Yoshinaga, Hideo; Hirano, Yoshihito

    2017-03-01

    We developed a line scanning time-of-flight (TOF) laser sensor for an intelligent transport system (ITS), which combines wide field-of-view (FOV) receiving optics of 30 deg and a high-speed microelectro mechanical system scanner of 0.9 ms/line with a simple sensor configuration. The newly developed high-aspect ratio photodiode realizes the scanless and wide FOV receiver. The sinusoidal wave intensity modulation method is used for the TOF measurement. This enables the noise reduction of the trans-impedance amplifier by applying the LC-resonant method. The vehicle detection and axle counting, which are the important functions in ITS, are also demonstrated.

  19. Review on structured optical field generated from array beams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hou, Tianyue; Zhou, Pu; Ma, Yanxing; Zhi, Dong

    2018-03-01

    Structured optical field (SOF), which includes vortex beams, non-diffraction beams, cylindrical vector beams and so on, has been under intensive investigation theoretically and experimentally in recent years. Generally, current research focus on the extraordinary properties (non-diffraction propagation, helical wavefront, rotation of electrical field, et al), which can be widely applied in micro-particle manipulation, super-resolution imaging, free-space communication and so on. There are mainly two technical routes, that is, inner-cavity and outer-cavity (spatial light modulators, diffractive phase holograms, q-plates). To date, most of the SOFs generated from both technical routes involves with single monolithic beam. As a novel technical route, SOF based on array beams has the advantage in more flexible freedom degree and power scaling potential. In this paper, research achievements in SOF generation based on array beams are arranged and discussed in detail. Moreover, experiment of generating exotic beam by array beams is introduced, which illustrates that SOF generated from array beams is theoretically valid and experimentally feasible. SOF generated from array beams is also beneficial for capacity increasing and data receiving for free-space optical communication systems at long distance.

  20. Optical design for CETUS: a wide-field 1.5m aperture UV payload being studied for a NASA probe class mission study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Woodruff, Robert A.; Hull, Tony; Heap, Sara R.; Danchi, William; Kendrick, Stephen E.; Purves, Lloyd

    2017-09-01

    We are developing a NASA Headquarters selected Probe-class mission concept called the Cosmic Evolution Through UV Spectroscopy (CETUS) mission, which includes a 1.5-m aperture diameter large field-of-view (FOV) telescope optimized for UV imaging, multi-object spectroscopy, and point-source spectroscopy. The optical system includes a Three Mirror Anastigmatic (TMA) telescope that simultaneously feeds three separate scientific instruments: the near-UV (NUV) Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOS) with a next-generation Micro-Shutter Array (MSA); the two-channel camera covering the far-UV (FUV) and NUV spectrum; and the point-source spectrograph covering the FUV and NUV region with selectable R 40,000 echelle modes and R 2,000 first order modes. The optical system includes fine guidance sensors, wavefront sensing, and spectral and flat-field in-flight calibration sources. This paper will describe the current optical design of CETUS.

  1. Optical design for CETUS: a wide-field 1.5m aperture UV payload being studied for a NASA probe class mission study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Woodruff, Robert; Robert Woodruff, Goddard Space Flight Center, Kendrick Optical Consulting

    2018-01-01

    We are developing a NASA Headquarters selected Probe-class mission concept called the Cosmic Evolution Through UV Spectroscopy (CETUS) mission, which includes a 1.5-m aperture diameter large field-of-view (FOV) telescope optimized for UV imaging, multi-object spectroscopy, and point-source spectroscopy. The optical system includes a Three Mirror Anastigmatic (TMA) telescope that simultaneously feeds three separate scientific instruments: the near-UV (NUV) Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOS) with a next-generation Micro-Shutter Array (MSA); the two-channel camera covering the far-UV (FUV) and NUV spectrum; and the point-source spectrograph covering the FUV and NUV region with selectable R~ 40,000 echelle modes and R~ 2,000 first order modes. The optical system includes fine guidance sensors, wavefront sensing, and spectral and flat-field in-flight calibration sources. This paper will describe the current optical design of CETUS.

  2. In situ TEM near-field optical probing of nanoscale silicon crystallization.

    PubMed

    Xiang, Bin; Hwang, David J; In, Jung Bin; Ryu, Sang-Gil; Yoo, Jae-Hyuck; Dubon, Oscar; Minor, Andrew M; Grigoropoulos, Costas P

    2012-05-09

    Laser-based processing enables a wide variety of device configurations comprising thin films and nanostructures on sensitive, flexible substrates that are not possible with more traditional thermal annealing schemes. In near-field optical probing, only small regions of a sample are illuminated by the laser beam at any given time. Here we report a new technique that couples the optical near-field of the laser illumination into a transmission electron microscope (TEM) for real-time observations of the laser-materials interactions. We apply this technique to observe the transformation of an amorphous confined Si volume to a single crystal of Si using laser melting. By confinement of the material volume to nanometric dimensions, the entire amorphous precursor is within the laser spot size and transformed into a single crystal. This observation provides a path for laser processing of single-crystal seeds from amorphous precursors, a potentially transformative technique for the fabrication of solar cells and other nanoelectronic devices.

  3. Wide-field two-photon microscopy with temporal focusing and HiLo background rejection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yew, Elijah Y. S.; Choi, Heejin; Kim, Daekeun; So, Peter T. C.

    2011-03-01

    Scanningless depth-resolved microscopy is achieved through spatial-temporal focusing and has been demonstrated previously. The advantage of this method is that a large area may be imaged without scanning resulting in higher throughput of the imaging system. Because it is a widefield technique, the optical sectioning effect is considerably poorer than with conventional spatial focusing two-photon microscopy. Here we propose wide-field two-photon microscopy based on spatio-temporal focusing and employing background rejection based on the HiLo microscope principle. We demonstrate the effects of applying HiLo microscopy to widefield temporally focused two-photon microscopy.

  4. Large-field-of-view, modular, stabilized, adaptive-optics-based scanning laser ophthalmoscope.

    PubMed

    Burns, Stephen A; Tumbar, Remy; Elsner, Ann E; Ferguson, Daniel; Hammer, Daniel X

    2007-05-01

    We describe the design and performance of an adaptive optics retinal imager that is optimized for use during dynamic correction for eye movements. The system incorporates a retinal tracker and stabilizer, a wide-field line scan scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO), and a high-resolution microelectromechanical-systems-based adaptive optics SLO. The detection system incorporates selection and positioning of confocal apertures, allowing measurement of images arising from different portions of the double pass retinal point-spread function (psf). System performance was excellent. The adaptive optics increased the brightness and contrast for small confocal apertures by more than 2x and decreased the brightness of images obtained with displaced apertures, confirming the ability of the adaptive optics system to improve the psf. The retinal image was stabilized to within 18 microm 90% of the time. Stabilization was sufficient for cross-correlation techniques to automatically align the images.

  5. Large Field of View, Modular, Stabilized, Adaptive-Optics-Based Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope

    PubMed Central

    Burns, Stephen A.; Tumbar, Remy; Elsner, Ann E.; Ferguson, Daniel; Hammer, Daniel X.

    2007-01-01

    We describe the design and performance of an adaptive optics retinal imager that is optimized for use during dynamic correction for eye movements. The system incorporates a retinal tracker and stabilizer, a wide field line scan Scanning Laser Ophthalmocsope (SLO), and a high resolution MEMS based adaptive optics SLO. The detection system incorporates selection and positioning of confocal apertures, allowing measurement of images arising from different portions of the double pass retinal point spread function (psf). System performance was excellent. The adaptive optics increased the brightness and contrast for small confocal apertures by more than 2x, and decreased the brightness of images obtained with displaced apertures, confirming the ability of the adaptive optics system to improve the pointspread function. The retinal image was stabilized to within 18 microns 90% of the time. Stabilization was sufficient for cross-correlation techniques to automatically align the images. PMID:17429477

  6. Optical characterization in wide spectral range by a coherent spectrophotometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sirutkaitis, Valdas; Eckardt, Robert C.; Balachninaite, Ona; Grigonis, Rimantas; Melninkaitis, A.; Rakickas, T.

    2003-11-01

    We report on the development and use of coherent spectrophotometers specialized for the unusual requirements of characterizing nonlinear optical materials and multilayer dielectric coatings used in laser systems. A large dynamic range is required to measure the linear properties of transmission, reflection and absorption and nonlinear properties of laser-induced damage threshold and nonlinear frequency conversion. Optical parametric oscillators generate coherent radiation that is widely tunable with instantaneous powers that can range from milliwatts to megawatts and are well matched to this application. As particular example a laser spectrophotometer based on optical parametric oscillators and a diode-pumped, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and suitable for optical characterization in the spectral range 420-4500 nm is described. Measurements include reflectance and transmittance, absorption, scattering and laser-induced damage thresholds. Possibilities of a system based on a 130-fs Ti:sapphire laser and optical parametric generators are also discussed.

  7. Utilization of a Curved Local Surface Array in a 3.5m Wide field of View Telescope

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-09-01

    ABSTRACT Wide field of view optical telescopes have a range of uses for both astronomical and space -surveillance purposes. In designing these...Agency (DARPA) 3.5-m Space Surveillance Telescope (SST)), the choice was made to curve the array to best satisfy the stressing telescope performance...dramatically improves the nation’s space surveillance capabilities. This paper will discuss the implementation of the curved focal-surface array, the

  8. Small-Field Measurements of 3D Polymer Gel Dosimeters through Optical Computed Tomography.

    PubMed

    Shih, Tian-Yu; Wu, Jay; Shih, Cheng-Ting; Lee, Yao-Ting; Wu, Shin-Hua; Yao, Chun-Hsu; Hsieh, Bor-Tsung

    2016-01-01

    With advances in therapeutic instruments and techniques, three-dimensional dose delivery has been widely used in radiotherapy. The verification of dose distribution in a small field becomes critical because of the obvious dose gradient within the field. The study investigates the dose distributions of various field sizes by using NIPAM polymer gel dosimeter. The dosimeter consists of 5% gelatin, 5% monomers, 3% cross linkers, and 5 mM THPC. After irradiation, a 24 to 96 hour delay was applied, and the gel dosimeters were read by a cone beam optical computed tomography (optical CT) scanner. The dose distributions measured by the NIPAM gel dosimeter were compared to the outputs of the treatment planning system using gamma evaluation. For the criteria of 3%/3 mm, the pass rates for 5 × 5, 3 × 3, 2 × 2, 1 × 1, and 0.5 × 0.5 cm2 were as high as 91.7%, 90.7%, 88.2%, 74.8%, and 37.3%, respectively. For the criteria of 5%/5 mm, the gamma pass rates of the 5 × 5, 3 × 3, and 2 × 2 cm2 fields were over 99%. The NIPAM gel dosimeter provides high chemical stability. With cone-beam optical CT readouts, the NIPAM polymer gel dosimeter has potential for clinical dose verification of small-field irradiation.

  9. Wide-field three-photon excitation in biological samples

    PubMed Central

    Rowlands, Christopher J; Park, Demian; Bruns, Oliver T; Piatkevich, Kiryl D; Fukumura, Dai; Jain, Rakesh K; Bawendi, Moungi G; Boyden, Edward S; So, Peter TC

    2017-01-01

    Three-photon wide-field depth-resolved excitation is used to overcome some of the limitations in conventional point-scanning two- and three-photon microscopy. Excitation of chromophores as diverse as channelrhodopsins and quantum dots is shown, and a penetration depth of more than 700 μm into fixed scattering brain tissue is achieved, approximately twice as deep as that achieved using two-photon wide-field excitation. Compatibility with live animal experiments is confirmed by imaging the cerebral vasculature of an anesthetized mouse; a complete focal stack was obtained without any evidence of photodamage. As an additional validation of the utility of wide-field three-photon excitation, functional excitation is demonstrated by performing three-photon optogenetic stimulation of cultured mouse hippocampal neurons expressing a channelrhodopsin; action potentials could reliably be excited without causing photodamage. PMID:29152380

  10. Vector optical fields with polarization distributions similar to electric and magnetic field lines.

    PubMed

    Pan, Yue; Li, Si-Min; Mao, Lei; Kong, Ling-Jun; Li, Yongnan; Tu, Chenghou; Wang, Pei; Wang, Hui-Tian

    2013-07-01

    We present, design and generate a new kind of vector optical fields with linear polarization distributions modeling to electric and magnetic field lines. The geometric configurations of "electric charges" and "magnetic charges" can engineer the spatial structure and symmetry of polarizations of vector optical field, providing additional degrees of freedom assisting in controlling the field symmetry at the focus and allowing engineering of the field distribution at the focus to the specific applications.

  11. Optical Vector Near-Field Imaging for the Design of Impedance Matched Optical Antennas and Devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olmon, Robert L.

    Antennas control and confine electromagnetic energy, transforming free-space propagating modes to localized regions. This is not only true for the traditional classical radio antenna, but also for structures that interact resonantly at frequencies throughout the visible regime, that are on the micro- and nanometer size scales. The investigation of these optical antennas has increased dramatically in recent years. They promise to bring the transformative capabilities of radio antennas to the nanoscale in fields such as plasmonics, photonics, spectroscopy, and microscopy. However, designing optical antennas with desired properties is not straightforward due to different material properties and geometric considerations in the optical regime compared to the RF. New antenna characterization tools and techniques must be developed for the optical frequency range. Here, the optical analogue of the vector network analyzer, based on a scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope, is described and demonstrated for the investigation of the electric and magnetic properties of optical antennas through their electromagnetic vector near-field. Specifically, bringing this microwave frequency tool to the optical regime enables the study of antenna resonant length scaling, optical frequency electromagnetic parameters including current density and impedance, optical antenna coupling to waveguides and nanoloads, local electric field enhancement, and electromagnetic duality of complementary optical antenna geometries.

  12. 3D galaxy clustering with future wide-field surveys: Advantages of a spherical Fourier-Bessel analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lanusse, F.; Rassat, A.; Starck, J.-L.

    2015-06-01

    figure of merit as a function of median redshift is higher for the 3D SFB method than for the 2D tomographic method. Conclusions: Constraints from the 3D SFB analysis are less sensitive to unavoidable systematics stemming from a redshift- and scale-dependent galaxy bias. Even for surveys that are optimised with tomography in mind, a 3D SFB analysis is more powerful. In addition, for survey optimisation, the figure of merit for the 3D SFB method increases more rapidly with redshift, especially at higher redshifts, suggesting that the 3D SFB method should be preferred for designing and analysing future wide-field spectroscopic surveys. CosmicPy, the Python package developed for this paper, is freely available at https://cosmicpy.github.io. Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

  13. Observations of transient events with Mini-MegaTORTORA wide-field monitoring system with sub-second temporal resolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karpov, S.; Beskin, G.; Biryukov, A.; Bondar, S.; Ivanov, E.; Katkova, E.; Orekhova, N.; Perkov, A.; Sasyuk, V.

    2017-07-01

    Here we present the summary of first years of operation and the first results of a novel 9-channel wide-field optical monitoring system with sub-second temporal resolution, Mini-MegaTORTORA (MMT-9), which is in operation now at Special Astrophysical Observatory on Russian Caucasus. The system is able to observe the sky simultaneously in either wide (900 square degrees) or narrow (100 square degrees) fields of view, either in clear light or with any combination of color (Johnson-Cousins B, V or R) and polarimetric filters installed, with exposure times ranging from 0.1 s to hundreds of seconds.The real-time system data analysis pipeline performs automatic detection of rapid transient events, both near-Earth and extragalactic. The objects routinely detected by MMT also include faint meteors and artificial satellites.

  14. Updates on Search for Correlations Between Sprites and TGFs By Goddard Robotic Telescope Wide Field (GRT-WF)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watanabe, K.; Alaniz, S.; Sakamoto, T.; Okajima, T.; Gehrels, N.; Chagnon, H.; Atkins, C.; Keefe, K.; Gutierrez, K.

    2016-12-01

    Although several theoretical explanations for Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) exist, we still do not clearly understand the cause of the phenomena. On the other hand, free electrons in the Earth atmosphere produce lightnings (under the TGF regions) as well as sprites (above the TGF regions) . We have been studying possible connections between sprites and TGFs. We constructed Goddard Robotic Telescope - Wide Field (GRT-WF) in June 2011, which is composed of seven wide field optical camera located at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers, FL, to observe sprites in all the directions of the sky. We have recorded over 600 sprites so far, and studied possible associations with TGFs detected by NASA's Fermi/GBM and RHESSI. We will present the current status of our study.

  15. Chip-based wide field-of-view nanoscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Diekmann, Robin; Helle, Øystein I.; Øie, Cristina I.; McCourt, Peter; Huser, Thomas R.; Schüttpelz, Mark; Ahluwalia, Balpreet S.

    2017-04-01

    Present optical nanoscopy techniques use a complex microscope for imaging and a simple glass slide to hold the sample. Here, we demonstrate the inverse: the use of a complex, but mass-producible optical chip, which hosts the sample and provides a waveguide for the illumination source, and a standard low-cost microscope to acquire super-resolved images via two different approaches. Waveguides composed of a material with high refractive-index contrast provide a strong evanescent field that is used for single-molecule switching and fluorescence excitation, thus enabling chip-based single-molecule localization microscopy. Additionally, multimode interference patterns induce spatial fluorescence intensity variations that enable fluctuation-based super-resolution imaging. As chip-based nanoscopy separates the illumination and detection light paths, total-internal-reflection fluorescence excitation is possible over a large field of view, with up to 0.5 mm × 0.5 mm being demonstrated. Using multicolour chip-based nanoscopy, we visualize fenestrations in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells.

  16. Integrated Modeling of Optical Systems (IMOS): An Assessment and Future Directions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, Gregory; Broduer, Steve (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Integrated Modeling of Optical Systems (IMOS) is a finite element-based code combining structural, thermal, and optical ray-tracing capabilities in a single environment for analysis of space-based optical systems. We'll present some recent examples of IMOS usage and discuss future development directions. Due to increasing model sizes and a greater emphasis on multidisciplinary analysis and design, much of the anticipated future work will be in the areas of improved architecture, numerics, and overall performance and analysis integration.

  17. Nanoporous Anodic Alumina: A Versatile Platform for Optical Biosensors

    PubMed Central

    Santos, Abel; Kumeria, Tushar; Losic, Dusan

    2014-01-01

    Nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) has become one of the most promising nanomaterials in optical biosensing as a result of its unique physical and chemical properties. Many studies have demonstrated the outstanding capabilities of NAA for developing optical biosensors in combination with different optical techniques. These results reveal that NAA is a promising alternative to other widely explored nanoporous platforms, such as porous silicon. This review is aimed at reporting on the recent advances and current stage of development of NAA-based optical biosensing devices. The different optical detection techniques, principles and concepts are described in detail along with relevant examples of optical biosensing devices using NAA sensing platforms. Furthermore, we summarise the performance of these devices and provide a future perspective on this promising research field. PMID:28788678

  18. Wide-Field Imaging Telescope-0 (WIT0) with automatic observing system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ji, Tae-Geun; Byeon, Seoyeon; Lee, Hye-In; Park, Woojin; Lee, Sang-Yun; Hwang, Sungyong; Choi, Changsu; Gibson, Coyne Andrew; Kuehne, John W.; Prochaska, Travis; Marshall, Jennifer L.; Im, Myungshin; Pak, Soojong

    2018-01-01

    We introduce Wide-Field Imaging Telescope-0 (WIT0), with an automatic observing system. It is developed for monitoring the variabilities of many sources at a time, e.g. young stellar objects and active galactic nuclei. It can also find the locations of transient sources such as a supernova or gamma-ray bursts. In 2017 February, we installed the wide-field 10-inch telescope (Takahashi CCA-250) as a piggyback system on the 30-inch telescope at the McDonald Observatory in Texas, US. The 10-inch telescope has a 2.35 × 2.35 deg field-of-view with a 4k × 4k CCD Camera (FLI ML16803). To improve the observational efficiency of the system, we developed a new automatic observing software, KAOS30 (KHU Automatic Observing Software for McDonald 30-inch telescope), which was developed by Visual C++ on the basis of a windows operating system. The software consists of four control packages: the Telescope Control Package (TCP), the Data Acquisition Package (DAP), the Auto Focus Package (AFP), and the Script Mode Package (SMP). Since it also supports the instruments that are using the ASCOM driver, the additional hardware installations become quite simplified. We commissioned KAOS30 in 2017 August and are in the process of testing. Based on the WIT0 experiences, we will extend KAOS30 to control multiple telescopes in future projects.

  19. Wide field imaging problems in radio astronomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cornwell, T. J.; Golap, K.; Bhatnagar, S.

    2005-03-01

    The new generation of synthesis radio telescopes now being proposed, designed, and constructed face substantial problems in making images over wide fields of view. Such observations are required either to achieve the full sensitivity limit in crowded fields or for surveys. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA Consortium, Tech. Rep., 2004), now being developed by an international consortium of 15 countries, will require advances well beyond the current state of the art. We review the theory of synthesis radio telescopes for large fields of view. We describe a new algorithm, W projection, for correcting the non-coplanar baselines aberration. This algorithm has improved performance over those previously used (typically an order of magnitude in speed). Despite the advent of W projection, the computing hardware required for SKA wide field imaging is estimated to cost up to $500M (2015 dollars). This is about half the target cost of the SKA. Reconfigurable computing is one way in which the costs can be decreased dramatically.

  20. Optical design of an athermalised dual field of view step zoom optical system in MWIR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kucukcelebi, Doruk

    2017-08-01

    In this paper, the optical design of an athermalised dual field of view step zoom optical system in MWIR (3.7μm - 4.8μm) is described. The dual field of view infrared optical system is designed based on the principle of passive athermalization method not only to achieve athermal optical system but also to keep the high image quality within the working temperature between -40°C and +60°C. The infrared optical system used in this study had a 320 pixel x 256 pixel resolution, 20μm pixel pitch size cooled MWIR focal plane array detector. In this study, the step zoom mechanism, which has the axial motion due to consisting of a lens group, is considered to simplify mechanical structure. The optical design was based on moving a single lens along the optical axis for changing the optical system's field of view not only to reduce the number of moving parts but also to athermalize for the optical system. The optical design began with an optimization process using paraxial optics when first-order optics parameters are determined. During the optimization process, in order to reduce aberrations, such as coma, astigmatism, spherical and chromatic aberrations, aspherical surfaces were used. As a result, athermalised dual field of view step zoom optical design is proposed and the performance of the design using proposed method was verified by providing the focus shifts, spot diagrams and MTF analyzes' plots.

  1. Mathematical Design Optimization of Wide-Field X-ray Telescopes: Mirror Nodal Positions and Detector Tilts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elsner, R. F.; O'Dell, S. L.; Ramsey, B. D.; Weisskopf, M. C.

    2011-01-01

    We describe a mathematical formalism for determining the mirror shell nodal positions and detector tilts that optimize the spatial resolution averaged over a field-of-view for a nested x-ray telescope, assuming known mirror segment surface prescriptions and known detector focal surface. The results are expressed in terms of ensemble averages over variable combinations of the ray positions and wave vectors in the flat focal plane intersecting the optical axis at the nominal on-axis focus, which can be determined by Monte-Carlo ray traces of the individual mirror shells. This work is part of our continuing efforts to provide analytical tools to aid in the design process for wide-field survey x-ray astronomy missions.

  2. Mathematical Design Optimization of Wide-Field X-ray Telescopes: Mirror Nodal Positions and Detector Tilts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elsner, Ronald; O'Dell, Stephen; Ramsey, Brian; Weisskopf, Martin

    2011-01-01

    We describe a mathematical formalism for determining the mirror shell nodal positions and detector tilts that optimize the spatial resolution averaged over a field-of-view for a nested x-ray telescope, assuming known mirror segment surface prescriptions and known detector focal surface. The results are expressed in terms of ensemble averages over variable combinations of the ray positions and wavevectors in the flat focal plane intersecting the optical axis at the nominal on-axis focus, which can be determined by Monte-Carlo ray traces of the individual mirror shells. This work is part of our continuing efforts to provide analytical tools to aid in the design process for wide-field survey x-ray astronomy missions.

  3. Mini-Mega-TORTORA wide-field monitoring system with sub-second temporal resolution: first year of operation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karpov, S.; Beskin, G.; Biryukov, A.; Bondar, S.; Ivanov, E.; Katkova, E.; Perkov, A.; Sasyuk, V.

    2016-12-01

    Here we present the summary of first years of operation and the first results of a novel 9-channel wide-field optical monitoring system with sub-second temporal resolution, Mini-Mega-TORTORA (MMT-9), which is in operation now at Special Astrophysical Observatory on Russian Caucasus. The system is able to observe the sky simultaneously in either wide (˜900 square degrees) or narrow (˜100 square degrees) fields of view, either in clear light or with any combination of color (Johnson-Cousins B, V or R) and polarimetric filters installed, with exposure times ranging from 0.1 s to hundreds of seconds. The real-time system data analysis pipeline performs automatic detection of rapid transient events, both near-Earth and extragalactic. The objects routinely detected by MMT include faint meteors and artificial satellites. The pipeline for a longer time scales variability analysis is still in development.

  4. Mini-MegaTORTORA wide-field monitoring system with sub-second temporal resolution: observation of transient events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karpov, S.; Beskin, G.; Biryukov, A.; Bondar, S.; Ivanov, E.; Katkova, E.; Perkov, A.; Sasyuk, V.

    2016-06-01

    Here we present a summary of first years of operation and first results of a novel 9-channel wide-field optical monitoring system with sub-second temporal resolution, Mini-MegaTORTORA (MMT-9), which is in operation now at Special Astrophysical Observatory on Russian Caucasus. The system is able to observe the sky simultaneously in either wide (~900 square degrees) or narrow (~100 square degrees) fields of view, either in clear light or with any combination of color (Johnson-Cousins B, V or R) and polarimetric filters installed, with exposure times ranging from 0.1 s to hundreds of seconds. The real-time system data analysis pipeline performs automatic detection of rapid transient events, both near-Earth and extragalactic. The objects routinely detected by MMT include faint meteors and artificial satellites. The pipeline for a longer time scales variability analysis is still in development.

  5. The optical analogy for vector fields

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parker, E. N. (Editor)

    1991-01-01

    This paper develops the optical analogy for a general vector field. The optical analogy allows the examination of certain aspects of a vector field that are not otherwise readily accessible. In particular, in the cases of a stationary Eulerian flow v of an ideal fluid and a magnetostatic field B, the vectors v and B have surface loci in common with their curls. The intrinsic discontinuities around local maxima in absolute values of v and B take the form of vortex sheets and current sheets, respectively, the former playing a fundamental role in the development of hydrodyamic turbulence and the latter playing a major role in heating the X-ray coronas of stars and galaxies.

  6. Schematic diagram of light path in Wide Field Planetary Camera 2

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1993-03-15

    S93-33258 (15 Mar 1993) --- An optical schematic diagram of one of the four channels of the Wide Field\\Planetary Camera-2 (WF\\PC-2) shows the path taken by beams from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) before an image is formed at the camera's charge-coupled devices. A team of NASA astronauts will pay a visit to the HST later this year, carrying with them the new WF/PC-2 to replace the one currently on the HST. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California has been working on the replacement system for several months. See NASA photo S93-33257 for a close-up view of tiny articulating mirrors designed to realign incoming light in order to make certain the beams fall precisely in the middle of the secondary mirrors.

  7. Active full-shell grazing-incidence optics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roche, Jacqueline M.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Ramsey, Brian D.; O'Dell, Stephen L.; Kolodziejczak, Jeffrey J.; Weisskopf, Martin C.; Gubarev, Mikhail V.

    2016-09-01

    MSFC has a long history of developing full-shell grazing-incidence x-ray optics for both narrow (pointed) and wide field (surveying) applications. The concept presented in this paper shows the potential to use active optics to switch between narrow and wide-field geometries, while maintaining large effective area and high angular resolution. In addition, active optics has the potential to reduce errors due to mounting and manufacturing lightweight optics. The design presented corrects low spatial frequency error and has significantly fewer actuators than other concepts presented thus far in the field of active x-ray optics. Using a finite element model, influence functions are calculated using active components on a full-shell grazing-incidence optic. Next, the ability of the active optic to effect a change of optical prescription and to correct for errors due to manufacturing and mounting is modeled.

  8. Active Full-Shell Grazing-Incidence Optics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, Jacqueline M.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Ramsey, Brian D.; O'Dell, Stephen L.; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery; Weisskopf, Martin C.; Gubarev, Mikhail V.

    2016-01-01

    MSFC has a long history of developing full-shell grazing-incidence x-ray optics for both narrow (pointed) and wide field (surveying) applications. The concept presented in this paper shows the potential to use active optics to switch between narrow and wide-field geometries, while maintaining large effective area and high angular resolution. In addition, active optics has the potential to reduce errors due to mounting and manufacturing lightweight optics. The design presented corrects low spatial frequency error and has significantly fewer actuators than other concepts presented thus far in the field of active x-ray optics. Using a finite element model, influence functions are calculated using active components on a full-shell grazing-incidence optic. Next, the ability of the active optic to effect a change of optical prescription and to correct for errors due to manufacturing and mounting is modeled.

  9. Wide field-of-view, multi-region two-photon imaging of neuronal activity in the mammalian brain

    PubMed Central

    Stirman, Jeffrey N.; Smith, Ikuko T.; Kudenov, Michael W.; Smith, Spencer L.

    2016-01-01

    Two-photon calcium imaging provides an optical readout of neuronal activity in populations of neurons with subcellular resolution. However, conventional two-photon imaging systems are limited in their field of view to ~1 mm2, precluding the visualization of multiple cortical areas simultaneously. Here, we demonstrate a two-photon microscope with an expanded field of view (>9.5 mm2) for rapidly reconfigurable simultaneous scanning of widely separated populations of neurons. We custom designed and assembled an optimized scan engine, objective, and two independently positionable, temporally multiplexed excitation pathways. We used this new microscope to measure activity correlations between two cortical visual areas in mice during visual processing. PMID:27347754

  10. Fiber optic refractive index and magnetic field sensors based on microhole-induced inline Mach-Zehnder interferometers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Feifei; Jiang, Yi; Zhang, Liuchao; Jiang, Lan; Wang, Sumei

    2018-04-01

    A compact microhole-induced fiber optic inline Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is demonstrated for measurements of refractive index (RI) and magnetic field. Inline MZIs with different etched diameters, different interaction lengths and different sizes of microholes are fabricated and assessed. The optical transmission spectra of the inline MZIs immersed into a series of liquids are characterized and analysed. Experimental results show that liquid RI sensitivity as high as 539.8436 nm RIU-1 in the RI range of 1.3352-1.4113 RIU is achieved and also exhibits good linearity with a correlation coefficient  >93%. An inline MZI is also fabricated to be a magnetic field sensor by using magnetic fluid material. The experimental results show that this magnetic field sensor has a high sensitivity of  -275.6 pm Oe-1. The inline MZI-based fiber optic sensors possess many advantages, such as small size, simple fabrication, high sensitivity and good linearity, which has a wide application potential in chemical, biological and environmental sensing fields.

  11. Electrowetting liquid lens array on curved substrates for wide field of view image sensor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bang, Yousung; Lee, Muyoung; Won, Yong Hyub

    2016-03-01

    In this research, electrowetting liquid lens array on curved substrates is developed for wide field of view image sensor. In the conventional image sensing system, this lens array is usually in the form of solid state. However, in this state, the lens array which is similar to insect-like compound eyes in nature has several limitations such as degradation of image quality and narrow field of view because it cannot adjust focal length of lens. For implementation of the more enhanced system, the curved array of lenses based on electrowetting effect is developed in this paper, which can adjust focal length of lens. The fabrication of curved lens array is conducted upon the several steps, including chamber fabrication, electrode & dielectric layer deposition, liquid injection, and encapsulation. As constituent materials, IZO coated convex glass, UV epoxy (NOA 68), DI water, and dodecane are used. The number of lenses on the fabricated panel is 23 by 23 and each lens has 1mm aperture with 1.6mm pitch between adjacent lenses. When the voltage is applied on the device, it is observed that each lens is changed from concave state to convex state. From the unique optical characteristics of curved array of liquid lenses such as controllable focal length and wide field of view, we can expect that it has potential applications in various fields such as medical diagnostics, surveillance systems, and light field photography.

  12. Evanescent Field Based Photoacoustics: Optical Property Evaluation at Surfaces

    PubMed Central

    Goldschmidt, Benjamin S.; Rudy, Anna M.; Nowak, Charissa A.; Tsay, Yowting; Whiteside, Paul J. D.; Hunt, Heather K.

    2016-01-01

    Here, we present a protocol to estimate material and surface optical properties using the photoacoustic effect combined with total internal reflection. Optical property evaluation of thin films and the surfaces of bulk materials is an important step in understanding new optical material systems and their applications. The method presented can estimate thickness, refractive index, and use absorptive properties of materials for detection. This metrology system uses evanescent field-based photoacoustics (EFPA), a field of research based upon the interaction of an evanescent field with the photoacoustic effect. This interaction and its resulting family of techniques allow the technique to probe optical properties within a few hundred nanometers of the sample surface. This optical near field allows for the highly accurate estimation of material properties on the same scale as the field itself such as refractive index and film thickness. With the use of EFPA and its sub techniques such as total internal reflection photoacoustic spectroscopy (TIRPAS) and optical tunneling photoacoustic spectroscopy (OTPAS), it is possible to evaluate a material at the nanoscale in a consolidated instrument without the need for many instruments and experiments that may be cost prohibitive. PMID:27500652

  13. High-Density Near-Field Optical Disc Recording

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shinoda, Masataka; Saito, Kimihiro; Ishimoto, Tsutomu; Kondo, Takao; Nakaoki, Ariyoshi; Ide, Naoki; Furuki, Motohiro; Takeda, Minoru; Akiyama, Yuji; Shimouma, Takashi; Yamamoto, Masanobu

    2005-05-01

    We developed a high-density near-field optical recording disc system using a solid immersion lens. The near-field optical pick-up consists of a solid immersion lens with a numerical aperture of 1.84. The laser wavelength for recording is 405 nm. In order to realize the near-field optical recording disc, we used a phase-change recording media and a molded polycarbonate substrate. A clear eye pattern of 112 GB capacity with 160 nm track pitch and 50 nm bit length was observed. The equivalent areal density is 80.6 Gbit/in2. The bottom bit error rate of 3 tracks-write was 4.5× 10-5. The readout power margin and the recording power margin were ± 30.4% and ± 11.2%, respectively.

  14. Satellite Ocean Biology: Past, Present, Future

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McClain, Charles R.

    2012-01-01

    Since 1978 when the first satellite ocean color proof-of-concept sensor, the Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner, was launched, much progress has been made in refining the basic measurement concept and expanding the research applications of global satellite time series of biological and optical properties such as chlorophyll-a concentrations. The seminar will review the fundamentals of satellite ocean color measurements (sensor design considerations, on-orbit calibration, atmospheric corrections, and bio-optical algorithms), scientific results from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) missions, and the goals of future NASA missions such as PACE, the Aerosol, Cloud, Ecology (ACE), and Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GeoCAPE) missions.

  15. Direct detection of the optical field beyond single polarization mode.

    PubMed

    Che, Di; Sun, Chuanbowen; Shieh, William

    2018-02-05

    Direct detection is traditionally regarded as a detection method that recovers only the optical intensity. Compared with coherent detection, it owns a natural advantage-the simplicity-but lacks a crucial capability of field recovery that enables not only the multi-dimensional modulation, but also the digital compensation of the fiber impairments linear with the optical field. Full-field detection is crucial to increase the capacity-distance product of optical transmission systems. A variety of methods have been investigated to directly detect the optical field of the single polarization mode, which normally sends a carrier traveling with the signal for self-coherent detection. The crux, however, is that any optical transmission medium supports at least two propagating modes (e.g. single mode fiber supports two polarization modes), and until now there is no direct detection that can recover the complete set of optical fields beyond one polarization, due to the well-known carrier fading issue after mode demultiplexing induced by the random mode coupling. To avoid the fading, direct detection receivers should recover the signal in an intensity space isomorphic to the optical field without loss of any degrees of freedom, and a bridge should be built between the field and its isomorphic space for the multi-mode field recovery. Based on this thinking, we propose, for the first time, the direct detection of dual polarization modes by a novel receiver concept, the Stokes-space field receiver (SSFR) and its extension, the generalized SSFR for multiple spatial modes. The idea is verified by a dual-polarization field recovery of a polarization-multiplexed complex signal over an 80-km single mode fiber transmission. SSFR can be applied to a much wider range of fields beyond optical communications such as coherent sensing and imaging, where simple field recovery without an extra local laser is desired for enhanced system performance.

  16. Photocurrent mapping of near-field optical antenna resonances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barnard, Edward S.; Pala, Ragip A.; Brongersma, Mark L.

    2011-09-01

    An increasing number of photonics applications make use of nanoscale optical antennas that exhibit a strong, resonant interaction with photons of a specific frequency. The resonant properties of such antennas are conventionally characterized by far-field light-scattering techniques. However, many applications require quantitative knowledge of the near-field behaviour, and existing local field measurement techniques provide only relative, rather than absolute, data. Here, we demonstrate a photodetector platform that uses a silicon-on-insulator substrate to spectrally and spatially map the absolute values of enhanced fields near any type of optical antenna by transducing local electric fields into photocurrent. We are able to quantify the resonant optical and materials properties of nanoscale (~50 nm) and wavelength-scale (~1 µm) metallic antennas as well as high-refractive-index semiconductor antennas. The data agree well with light-scattering measurements, full-field simulations and intuitive resonator models.

  17. Fiber optics for the future - wavelength division multiplexing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spencer, J. L.

    1982-01-01

    Optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems, with signals transmitted on different wavelengths through a single fiber, can have increased information capacity and fault isolation properties over single wavelength optical systems. This paper describes a typical WDM system. The applicability of future standards to such a system are discussed. Also, a state-of-the-art survey of optical multimode components which could be used to implement the system are made. The components to be surveyed are sources, multiplexers, and detectors. Emphasis is given to the demultiplexer techniques which are the major developmental components in the WDM system.

  18. Active probing of cloud multiple scattering, optical depth, vertical thickness, and liquid water content using wide-angle imaging lidar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Love, Steven P.; Davis, Anthony B.; Rohde, Charles A.; Tellier, Larry; Ho, Cheng

    2002-09-01

    At most optical wavelengths, laser light in a cloud lidar experiment is not absorbed but merely scattered out of the beam, eventually escaping the cloud via multiple scattering. There is much information available in this light scattered far from the input beam, information ignored by traditional 'on-beam' lidar. Monitoring these off-beam returns in a fully space- and time-resolved manner is the essence of our unique instrument, Wide Angle Imaging Lidar (WAIL). In effect, WAIL produces wide-field (60-degree full-angle) 'movies' of the scattering process and records the cloud's radiative Green functions. A direct data product of WAIL is the distribution of photon path lengths resulting from multiple scattering in the cloud. Following insights from diffusion theory, we can use the measured Green functions to infer the physical thickness and optical depth of the cloud layer, and, from there, estimate the volume-averaged liquid water content. WAIL is notable in that it is applicable to optically thick clouds, a regime in which traditional lidar is reduced to ceilometry. Here we present recent WAIL data on various clouds and discuss the extension of WAIL to full diurnal monitoring by means of an ultra-narrow magneto-optic atomic line filter for daytime measurements.

  19. Optical Microfibre Based Photonic Components and Their Applications in Label-Free Biosensing

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Pengfei; Bo, Lin; Semenova, Yuliya; Farrell, Gerald; Brambilla, Gilberto

    2015-01-01

    Optical microfibre photonic components offer a variety of enabling properties, including large evanescent fields, flexibility, configurability, high confinement, robustness and compactness. These unique features have been exploited in a range of applications such as telecommunication, sensing, optical manipulation and high Q resonators. Optical microfibre biosensors, as a class of fibre optic biosensors which rely on small geometries to expose the evanescent field to interact with samples, have been widely investigated. Due to their unique properties, such as fast response, functionalization, strong confinement, configurability, flexibility, compact size, low cost, robustness, ease of miniaturization, large evanescent field and label-free operation, optical microfibres based biosensors seem a promising alternative to traditional immunological methods for biomolecule measurements. Unlabeled DNA and protein targets can be detected by monitoring the changes of various optical transduction mechanisms, such as refractive index, absorption and surface plasmon resonance, since a target molecule is capable of binding to an immobilized optical microfibre. In this review, we critically summarize accomplishments of past optical microfibre label-free biosensors, identify areas for future research and provide a detailed account of the studies conducted to date for biomolecules detection using optical microfibres. PMID:26287252

  20. Optical Microfibre Based Photonic Components and Their Applications in Label-Free Biosensing.

    PubMed

    Wang, Pengfei; Bo, Lin; Semenova, Yuliya; Farrell, Gerald; Brambilla, Gilberto

    2015-07-22

    Optical microfibre photonic components offer a variety of enabling properties, including large evanescent fields, flexibility, configurability, high confinement, robustness and compactness. These unique features have been exploited in a range of applications such as telecommunication, sensing, optical manipulation and high Q resonators. Optical microfibre biosensors, as a class of fibre optic biosensors which rely on small geometries to expose the evanescent field to interact with samples, have been widely investigated. Due to their unique properties, such as fast response, functionalization, strong confinement, configurability, flexibility, compact size, low cost, robustness, ease of miniaturization, large evanescent field and label-free operation, optical microfibres based biosensors seem a promising alternative to traditional immunological methods for biomolecule measurements. Unlabeled DNA and protein targets can be detected by monitoring the changes of various optical transduction mechanisms, such as refractive index, absorption and surface plasmon resonance, since a target molecule is capable of binding to an immobilized optical microfibre. In this review, we critically summarize accomplishments of past optical microfibre label-free biosensors, identify areas for future research and provide a detailed account of the studies conducted to date for biomolecules detection using optical microfibres.

  1. Probing the Physical Properties of High Redshift Optically Obscured Galaxies in the Bootes NOAO Deep Wide Field Survey using the Infrared Spectrograph on Spitzer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Higdon, S. J. U.; Weedman, D.; Higdon, J. L.; Houck, J. R.; Soifer, B. T.; Armus, L.; Charmandaris, V.; Herter, T. L.; Brandl, B. R.; Brown, M. J. I.; Dey, A.; Jannuzi, B.; Le Floc'h, E.; Rieke, M.

    2004-12-01

    We have surveyed a field covering 8.4 degrees2 within the NOAO Deep Wide Field Survey region in Boötes with the Multiband Imaging Photometer on the Spitzer Space Telescope to a limiting 24 um flux density of 0.3 mJy, identifying ˜ 22,000 point sources. Thirty one sources from this survey with F(24 um) > 0.75 mJy , which are optically ``invisible'' (R > 26) or very faint (I > 24) have been observed with the low-resolution modules of the Infrared Spectrograph on SST. The spectra were extracted using the IRS SMART spectral analysis package in order to optimize their signal to noise. A suite of mid-IR spectral templates of well known galaxies, observed as part of the IRS GTO program, is used to perform formal fits to the spectral energy distribution of the Boötes sources. These fits enable us to measure their redshift, to calculate the depth of the 9.7 um silicate feature along with the strength of 7.7 um PAH, as well as to estimate their bolometric luminosities. We compare the mid-IR slope, the measured PAH luminosity, and the optical depth of these sources with those of galaxies in the local Universe. As a result we are able to estimate the contribution of a dust enshrouded active nucleus to the mid-IR and bolometric luminosity of these systems. This work is based [in part] on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under NASA contract 1407. Support for this work was provided by NASA through Contract Number 1257184 issued by JPL/Caltech.

  2. Application of optical interferometry in focused acoustic field measurement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yuebing; Sun, Min; Cao, Yonggang; Zhu, Jiang

    2018-07-01

    Optical interferometry has been successfully applied in measuring acoustic pressures in plane-wave fields and spherical-wave fields. In this paper, the "effective" refractive index for focused acoustic fields was developed, through numerical simulation and experiments, the feasibility of the optical method in measuring acoustic fields of focused transducers was proved. Compared with the results from a membrane hydrophone, it was concluded that the optical method has good spatial resolution and is suitable for detecting focused fields with fluctuant distributions. The influences of a few factors (the generated lamb wave, laser beam directivity, etc.) were analyzed, and corresponding suggestions were proposed for effective application of this technology.

  3. Field test investigation of high sensitivity fiber optic seismic geophone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Meng; Min, Li; Zhang, Xiaolei; Zhang, Faxiang; Sun, Zhihui; Li, Shujuan; Wang, Chang; Zhao, Zhong; Hao, Guanghu

    2017-10-01

    Seismic reflection, whose measured signal is the artificial seismic waves ,is the most effective method and widely used in the geophysical prospecting. And this method can be used for exploration of oil, gas and coal. When a seismic wave travelling through the Earth encounters an interface between two materials with different acoustic impedances, some of the wave energy will reflect off the interface and some will refract through the interface. At its most basic, the seismic reflection technique consists of generating seismic waves and measuring the time taken for the waves to travel from the source, reflect off an interface and be detected by an array of geophones at the surface. Compared to traditional geophones such as electric, magnetic, mechanical and gas geophone, optical fiber geophones have many advantages. Optical fiber geophones can achieve sensing and signal transmission simultaneously. With the development of fiber grating sensor technology, fiber bragg grating (FBG) is being applied in seismic exploration and draws more and more attention to its advantage of anti-electromagnetic interference, high sensitivity and insensitivity to meteorological conditions. In this paper, we designed a high sensitivity geophone and tested its sensitivity, based on the theory of FBG sensing. The frequency response range is from 10 Hz to 100 Hz and the acceleration of the fiber optic seismic geophone is over 1000pm/g. sixteen-element fiber optic seismic geophone array system is presented and the field test is performed in Shengli oilfield of China. The field test shows that: (1) the fiber optic seismic geophone has a higher sensitivity than the traditional geophone between 1-100 Hz;(2) The low frequency reflection wave continuity of fiber Bragg grating geophone is better.

  4. Method and apparatus for use of III-nitride wide bandgap semiconductors in optical communications

    DOEpatents

    Hui, Rongqing [Lenexa, KS; Jiang, Hong-Xing [Manhattan, KS; Lin, Jing-Yu [Manhattan, KS

    2008-03-18

    The present disclosure relates to the use of III-nitride wide bandgap semiconductor materials for optical communications. In one embodiment, an optical device includes an optical waveguide device fabricated using a III-nitride semiconductor material. The III-nitride semiconductor material provides for an electrically controllable refractive index. The optical waveguide device provides for high speed optical communications in an infrared wavelength region. In one embodiment, an optical amplifier is provided using optical coatings at the facet ends of a waveguide formed of erbium-doped III-nitride semiconductor materials.

  5. Wide-field high-performance geosynchronous imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wood, H. John; Jenstrom, Del; Wilson, Mark; Hinkal, Sanford; Kirchman, Frank

    1998-01-01

    The NASA Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) Program and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are sponsoring the Advanced Geosynchronous Studies (AGS) to develop technologies and system concepts for Earth observation from geosynchronous orbit. This series of studies is intended to benefit both MTPE science and the NOAA GOES Program. Within the AGS program, advanced imager trade studies have investigated two candidate concepts for near-term advanced geosynchronous imagers. One concept uses a scan mirror to direct the line of sight from a 3-axis stabilized platform. Another eliminates the need for a scan mirror by using an agile spacecraft bus to scan the entire instrument. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the optical design trades and system issues encountered in evaluating the two scanning approaches. The imager design started with a look at first principles: what is the most efficient way to image the Earth in those numerous spectral bands of interest to MTPE scientists and NOAA weather forecasters. Optical design trades included rotating filter wheels and dispersive grating instruments. The design converged on a bandpass filter instrument using four focal planes to cover the spectral range 0.45 to 13.0 micrometers. The first imager design uses a small agile spacecraft supporting an afocal optical telescope. Dichroic beamsplitters feed refractive objectives to four focal planes. The detectors are a series of long linear and rectangular arrays which are scanned in a raster fashion over the 17 degree Earth image. The use of the spacecraft attitude control system to raster the imager field-of-view (FOV) back and forth over the Earth eliminates the need for a scan mirror. However, the price paid is significant energy and time required to reverse the spacecraft slew motions at the end of each scan line. Hence, it is desired to minimize the number of scan lines needed to cover the full Earth disk. This desire, coupled with the ground

  6. Tailoring optical complex field with spiral blade plasmonic vortex lens

    PubMed Central

    Rui, Guanghao; Zhan, Qiwen; Cui, Yiping

    2015-01-01

    Optical complex fields have attracted increasing interests because of the novel effects and phenomena arising from the spatially inhomogeneous state of polarizations and optical singularities of the light beam. In this work, we propose a spiral blade plasmonic vortex lens (SBPVL) that offers unique opportunities to manipulate these novel fields. The strong interaction between the SBPVL and the optical complex fields enable the synthesis of highly tunable plasmonic vortex. Through theoretical derivations and numerical simulations we demonstrated that the characteristics of the plasmonic vortex are determined by the angular momentum (AM) of the light, and the geometrical topological charge of the SBPVL, which is govern by the nonlinear superposition of the pitch and the number of blade element. In addition, it is also shown that by adjusting the geometric parameters, SBPVL can be utilized to focus and manipulate optical complex field with fractional AM. This miniature plasmonic device may find potential applications in optical trapping, optical data storage and many other related fields. PMID:26335894

  7. Optical Tecnology Developments in Biomedicine: History, Current and Future

    PubMed Central

    Nioka, Shoko; Chen, Yu

    2011-01-01

    Biomedical optics is a rapidly emerging field for medical imaging and diagnostics. This paper reviews several biomedical optical technologies that have been developed and translated for either clinical or pre-clinical applications. Specifically, we focus on the following technologies: 1) near-infrared spectroscopy and tomography, 2) optical coherence tomography, 3) fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging, and 4) optical molecular imaging. There representative biomedical applications are also discussed here. PMID:23905030

  8. Development of a Data Reduction Algorithm for Optical Wide Field Patrol (OWL) II: Improving Measurement of Lengths of Detected Streaks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Sun-Youp; Choi, Jin; Roh, Dong-Goo; Park, Maru; Jo, Jung Hyun; Yim, Hong-Suh; Park, Young-Sik; Bae, Young-Ho; Park, Jang-Hyun; Moon, Hong-Kyu; Choi, Young-Jun; Cho, Sungki; Choi, Eun-Jung

    2016-09-01

    As described in the previous paper (Park et al. 2013), the detector subsystem of optical wide-field patrol (OWL) provides many observational data points of a single artificial satellite or space debris in the form of small streaks, using a chopper system and a time tagger. The position and the corresponding time data are matched assuming that the length of a streak on the CCD frame is proportional to the time duration of the exposure during which the chopper blades do not obscure the CCD window. In the previous study, however, the length was measured using the diagonal of the rectangle of the image area containing the streak; the results were quite ambiguous and inaccurate, allowing possible matching error of positions and time data. Furthermore, because only one (position, time) data point is created from one streak, the efficiency of the observation decreases. To define the length of a streak correctly, it is important to locate the endpoints of a streak. In this paper, a method using a differential convolution mask pattern is tested. This method can be used to obtain the positions where the pixel values are changed sharply. These endpoints can be regarded as directly detected positional data, and the number of data points is doubled by this result.

  9. Programmable LED-based integrating sphere light source for wide-field fluorescence microscopy.

    PubMed

    Rehman, Aziz Ul; Anwer, Ayad G; Goldys, Ewa M

    2017-12-01

    Wide-field fluorescence microscopy commonly uses a mercury lamp, which has limited spectral capabilities. We designed and built a programmable integrating sphere light (PISL) source which consists of nine LEDs, light-collecting optics, a commercially available integrating sphere and a baffle. The PISL source is tuneable in the range 365-490nm with a uniform spatial profile and a sufficient power at the objective to carry out spectral imaging. We retrofitted a standard fluorescence inverted microscope DM IRB (Leica) with a PISL source by mounting it together with a highly sensitive low- noise CMOS camera. The capabilities of the setup have been demonstrated by carrying out multispectral autofluorescence imaging of live BV2 cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. A wide-band fiber optic frequency distribution system employing thermally controlled phase compensation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Dean; Calhoun, Malcolm; Sydnor, Richard; Lutes, George

    1993-01-01

    An active wide-band fiber optic frequency distribution system employing a thermally controlled phase compensator to stabilize phase variations induced by environmental temperature changes is described. The distribution system utilizes bidirectional dual wavelength transmission to provide optical feedback of induced phase variations of 100 MHz signals propagating along the distribution cable. The phase compensation considered differs from earlier narrow-band phase compensation designs in that it uses a thermally controlled fiber delay coil rather than a VCO or phase modulation to compensate for induced phase variations. Two advantages of the wide-band system over earlier designs are (1) that it provides phase compensation for all transmitted frequencies, and (2) the compensation is applied after the optical interface rather than electronically ahead of it as in earlier schemes. Experimental results on the first prototype shows that the thermal stabilizer reduces phase variations and Allan deviation by a factor of forty over an equivalent uncompensated fiber optic distribution system.

  11. Integrated Optics: A Technology With A Future

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, Stewart E.

    1985-01-01

    If I were in the audience, listening to this talk, I am sure I would like to hear answers to questions such as: 'here is Integrated Optics going? What should I do to capitalize on this future? How soon will this market grow? What products will be needed?

  12. Novel fast catadioptric objective with wide field of view

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muñoz, Fernando; Infante Herrero, José M.; Benítez, Pablo; Miñano, Juan C.; Lin, Wang; Vilaplana, Juan; Biot, Guillermo; de la Fuente, Marta

    2010-08-01

    Using the Simultaneous Multiple Surface method in 2D (SMS2D), we present a fast catadioptric objective with a wide field of view (125°×96°) designed for a microbolometer detector with 640×480 pixels and 25 microns pixel pitch Keywords: Infrared lens design, thermal imaging, Schwarzschild configuration, SMS2D, wide field of view, driving cameras, panoramic systems

  13. Structured illumination for wide-field Raman imaging of cell membranes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Houkai; Wang, Siqi; Zhang, Yuquan; Yang, Yong; Fang, Hui; Zhu, Siwei; Yuan, Xiaocong

    2017-11-01

    Although the diffraction limit still restricts their lateral resolution, conventional wide-field Raman imaging techniques offer fast imaging speeds compared with scanning schemes. To extend the lateral resolution of wide-field Raman microscopy using filters, standing-wave illumination technique is used, and an improvement of lateral resolution by a factor of more than two is achieved. Specifically, functionalized surface enhanced Raman scattering nanoparticles are employed to strengthen the desired scattering signals to label cell membranes. This wide-field Raman imaging technique affords various significant opportunities in the biological applications.

  14. Theory of aberration fields for general optical systems with freeform surfaces.

    PubMed

    Fuerschbach, Kyle; Rolland, Jannick P; Thompson, Kevin P

    2014-11-03

    This paper utilizes the framework of nodal aberration theory to describe the aberration field behavior that emerges in optical systems with freeform optical surfaces, particularly φ-polynomial surfaces, including Zernike polynomial surfaces, that lie anywhere in the optical system. If the freeform surface is located at the stop or pupil, the net aberration contribution of the freeform surface is field constant. As the freeform optical surface is displaced longitudinally away from the stop or pupil of the optical system, the net aberration contribution becomes field dependent. It is demonstrated that there are no new aberration types when describing the aberration fields that arise with the introduction of freeform optical surfaces. Significantly it is shown that the aberration fields that emerge with the inclusion of freeform surfaces in an optical system are exactly those that have been described by nodal aberration theory for tilted and decentered optical systems. The key contribution here lies in establishing the field dependence and nodal behavior of each freeform term that is essential knowledge for effective application to optical system design. With this development, the nodes that are distributed throughout the field of view for each aberration type can be anticipated and targeted during optimization for the correction or control of the aberrations in an optical system with freeform surfaces. This work does not place any symmetry constraints on the optical system, which could be packaged in a fully three dimensional geometry, without fold mirrors.

  15. The Wide Field Imager instrument for Athena

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meidinger, Norbert; Barbera, Marco; Emberger, Valentin; Fürmetz, Maria; Manhart, Markus; Müller-Seidlitz, Johannes; Nandra, Kirpal; Plattner, Markus; Rau, Arne; Treberspurg, Wolfgang

    2017-08-01

    ESA's next large X-ray mission ATHENA is designed to address the Cosmic Vision science theme 'The Hot and Energetic Universe'. It will provide answers to the two key astrophysical questions how does ordinary matter assemble into the large-scale structures we see today and how do black holes grow and shape the Universe. The ATHENA spacecraft will be equipped with two focal plane cameras, a Wide Field Imager (WFI) and an X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU). The WFI instrument is optimized for state-of-the-art resolution spectroscopy over a large field of view of 40 amin x 40 amin and high count rates up to and beyond 1 Crab source intensity. The cryogenic X-IFU camera is designed for high-spectral resolution imaging. Both cameras share alternately a mirror system based on silicon pore optics with a focal length of 12 m and large effective area of about 2 m2 at an energy of 1 keV. Although the mission is still in phase A, i.e. studying the feasibility and developing the necessary technology, the definition and development of the instrumentation made already significant progress. The herein described WFI focal plane camera covers the energy band from 0.2 keV to 15 keV with 450 μm thick fully depleted back-illuminated silicon active pixel sensors of DEPFET type. The spatial resolution will be provided by one million pixels, each with a size of 130 μm x 130 μm. The time resolution requirement for the WFI large detector array is 5 ms and for the WFI fast detector 80 μs. The large effective area of the mirror system will be completed by a high quantum efficiency above 90% for medium and higher energies. The status of the various WFI subsystems to achieve this performance will be described and recent changes will be explained here.

  16. OP09O-OP404-9 Wide Field Camera 3 CCD Quantum Efficiency Hysteresis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Collins, Nick

    2009-01-01

    The HST/Wide Field Camera (WFC) 3 UV/visible channel CCD detectors have exhibited an unanticipated quantum efficiency hysteresis (QEH) behavior. At the nominal operating temperature of -83C, the QEH feature contrast was typically 0.1-0.2% or less. The behavior was replicated using flight spare detectors. A visible light flat-field (540nm) with a several times full-well signal level can pin the detectors at both optical (600nm) and near-UV (230nm) wavelengths, suppressing the QEH behavior. We are characterizing the timescale for the detectors to become unpinned and developing a protocol for flashing the WFC3 CCDs with the instrument's internal calibration system in flight. The HST/Wide Field Camera 3 UV/visible channel CCD detectors have exhibited an unanticipated quantum efficiency hysteresis (QEH) behavior. The first observed manifestation of QEH was the presence in a small percentage of flat-field images of a bowtie-shaped contrast that spanned the width of each chip. At the nominal operating temperature of -83C, the contrast observed for this feature was typically 0.1-0.2% or less, though at warmer temperatures contrasts up to 5% (at -50C) have been observed. The bowtie morphology was replicated using flight spare detectors in tests at the GSFC Detector Characterization Laboratory by power cycling the detector while cold. Continued investigation revealed that a clearly-related global QE suppression at the approximately 5% level can be produced by cooling the detector in the dark; subsequent flat-field exposures at a constant illumination show asymptotically increasing response. This QE "pinning" can be achieved with a single high signal flat-field or a series of lower signal flats; a visible light (500-580nm) flat-field with a signal level of several hundred thousand electrons per pixel is sufficient for QE pinning at both optical (600nm) and near-UV (230nm) wavelengths. We are characterizing the timescale for the detectors to become unpinned and developing a

  17. A sensor for vector electric field measurements through a nonlinear anisotropic optical crystal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barbieri, Luca; Gondola, Marco; Potenza, Marco; Villa, Andrea; Malgesini, Roberto

    2017-11-01

    Electrical applications require the development of electric field sensors that can reproduce vector electric field waveforms with a very large spectral width ranging from 50 Hz to at least 70 MHz. This makes it possible to measure both the normal operation modes of electrical components and abnormal behaviors such as the corona emission and partial discharges. In this work, we aim to develop a fully dielectric sensor capable of measuring two components of the electric field using a wide class of optical crystals including anisotropic ones, whereas most of the efforts in this field have been devoted to isotropic crystals. We report the results of the measurements performed at 50 Hz and with a lightning impulse, to validate the sensor.

  18. WISPIR: A Wide-Field Imaging SPectrograph for the InfraRed for the SPICA Observatory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Benford, Dominic J.; Mundy, Lee G.

    2010-01-01

    We have undertaken a study of a far infrared imaging spectrometer based on a Fourier transform spectrometer that uses well-understood, high maturity optics, cryogenics, and detectors to further our knowledge of the chemical and astrophysical evolution of the Universe as it formed planets, stars, and the variety of galaxy morphologies that we observe today. The instrument, Wide-field Imaging Spectrometer for the InfraRed (WISPIR), would operate on the SPICA observatory, and will feature a spectral range from 35 - 210 microns and a spectral resolving power of R=1,000 to 6,000, depending on wavelength. WISPIR provides a choice of full-field spectral imaging over a 2'x2' field or long-slit spectral imaging along a 2' slit for studies of astrophysical structures in the local and high-redshift Universe. WISPIR in long-slit mode will attain a sensitivity two orders of magnitude better than what is currently available.

  19. Wide-Field Imaging System and Rapid Direction of Optical Zoom (WOZ)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-03-25

    COMSOL Multiphysics, and ZEMAX optical design. The multiphysics design tool is nearing completion. We have demonstrated the ability to create a model in...and mechanical modeling to calculate the deformation resulting from the applied voltages. Finally, the deformed surface can be exported to ZEMAX via...MatLab. From ZEMAX , various analyses can be conducted to determine important parameters such as focal point, aberrations, and wavefront distortion

  20. Wide-field Imaging System and Rapid Direction of Optical Zoom (WOZ)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-12-24

    The modeling tools are based on interaction between three commercial software packages: SolidWorks, COMSOL Multiphysics, and ZEMAX optical design...deformation resulting from the applied voltages. Finally, the deformed surface can be exported to ZEMAX via MatLab. From ZEMAX , various analyses can...results to extract from ZEMAX to support the optimization remains to be determined. Figure 1 shows the deformation calculated using a model of an

  1. Contributed Review: Camera-limits for wide-field magnetic resonance imaging with a nitrogen-vacancy spin sensor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wojciechowski, Adam M.; Karadas, Mürsel; Huck, Alexander; Osterkamp, Christian; Jankuhn, Steffen; Meijer, Jan; Jelezko, Fedor; Andersen, Ulrik L.

    2018-03-01

    Sensitive, real-time optical magnetometry with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond relies on accurate imaging of small (≪10-2), fractional fluorescence changes across the diamond sample. We discuss the limitations on magnetic field sensitivity resulting from the limited number of photoelectrons that a camera can record in a given time. Several types of camera sensors are analyzed, and the smallest measurable magnetic field change is estimated for each type. We show that most common sensors are of a limited use in such applications, while certain highly specific cameras allow achieving nanotesla-level sensitivity in 1 s of a combined exposure. Finally, we demonstrate the results obtained with a lock-in camera that paves the way for real-time, wide-field magnetometry at the nanotesla level and with a micrometer resolution.

  2. Intact skull chronic windows for mesoscopic wide-field imaging in awake mice

    PubMed Central

    Silasi, Gergely; Xiao, Dongsheng; Vanni, Matthieu P.; Chen, Andrew C. N.; Murphy, Timothy H.

    2016-01-01

    Background Craniotomy-based window implants are commonly used for microscopic imaging, in head-fixed rodents, however their field of view is typically small and incompatible with mesoscopic functional mapping of cortex. New Method We describe a reproducible and simple procedure for chronic through-bone wide-field imaging in awake head-fixed mice providing stable optical access for chronic imaging over large areas of the cortex for months. Results The preparation is produced by applying clear-drying dental cement to the intact mouse skull, followed by a glass coverslip to create a partially transparent imaging surface. Surgery time takes about 30 minutes. A single set-screw provides a stable means of attachment for mesoscale assessment without obscuring the cortical field of view. Comparison with Existing Methods We demonstrate the utility of this method by showing seed-pixel functional connectivity maps generated from spontaneous cortical activity of GCAMP6 signals in both awake and anesthetized mice. Conclusions We propose that the intact skull preparation described here may be used for most longitudinal studies that do not require micron scale resolution and where cortical neural or vascular signals are recorded with intrinsic sensors. PMID:27102043

  3. New Material Transistor with Record-High Field-Effect Mobility among Wide-Band-Gap Semiconductors.

    PubMed

    Shih, Cheng Wei; Chin, Albert

    2016-08-03

    At an ultrathin 5 nm, we report a new high-mobility tin oxide (SnO2) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) exhibiting extremely high field-effect mobility values of 279 and 255 cm(2)/V-s at 145 and 205 °C, respectively. These values are the highest reported mobility values among all wide-band-gap semiconductors of GaN, SiC, and metal-oxide MOSFETs, and they also exceed those of silicon devices at the aforementioned elevated temperatures. For the first time among existing semiconductor transistors, a new device physical phenomenon of a higher mobility value was measured at 45-205 °C than at 25 °C, which is due to the lower optical phonon scattering by the large SnO2 phonon energy. Moreover, the high on-current/off-current of 4 × 10(6) and the positive threshold voltage of 0.14 V at 25 °C are significantly better than those of a graphene transistor. This wide-band-gap SnO2 MOSFET exhibits high mobility in a 25-205 °C temperature range, a wide operating voltage of 1.5-20 V, and the ability to form on an amorphous substrate, rendering it an ideal candidate for multifunctional low-power integrated circuit (IC), display, and brain-mimicking three-dimensional IC applications.

  4. Blind deconvolution with principal components analysis for wide-field and small-aperture telescopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jia, Peng; Sun, Rongyu; Wang, Weinan; Cai, Dongmei; Liu, Huigen

    2017-09-01

    Telescopes with a wide field of view (greater than 1°) and small apertures (less than 2 m) are workhorses for observations such as sky surveys and fast-moving object detection, and play an important role in time-domain astronomy. However, images captured by these telescopes are contaminated by optical system aberrations, atmospheric turbulence, tracking errors and wind shear. To increase the quality of images and maximize their scientific output, we propose a new blind deconvolution algorithm based on statistical properties of the point spread functions (PSFs) of these telescopes. In this new algorithm, we first construct the PSF feature space through principal component analysis, and then classify PSFs from a different position and time using a self-organizing map. According to the classification results, we divide images of the same PSF types and select these PSFs to construct a prior PSF. The prior PSF is then used to restore these images. To investigate the improvement that this algorithm provides for data reduction, we process images of space debris captured by our small-aperture wide-field telescopes. Comparing the reduced results of the original images and the images processed with the standard Richardson-Lucy method, our method shows a promising improvement in astrometry accuracy.

  5. Wide-field spectrally resolved quantitative fluorescence imaging system: toward neurosurgical guidance in glioma resection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xie, Yijing; Thom, Maria; Ebner, Michael; Wykes, Victoria; Desjardins, Adrien; Miserocchi, Anna; Ourselin, Sebastien; McEvoy, Andrew W.; Vercauteren, Tom

    2017-11-01

    In high-grade glioma surgery, tumor resection is often guided by intraoperative fluorescence imaging. 5-aminolevulinic acid-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) provides fluorescent contrast between normal brain tissue and glioma tissue, thus achieving improved tumor delineation and prolonged patient survival compared with conventional white-light-guided resection. However, commercially available fluorescence imaging systems rely solely on visual assessment of fluorescence patterns by the surgeon, which makes the resection more subjective than necessary. We developed a wide-field spectrally resolved fluorescence imaging system utilizing a Generation II scientific CMOS camera and an improved computational model for the precise reconstruction of the PpIX concentration map. In our model, the tissue's optical properties and illumination geometry, which distort the fluorescent emission spectra, are considered. We demonstrate that the CMOS-based system can detect low PpIX concentration at short camera exposure times, while providing high-pixel resolution wide-field images. We show that total variation regularization improves the contrast-to-noise ratio of the reconstructed quantitative concentration map by approximately twofold. Quantitative comparison between the estimated PpIX concentration and tumor histopathology was also investigated to further evaluate the system.

  6. Study of GLAO-corrected PSF evolution for the MUSE Wide Field Mode. Expected performance and requirements for PSF reconstruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fusco, T.; Villecroze, R.; Jarno, A.; Bacon, R.

    2011-09-01

    The second generation instrument MUSE for the VLT has been designed to profit of the ESO Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF). The two Adaptive Optics (AO) modes (GLAO in Wide Field Mode [WFM] and LTAO in Narrow Field Mode [NFM]) will be used. To achieve its key science goals, MUSE will require information on the full system (Atmosphere, AO, telescope and instrument) image quality and its variation with Field position and wavelength. For example, optimal summation of a large number of deep field exposures in WFM will require a good knowledge of the PSF. In this paper, we will present an exhaustive analysis of the MUSE Wide Field Mode PSF evolution both spatially and spectrally. For that purpose we have coupled a complete AO simulation tool developed at ONERA with the MUSE instrumental PSF simulation. Relative impact of atmospheric and system parameters (seeing, Cn^2, LGS and NGS positions etc ...) with respect to differential MUSE aberrations per channel (i.e. slicer and IFU) is analysed. The results allow us (in close collaboration with astronomers) to define pertinent parameters (fit parameters using a Moffat function) for a PSF reconstruction process (estimation of this parameters using GLAO telemetry) and to propose an efficient and robust algorithm to be implemented in the MUSE pipeline. The extension of the spatial and spectral PSF analysis to the NFM case is discussed and preliminary results are given. Some specific requirements for the generalisation of the GLAO PSF reconstruction process to the LTAO case are derived from these early results.

  7. 15x optical zoom and extreme optical image stabilisation: diffraction limited integral field spectroscopy with the Oxford SWIFT spectrograph

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tecza, Matthias; Thatte, Niranjan; Clarke, Fraser; Lynn, James; Freeman, David; Roberts, Jennifer; Dekany, Richard

    2012-09-01

    When commissioned in November 2008 at the Palomar 200 inch Hale Telescope, the Oxford SWIFT I and z band integral field spectrograph, fed by the adaptive optics system PALAO, provided a wide (3×) range of spatial resolutions: three plate scales of 235 mas, 160 mas, and 80 mas per spaxel over a contiguous field-of-view of 89×44 pixels. Depending on observing conditions and guide star brightness we can choose a seeing limited scale of 235 mas per spaxel, or 160 mas and 80 mas per spaxel for very bright guide star AO with substantial increase of enclosed energy. Over the last two years PALAO was upgraded to PALM-3000: an extreme, high-order adaptive optics system with two deformable mirrors with more than 3000 actuators, promising diffraction limited performance in SWIFT's wavelength range. In order to take advantage of this increased spatial resolution we upgraded SWIFT with new pre-optics allowing us to spatially Nyquist sample the diffraction limited PALM-3000 point spread function with 16 mas resolution, reducing the spaxel scale by another factor of 5×. We designed, manufactured, integrated and tested the new pre-optics in the first half of 2011 and commissioned it in December 2011. Here we present the opto-mechanical design and assembly of the new scale changing optics, as well as laboratory and on-sky commissioning results. In optimal observing conditions we achieve substantial Strehl ratios, delivering the near diffraction limited spatial resolution in the I and z bands.

  8. Dynamic registration of an optical see-through HMD into a wide field-of-view rotorcraft flight simulation environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viertler, Franz; Hajek, Manfred

    2015-05-01

    To overcome the challenge of helicopter flight in degraded visual environments, current research considers headmounted displays with 3D-conformal (scene-linked) visual cues as most promising display technology. For pilot-in-theloop simulations with HMDs, a highly accurate registration of the augmented visual system is required. In rotorcraft flight simulators the outside visual cues are usually provided by a dome projection system, since a wide field-of-view (e.g. horizontally > 200° and vertically > 80°) is required, which can hardly be achieved with collimated viewing systems. But optical see-through HMDs do mostly not have an equivalent focus compared to the distance of the pilot's eye-point position to the curved screen, which is also dependant on head motion. Hence, a dynamic vergence correction has been implemented to avoid binocular disparity. In addition, the parallax error induced by even small translational head motions is corrected with a head-tracking system to be adjusted onto the projected screen. For this purpose, two options are presented. The correction can be achieved by rendering the view with yaw and pitch offset angles dependent on the deviating head position from the design eye-point of the spherical projection system. Furthermore, it can be solved by implementing a dynamic eye-point in the multi-channel projection system for the outside visual cues. Both options have been investigated for the integration of a binocular HMD into the Rotorcraft Simulation Environment (ROSIE) at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen. Pros and cons of both possibilities with regard on integration issues and usability in flight simulations will be discussed.

  9. ULTRA-WIDE-FIELD FUNDUS AUTOFLUORESCENCE FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE ZONAL OCCULT OUTER RETINOPATHY.

    PubMed

    Shifera, Amde Selassie; Pennesi, Mark E; Yang, Paul; Lin, Phoebe

    2017-06-01

    To determine whether ultra-wide-field fundus autofluorescence (UWFFAF) findings in acute zonal occult outer retinopathy correlated well with perimetry, optical coherence tomography, and electroretinography findings. Retrospective observational study on 16 eyes of 10 subjects with AZOOR seen at a single referral center from October 2012 to March 2015 who had UWFFAF performed. Chi-square analysis was performed to compare categorical variables, and Mann-Whitney U test used for comparisons of nonparametric continuous variables. All eyes examined within 3 months of symptom onset (five of the five eyes) had diffusely hyperautofluorescent areas on UWFFAF. The remaining eyes contained hypoautofluorescent lesions with hyperautofluorescent borders. In 11/16 (68.8%) eyes, UWFFAF showed the full extent of lesions that would not have been possible with standard fundus autofluorescence centered on the fovea. There were 3 patterns of spread: centrifugal spread (7/16, 43.8%), centripetal spread (5/16, 31.3%), and centrifugal + centripetal spread (4/16, 25.0%). The UWFFAF lesions corresponded well with perimetric, optical coherence tomography, and electroretinography abnormalities. The UWFFAF along with optical coherence tomography can be useful in the evaluation and monitoring of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy patients.

  10. Highly Stable Wideband Microwave Extraction by Synchronizing Widely Tunable Optoelectronic Oscillator with Optical Frequency Comb

    PubMed Central

    Hou, D.; Xie, X. P.; Zhang, Y. L.; Wu, J. T.; Chen, Z. Y.; Zhao, J. Y.

    2013-01-01

    Optical frequency combs (OFCs), based on mode-locked lasers (MLLs), have attracted considerable attention in many fields over recent years. Among the applications of OFCs, one of the most challenging works is the extraction of a highly stable microwave with low phase noise. Many synchronisation schemes have been exploited to synchronise an electronic oscillator with the pulse train from a MLL, helping to extract an ultra-stable microwave. Here, we demonstrate novel wideband microwave extraction from a stable OFC by synchronising a single widely tunable optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) with an OFC at different harmonic frequencies, using an optical phase detection technique. The tunable range of the proposed microwave extraction extends from 2 GHz to 4 GHz, and in a long-term synchronisation experiment over 12 hours, the proposed synchronisation scheme provided a rms timing drift of 18 fs and frequency instabilities at 1.2 × 10−15/1 s and 2.2 × 10−18/10000 s. PMID:24336459

  11. Highly Stable Wideband Microwave Extraction by Synchronizing Widely Tunable Optoelectronic Oscillator with Optical Frequency Comb

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hou, D.; Xie, X. P.; Zhang, Y. L.; Wu, J. T.; Chen, Z. Y.; Zhao, J. Y.

    2013-12-01

    Optical frequency combs (OFCs), based on mode-locked lasers (MLLs), have attracted considerable attention in many fields over recent years. Among the applications of OFCs, one of the most challenging works is the extraction of a highly stable microwave with low phase noise. Many synchronisation schemes have been exploited to synchronise an electronic oscillator with the pulse train from a MLL, helping to extract an ultra-stable microwave. Here, we demonstrate novel wideband microwave extraction from a stable OFC by synchronising a single widely tunable optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) with an OFC at different harmonic frequencies, using an optical phase detection technique. The tunable range of the proposed microwave extraction extends from 2 GHz to 4 GHz, and in a long-term synchronisation experiment over 12 hours, the proposed synchronisation scheme provided a rms timing drift of 18 fs and frequency instabilities at 1.2 × 10-15/1 s and 2.2 × 10-18/10000 s.

  12. Relevant Optical Issues of the SPM-Twin Telescopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    González, J. J.; Orlov, V.

    2007-06-01

    Most technical aspects of the SPM-Twin Telescopes have been basically solved by the Magellan and MMT projects. However, the Spectroscopic "Wide Field Telescope" will be the first of its kind and an optical solution based on Magellan needs to be further investigated. In addition, the requirements for adaptive optics for the Standard Field Telescope need to be worked out. In this contribution we will compare optical wide field conceptual designs and the potential scope of AO for SPM-Twin.

  13. Near-field fluorescence thermometry using highly efficient triple-tapered near-field optical fiber probe.

    PubMed

    Fujii, T; Taguchi, Y; Saiki, T; Nagasaka, Y

    2012-12-01

    A novel local temperature measurement method using fluorescence near-field optics thermal nanoscopy (Fluor-NOTN) has been developed. Fluor-NOTN enables nanoscale temperature measurement in situ by detecting the temperature-dependent fluorescence lifetime of CdSe quantum dots (QDs). In this paper, we report a novel triple-tapered near-field optical fiber probe that can increase the temperature measurement sensitivity of Fluor-NOTN. The performance of the proposed probe was numerically evaluated by the finite difference time domain method. Due to improvements in both the throughput and collection efficiency of near-field light, the sensitivity of the proposed probe was 1.9 times greater than that of typical double-tapered probe. The proposed shape of the triple-tapered core was successfully fabricated utilizing a geometrical model. The detected signal intensity of dried layers of QDs was greater by more than two orders than that of auto-fluorescence from the fiber core. In addition, the near-field fluorescence lifetime of the QDs and its temperature dependence were successfully measured by the fabricated triple-tapered near-field optical fiber probe. These measurement results verified the capability of the proposed triple-tapered near-field optical fiber probe to improve the collection efficiency of near-field fluorescence.

  14. Nonlinear Optics with 2D Layered Materials.

    PubMed

    Autere, Anton; Jussila, Henri; Dai, Yunyun; Wang, Yadong; Lipsanen, Harri; Sun, Zhipei

    2018-06-01

    2D layered materials (2DLMs) are a subject of intense research for a wide variety of applications (e.g., electronics, photonics, and optoelectronics) due to their unique physical properties. Most recently, increasing research efforts on 2DLMs are projected toward the nonlinear optical properties of 2DLMs, which are not only fascinating from the fundamental science point of view but also intriguing for various potential applications. Here, the current state of the art in the field of nonlinear optics based on 2DLMs and their hybrid structures (e.g., mixed-dimensional heterostructures, plasmonic structures, and silicon/fiber integrated structures) is reviewed. Several potential perspectives and possible future research directions of these promising nanomaterials for nonlinear optics are also presented. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Wide-view transflective liquid crystal display for mobile applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Hyang Yul; Ge, Zhibing; Wu, Shin-Tson; Lee, Seung Hee

    2007-12-01

    A high optical efficiency and wide-view transflective liquid crystal display based on fringe-field switching structure is proposed. The transmissive part has a homogenous liquid crystal (LC) alignment and is driven by a fringe electric field, which exhibits excellent electro-optic characteristics. The reflective part has a hybrid LC alignment with quarter-wave phase retardation and is also driven by a fringe electric field. Consequently, the transmissive and reflective parts have similar gamma curves.

  16. The Wide Field X-ray Telescope Mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murray, Stephen S.; WFXT Team

    2010-01-01

    To explore the high-redshift Universe to the era of galaxy formation requires an X-ray survey that is both sensitive and extensive, which complements deep wide-field surveys at other wavelengths. The Wide-Field X-ray Telescope (WFXT) is designed to be two orders of magnitude more effective than previous and planned X-ray missions for surveys. WFXT consists of three co-aligned wide-field X-ray telescopes with a 1 sq. deg. field of view and <10 arc sec (goal of 5 arc sec) angular resolution over the full field. With nearly ten times Chandra's collecting area and more than ten times Chandra's field of view, WFXT will perform sensitive deep surveys that will discover and characterize extremely large populations of high redshift AGN and galaxy clusters. In five years, WFXT will perform three extragalactic surveys: 1) 20,000 sq. deg. of extragalactic sky at 100-1000 times the sensitivity, and twenty times better angular resolution than the ROSAT All Sky Survey; 2) 3000 sq.deg. to deep Chandra sensitivity; and 3) 100 sq.deg. to the deepest Chandra sensitivity. WFXT will generate a legacy dataset of >500,000 galaxy clusters to redshifts about 2, measuring redshift, gas abundance and temperature for a significant fraction of them, and a sample of more than 10 million AGN to redshifts > 6, many with X-ray spectra sufficient to distinguish obscured from unobscured quasars. These surveys will address fundamental questions of how supermassive black holes grow and influence the evolution of the host galaxy and how clusters form and evolve, as well as providing large samples of massive clusters that can be used in cosmological studies. WFXT surveys will map systems spanning many square degrees including Galactic star forming regions, the Magellanic Clouds and the Virgo Cluster. WFXT data will become public through annual Data Releases that will constitute a vast scientific legacy.

  17. Optical field induced rotation of polarization in rubidium atoms with the additional magnetic field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ummal Momeen, M.; Hu, Jianping

    2017-11-01

    We present the magnetic and optical field induced rotation of polarization in 87Rb and 85Rb atoms at geophysical magnetic fields. The line shape varies considerably in the presence of a magnetic field of the order of a few mG. Multiple Zeeman sublevel EIT systems involving rubidium atoms are investigated. Theoretical formalism of optical field induced polarization rotation in the presence of a magnetic field is discussed by considering all the Zeeman sublevels. It is noted that the ground state population distribution also plays a major role.

  18. In-line interferometer for broadband near-field scanning optical spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Brauer, Jens; Zhan, Jinxin; Chimeh, Abbas; Korte, Anke; Lienau, Christoph; Gross, Petra

    2017-06-26

    We present and investigate a novel approach towards broad-bandwidth near-field scanning optical spectroscopy based on an in-line interferometer for homodyne mixing of the near field and a reference field. In scattering-type scanning near-field optical spectroscopy, the near-field signal is usually obscured by a large amount of unwanted background scattering from the probe shaft and the sample. Here we increase the light reflected from the sample by a semi-transparent gold layer and use it as a broad-bandwidth, phase-stable reference field to amplify the near-field signal in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. We experimentally demonstrate that this efficiently suppresses the unwanted background signal in monochromatic near-field measurements. For rapid acquisition of complete broad-bandwidth spectra we employ a monochromator and a fast line camera. Using this fast acquisition of spectra and the in-line interferometer we demonstrate the measurement of pure near-field spectra. The experimental observations are quantitatively explained by analytical expressions for the measured optical signals, based on Fourier decomposition of background and near field. The theoretical model and in-line interferometer together form an important step towards broad-bandwidth near-field scanning optical spectroscopy.

  19. Airborne Lidar Measurements of Aerosol Optical Properties During SAFARI-2000

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McGill, M. J.; Hlavka, D. L.; Hart, W. D.; Welton, E. J.; Campbell, J. R.; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) operated onboard the NASA ER-2 high altitude aircraft during the SAFARI-2000 field campaign. The CPL provided high spatial resolution measurements of aerosol optical properties at both 1064 nm and 532 nm. We present here results of planetary boundary layer (PBL) aerosol optical depth analysis and profiles of aerosol extinction. Variation of optical depth and extinction are examined as a function of regional location. The wide-scale aerosol mapping obtained by the CPL is a unique data set that will aid in future studies of aerosol transport. Comparisons between the airborne CPL and ground-based MicroPulse Lidar Network (MPL-Net) sites are shown to have good agreement.

  20. Long-range and wide field of view optical coherence tomography for in vivo 3D imaging of large volume object based on akinetic programmable swept source.

    PubMed

    Song, Shaozhen; Xu, Jingjiang; Wang, Ruikang K

    2016-11-01

    Current optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging suffers from short ranging distance and narrow imaging field of view (FOV). There is growing interest in searching for solutions to these limitations in order to expand further in vivo OCT applications. This paper describes a solution where we utilize an akinetic swept source for OCT implementation to enable ~10 cm ranging distance, associated with the use of a wide-angle camera lens in the sample arm to provide a FOV of ~20 x 20 cm 2 . The akinetic swept source operates at 1300 nm central wavelength with a bandwidth of 100 nm. We propose an adaptive calibration procedure to the programmable akinetic light source so that the sensitivity of the OCT system over ~10 cm ranging distance is substantially improved for imaging of large volume samples. We demonstrate the proposed swept source OCT system for in vivo imaging of entire human hands and faces with an unprecedented FOV (up to 400 cm 2 ). The capability of large-volume OCT imaging with ultra-long ranging and ultra-wide FOV is expected to bring new opportunities for in vivo biomedical applications.

  1. Long-range and wide field of view optical coherence tomography for in vivo 3D imaging of large volume object based on akinetic programmable swept source

    PubMed Central

    Song, Shaozhen; Xu, Jingjiang; Wang, Ruikang K.

    2016-01-01

    Current optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging suffers from short ranging distance and narrow imaging field of view (FOV). There is growing interest in searching for solutions to these limitations in order to expand further in vivo OCT applications. This paper describes a solution where we utilize an akinetic swept source for OCT implementation to enable ~10 cm ranging distance, associated with the use of a wide-angle camera lens in the sample arm to provide a FOV of ~20 x 20 cm2. The akinetic swept source operates at 1300 nm central wavelength with a bandwidth of 100 nm. We propose an adaptive calibration procedure to the programmable akinetic light source so that the sensitivity of the OCT system over ~10 cm ranging distance is substantially improved for imaging of large volume samples. We demonstrate the proposed swept source OCT system for in vivo imaging of entire human hands and faces with an unprecedented FOV (up to 400 cm2). The capability of large-volume OCT imaging with ultra-long ranging and ultra-wide FOV is expected to bring new opportunities for in vivo biomedical applications. PMID:27896012

  2. Wide field OCT based microangiography in living human eye (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Qinqin; Chen, Chieh-Li; Chu, Zhongdi; Zhang, Anqi; An, Lin; Durbin, Mary; Sharma, Utkarsh; Rosenfeld, Philip J.; Wang, Ruikang K.

    2016-03-01

    To investigate the application of optical microangiography (OMAG) in living human eye. Patients with different macular diseases were recruited, including diabetic retinopathy (DR), geographic atrophy (GA), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and venous occlusion, et al. Wide field OCT angiography images can be generated by montage scanning protocol based on the tracking system. OMAG algorithm based on complex differentiation was used to extract the blood flow and removed the bulk motion by 2D cross-correlation method. The 3D angiography was segmented into 3 layers in the retina and 2 layers in the choroid. The en-face maximum projection was used to obtain 2-dimensional angiograms of different layers coded with different colors. Flow and structure images were combined for cross-sectional view. En face OMAG images of different macular diseases showed a great agreement with FA. Meanwhile, OMAG gave more distinct vascular network visions that were less affected by hemorrhage and leakage. The MAs were observed in both superficial and middle retinal layers based on OMAG angiograms in different layers of DR patients. The contour line of FAZ was extracted as well, which can be quantitative the retinal diseases. For GA patient, the damage of RPE layer enhanced the penetration of light and enabled the acquisition of choriocapillaries and choroidal vessels. The wide field OMAG angiogram enabled the capability of capturing the entire geographic atrophy. OMAG provides depth-resolved information and detailed vascular images of DR and GA patients, providing a better visualization of vascular network compared to FA.

  3. Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Artist Concept

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2009-05-18

    NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission will survey the entire sky in a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum called the mid-infrared with far greater sensitivity than any previous mission or program ever has.

  4. Wide acceptance angle, high concentration ratio, optical collector

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kruer, Mark Arthur (Inventor)

    1990-01-01

    The invention is directed to an optical collector requiring a wide acceptance angle, and a high concentration ratio. The invention is particularly adapted for use in solar collectors of cassegrain design. The optical collector system includes a parabolic circular concave primary mirror and a hyperbolic circular convex secondary mirror. The primary mirror includes a circular hole located at its center wherein a solar collector is located. The mirrored surface of the secondary mirror has three distinct zones: a center circle, an on-axis annulus, and an off-axis section. The parabolic shape of the primary mirror is chosen so that the primary mirror reflects light entering the system on-axis onto the on-axis annulus. A substantial amount of light entering the system off-axis is reflected by the primary mirror onto either the off-axis section or onto the center circle. Subsequently, the off-axis sections reflect the off-axis light toward the solar collector. Thus, off-axis light is captured which would otherwise be lost to the system. The novelty of the system appears to lie in the configuration of the primary mirror which focuses off-axis light onto an annular portion of the secondary mirror to enable capture thereof. This feature results in wide acceptance angle and a high concentration ratio, and also compensates for the effects of non-specular reflection, and enables a cassegrain configuration to be used where such characteristics are required.

  5. Wide-field Imaging of the Environments of LITTLE THINGS Dwarf Irregular Galaxies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hunter, Deidre A.; Melton, Casey; Leshin, Stephen; Wong, Alson; Clark, Maurice; Kamienski, Jerald; Moriya, Netzer; Packwood, Burley; Birket, Bob; Edwards, William; Millward, Mervyn; Wheelband, Ian

    2018-01-01

    We have obtained wide-field images of 36 of the 41 LITTLE THINGS (Local Irregulars That Trace Luminosity Extremes, The H I Nearby Galaxy Survey) nearby (<10.3 Mpc) dwarf irregular and blue compact dwarf galaxies. Although the LITTLE THINGS galaxies were chosen to be non-interacting and no companions were found in H I imaging, the purpose of this imaging was to search for optical companion galaxies that had been missed in imaging with smaller fields of view and that might indicate an external factor in ongoing star formation. The limiting magnitudes of the images range from 19.7 to 28.3 mag arcsec‑2, with a median value of 25.9 mag arcsec‑2. We did not find any unknown companions. Two of the LITTLE THINGS galaxies, NGC 4163 and NGC 4214, and the fainter dwarf, UGCA 276, lie potentially within 100 kpc of each other, but our imaging does not reveal any stellar bridge between the galaxies. This project was part of the Lowell Amateur Research Initiative.

  6. The Optics of Bruising

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Randeberg, Lise Lyngsnes; Skallerud, Bjørn; Langlois, Neil E. I.; Haugen, Olav Anton; Svaasand, Lars Othar

    Forensic medicine is a field of medicine where technology plays an increasingly important role in securing and evaluating evidence in, for example, child abuse cases and cases of domestic violence. Methods from chemistry and biological sciences have found a wide application within forensic medicine. Optical technologies like microscopy are also widely used. Despite this, in vivo or post mortem optical diagnostics by spectroscopy have traditionally not had an important role in clinical or forensic examinations. Forensic medical optics as a field might include all kinds of optical analysis for use within forensic science. This includes everything from microscopic techniques to methods for examination of evidence from a crime scene. This chapter will, however, focus on the use of optical diagnostics for examining skin, with a focus on identification, characterization and age determination of minor traumatic injuries like skin bruises.

  7. A novel optical fibre doped with the nano-material as InP

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xi; Lee, Ly Guat; Zhang, Ru

    2007-11-01

    As the key of these optical devices which are widely used in the communication system, high nonlinear optical fibre will play an important role in the future optical fibre communication. With recent growth of nano-technology, researchers are hoping to obtain some kinds of optical fibre by combining the optical fibre with the nanotechnology. According to this current situation, the optical fibre doped with nano-material as InP (indium phosphide) is manufactured by using the MCVD (modified chemical vapor deposition) technology after our comprehensive consideration of many relative factors. Proved by experiments, this novel optical fibre has an excellent waveguide characteristic. After a consideration of the model of this novel optical fibre, its propagation constant β has been simulated by using the FEM (finite element method), and the graphs of presentation of magnetic field of the core are also obtained. In accordance with the results, the effective refractive index n eff = 1.401 has be calculated. Both the calculated result and the simulated graphs are matching well with the test, and this result is a step-stone bridge for future research of nonlinear parameter on this novel optical fiber.

  8. Analytic Optimization of Near-Field Optical Chirality Enhancement

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    We present an analytic derivation for the enhancement of local optical chirality in the near field of plasmonic nanostructures by tuning the far-field polarization of external light. We illustrate the results by means of simulations with an achiral and a chiral nanostructure assembly and demonstrate that local optical chirality is significantly enhanced with respect to circular polarization in free space. The optimal external far-field polarizations are different from both circular and linear. Symmetry properties of the nanostructure can be exploited to determine whether the optimal far-field polarization is circular. Furthermore, the optimal far-field polarization depends on the frequency, which results in complex-shaped laser pulses for broadband optimization. PMID:28239617

  9. Magnetic Fields in Blazar Jets: Jet-Alignment of Radio and Optical Polarization over 20-30 Years

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wills, Beverley J.; Aller, M. F.; Caldwell, C.; Aller, H. D.

    2012-01-01

    Blazars are highly active nuclei of distant galaxies. They produce synchrotron-emitting relativistic jets on scales of less than a parsec to many Kpc. When viewed head-on, as opposed to in the plane of the sky, the jet motion appears superluminal, and the emission is Doppler boosted. Blazars show rapid radio and optical variability in flux density and polarization. There are two types of blazars that can have strong synchrotron continua: some quasars with strong broad emission lines, and BL Lac objects with weak or undetected broad lines. We have compiled optical linear polarization measurements of more than 100 blazars, including archival data from McDonald Observatory. While the optical data are somewhat sparsely sampled, The University of Michigan Radio Astronomical Observatory observed many blazars over 20-30 years, often well-sampled over days to weeks, enabling quasi-simultaneous comparison of optical and radio polarization position angles (EVPAs). We also collected data on jet direction -- position angles of the jet component nearest the radio core. The project is unique in examining the polarization and jet behavior over many years. BL Lac objects tend to have stable optically thin EVPA in the jet direction, meaning magnetic field is perpendicular to jet flow, often interpreted as the magnetic field compressed by shocks. In quasar-blazars optical and radio EVPA often changes between parallel or perpendicular to the jet direction, even in the same object. The underlying B field of the jet is is parallel to the flow, with approximately 90 degree changes resulting from shocks. For both BL Lac objects & quasars, the scatter in EVPA usually increases from low frequencies (4.8 GHz) through 14.5 GHz through optical. The wide optical-radio frequency range allows us to investigate optical depth effects and the spatial origin of radio and optical emission.

  10. Development of a Tip-Enhanced Near-Field Optical Microscope for Nanoscale Interrogation of Surface Chemistry and Plasmonic Phenomena

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heilman, Alexander Lee

    Optical microscopy and spectroscopy are invaluable tools for the physical and chemical characterization of materials and surfaces in a wide range of scientific disciplines. However, the application of conventional optical methods in the study of nanomaterials is inherently limited by diffraction. Tip-enhanced near-field optical microscopy (TENOM) is a hybrid technique that marries optical spectroscopy with scanning probe microscopy to overcome the spatial resolution limit imposed by diffraction. By coupling optical energy into the plasmonic modes of a sharp metal probe tip, a strong, localized optical field is generated near the tip's apex and is used to enhance spectroscopic emissions within a sub-diffraction-limited volume. In this thesis, we describe the design, construction, validation, and application of a custom TENOM instrument with a unique attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-geometry excitation/detection system. The specific goals of this work were: (i) to develop a versatile TENOM instrument capable of investigating a variety of optical phenomena at the nanoscale, (ii) to use the instrument to demonstrate chemical interrogation of surfaces with sub-diffraction-limited spatial resolution (i.e., at super resolution), (iii) to apply the instrument to study plasmonic phenomena that influence spectroscopic enhancement in TENOM measurements, and (iv) to leverage resulting insights to develop systematic improvements that expand the ultimate capabilities of near-field optical interrogation techniques. The TENOM instrument described herein is comprised of three main components: an atomic force microscope (AFM), a side-on confocal Raman microscope, and a novel ATR excitation/detection system. The design of each component is discussed along with the results of relevant validation experiments, which were performed to rigorously assess each component's performance. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) optical simulations were also developed and used extensively to

  11. Wide-field depth-sectioning fluorescence microscopy using projector-generated patterned illumination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Delica, Serafin; Mar Blanca, Carlo

    2007-10-01

    We present a simple and cost-effective wide-field, depth-sectioning, fluorescence microscope utilizing a commercial multimedia projector to generate excitation patterns on the sample. Highly resolved optical sections of fluorescent pollen grains at 1.9 μm axial resolution are constructed using the structured illumination technique. This requires grid excitation patterns to be scanned across the sample, which is straightforwardly implemented by creating slideshows of gratings at different phases, projecting them onto the sample, and synchronizing camera acquisition with slide transition. In addition to rapid dynamic pattern generation, the projector provides high illumination power and spectral excitation selectivity. We exploit these properties by imaging mouse neural cells in cultures multistained with Alexa 488 and Cy3. The spectral and structural neural information is effectively resolved in three dimensions. The flexibility and commercial availability of this light source is envisioned to open multidimensional imaging to a broader user base.

  12. Nano-Scale Fabrication Using Optical-Near-Field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yatsui, Takashi; Ohtsu, Motoichi

    This paper reviews the specific nature of nanophotonics, i.e., a novel optical nano-technology, utilizing dressed photon excited in the nano-material. As examples of nanophotnic fabrication, optical near-field etching and increased spatial homogeneity of contents in compound semiconductors is demonstrated with a self-organized manner.

  13. The Wide-Field Infrared Explorer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schember, Helene; Hacking, Perry

    1993-01-01

    More than 30% of current star formation is taking place ingalaxies known as starburst galaxies. Do starburst galaxies play a central role in the evolution of all galaxies, and can they lead us to the birth of galaxies and the source of quasars? We have proposed to build the Wide Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE), capable of detecting typical starburst galaxies at a redshift of 0.5, ultraluminous infrared galaxies behond a redshift of 2, and luminous protogalaxies beyond a redshift of 5.

  14. German activities in optical space instrumentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hartmann, G.

    2018-04-01

    In the years of space exploration since the mid-sixties, a wide experience in optical space instrumentation has developed in Germany. This experience ranges from large telescopes in the 1 m and larger category with the accompanying focal plane detectors and spectrometers for all regimes of the electromagnetic spectrum (infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-rays), to miniature cameras for cometary and planetary explorations. The technologies originally developed for space science. are now also utilized in the fields of earth observation and even optical telecommunication. The presentation will cover all these areas, with examples for specific technological or scientific highlights. Special emphasis will be given to the current state-of-the-art instrumentation technologies in scientific institutions and industry, and to the future perspective in approved and planned projects.

  15. Manipulation of local optical properties and structures in molybdenum-disulfide monolayers using electric field-assisted near-field techniques.

    PubMed

    Nozaki, Junji; Fukumura, Musashi; Aoki, Takaaki; Maniwa, Yutaka; Yomogida, Yohei; Yanagi, Kazuhiro

    2017-04-05

    Remarkable optical properties, such as quantum light emission and large optical nonlinearity, have been observed in peculiar local sites of transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers, and the ability to tune such properties is of great importance for their optoelectronic applications. For that purpose, it is crucial to elucidate and tune their local optical properties simultaneously. Here, we develop an electric field-assisted near-field technique. Using this technique we can clarify and tune the local optical properties simultaneously with a spatial resolution of approximately 100 nm due to the electric field from the cantilever. The photoluminescence at local sites in molybdenum-disulfide (MoS 2 ) monolayers is reversibly modulated, and the inhomogeneity of the charge neutral points and quantum yields is suggested. We successfully etch MoS 2 crystals and fabricate nanoribbons using near-field techniques in combination with an electric field. This study creates a way to tune the local optical properties and to freely design the structural shapes of atomic monolayers using near-field optics.

  16. Rectifying the Optical-Field-Induced Current in Dielectrics: Petahertz Diode.

    PubMed

    Lee, J D; Yun, Won Seok; Park, Noejung

    2016-02-05

    Investigating a theoretical model of the optical-field-induced current in dielectrics driven by strong few-cycle laser pulses, we propose an asymmetric conducting of the current by forming a heterojunction made of two distinct dielectrics with a low hole mass (m_{h}^{*}≪m_{e}^{*}) and low electron mass (m_{e}^{*}≪m_{h}^{*}), respectively. This proposition introduces the novel concept of a petahertz (10^{15}  Hz) diode to rectify the current in the petahertz domain, which should be a key ingredient for the electric signal manipulation of future light-wave electronics. Further, we suggest the candidate dielectrics for the heterojunction.

  17. Artist's Concept of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    Artist's concept of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.

    A new NASA mission will scan the entire sky in infrared light in search of nearby cool stars, planetary construction zones and the brightest galaxies in the universe.

    Called the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the mission has been approved to proceed into the preliminary design phase as the next in NASA's Medium-class Explorer program of lower cost, highly focused, rapid-development scientific spacecraft. It is scheduled to launch in 2008.

  18. A Near IR Fabry-Perot Interferometer for Wide Field, Low Resolution Hyperspectral Imaging on the Next Generation Space Telescope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barry, R. K.; Satyapal, S.; Greenhouse, M. A.; Barclay, R.; Amato, D.; Arritt, B.; Brown, G.; Harvey, V.; Holt, C.; Kuhn, J.

    2000-01-01

    We discuss work in progress on a near-infrared tunable bandpass filter for the Goddard baseline wide field camera concept of the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM). This filter, the Demonstration Unit for Low Order Cryogenic Etalon (DULCE), is designed to demonstrate a high efficiency scanning Fabry-Perot etalon operating in interference orders 1 - 4 at 30K with a high stability DSP based servo control system. DULCE is currently the only available tunable filter for lower order cryogenic operation in the near infrared. In this application, scanning etalons will illuminate the focal plane arrays with a single order of interference to enable wide field lower resolution hyperspectral imaging over a wide range of redshifts. We discuss why tunable filters are an important instrument component in future space-based observatories.

  19. Signal-to-noise ratio for the wide field-planetary camera of the Space Telescope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zissa, D. E.

    1984-01-01

    Signal-to-noise ratios for the Wide Field Camera and Planetary Camera of the Space Telescope were calculated as a function of integration time. Models of the optical systems and CCD detector arrays were used with a 27th visual magnitude point source and a 25th visual magnitude per arc-sq. second extended source. A 23rd visual magnitude per arc-sq. second background was assumed. The models predicted signal-to-noise ratios of 10 within 4 hours for the point source centered on a signal pixel. Signal-to-noise ratios approaching 10 are estimated for approximately 0.25 x 0.25 arc-second areas within the extended source after 10 hours integration.

  20. Spontaneous generation of singularities in paraxial optical fields.

    PubMed

    Aiello, Andrea

    2016-04-01

    In nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, the spontaneous generation of singularities in smooth and finite wave functions is a well understood phenomenon also occurring for free particles. We use the familiar analogy between the two-dimensional Schrödinger equation and the optical paraxial wave equation to define a new class of square-integrable paraxial optical fields that develop a spatial singularity in the focal point of a weakly focusing thin lens. These fields are characterized by a single real parameter whose value determines the nature of the singularity. This novel field enhancement mechanism may stimulate fruitful research for diverse technological and scientific applications.

  1. Optical coherence tomography in gastroenterology: a review and future outlook

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsai, Tsung-Han; Leggett, Cadman L.; Trindade, Arvind J.; Sethi, Amrita; Swager, Anne-Fré; Joshi, Virendra; Bergman, Jacques J.; Mashimo, Hiroshi; Nishioka, Norman S.; Namati, Eman

    2017-12-01

    Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique optically analogous to ultrasound that can generate depth-resolved images with micrometer-scale resolution. Advances in fiber optics and miniaturized actuation technologies allow OCT imaging of the human body and further expand OCT utilization in applications including but not limited to cardiology and gastroenterology. This review article provides an overview of current OCT development and its clinical utility in the gastrointestinal tract, including disease detection/differentiation and endoscopic therapy guidance, as well as a discussion of its future applications.

  2. Particle sensing with confined optical field enhanced fluorescence emission (Cofefe).

    PubMed

    Kenison, John P; Fast, Alexander; Matthews, Brandon M; Corn, Robert M; Potma, Eric Olaf

    2018-05-14

    We describe the development and performance of a new type of optical sensor suitable for registering the binding/dissociation of nanoscopic particles near a gold sensing surface. The method shares similarities with surface plasmon resonance microscopy but uses a completely different optical signature for reading out binding events. This new optical read-out mechanism, which we call confined optical field enhanced fluorescence emission (Cofefe), uses pulsed surface plasmon polariton fields at the gold/liquid interface that give rise to confined optical fields upon binding of the target particle to the gold surface. The confined near-fields are sufficient to induce two-photon absorption in the gold sensor surface near the binding site. Subsequent radiative recombination of the electron-hole pairs in the gold produces fluorescence emission, which can be captured by a camera in the far-field. Bound nanoparticles show up as bright confined spots against a dark background on the camera. We show that the Cofefe sensor is capable of detecting gold and silicon nanoparticles, as well as polymer nanospheres and sub-μm lipid droplets in a label-free manner with average illumination powers of less than 10 μW/μm 2 .

  3. Automated classification of periodic variable stars detected by the wide-field infrared survey explorer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Masci, Frank J.; Grillmair, Carl J.; Cutri, Roc M.

    2014-07-01

    We describe a methodology to classify periodic variable stars identified using photometric time-series measurements constructed from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) full-mission single-exposure Source Databases. This will assist in the future construction of a WISE Variable Source Database that assigns variables to specific science classes as constrained by the WISE observing cadence with statistically meaningful classification probabilities. We have analyzed the WISE light curves of 8273 variable stars identified in previous optical variability surveys (MACHO, GCVS, and ASAS) and show that Fourier decomposition techniques can be extended into the mid-IR to assist with their classification. Combined with other periodicmore » light-curve features, this sample is then used to train a machine-learned classifier based on the random forest (RF) method. Consistent with previous classification studies of variable stars in general, the RF machine-learned classifier is superior to other methods in terms of accuracy, robustness against outliers, and relative immunity to features that carry little or redundant class information. For the three most common classes identified by WISE: Algols, RR Lyrae, and W Ursae Majoris type variables, we obtain classification efficiencies of 80.7%, 82.7%, and 84.5% respectively using cross-validation analyses, with 95% confidence intervals of approximately ±2%. These accuracies are achieved at purity (or reliability) levels of 88.5%, 96.2%, and 87.8% respectively, similar to that achieved in previous automated classification studies of periodic variable stars.« less

  4. Challenges and advantages in wide-field optical coherence tomography angiography imaging of the human retinal and choroidal vasculature at 1.7-MHz A-scan rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poddar, Raju; Migacz, Justin V.; Schwartz, Daniel M.; Werner, John S.; Gorczynska, Iwona

    2017-10-01

    We present noninvasive, three-dimensional, depth-resolved imaging of human retinal and choroidal blood circulation with a swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) system at 1065-nm center wavelength. Motion contrast OCT imaging was performed with the phase-variance OCT angiography method. A Fourier-domain mode-locked light source was used to enable an imaging rate of 1.7 MHz. We experimentally demonstrate the challenges and advantages of wide-field OCT angiography (OCTA). In the discussion, we consider acquisition time, scanning area, scanning density, and their influence on visualization of selected features of the retinal and choroidal vascular networks. The OCTA imaging was performed with a field of view of 16 deg (5 mm×5 mm) and 30 deg (9 mm×9 mm). Data were presented in en face projections generated from single volumes and in en face projection mosaics generated from up to 4 datasets. OCTA imaging at 1.7 MHz A-scan rate was compared with results obtained from a commercial OCTA instrument and with conventional ophthalmic diagnostic methods: fundus photography, fluorescein, and indocyanine green angiography. Comparison of images obtained from all methods is demonstrated using the same eye of a healthy volunteer. For example, imaging of retinal pathology is presented in three cases of advanced age-related macular degeneration.

  5. Free-space propagation of high-dimensional structured optical fields in an urban environment

    PubMed Central

    Lavery, Martin P. J.; Peuntinger, Christian; Günthner, Kevin; Banzer, Peter; Elser, Dominique; Boyd, Robert W.; Padgett, Miles J.; Marquardt, Christoph; Leuchs, Gerd

    2017-01-01

    Spatially structured optical fields have been used to enhance the functionality of a wide variety of systems that use light for sensing or information transfer. As higher-dimensional modes become a solution of choice in optical systems, it is important to develop channel models that suitably predict the effect of atmospheric turbulence on these modes. We investigate the propagation of a set of orthogonal spatial modes across a free-space channel between two buildings separated by 1.6 km. Given the circular geometry of a common optical lens, the orthogonal mode set we choose to implement is that described by the Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) field equations. Our study focuses on the preservation of phase purity, which is vital for spatial multiplexing and any system requiring full quantum-state tomography. We present experimental data for the modal degradation in a real urban environment and draw a comparison to recognized theoretical predictions of the link. Our findings indicate that adaptations to channel models are required to simulate the effects of atmospheric turbulence placed on high-dimensional structured modes that propagate over a long distance. Our study indicates that with mitigation of vortex splitting, potentially through precorrection techniques, one could overcome the challenges in a real point-to-point free-space channel in an urban environment. PMID:29075663

  6. Free-space propagation of high-dimensional structured optical fields in an urban environment.

    PubMed

    Lavery, Martin P J; Peuntinger, Christian; Günthner, Kevin; Banzer, Peter; Elser, Dominique; Boyd, Robert W; Padgett, Miles J; Marquardt, Christoph; Leuchs, Gerd

    2017-10-01

    Spatially structured optical fields have been used to enhance the functionality of a wide variety of systems that use light for sensing or information transfer. As higher-dimensional modes become a solution of choice in optical systems, it is important to develop channel models that suitably predict the effect of atmospheric turbulence on these modes. We investigate the propagation of a set of orthogonal spatial modes across a free-space channel between two buildings separated by 1.6 km. Given the circular geometry of a common optical lens, the orthogonal mode set we choose to implement is that described by the Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) field equations. Our study focuses on the preservation of phase purity, which is vital for spatial multiplexing and any system requiring full quantum-state tomography. We present experimental data for the modal degradation in a real urban environment and draw a comparison to recognized theoretical predictions of the link. Our findings indicate that adaptations to channel models are required to simulate the effects of atmospheric turbulence placed on high-dimensional structured modes that propagate over a long distance. Our study indicates that with mitigation of vortex splitting, potentially through precorrection techniques, one could overcome the challenges in a real point-to-point free-space channel in an urban environment.

  7. Fiber Optic Magnetic Field Sensors Using Metallic Glass Coatings.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yu.

    1990-01-01

    In this thesis we have investigated the use of a magnetostrictive material with a single-mode optical fiber for detecting weak magnetic fields. The amorphous alloy Metglas^circler 2605SC (Fe_{81}B_ {13.5}Si_{3.5} C_2) was chosen as the magnetostrictive material because of the combination of its large magnetostriction and small magnetic anisotropy field among all available metals. For efficient coupling between the magnetostrictive material and the optical fiber, the magnetostrictive material was directly deposited onto the single-mode optical fiber. The coated fibers were used as the sensing element in the fiber optic magnetic field sensor (FOMS). Very high quality thick metallic glass films of the Metglas 2605 SC have been deposited using triode-magneton sputtering. This is the first time such material has been successfully deposited onto an optical fiber or onto any other substrate. The films were also deposited onto glass slides to allow the study of the magnetic properties of the film. The thicknesses of these films were 5-15 mum. The magnetic property of primary interest for our sensor application is the induced longitudinal magnetostrictive strain. However, the other magnetic properties such as magnetic anisotropy, surface and bulk coercivities, magnetic homogeneity and magnetization all affect the magnetostrictive response of the material. We have used ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) at microwave frequencies to study the magnetic anisotropy and homogeneity; vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) to study the bulk magnetic hysteresis responses and coercivity; and the longitudinal magneto-optic kerr effect (LMOKE) to study the surface magnetic hysteresis responses and coercivity. The isothermalmagnetic annealing effect on these properties has also been studied in detail. The fiber optic magnetic field sensor constructed using the metallic-glass-coated fiber was tested. An electronic feedback control loop using a PZT cylinder was constructed for stabilizing the

  8. Optical field dissipation in heterostructures for nanophotovoltaic devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Villa-Angulo, Carlos; Sauceda-Carvajal, Daniel; Villa-Angulo, José R.; Villa-Angulo, Rafael

    2016-10-01

    In heterostructures for nanophotovoltaic (NPV) devices, a number of layers are concatenated in a multilayer configuration. In the analysis of a multilayer configuration, it is commonly assumed that the intensity of the optical field has an exponential decrease along the direction of propagation inside the structure. Effects such as reflections and interference are neglected. These neglected effects become especially important ones once the layer dimension reaches several nanometers. At this width regimen, quantum effects are present since layers are thin compared with the penetration depth and the wavelength of the incident light. Quantum effects influence photon absorption and affect the optical field dissipation that controls electron-hole pairs generation. Hence, dissipation of the optical field inside an NPV device is an important aspect to consider in studying and determining performance properties. We employed the one-dimensional optical transfer matrix theory and the quantum well theory to analyze the optical field dissipation in the active layer of heterostructures for NPV devices. Illumination of 100 mW·cm-2 air mass 1.5 global (AM 1.5G) standard was considered for the analysis. The study was extended to low-dimensional heterostructures of the binary compound CdS/CdSe/CdS, the ternary compound Ga0.9Al0.1As/GaAs/Ga0.9Al0.1As, and the quaternary compound In0.85Ga0.15As0.30P0.70/In0.7Ga0.3As0.6P0.4/In0.85Ga0.15As0.30P0.70.

  9. Imaging of acoustic fields using optical feedback interferometry.

    PubMed

    Bertling, Karl; Perchoux, Julien; Taimre, Thomas; Malkin, Robert; Robert, Daniel; Rakić, Aleksandar D; Bosch, Thierry

    2014-12-01

    This study introduces optical feedback interferometry as a simple and effective technique for the two-dimensional visualisation of acoustic fields. We present imaging results for several pressure distributions including those for progressive waves, standing waves, as well as the diffraction and interference patterns of the acoustic waves. The proposed solution has the distinct advantage of extreme optical simplicity and robustness thus opening the way to a low cost acoustic field imaging system based on mass produced laser diodes.

  10. Emerging optical nanoscopy techniques

    PubMed Central

    Montgomery, Paul C; Leong-Hoi, Audrey

    2015-01-01

    To face the challenges of modern health care, new imaging techniques with subcellular resolution or detection over wide fields are required. Far field optical nanoscopy presents many new solutions, providing high resolution or detection at high speed. We present a new classification scheme to help appreciate the growing number of optical nanoscopy techniques. We underline an important distinction between superresolution techniques that provide improved resolving power and nanodetection techniques for characterizing unresolved nanostructures. Some of the emerging techniques within these two categories are highlighted with applications in biophysics and medicine. Recent techniques employing wider angle imaging by digital holography and scattering lens microscopy allow superresolution to be achieved for subcellular and even in vivo, imaging without labeling. Nanodetection techniques are divided into four subcategories using contrast, phase, deconvolution, and nanomarkers. Contrast enhancement is illustrated by means of a polarized light-based technique and with strobed phase-contrast microscopy to reveal nanostructures. Very high sensitivity phase measurement using interference microscopy is shown to provide nanometric surface roughness measurement or to reveal internal nanometric structures. Finally, the use of nanomarkers is illustrated with stochastic fluorescence microscopy for mapping intracellular structures. We also present some of the future perspectives of optical nanoscopy. PMID:26491270

  11. Compact akinetic swept source optical coherence tomography angiography at 1060 nm supporting a wide field of view and adaptive optics imaging modes of the posterior eye.

    PubMed

    Salas, Matthias; Augustin, Marco; Felberer, Franz; Wartak, Andreas; Laslandes, Marie; Ginner, Laurin; Niederleithner, Michael; Ensher, Jason; Minneman, Michael P; Leitgeb, Rainer A; Drexler, Wolfgang; Levecq, Xavier; Schmidt-Erfurth, Ursula; Pircher, Michael

    2018-04-01

    Imaging of the human retina with high resolution is an essential step towards improved diagnosis and treatment control. In this paper, we introduce a compact, clinically user-friendly instrument based on swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). A key feature of the system is the realization of two different operation modes. The first operation mode is similar to conventional OCT imaging and provides large field of view (FoV) images (up to 45° × 30°) of the human retina and choroid with standard resolution. The second operation mode enables it to optically zoom into regions of interest with high transverse resolution using adaptive optics (AO). The FoV of this second operation mode (AO-OCT mode) is 3.0° × 2.8° and enables the visualization of individual retinal cells such as cone photoreceptors or choriocapillaris. The OCT engine is based on an akinetic swept source at 1060 nm and provides an A-scan rate of 200 kHz. Structural as well as angiographic information can be retrieved from the retina and choroid in both operational modes. The capabilities of the prototype are demonstrated in healthy and diseased eyes.

  12. Compact akinetic swept source optical coherence tomography angiography at 1060 nm supporting a wide field of view and adaptive optics imaging modes of the posterior eye

    PubMed Central

    Salas, Matthias; Augustin, Marco; Felberer, Franz; Wartak, Andreas; Laslandes, Marie; Ginner, Laurin; Niederleithner, Michael; Ensher, Jason; Minneman, Michael P.; Leitgeb, Rainer A.; Drexler, Wolfgang; Levecq, Xavier; Schmidt-Erfurth, Ursula; Pircher, Michael

    2018-01-01

    Imaging of the human retina with high resolution is an essential step towards improved diagnosis and treatment control. In this paper, we introduce a compact, clinically user-friendly instrument based on swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). A key feature of the system is the realization of two different operation modes. The first operation mode is similar to conventional OCT imaging and provides large field of view (FoV) images (up to 45° × 30°) of the human retina and choroid with standard resolution. The second operation mode enables it to optically zoom into regions of interest with high transverse resolution using adaptive optics (AO). The FoV of this second operation mode (AO-OCT mode) is 3.0° × 2.8° and enables the visualization of individual retinal cells such as cone photoreceptors or choriocapillaris. The OCT engine is based on an akinetic swept source at 1060 nm and provides an A-scan rate of 200 kHz. Structural as well as angiographic information can be retrieved from the retina and choroid in both operational modes. The capabilities of the prototype are demonstrated in healthy and diseased eyes. PMID:29675326

  13. Can Probability Maps of Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Predict Visual Field Changes in Preperimetric Glaucoma?

    PubMed

    Lee, Won June; Kim, Young Kook; Jeoung, Jin Wook; Park, Ki Ho

    2017-12-01

    To determine the usefulness of swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) probability maps in detecting locations with significant reduction in visual field (VF) sensitivity or predicting future VF changes, in patients with classically defined preperimetric glaucoma (PPG). Of 43 PPG patients, 43 eyes were followed-up on every 6 months for at least 2 years were analyzed in this longitudinal study. The patients underwent wide-field SS-OCT scanning and standard automated perimetry (SAP) at the time of enrollment. With this wide-scan protocol, probability maps originating from the corresponding thickness map and overlapped with SAP VF test points could be generated. We evaluated the vulnerable VF points with SS-OCT probability maps as well as the prevalence of locations with significant VF reduction or subsequent VF changes observed in the corresponding damaged areas of the probability maps. The vulnerable VF points were shown in superior and inferior arcuate patterns near the central fixation. In 19 of 43 PPG eyes (44.2%), significant reduction in baseline VF was detected within the areas of structural change on the SS-OCT probability maps. In 16 of 43 PPG eyes (37.2%), subsequent VF changes within the areas of SS-OCT probability map change were observed over the course of the follow-up. Structural changes on SS-OCT probability maps could detect or predict VF changes using SAP, in a considerable number of PPG eyes. Careful comparison of probability maps with SAP results could be useful in diagnosing and monitoring PPG patients in the clinical setting.

  14. Optical detection of ultrasound using an apertureless near-field scanning optical microscopy system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahn, Phillip; Zhang, Zhen; Sun, Cheng; Balogun, Oluwaseyi

    2013-01-01

    Laser ultrasonics techniques are power approaches for non-contact generation and detection of high frequency ultrasound on a local scale. In these techniques, optical diffraction limits the spatial information that can be accessed from a measurement. In order to improve the lateral spatial resolution, we incorporate an apertureless near-field scanning optical microscope (aNSOM) into laser ultrasonics setup for local detection of laser generated ultrasound. The aNSOM technique relies on the measurement of a weak backscattered near-field light intensity resulting from the oblique illumination of a nanoscale probe-tip positioned close to a sample surface. We enhance the optical near-field intensity by coupling light to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on the shaft of an atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever. The SPPs propagate down the AFM shaft, localize at the tip apex, and are backscattered to the far-field when the separation distance between the probe tip and the sample surface is comparable to the probe-tip radius. The backscattered near-field intensity is dynamically modulated when an ultrasonic wave arrives at the sample surface leading to a transient change in the tip-sample separation distance. We present experimental results detailing measurement of broadband and narrowband laser generated ultrasound in solids with frequencies reaching up to 180 MHz range.

  15. Analysis of artificial opals by scanning near field optical microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barrio, J.; Lozano, G.; Lamela, J.; Lifante, G.; Dorado, L. A.; Depine, R. A.; Jaque, F.; Míguez, H.

    2011-04-01

    Herein we present a detailed analysis of the optical response of artificial opal films realized employing a near-field scanning optical microscope in collection and transmission modes. Near-field patterns measured at the rear surface when a plane wave impinges on the front face are presented with the finding that optical intensity maps present a clear correlation with the periodic arrangement of the outer surface. Calculations based on the vector Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method reproduce the different profiles experimentally observed as well as the response to the polarization of the incident field. These observations constitute the first experimental confirmation of the collective lattice resonances that give rise to the optical response of these three dimensional periodic structures in the high-energy range.

  16. Field emitter displays for future avionics applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Susan K.; Jones, Gary W.; Zimmerman, Steven M.; Blazejewski, Edward R.

    1995-06-01

    Field emitter array-based display technology offers CRT-like characteristics in a thin flat-panel display with many potential applications for vehicle-mounted, crew workstation, and helmet-mounted displays, as well as many other military and commercial applications. In addition to thinness, high brightness, wide viewing angle, wide temperature range, and low weight, field emitter array displays also offer potential advantages such as row-at-a-time matrix addressability and the ability to be segmented.

  17. Anti-Stokes effect CCD camera and SLD based optical coherence tomography for full-field imaging in the 1550nm region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kredzinski, Lukasz; Connelly, Michael J.

    2012-06-01

    Full-field Optical coherence tomography is an en-face interferometric imaging technology capable of carrying out high resolution cross-sectional imaging of the internal microstructure of an examined specimen in a non-invasive manner. The presented system is based on competitively priced optical components available at the main optical communications band located in the 1550 nm region. It consists of a superluminescent diode and an anti-stokes imaging device. The single mode fibre coupled SLD was connected to a multi-mode fibre inserted into a mode scrambler to obtain spatially incoherent illumination, suitable for OCT wide-field modality in terms of crosstalk suppression and image enhancement. This relatively inexpensive system with moderate resolution of approximately 24um x 12um (axial x lateral) was constructed to perform a 3D cross sectional imaging of a human tooth. To our knowledge this is the first 1550 nm full-field OCT system reported.

  18. Estimation of coupling efficiency of optical fiber by far-field method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kataoka, Keiji

    2010-09-01

    Coupling efficiency to a single-mode optical fiber can be estimated with the field amplitudes at far-field of an incident beam and optical fiber mode. We call it the calculation by far-field method (FFM) in this paper. The coupling efficiency by FFM is formulated including effects of optical aberrations, vignetting of the incident beam, and misalignments of the optical fiber such as defocus, lateral displacements, and angle deviation in arrangement of the fiber. As the results, it is shown the coupling efficiency is proportional to the central intensity of the focused spot, i.e., Strehl intensity of a virtual beam determined by the incident beam and mode of the optical fiber. Using the FFM, a typical optics in which a laser beam is coupled to an optical fiber with a lens of finite numerical aperture (NA) is analyzed for several cases of amplitude distributions of the incident light.

  19. Laser Light-field Fusion for Wide-field Lensfree On-chip Phase Contrast Microscopy of Nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kazemzadeh, Farnoud; Wong, Alexander

    2016-12-01

    Wide-field lensfree on-chip microscopy, which leverages holography principles to capture interferometric light-field encodings without lenses, is an emerging imaging modality with widespread interest given the large field-of-view compared to lens-based techniques. In this study, we introduce the idea of laser light-field fusion for lensfree on-chip phase contrast microscopy for detecting nanoparticles, where interferometric laser light-field encodings acquired using a lensfree, on-chip setup with laser pulsations at different wavelengths are fused to produce marker-free phase contrast images of particles at the nanometer scale. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate, for the first time, a wide-field lensfree on-chip instrument successfully detecting 300 nm particles across a large field-of-view of ~30 mm2 without any specialized or intricate sample preparation, or the use of synthetic aperture- or shift-based techniques.

  20. Laser Light-field Fusion for Wide-field Lensfree On-chip Phase Contrast Microscopy of Nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Kazemzadeh, Farnoud; Wong, Alexander

    2016-12-13

    Wide-field lensfree on-chip microscopy, which leverages holography principles to capture interferometric light-field encodings without lenses, is an emerging imaging modality with widespread interest given the large field-of-view compared to lens-based techniques. In this study, we introduce the idea of laser light-field fusion for lensfree on-chip phase contrast microscopy for detecting nanoparticles, where interferometric laser light-field encodings acquired using a lensfree, on-chip setup with laser pulsations at different wavelengths are fused to produce marker-free phase contrast images of particles at the nanometer scale. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate, for the first time, a wide-field lensfree on-chip instrument successfully detecting 300 nm particles across a large field-of-view of ~30 mm 2 without any specialized or intricate sample preparation, or the use of synthetic aperture- or shift-based techniques.

  1. Computer-Drawn Field Lines and Potential Surfaces for a Wide Range of Field Configurations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brandt, Siegmund; Schneider, Hermann

    1976-01-01

    Describes a computer program that computes field lines and equipotential surfaces for a wide range of field configurations. Presents the mathematical technique and details of the program, the input data, and different modes of graphical representation. (MLH)

  2. Wide-field LOFAR-LBA power-spectra analyses: Impact of calibration, polarization leakage and ionosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gehlot, Bharat K.; Koopmans, Léon V. E.

    2018-05-01

    Contamination due to foregrounds, calibration errors and ionospheric effects pose major challenges in detection of the cosmic 21 cm signal in various Epoch of Reionization (EoR) experiments. We present the results of a study of a field centered on 3C196 using LOFAR Low Band observations, where we quantify various wide field and calibration effects such as gain errors, polarized foregrounds, and ionospheric effects. We observe a `pitchfork' structure in the power spectrum of the polarized intensity in delay-baseline space, which leaks into the modes beyond the instrumental horizon. We show that this structure arises due to strong instrumental polarization leakage (~30%) towards Cas A which is far away from primary field of view. We measure a small ionospheric diffractive scale towards CasA resembling pure Kolmogorov turbulence. Our work provides insights in understanding the nature of aforementioned effects and mitigating them in future Cosmic Dawn observations.

  3. Solar Field Optical Characterization at Stillwater Geothermal/Solar Hybrid Plant

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhu, Guangdong; Turchi, Craig

    Concentrating solar power (CSP) can provide additional thermal energy to boost geothermal plant power generation. For a newly constructed solar field at a geothermal power plant site, it is critical to properly characterize its performance so that the prediction of thermal power generation can be derived to develop an optimum operating strategy for a hybrid system. In the past, laboratory characterization of a solar collector has often extended into the solar field performance model and has been used to predict the actual solar field performance, disregarding realistic impacting factors. In this work, an extensive measurement on mirror slope error andmore » receiver position error has been performed in the field by using the optical characterization tool called Distant Observer (DO). Combining a solar reflectance sampling procedure, a newly developed solar characterization program called FirstOPTIC and public software for annual performance modeling called System Advisor Model (SAM), a comprehensive solar field optical characterization has been conducted, thus allowing for an informed prediction of solar field annual performance. The paper illustrates this detailed solar field optical characterization procedure and demonstrates how the results help to quantify an appropriate tracking-correction strategy to improve solar field performance. In particular, it is found that an appropriate tracking-offset algorithm can improve the solar field performance by about 15%. The work here provides a valuable reference for the growing CSP industry.« less

  4. Solar Field Optical Characterization at Stillwater Geothermal/Solar Hybrid Plant

    DOE PAGES

    Zhu, Guangdong; Turchi, Craig

    2017-01-27

    Concentrating solar power (CSP) can provide additional thermal energy to boost geothermal plant power generation. For a newly constructed solar field at a geothermal power plant site, it is critical to properly characterize its performance so that the prediction of thermal power generation can be derived to develop an optimum operating strategy for a hybrid system. In the past, laboratory characterization of a solar collector has often extended into the solar field performance model and has been used to predict the actual solar field performance, disregarding realistic impacting factors. In this work, an extensive measurement on mirror slope error andmore » receiver position error has been performed in the field by using the optical characterization tool called Distant Observer (DO). Combining a solar reflectance sampling procedure, a newly developed solar characterization program called FirstOPTIC and public software for annual performance modeling called System Advisor Model (SAM), a comprehensive solar field optical characterization has been conducted, thus allowing for an informed prediction of solar field annual performance. The paper illustrates this detailed solar field optical characterization procedure and demonstrates how the results help to quantify an appropriate tracking-correction strategy to improve solar field performance. In particular, it is found that an appropriate tracking-offset algorithm can improve the solar field performance by about 15%. The work here provides a valuable reference for the growing CSP industry.« less

  5. Apertureless near-field optical microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kazantsev, D. V.; Kuznetsov, E. V.; Timofeev, S. V.; Shelaev, A. V.; Kazantseva, E. A.

    2017-05-01

    We discuss the operating principles of the apertureless scanning near-field optical microscope (ASNOM), in which the probe acts as a rod antenna and its electromagnetic radiation plays the role of the registered signal. The phase and amplitude of the emitted wave vary depending on the ‘grounding conditions’ of the antenna tip at the sample point under study. Weak radiation from a tiny (2-15 μm long) tip is detected using optical homo- and heterodyning and the nonlinear dependence of the tip polarizability on the tip-surface distance. The lateral resolution of ASNOMs is determined by the tip curvature radius (1- 20 nm), regardless of the wavelength (500 nm-100 μm). ASNOMs are shown to be capable of providing a surface optical map with nanometer resolution and carrying out spectral- and time-resolved measurements at a selected point on the surface.

  6. Optical Remote Sensing of Electric Fields Above Thunderstorms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burns, B. M.; Carlson, B. E.; Lauben, D.; Cohen, M.; Smith, D.; Inan, U. S.

    2010-12-01

    Measurement of thunderstorm electric fields typically require balloon-borne measurements in the region of interest. Such measurements are cumbersome and provide limited information at a single point. Remote sensing of electric fields by Kerr-effect induced optical polarization changes of background skylight circumvents many of these difficulties and can in principle provide a high-speed movie of electric field behavior. Above-thundercloud 100 kV/m quasi-static electric fields are predicted to produce polarization changes at above the part in one million level that should be detectable at a ground instrument featuring 1 cm2sr geometric factor and 1 kHz bandwidth (though more sensitivity is nonetheless desired). Currently available optical and electronic components may meet these requirements. We review the principles of this measurement and discuss the current status of a field-ready prototype instrument currently in construction.

  7. Tunable terahertz optical properties of graphene in dc electric fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, H. M.; Huang, F.; Xu, W.

    2018-03-01

    We develop a simple theoretical approach to investigate terahertz (THz) optical properties of monolayer graphene in the presence of an external dc electric field. The analytical results for optical coefficients such as the absorptance and reflectivity are obtained self-consistently on the basis of a diagrammatic self-consistent field theory and a Boltzmann equilibrium equation. It is found that the optical refractive index, reflectivity and conductivity can be effectively tuned by not only a gate voltage but also a driving dc electric field. This study is relevant to the applications of graphene as advanced THz optoelectronic devices.

  8. Optical distribution of local oscillators in future telecommunication satellite payloads

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benazet, Benoît; Sotom, Michel; Maignan, Michel; Berthon, Jacques

    2017-11-01

    The distribution of high spectral purity reference signals over optical fibre in future telecommunication satellite payloads is presented. Several types of applications are considered, including the distribution of a reference frequency at 10 MHz (Ultra-Stable Reference Oscillator) as well as the distribution of a radiofrequency oscillator around 800 MHz (Master Local Oscillator). The results of both experimental and theoretical studies are reported. In order to meet phase noise requirements for the USRO distribution, the use of an optimised receiver circuit based on an optically synchronised oscillator is investigated. Finally, the optical distribution of microwave local oscillators at frequencies exceeding 20 GHz is described. Such a scheme paves the way to more advanced sub-systems involving optical frequency-mixing and optical transmission of microwave signals, with applications to multiple-beam active antennas.

  9. Ultra-wide-field angiography improves the detection and classification of diabetic retinopathy.

    PubMed

    Wessel, Matthew M; Aaker, Grant D; Parlitsis, George; Cho, Minhee; D'Amico, Donald J; Kiss, Szilárd

    2012-04-01

    To evaluate patients with diabetic retinopathy using ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography and to compare the visualized retinal pathology with that seen on an overly of conventional 7 standard field (7SF) imaging. Two hundred and eighteen eyes of 118 diabetic patients who underwent diagnostic fluorescein angiography using the Optos Optomap Panoramic 200A imaging system were included. The visualized area of the retina, retinal nonperfusion, retinal neovascularization, and panretinal photocoagulation were quantified by two independent masked graders. The respective areas identified on the ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography image were compared with an overly of a modified 7SF image as outlined in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study. Ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiograms imaging, on average, demonstrated 3.2 times more total retinal surface area than 7SF. When compared with 7SF, ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography showed 3.9 times more nonperfusion (P < 0.001), 1.9 times more neovascularization (P = 0.036), and 3.8 times more panretinal photocoagulation (P < 0.001). In 22 eyes (10%), ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography demonstrated retinal pathology (including nonperfusion and neovascularization) not evident in an 7SF overly. Compared with conventional 7SF imaging, ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography reveals significantly more retinal vascular pathology in patients with diabetic retinopathy. Improved retinal visualization may alter the classification of diabetic retinopathy and may therefore influence follow-up and treatment of these patients.

  10. Optical properties of a multibarrier structure under intense laser fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ospina, D. A.; Akimov, V.; Mora-Ramos, M. E.; Morales, A. L.; Tulupenko, V.; Duque, C. A.

    2015-11-01

    Using the diagonalization method and within the effective mass and parabolic band approximations, the energy spectrum and the wave functions are investigated in biased multibarrier structure taking into account the effects of nonresonant intense laser fields. We calculated the optical properties from the susceptibility using a nonperturbative formalism recently reported. We study the changes in the intersubband optical absorption coefficients and refraction index for several values of the dressing laser parameter and for some specific values of the electric field applied along the growth direction of the heterostructure. It is concluded from our study that the peaks in the optical absorption spectrum have redshifts or blueshifts as a function of the laser parameter and the electric field. These parameters could be suitable tools for tuning the electronic and optical properties of the multibarrier structure.

  11. Optical Emissions of Sprite Streamers in Weak Electric Fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, N.; Pasko, V. P.

    2004-12-01

    Sprites commonly consist of large numbers of needle-shaped filaments of ionization [e.g., Gerken and Inan, JASTP, 65, 567, 2003] and typically initiate at altitudes 70-75 km in a form of upward and downward propagating streamers [Stanley et al., GRL, 26, 3201, 1999; Stenbaek-Nielsen et al., GRL, 27, 3829, 2000; McHarg et al., JGR, 107, 1364, 2002; Moudry et al., JASTP, 65, 509, 2003]. The strong electric fields E exceeding the conventional breakdown threshold field Ek are needed for initiation of sprite streamers from single electron avalanches and recent modeling studies indicate that streamers propagating in fields E>Ek experience strong acceleration and expansion in good agreement with the above cited observations [Liu and Pasko, JGR, 109, A04301, 2004]. The initiated streamers are capable of propagating in fields substantially lower than Ek [Allen and Ghaffar, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., 28, 331, 1995] and it is expected that a significant part of sprite optical output comes from regions with Eoptical emissions produced by streamers propagating in weak electric fields represents an important component of related studies needed for correct interpretation of the existing experimental data. In this talk we will report results on application of time dependent optical emission model developed in [Liu and Pasko, 2004] to studies of sprite streamers in weak electric fields (E

  12. Cost-effective and compact wide-field fluorescent imaging on a cell-phone.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Hongying; Yaglidere, Oguzhan; Su, Ting-Wei; Tseng, Derek; Ozcan, Aydogan

    2011-01-21

    We demonstrate wide-field fluorescent and darkfield imaging on a cell-phone with compact, light-weight and cost-effective optical components that are mechanically attached to the existing camera unit of the cell-phone. For this purpose, we used battery powered light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to pump the sample of interest from the side using butt-coupling, where the pump light was guided within the sample cuvette to uniformly excite the specimen. The fluorescent emission from the sample was then imaged using an additional lens that was positioned right in front of the existing lens of the cell-phone camera. Because the excitation occurs through guided waves that propagate perpendicular to our detection path, an inexpensive plastic colour filter was sufficient to create the dark-field background required for fluorescent imaging, without the need for a thin-film interference filter. We validate the performance of this platform by imaging various fluorescent micro-objects in 2 colours (i.e., red and green) over a large field-of-view (FOV) of ∼81 mm(2) with a raw spatial resolution of ∼20 μm. With additional digital processing of the captured cell-phone images, through the use of compressive sampling theory, we demonstrate ∼2 fold improvement in our resolving power, achieving ∼10 μm resolution without a trade-off in our FOV. Further, we also demonstrate darkfield imaging of non-fluorescent specimen using the same interface, where this time the scattered light from the objects is detected without the use of any filters. The capability of imaging a wide FOV would be exceedingly important to probe large sample volumes (e.g., >0.1 mL) of e.g., blood, urine, sputum or water, and for this end we also demonstrate fluorescent imaging of labeled white-blood cells from whole blood samples, as well as water-borne pathogenic protozoan parasites such as Giardia Lamblia cysts. Weighing only ∼28 g (∼1 ounce), this compact and cost-effective fluorescent imaging platform

  13. Cost-effective and compact wide-field fluorescent imaging on a cell-phone†

    PubMed Central

    Zhu, Hongying; Yaglidere, Oguzhan; Su, Ting-Wei; Tseng, Derek

    2011-01-01

    We demonstrate wide-field fluorescent and darkfield imaging on a cell-phone with compact, light-weight and cost-effective optical components that are mechanically attached to the existing camera unit of the cell-phone. For this purpose, we used battery powered light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to pump the sample of interest from the side using butt-coupling, where the pump light was guided within the sample cuvette to uniformly excite the specimen. The fluorescent emission from the sample was then imaged using an additional lens that was positioned right in front of the existing lens of the cell-phone camera. Because the excitation occurs through guided waves that propagate perpendicular to our detection path, an inexpensive plastic colour filter was sufficient to create the dark-field background required for fluorescent imaging, without the need for a thin-film interference filter. We validate the performance of this platform by imaging various fluorescent micro-objects in 2 colours (i.e., red and green) over a large field-of-view (FOV) of ~81 mm2 with a raw spatial resolution of ~20 μm. With additional digital processing of the captured cell-phone images, through the use of compressive sampling theory, we demonstrate ~2 fold improvement in our resolving power, achieving ~10 μm resolution without a trade-off in our FOV. Further, we also demonstrate darkfield imaging of non-fluorescent specimen using the same interface, where this time the scattered light from the objects is detected without the use of any filters. The capability of imaging a wide FOV would be exceedingly important to probe large sample volumes (e.g., >0.1 mL) of e.g., blood, urine, sputum or water, and for this end we also demonstrate fluorescent imaging of labeled white-blood cells from whole blood samples, as well as water-borne pathogenic protozoan parasites such as Giardia Lamblia cysts. Weighing only ~28 g (~1 ounce), this compact and cost-effective fluorescent imaging platform attached to a

  14. Statistical field theory of futures commodity prices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baaquie, Belal E.; Yu, Miao

    2018-02-01

    The statistical theory of commodity prices has been formulated by Baaquie (2013). Further empirical studies of single (Baaquie et al., 2015) and multiple commodity prices (Baaquie et al., 2016) have provided strong evidence in support the primary assumptions of the statistical formulation. In this paper, the model for spot prices (Baaquie, 2013) is extended to model futures commodity prices using a statistical field theory of futures commodity prices. The futures prices are modeled as a two dimensional statistical field and a nonlinear Lagrangian is postulated. Empirical studies provide clear evidence in support of the model, with many nontrivial features of the model finding unexpected support from market data.

  15. Hubble Space Telescope Medium Deep Survey. 2: Deconvolution of Wide Field Camera field galaxy images in the 13 hour + 43 deg field

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Windhorst, R. A.; Schmidtke, P. C.; Pascarelle, S. M.; Gordon, J. M.; Griffiths, R. E.; Ratnatunga, K. U.; Neuschaefer, L. W.; Ellis, R. S.; Gilmore, G.; Glazebrook, K.

    1994-01-01

    We present isophotal profiles of six faint field galaxies from some of the first deep images taken for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Medium Deep Survey (MDS). These have redshifts in the range z = 0.126 to 0.402. The images were taken with the Wide Field Camera (WFC) in `parallel mode' and deconvolved with the Lucy method using as the point-spread function nearby stars in the image stack. The WFC deconvolutions have a dynamic range of 16 to 20 dB (4 to 5 mag) and an effective resolution approximately less than 0.2 sec (FWHM). The multiorbit HST images allow us to trace the morphology, light profiles, and color gradients of faint field galaxies down to V approximately equal to 22 to 23 mag at sub-kpc resolution, since the redshift range covered is z = 0.1 to 0.4. The goals of the MDS are to study the sub-kpc scale morphology, light profiles, and color gradients for a large samole of faint field galaxies down to V approximately equal to 23 mag, and to trace the fraction of early to late-type galaxies as function of cosmic time. In this paper we study the brighter MDS galaxies in the 13 hour + 43 deg MDS field in detail, and investigate to what extent model fits with pure exponential disks or a(exp 1/4) bulges are justified at V approximately less than 22 mag. Four of the six field galaxies have light profiles that indicate (small) inner bulges following r(exp 1/4) laws down to 0.2 sec resolution, plus a dominant surrounding exponential disk with little or no color gradients. Two occur in a group at z = 0.401, two are barred spiral galaxies at z = 0.179 and z = 0.302, and two are rather subluminous (and edge-on) disk galaxies at z = 0.126 and z = 0.179. Our deep MDS images can detect galaxies down to V, I approximately less than 25 to 26 mag, and demonstrate the impressive potential of HST--even with its pre-refurbished optics--to resolve morphological details in galaxies at cosmologically significant distances (v approximately less than 23 mag). Since the median

  16. The JPL optical communications telescope laboratory (OCTL) test bed for the future optical Deep Space Network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, K. E.; Page, N.; Wu, J.; Srinivasan, M.

    2003-01-01

    Relative to RF, the lower power-consumption and lower mass of high bandwidth optical telecommunications make this technology extremely attractive for returning data from future NASA/JPL deep space probes.

  17. Preliminary Optical And Electric Field Pulse Statistics From Storm Overflights During The Altus Cumulus Electrification Study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mach, D. A.; Blakeslee, R. J.; Bailey, J. C.; Farrell, W. M.; Goldberg, R. A.; Desch, M. D.; Houser, J. G.

    2003-01-01

    The Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) was conducted during the month of August, 2002 in an area near Key West, Florida. One of the goals of this uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) study was to collect high resolution optical pulse and electric field data from thunderstorms. During the month long campaign, we acquired 5294 lightning generated optical pulses with associated electric field changes. Most of these observations were made while close to the top of the storms. We found filtered mean and median 10-10% optical pulse widths of 875 and 830 microns respectively while the 50-50% mean and median optical pulse widths are 422 and 365 microns respectively. These values are similar to previous results as are the 10-90% mean and median rise times of 327 and 265 microns. The peak electrical to optical pulse delay mean and median were 209 and 145 microns which is longer than one would expect from theoretical results. The results of the pulse analysis will contribute to further validation of the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) and the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) satellites. Pre-launch estimates of the flash detection efficiency were based on a small sample of optical pulse measurements associated with less than 350 lightning discharges collected by NASA U-2 aircraft in the early 1980s. Preliminary analyses of the ACES measurements show that we have greatly increased the number of optical pulses available for validation of the LIS and other orbital lightning optical sensors. Since the Altus was often close to the cloud tops, many of the optical pulses are from low-energy pulses. From these low-energy pulses, we can determine the fraction of optical lightning pulses below the thresholds of LIS, OTD, and any future satellite-based optical sensors such as the geostationary Lightning Mapping Sensor.

  18. Optical Field-Strength Polarization of Two-Mode Single-Photon States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linares, J.; Nistal, M. C.; Barral, D.; Moreno, V.

    2010-01-01

    We present a quantum analysis of two-mode single-photon states based on the probability distributions of the optical field strength (or position quadrature) in order to describe their quantum polarization characteristics, where polarization is understood as a significative confinement of the optical field-strength values on determined regions of…

  19. Coherent Optical Communications: Historical Perspectives and Future Directions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kikuchi, Kazuro

    Coherent optical fiber communications were studied extensively in the 1980s mainly because high sensitivity of coherent receivers could elongate the unrepeated transmission distance; however, their research and development have been interrupted for nearly 20 years behind the rapid progress in high-capacity wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) systems using erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs). In 2005, the demonstration of digital carrier phase estimation in coherent receivers has stimulated a widespread interest in coherent optical communications again. This is due to the fact that the digital coherent receiver enables us to employ a variety of spectrally efficient modulation formats such as M-ary phase-shift keying (PSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) without relying upon a rather complicated optical phase-locked loop. In addition, since the phase information is preserved after detection, we can realize electrical post-processing functions such as compensation for chromatic dispersion and polarization-mode dispersion in the digital domain. These advantages of the born-again coherent receiver have enormous potential for innovating existing optical communication systems. In this chapter, after reviewing the 20-year history of coherent optical communication systems, we describe the principle of operation of coherent detection, the concept of the digital coherent receiver, and its performance evaluation. Finally, challenges for the future are summarized.

  20. Wide-field ultraviolet imager for astronomical transient studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mathew, Joice; Ambily, S.; Prakash, Ajin; Sarpotdar, Mayuresh; Nirmal, K.; G. Sreejith, A.; Safonova, Margarita; Murthy, Jayant; Brosch, Noah

    2018-04-01

    Though the ultraviolet (UV) domain plays a vital role in the studies of astronomical transient events, the UV time-domain sky remains largely unexplored. We have designed a wide-field UV imager that can be flown on a range of available platforms, such as high-altitude balloons, CubeSats, and larger space missions. The major scientific goals are the variability of astronomical sources, detection of transients such as supernovae, novae, tidal disruption events, and characterizing active galactic nuclei variability. The instrument has a 80 mm aperture with a circular field of view of 10.8 degrees, an angular resolution of ˜22 arcsec, and a 240 - 390 nm spectral observation window. The detector for the instrument is a Microchannel Plate (MCP)-based image intensifier with both photon counting and integration capabilities. An FPGA-based detector readout mechanism and real time data processing have been implemented. The imager is designed in such a way that its lightweight and compact nature are well fitted for the CubeSat dimensions. Here we present various design and developmental aspects of this UV wide-field transient explorer.

  1. Fabrication and characterization of optical-fiber nanoprobes for scanning near-field optical microscopy.

    PubMed

    Essaidi, N; Chen, Y; Kottler, V; Cambril, E; Mayeux, C; Ronarch, N; Vieu, C

    1998-02-01

    The current scanning near-field optical microscopy has been developed with optical-fiber probes obtained by use of either laser-heated pulling or chemical etching. For high-resolution near-field imaging, the detected signal is rapidly attenuated as the aperture size of the probe decreases. It is thus important to fabricate probes optimized for both spot size and optical transmission. We present a two-step fabrication that allowed us to achieve an improved performance of the optical-fiber probes. Initially, a CO(2) laser-heated pulling was used to produce a parabolic transitional taper ending with a top thin filament. Then, a rapid chemical etching with 50% buffered hydrofluoric acid was used to remove the thin filament and to result in a final conical tip on the top of the parabolic transitional taper. Systematically, we obtained optical-fiber nanoprobes with the apex size as small as 10 nm and the final cone angle varying from 15 degrees to 80 degrees . It was found that the optical transmission efficiency increases rapidly as the taper angle increases from 15 degrees to 50 degrees , but a further increase in the taper angle gives rise to important broadening of the spot size. Finally, the fabricated nanoprobes were used in photon-scanning tunneling microscopy, which allowed observation of etched double lines and grating structures with periods as small as 200 nm.

  2. Manipulating and probing angular momentum and quantized circulation in optical fields and matter waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lowney, Joseph Daniel

    Methods to generate, manipulate, and measure optical and atomic fields with global or local angular momentum have a wide range of applications in both fundamental physics research and technology development. In optics, the engineering of angular momentum states of light can aid studies of orbital angular momentum (OAM) exchange between light and matter. The engineering of optical angular momentum states can also be used to increase the bandwidth of optical communications or serve as a means to distribute quantum keys, for example. Similar capabilities in Bose-Einstein condensates are being investigated to improve our understanding of superfluid dynamics, superconductivity, and turbulence, the last of which is widely considered to be one of most ubiquitous yet poorly understood subjects in physics. The first part of this two-part dissertation presents an analysis of techniques for measuring and manipulating quantized vortices in BECs. The second part of this dissertation presents theoretical and numerical analyses of new methods to engineer the OAM spectra of optical beams. The superfluid dynamics of a BEC are often well described by a nonlinear Schrodinger equation. The nonlinearity arises from interatomic scattering and enables BECs to support quantized vortices, which have quantized circulation and are fundamental structural elements of quantum turbulence. With the experimental tools to dynamically manipulate and measure quantized vortices, BECs are proving to be a useful medium for testing the theoretical predictions of quantum turbulence. In this dissertation we analyze a method for making minimally destructive in situ observations of quantized vortices in a BEC. Secondly, we numerically study a mechanism to imprint vortex dipoles in a BEC. With these advancements, more robust experiments of vortex dynamics and quantum turbulence will be within reach. A more complete understanding of quantum turbulence will enable principles of microscopic fluid flow to be

  3. Wide Field Views of M31's dE Satellites: NGC 147 and NGC 185

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noël, N. E. D.; Ferguson, A. M. N.; Irwin, M. J.

    2010-06-01

    Panoramic imaging studies of the M31 halo are revealing a wealth of previously-unknown faint tidal debris [e.g. 1] suggesting that it presents a hostile environment for dwarf galaxies to live in. NGC 185(MV = -15.6) and NGC 147(MV = -15.1) are dwarf elliptical (dE) satellites of M31 which currently reside in the remote outer halo (RM31~160 kpc). Given their similarity to more distant, unresolved, dEs, NGC 147 and NGC 185 are ideal workplaces to carry out detailed studies in dEs. While NGC 147 and 185 have been studied extensively in the past, almost all previous studies have been of small field-of-view. Our ongoing wide-field analysis will allow a thorough examination of the global content and structure of these systems and enable us to assess the extent to which they have previously interacted with M31 as well as each other. We present first results from our ongoing analysis of wide-field near-IR and optical imagery of these systems which we are using to derive the first truly global views of their overall structures and stellar contents. In particular, UKIRT/WFCAM JHK data are used to identify and analyse luminous asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in NGC 147 and NGC 185 and separate out C-rich and O-rich populations while INT/WFC Vi data are used to analyse the red giant branch (RGB) populations.

  4. Sub-nanosecond time-resolved near-field scanning magneto-optical microscope.

    PubMed

    Rudge, J; Xu, H; Kolthammer, J; Hong, Y K; Choi, B C

    2015-02-01

    We report on the development of a new magnetic microscope, time-resolved near-field scanning magneto-optical microscope, which combines a near-field scanning optical microscope and magneto-optical contrast. By taking advantage of the high temporal resolution of time-resolved Kerr microscope and the sub-wavelength spatial resolution of a near-field microscope, we achieved a temporal resolution of ∼50 ps and a spatial resolution of <100 nm. In order to demonstrate the spatiotemporal magnetic imaging capability of this microscope, the magnetic field pulse induced gyrotropic vortex dynamics occurring in 1 μm diameter, 20 nm thick CoFeB circular disks has been investigated. The microscope provides sub-wavelength resolution magnetic images of the gyrotropic motion of the vortex core at a resonance frequency of ∼240 MHz.

  5. Dermoscopy-guided reflectance confocal microscopy of skin using high-NA objective lens with integrated wide-field color camera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dickensheets, David L.; Kreitinger, Seth; Peterson, Gary; Heger, Michael; Rajadhyaksha, Milind

    2016-02-01

    Reflectance Confocal Microscopy, or RCM, is being increasingly used to guide diagnosis of skin lesions. The combination of widefield dermoscopy (WFD) with RCM is highly sensitive (~90%) and specific (~ 90%) for noninvasively detecting melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin lesions. The combined WFD and RCM approach is being implemented on patients to triage lesions into benign (with no biopsy) versus suspicious (followed by biopsy and pathology). Currently, however, WFD and RCM imaging are performed with separate instruments, while using an adhesive ring attached to the skin to sequentially image the same region and co-register the images. The latest small handheld RCM instruments offer no provision yet for a co-registered wide-field image. This paper describes an innovative solution that integrates an ultra-miniature dermoscopy camera into the RCM objective lens, providing simultaneous wide-field color images of the skin surface and RCM images of the subsurface cellular structure. The objective lens (0.9 NA) includes a hyperhemisphere lens and an ultra-miniature CMOS color camera, commanding a 4 mm wide dermoscopy view of the skin surface. The camera obscures the central portion of the aperture of the objective lens, but the resulting annular aperture provides excellent RCM optical sectioning and resolution. Preliminary testing on healthy volunteers showed the feasibility of combined WFD and RCM imaging to concurrently show the skin surface in wide-field and the underlying microscopic cellular-level detail. The paper describes this unique integrated dermoscopic WFD/RCM lens, and shows representative images. The potential for dermoscopy-guided RCM for skin cancer diagnosis is discussed.

  6. Dermoscopy-guided reflectance confocal microscopy of skin using high-NA objective lens with integrated wide-field color camera.

    PubMed

    Dickensheets, David L; Kreitinger, Seth; Peterson, Gary; Heger, Michael; Rajadhyaksha, Milind

    2016-02-01

    Reflectance Confocal Microscopy, or RCM, is being increasingly used to guide diagnosis of skin lesions. The combination of widefield dermoscopy (WFD) with RCM is highly sensitive (~90%) and specific (~ 90%) for noninvasively detecting melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin lesions. The combined WFD and RCM approach is being implemented on patients to triage lesions into benign (with no biopsy) versus suspicious (followed by biopsy and pathology). Currently, however, WFD and RCM imaging are performed with separate instruments, while using an adhesive ring attached to the skin to sequentially image the same region and co-register the images. The latest small handheld RCM instruments offer no provision yet for a co-registered wide-field image. This paper describes an innovative solution that integrates an ultra-miniature dermoscopy camera into the RCM objective lens, providing simultaneous wide-field color images of the skin surface and RCM images of the subsurface cellular structure. The objective lens (0.9 NA) includes a hyperhemisphere lens and an ultra-miniature CMOS color camera, commanding a 4 mm wide dermoscopy view of the skin surface. The camera obscures the central portion of the aperture of the objective lens, but the resulting annular aperture provides excellent RCM optical sectioning and resolution. Preliminary testing on healthy volunteers showed the feasibility of combined WFD and RCM imaging to concurrently show the skin surface in wide-field and the underlying microscopic cellular-level detail. The paper describes this unique integrated dermoscopic WFD/RCM lens, and shows representative images. The potential for dermoscopy-guided RCM for skin cancer diagnosis is discussed.

  7. On the development status of high performance silicon pore optics for future x-ray telescopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kraft, Stefan; Collon, M.; Günther, R.; Partapsing, R.; Beijersbergen, M.; Bavdaz, M.; Lumb, D.; Peacock, A.; Wallace, K.

    2017-11-01

    Silicon pore optics have been proposed earlier as modular optical X-ray units in large Wolter-I telescopes that would match effective area and resolution requirements imposed by missions such as XEUS. Since then the optics have been developed further and the feasibility of the production of high-performance pore optics has been demonstrated. Optimisation of both the production and the assembly process allowed the generation of optics with larger areas with improved imaging performance. Silicon pore optics can now be manufactured with properties required for future X-ray telescopes. A suitable design that allows the implementation of pore optics into X-ray Optical Units in Wolter-I configuration was recently derived including an appropriate telescope mounting structure with interfaces for the individual components. The development status, the achieved performance and the requirements regarding future mirror production, optics assembly and related metrology for its characterisation are presented.

  8. The thermal near-field: Coherence, spectroscopy, heat-transfer, and optical forces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Andrew C.; O'Callahan, Brian T.; Yang, Honghua U.; Raschke, Markus B.

    2013-12-01

    One of the most universal physical processes shared by all matter at finite temperature is the emission of thermal radiation. The experimental characterization and theoretical description of far-field black-body radiation was a cornerstone in the development of modern physics with the groundbreaking contributions from Gustav Kirchhoff and Max Planck. With its origin in thermally driven fluctuations of the charge carriers, thermal radiation reflects the resonant and non-resonant dielectric properties of media, which is the basis for far-field thermal emission spectroscopy. However, associated with the underlying fluctuating optical source polarization are fundamentally distinct spectral, spatial, resonant, and coherence properties of the evanescent thermal near-field. These properties have been recently predicted theoretically and characterized experimentally for systems with thermally excited molecular, surface plasmon polariton (SPP), and surface phonon polariton (SPhP) resonances. We review, starting with the early historical developments, the emergence of theoretical models, and the description of the thermal near-field based on the fluctuation-dissipation theory and in terms of the electromagnetic local density of states (EM-LDOS). We discuss the optical and spectroscopic characterization of distance dependence, magnitude, spectral distribution, and coherence of evanescent thermal fields. Scattering scanning near-field microscopy proved instrumental as an enabling technique for the investigations of several of these fundamental thermal near-field properties. We then discuss the role of thermal fields in nano-scale heat transfer and optical forces, and the correlation to the van der Waals, Casimir, and Casimir-Polder forces. We conclude with an outlook on the possibility of intrinsic and extrinsic resonant manipulation of optical forces, control of nano-scale radiative heat transfer with optical antennas and metamaterials, and the use of thermal infrared near-field

  9. Investigations on magnetic field induced optical transparency in magnetic nanofluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohapatra, Dillip Kumar; Philip, John

    2018-02-01

    We study the magnetic field induced optical transparency and its origin in magnetic nanoemulsion of droplets of average size ∼200 nm containing superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. Beyond a certain volume fraction (Φ > 0.0021) of magnetic nanoemulsion and a critical magnetic field (Hc1), the transmitted light intensity increases drastically and reaches a maximum at another critical magnetic field (Hc2), beyond which the transmitted light intensity decreases and reaches a plateau. Interestingly, the transmitted light intensity at Hc2 is found to increase linearly with Φ and the critical magnetic fields Hc1 and Hc2 follow power law decay with Φ (i.e. Hc ∼ Φ-x), with exponents 0.48 and 0.27, respectively. The light intensity recovers to its initial value when the magnetic field is switched off, indicating the perfect reversibility of the field induced transparency process. The observed straight line scattered patterns above Hc2, on a screen placed perpendicular to the incident beam, confirms the formation of rod like anisotropic nanostructures perpendicular to the direction of light propagation. The magneto-optical measurements in the emulsion confirm that the observed field induced transparency in magnetic emulsions for Φ > 0.0021 is due to the optical birefringence caused by the rod like nanostructures. The reduced birefringence is found to be proportional to the square of the applied magnetic field. This finding offers several possibilities in using magnetic nanofluids in tunable optical devices.

  10. Optical transient monitor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bernas, Martin; Páta, Petr; Hudec, René; Soldán, Jan; Rezek, Tomáš; Castro-Tirado, Alberto J.

    1998-05-01

    Although there are several optical GRB follow-up systems in operation and/or in development, some of them with a very short response time, they will never be able to provide true simultaneous (no delay) and pre-burst optical data for GRBs. We report on the development and tests of a monitoring experiment expected to be put into test operation in 1998. The system should detect Optical Transients down to mag 6-7 (few seconds duration assumed) over a wide field of view. The system is based on the double CCD wide-field cameras ST8. For the real time evaluation of the signal from both cameras, two TMS 320C40 processors are used. Using two channels differing in spectral sensitivity and processing of temporal sequence of images allows us to eliminate man-made objects and defects of the CCD electronics. The system is controlled by a standard PC computer.

  11. Visual receptive field properties of cells in the optic tectum of the archer fish.

    PubMed

    Ben-Tov, Mor; Kopilevich, Ivgeny; Donchin, Opher; Ben-Shahar, Ohad; Giladi, Chen; Segev, Ronen

    2013-08-01

    The archer fish is well known for its extreme visual behavior in shooting water jets at prey hanging on vegetation above water. This fish is a promising model in the study of visual system function because it can be trained to respond to artificial targets and thus to provide valuable psychophysical data. Although much behavioral data have indeed been collected over the past two decades, little is known about the functional organization of the main visual area supporting this visual behavior, namely, the fish optic tectum. In this article we focus on a fundamental aspect of this functional organization and provide a detailed analysis of receptive field properties of cells in the archer fish optic tectum. Using extracellular measurements to record activities of single cells, we first measure their retinotectal mapping. We then determine their receptive field properties such as size, selectivity for stimulus direction and orientation, tuning for spatial frequency, and tuning for temporal frequency. Finally, on the basis of all these measurements, we demonstrate that optic tectum cells can be classified into three categories: orientation-tuned cells, direction-tuned cells, and direction-agnostic cells. Our results provide an essential basis for future investigations of information processing in the archer fish visual system.

  12. Magnetic field modification of optical magnetic dipoles.

    PubMed

    Armelles, Gaspar; Caballero, Blanca; Cebollada, Alfonso; Garcia-Martin, Antonio; Meneses-Rodríguez, David

    2015-03-11

    Acting on optical magnetic dipoles opens novel routes to govern light-matter interaction. We demonstrate magnetic field modification of the magnetic dipolar moment characteristic of resonant nanoholes in thin magnetoplasmonic films. This is experimentally shown through the demonstration of the magneto-optical analogue of Babinet's principle, where mirror imaged MO spectral dependencies are obtained for two complementary magnetoplasmonic systems: holes in a perforated metallic layer and a layer of disks on a substrate.

  13. Full-field acoustomammography using an acousto-optic sensor.

    PubMed

    Sandhu, J S; Schmidt, R A; La Rivière, P J

    2009-06-01

    In this Letter the authors introduce a wide-field transmission ultrasound approach to breast imaging based on the use of a large area acousto-optic (AO) sensor. Accompanied by a suitable acoustic source, such a detector could be mounted on a traditional mammography system and provide a mammographylike ultrasound projection image of the compressed breast in registration with the x-ray mammogram. The authors call the approach acoustography. The hope is that this additional information could improve the sensitivity and specificity of screening mammography. The AO sensor converts ultrasound directly into a visual image by virtue of the acousto-optic effect of the liquid crystal layer contained in the AO sensor. The image is captured with a digital video camera for processing, analysis, and storage. In this Letter, the authors perform a geometrical resolution analysis and also present images of a multimodality breast phantom imaged with both mammography and acoustography to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach. The geometric resolution analysis suggests that the technique could readily detect tumors of diameter of 3 mm using 8.5 MHz ultrasound, with smaller tumors detectable with higher frequency ultrasound, though depth penetration might then become a limiting factor. The preliminary phantom images show high contrast and compare favorably to digital mammograms of the same phantom. The authors have introduced and established, through phantom imaging, the feasibility of a full-field transmission ultrasound detector for breast imaging based on the use of a large area AO sensor. Of course variations in attenuation of connective, glandular, and fatty tissues will lead to images with more cluttered anatomical background than those of the phantom imaged here. Acoustic coupling to the mammographically compressed breast, particularly at the margins, will also have to be addressed.

  14. Full-field acoustomammography using an acousto-optic sensor

    PubMed Central

    Sandhu, J. S.; Schmidt, R. A.; La Rivière, P. J.

    2009-01-01

    In this Letter the authors introduce a wide-field transmission ultrasound approach to breast imaging based on the use of a large area acousto-optic (AO) sensor. Accompanied by a suitable acoustic source, such a detector could be mounted on a traditional mammography system and provide a mammographylike ultrasound projection image of the compressed breast in registration with the x-ray mammogram. The authors call the approach acoustography. The hope is that this additional information could improve the sensitivity and specificity of screening mammography. The AO sensor converts ultrasound directly into a visual image by virtue of the acousto-optic effect of the liquid crystal layer contained in the AO sensor. The image is captured with a digital video camera for processing, analysis, and storage. In this Letter, the authors perform a geometrical resolution analysis and also present images of a multimodality breast phantom imaged with both mammography and acoustography to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach. The geometric resolution analysis suggests that the technique could readily detect tumors of diameter of 3 mm using 8.5 MHz ultrasound, with smaller tumors detectable with higher frequency ultrasound, though depth penetration might then become a limiting factor. The preliminary phantom images show high contrast and compare favorably to digital mammograms of the same phantom. The authors have introduced and established, through phantom imaging, the feasibility of a full-field transmission ultrasound detector for breast imaging based on the use of a large area AO sensor. Of course variations in attenuation of connective, glandular, and fatty tissues will lead to images with more cluttered anatomical background than those of the phantom imaged here. Acoustic coupling to the mammographically compressed breast, particularly at the margins, will also have to be addressed. PMID:19610321

  15. Effects of electromagnetic fields on the nonlinear optical properties of asymmetric double quantum well under intense laser field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yesilgul, U.; Sari, H.; Ungan, F.; Martínez-Orozco, J. C.; Restrepo, R. L.; Mora-Ramos, M. E.; Duque, C. A.; Sökmen, I.

    2017-03-01

    In this study, the effects of electric and magnetic fields on the optical rectification and second and third harmonic generation in asymmetric double quantum well under the intense non-resonant laser field is theoretically investigated. We calculate the optical rectification and second and third harmonic generation within the compact density-matrix approach. The theoretical findings show that the influence of electric, magnetic, and intense laser fields leads to significant changes in the coefficients of nonlinear optical rectification, second and third harmonic generation.

  16. Cross-talk free selective reconstruction of individual objects from multiplexed optical field data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zea, Alejandro Velez; Barrera, John Fredy; Torroba, Roberto

    2018-01-01

    In this paper we present a data multiplexing method for simultaneous storage in a single package composed by several optical fields of tridimensional (3D) objects, and their individual cross-talk free retrieval. Optical field data are extracted from off axis Fourier holograms, and then sampled by multiplying them with random binary masks. The resulting sampled optical fields can be used to reconstruct the original objects. Sampling causes a loss of quality that can be controlled by the number of white pixels in the binary masks and by applying a padding procedure on the optical field data. This process can be performed using a different binary mask for each optical field, and then added to form a multiplexed package. With the adequate choice of sampling and padding, we can achieve a volume reduction in the multiplexed package over the addition of all individual optical fields. Moreover, the package can be multiplied by a binary mask to select a specific optical field, and after the reconstruction procedure, the corresponding 3D object is recovered without any cross-talk. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposal for data compression with a comparison with discrete cosine transform filtering. Experimental results confirm the validity of our proposal.

  17. Plasmonic Fiber Optic Refractometric Sensors: From Conventional Architectures to Recent Design Trends

    PubMed Central

    Klantsataya, Elizaveta; Jia, Peipei; Ebendorff-Heidepriem, Heike; Monro, Tanya M.; François, Alexandre

    2016-01-01

    Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) fiber sensor research has grown since the first demonstration over 20 year ago into a rich and diverse field with a wide range of optical fiber architectures, plasmonic coatings, and excitation and interrogation methods. Yet, the large diversity of SPR fiber sensor designs has made it difficult to understand the advantages of each approach. Here, we review SPR fiber sensor architectures, covering the latest developments from optical fiber geometries to plasmonic coatings. By developing a systematic approach to fiber-based SPR designs, we identify and discuss future research opportunities based on a performance comparison of the different approaches for sensing applications. PMID:28025532

  18. Dark-field optical coherence microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pache, C.; Villiger, M. L.; Lasser, T.

    2010-02-01

    Many solutions have been proposed to produce phase quantitative images of biological cell samples. Among these, Spectral Domain Phase Microscopy combines the fast imaging speed and high sensitivity of Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM) in the Fourier domain with the high phase stability of common-path interferometry. We report on a new illumination scheme for OCM that enhances the sensitivity for backscattered light and detects the weak sample signal, otherwise buried by the signal from specular reflection. With the use of a Bessel-like beam, a dark-field configuration was realized. Sensitivity measurements for three different illumination configurations were performed to compare our method to standard OCM and extended focus OCM. Using a well-defined scattering and reflecting object, we demonstrated an attenuation of -40 dB of the DC-component and a relative gain of 30 dB for scattered light, compared to standard OCM. In a second step, we applied this technique, referred to as dark-field Optical Coherence Microscopy (dfOCM), to living cells. Chinese hamster ovarian cells were applied in a drop of medium on a coverslide. The cells of ~15 μm in diameter and even internal cell structures were visualized in the acquired tomograms.

  19. Calibration procedures to test the feasibility of heated fiber optics for measuring soil water content in field conditions.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benítez, Javier; Sayde, Chadi; Rodríguez Sinobas, Leonor; Sánchez, Raúl; Gil, María; Selker, John

    2013-04-01

    This research provides insights of the calibration procedures carried out at the agricultural field of La Nava de Arévalo (Spain). The suitability of the heat pulse theory applied to fiber optics for measuring soil water content, in field conditions, is here analyzed. In addition, it highlights the major findings obtained and the weakness to be addressed in future studies. Within a corn field, in a plot of 500 m2 of bare soil, 600 m of fiber optic cable (BruggSteal) were buried on a ziz-zag deployment at two depths, 30cm and 60cm. Various electrical heat pulses of 20W/m were applied to the stainless steel shield of the fiber optic cable during 2 minutes. The resulting thermal response was captured by means of Distributed Fiber Optic Temperature sensing (DFOT), within a spatial and temporal resolution up to 25 cm and 1 s, respectively. The soil thermal response was then correlated to the soil water content by using undisturbed soil samples and soil moisture sensors (Decagon ECHO 5TM). The process was also modeled by applying the numerical methods software Hydrus 2D. Also, the soil thermal properties were measured in situ by using a dual heat pulse probe (Decagon Kd2Pro). For an ongoing process, first results obtained show the suitability of heated fiber optics for measuring soil water content, in real field conditions. Also, they highlight the usefulness of Hydrus 2D as a complementary tool for calibration purposes and for reducing uncertainty in addressing soil spatial variability.

  20. Optical computing research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goodman, Joseph W.

    1987-10-01

    Work Accomplished: OPTICAL INTERCONNECTIONS - the powerful interconnect abilities of optical beams have led much optimism about the possible roles for optics in solving interconnect problems at various levels of computer architecture. Examined were the powerful requirements of optical interconnects at the gate-to-gate and chip-to-chip levels. OPTICAL NEUTRAL NETWORKS - basic studies of the convergence properties on the Holfield model, based on mathematical approach - graph theory. OPTICS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - review the field of optical processing and artificial intelligence, with the aim of finding areas that might be particularly attractive for future investigation(s).

  1. Ultra-wide-field and autofluorescence imaging of choroidal dystrophies.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Alex; Kaines, Andrew; Jain, Atul; Reddy, Shantan; Schwartz, Steven D; Sarraf, David

    2010-10-28

    The authors retrospectively identified 2 cases of gyrate atrophy, 3 cases of choroideremia, and 1 case of the carrier state of choroideremia who underwent ultra-wide-field fundus photography and fluorescein angiography. The findings were studied and compared to standard fundus photography and fluorescein angiography. Gyrate atrophy demonstrated a diffuse confluent extent of chorioretinal atrophy extending from the anterior to the posterior pole to the periphery. Choroideremia demonstrated a patchy irregular pattern of chorioretinal atrophy extending from the posterior pole to the periphery. Peripheral reticular degeneration without chorioretinal atrophy was appreciated in the carrier state. Ultra-wide-field imaging of these choroidal dystrophies demonstrated distinctive patterns that may aid in their identification and diagnosis. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

  2. Folded optics with birefringent reflective polarizers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wong, Timothy L.; Yun, Zhisheng; Ambur, Gregg; Etter, Jo

    2017-06-01

    Polymeric, birefringent reflective polarizers have been used to produce compact, mid-field-of-view eyepieces and wide field-of-view optics for virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays using the "pancake" lens configuration. Multiple configurations for pancake lens systems are discussed as are their advantages and disadvantages relative to refractive systems. Polarization control is an important consideration and the polarizing effects of different components are discussed. Designs for mid-FOV and wide FOV are presented and additional benefits of using folded optics for virtual reality systems are explored.

  3. Wide field of view common-path lateral-shearing digital holographic interference microscope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vora, Priyanka; Trivedi, Vismay; Mahajan, Swapnil; Patel, Nimit; Joglekar, Mugdha; Chhaniwal, Vani; Moradi, Ali-Reza; Javidi, Bahram; Anand, Arun

    2017-12-01

    Quantitative three-dimensional (3-D) imaging of living cells provides important information about the cell morphology and its time variation. Off-axis, digital holographic interference microscopy is an ideal tool for 3-D imaging, parameter extraction, and classification of living cells. Two-beam digital holographic microscopes, which are usually employed, provide high-quality 3-D images of micro-objects, albeit with lower temporal stability. Common-path digital holographic geometries, in which the reference beam is derived from the object beam, provide higher temporal stability along with high-quality 3-D images. Self-referencing geometry is the simplest of the common-path techniques, in which a portion of the object beam itself acts as the reference, leading to compact setups using fewer optical elements. However, it has reduced field of view, and the reference may contain object information. Here, we describe the development of a common-path digital holographic microscope, employing a shearing plate and converting one of the beams into a separate reference by employing a pin-hole. The setup is as compact as self-referencing geometry, while providing field of view as wide as that of a two-beam microscope. The microscope is tested by imaging and quantifying the morphology and dynamics of human erythrocytes.

  4. LSST Camera Optics Design

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Riot, V J; Olivier, S; Bauman, B

    2012-05-24

    The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) uses a novel, three-mirror, telescope design feeding a camera system that includes a set of broad-band filters and three refractive corrector lenses to produce a flat field at the focal plane with a wide field of view. Optical design of the camera lenses and filters is integrated in with the optical design of telescope mirrors to optimize performance. We discuss the rationale for the LSST camera optics design, describe the methodology for fabricating, coating, mounting and testing the lenses and filters, and present the results of detailed analyses demonstrating that the camera optics willmore » meet their performance goals.« less

  5. A three-dimensional wide-angle BPM for optical waveguide structures.

    PubMed

    Ma, Changbao; Van Keuren, Edward

    2007-01-22

    Algorithms for effective modeling of optical propagation in three- dimensional waveguide structures are critical for the design of photonic devices. We present a three-dimensional (3-D) wide-angle beam propagation method (WA-BPM) using Hoekstra's scheme. A sparse matrix algebraic equation is formed and solved using iterative methods. The applicability, accuracy and effectiveness of our method are demonstrated by applying it to simulations of wide-angle beam propagation, along with a technique for shifting the simulation window to reduce the dimension of the numerical equation and a threshold technique to further ensure its convergence. These techniques can ensure the implementation of iterative methods for waveguide structures by relaxing the convergence problem, which will further enable us to develop higher-order 3-D WA-BPMs based on Padé approximant operators.

  6. A three-dimensional wide-angle BPM for optical waveguide structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Changbao; van Keuren, Edward

    2007-01-01

    Algorithms for effective modeling of optical propagation in three- dimensional waveguide structures are critical for the design of photonic devices. We present a three-dimensional (3-D) wide-angle beam propagation method (WA-BPM) using Hoekstra’s scheme. A sparse matrix algebraic equation is formed and solved using iterative methods. The applicability, accuracy and effectiveness of our method are demonstrated by applying it to simulations of wide-angle beam propagation, along with a technique for shifting the simulation window to reduce the dimension of the numerical equation and a threshold technique to further ensure its convergence. These techniques can ensure the implementation of iterative methods for waveguide structures by relaxing the convergence problem, which will further enable us to develop higher-order 3-D WA-BPMs based on Padé approximant operators.

  7. Future of bone pathology, bone grafting, and osseointegration in oral and maxillofacial surgery: how applying optical advancements can help both fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tandon, Rahul; Herford, Alan S.

    2013-03-01

    Introduction: In recent years, advances in technology are propelling the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery into new realms. With a relatively thin alveolar mucosa overlying the underlying bone, significant diagnostic and therapeutic advantages are present. However, there remains an enormous gap between advancements in physics, in particular optics, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. Bone Pathology: Improvements in diagnosis, classification, and treatment of the various bone pathologies are still being sought after as advancements in technology continue to progress. Combining the clinical, histological, and pathological characteristics with these advancements, patients with debilitating pathologies may have more promising treatment options and prognosis. Bone Grafting: Defects in the facial bones, in particular the jaws, may be due to a number of reasons: pathology, trauma, infections, congenital deformities, or simply due to atrophy. Bone grafting is commonly employed to correct such defects, and allows new bone formation through tissue regeneration. Osseointegration: Growing use of dental implants has focused attention on osseointegration and its process. Osseointegration refers to the actual process of the direct contact between bone and implant, without an intervening soft tissue layer. The theories proposed regarding this process are many, yet there lacks a clear, unified stance on the actual process and its mechanisms. Further investigation using optical probes could provide that unifying answer. Conclusion: The primary goal of this lecture is to introduce pioneers in the field of optics to the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. With a brief introduction into the procedures and techniques, we are hopeful to bridge the ever-widening gap between the clinical science and the basic sciences.

  8. Beyond MOS and fibers: Optical Fourier-transform Imaging Unit for Cananea Observatory (OFIUCO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nieto-Suárez, M. A.; Rosales-Ortega, F. F.; Castillo, E.; García, P.; Escobedo, G.; Sánchez, S. F.; González, J.; Iglesias-Páramo, J.; Mollá, M.; Chávez, M.; Bertone, E.; et al.

    2017-11-01

    Many physical processes in astronomy are still hampered by the lack of spatial and spectral resolution, and also restricted to the field-of-view (FoV) of current 2D spectroscopy instruments available worldwide. It is due to that, many of the ongoing or proposed studies are based on large-scale imaging and/or spectroscopic surveys. Under this philosophy, large aperture telescopes are dedicated to the study of intrinsically faint and/or distance objects, covering small FoVs, with high spatial resolution, while smaller telescopes are devoted to wide-field explorations. However, future astronomical surveys, should be addressed by acquiring un-biases, spatially resolved, high-quality spectroscopic information for a wide FoV. Therefore, and in order to improve the current instrumental offer in the Observatorio Astrofísico Guillermo Haro (OAGH) in Cananea, Mexico (INAOE); and to explore a possible instrument for the future Telescopio San Pedro Mártir (6.5m), we are currently integrating at INAOE an instrument prototype that will provide us with un-biased wide-field (few arcmin) spectroscopic information, and with the flexibility of operating at different spectral resolutions (R 1-20000), with a spatial resolution limited by seeing, and therefore, to be used in a wide range of astronomical problems. This instrument called OFIUCO: Optical Fourier-transform Imaging Unit for Cananea Observatory, will make use of the Fourier Transform Spectroscopic technique, which has been proved to be feasible in the optical wavelength range (350-1000 nm) with designs such as SITELLE (CFHT). We describe here the basic technical description of a Fourier transform spectrograph with important modifications from previous astronomical versions, as well as the technical advantages and weakness, and the science cases in which this instrument can be implemented.

  9. Wide-Field Megahertz OCT Imaging of Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy.

    PubMed

    Reznicek, Lukas; Kolb, Jan P; Klein, Thomas; Mohler, Kathrin J; Wieser, Wolfgang; Huber, Robert; Kernt, Marcus; Märtz, Josef; Neubauer, Aljoscha S

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate the feasibility of wide-field Megahertz (MHz) OCT imaging in patients with diabetic retinopathy. A consecutive series of 15 eyes of 15 patients with diagnosed diabetic retinopathy were included. All patients underwent Megahertz OCT imaging, a close clinical examination, slit lamp biomicroscopy, and funduscopic evaluation. To acquire densely sampled, wide-field volumetric datasets, an ophthalmic 1050 nm OCT prototype system based on a Fourier-domain mode-locked (FDML) laser source with 1.68 MHz A-scan rate was employed. RESULTS. We were able to obtain OCT volume scans from all included 15 patients. Acquisition time was 1.8 seconds. Obtained volume datasets consisted of 2088 × 1044 A-scans of 60° of view. Thus, reconstructed en face images had a resolution of 34.8 pixels per degree in x-axis and 17.4 pixels per degree. Due to the densely sampled OCT volume dataset, postprocessed customized cross-sectional B-frames through pathologic changes such as an individual microaneurysm or a retinal neovascularization could be imaged. Wide-field Megahertz OCT is feasible to successfully image patients with diabetic retinopathy at high scanning rates and a wide angle of view, providing information in all three axes. The Megahertz OCT is a useful tool to screen diabetic patients for diabetic retinopathy.

  10. Giant optical field enhancement in multi-dielectric stacks by photon scanning tunneling microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ndiaye, C.; Zerrad, M.; Lereu, A. L.; Roche, R.; Dumas, Ph.; Lemarchand, F.; Amra, C.

    2013-09-01

    Dielectric optical thin films, as opposed to metallic, have been very sparsely explored as good candidates for absorption-based optical field enhancement. In such materials, the low imaginary part of the refractive index implies that absorption processes are usually not predominant. This leads to dielectric-based optical resonances mainly via waveguiding modes. We show here that when properly designed, a multi-layered dielectric thin films stack can give rise to optical resonances linked to total absorption. We report here, on such dielectric stack designed to possess a theoretical optical field enhancement above 1000. Using photon scanning tunneling microscopy, we experimentally evaluate the resulting field enhancement of the stack as well as the associated penetration depth. We thus demonstrate the capability of multi-dielectric stacks in generating giant optical field with tunable penetration depth (down to few dozens of nm).

  11. Piezo-based, high dynamic range, wide bandwidth steering system for optical applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karasikov, Nir; Peled, Gal; Yasinov, Roman; Feinstein, Alan

    2017-05-01

    Piezoelectric motors and actuators are characterized by direct drive, fast response, high positioning resolution and high mechanical power density. These properties are beneficial for optical devices such as gimbals, optical image stabilizers and mirror angular positioners. The range of applications includes sensor pointing systems, image stabilization, laser steering and more. This paper reports on the construction, properties and operation of three types of piezo based building blocks for optical steering applications: a small gimbal and a two-axis OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) mechanism, both based on piezoelectric motors, and a flexure-assisted piezoelectric actuator for mirror angular positioning. The gimbal weighs less than 190 grams, has a wide angular span (solid angle of > 2π) and allows for a 80 micro-radian stabilization with a stabilization frequency up to 25 Hz. The OIS is an X-Y, closed loop, platform having a lateral positioning resolution better than 1 μm, a stabilization frequency up to 25 Hz and a travel of +/-2 mm. It is used for laser steering or positioning of the image sensor, based on signals from a MEMS Gyro sensor. The actuator mirror positioner is based on three piezoelectric actuation axes for tip tilt (each providing a 50 μm motion range), has a positioning resolution of 10 nm and is capable of a 1000 Hz response. A combination of the gimbal with the mirror positioner or the OIS stage is explored by simulations, indicating a <10 micro-radian stabilization capability under substantial perturbation. Simulations and experimental results are presented for a combined device facilitating both wide steering angle range and bandwidth.

  12. Triaxial fiber optic magnetic field sensor for MRI applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Filograno, Massimo L.; Pisco, Marco; Catalano, Angelo; Forte, Ernesto; Aiello, Marco; Soricelli, Andrea; Davino, Daniele; Visone, Ciro; Cutolo, Antonello; Cusano, Andrea

    2016-05-01

    In this paper, we report a fiber-optic triaxial magnetic field sensor, based on Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) integrated with giant magnetostrictive material, the Terfenol-D. The realized sensor has been designed and engineered for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) applications. A full magneto-optical characterization of the triaxial sensing probe has been carried out, providing the complex relationship among the FBGs wavelength shift and the applied magnetostatic field vector. Finally, the developed fiber optic sensors have been arranged in a sensor network composed of 20 triaxial sensors for mapping the magnetic field distribution in a MRI-room at a diagnostic center in Naples (SDN), equipped with Positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) instrumentation. Experimental results reveal that the proposed sensor network can be efficiently used in MRI centers for performing quality assurance tests, paving the way for novel integrated tools to measure the magnetic dose accumulated day by day by MRI operators.

  13. Cone of Darkness: Finding Blank-sky Positions for Multi-object Wide-field Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorente, N. P. F.

    2014-05-01

    We present the Cone of Darkness, an application to automatically configure blank-sky positions for a series of stacked, wide-field observations, such as those carried out by the SAMI instrument on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). The Sydney-AAO Multi-object Integral field spectrograph (SAMI) uses a plug-plate to mount its 13×61 core imaging fibre bundles (hexabundles) in the optical plane at the telescope's prime focus. To make the most efficient use of each plug-plate, several observing fields are typically stacked to produce a single plate. When choosing blank-sky positions for the observations it is most effective to select these such that one set of 26 holes gives valid sky positions for all fields on the plate. However, when carried out manually this selection process is tedious and includes a significant risk of error. The Cone of Darkness software aims to provide uniform blank-sky position coverage over the field of observation, within the limits set by the distribution of target positions and the chosen input catalogs. This will then facilitate the production of the best representative median sky spectrum for use in sky subtraction. The application, written in C++, is configurable, making it usable for a range of instruments. Given the plate characteristics and the positions of target holes, the software segments the unallocated space on the plate and determines the position which best fits the uniform distribution requirement. This position is checked, for each field, against the selected catalog using a TAP ADQL search. The process is then repeated until the desired number of sky positions is attained.

  14. Overview of Fiber-Optical Sensors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Depaula, Ramon P.; Moore, Emery L.

    1987-01-01

    Design, development, and sensitivity of sensors using fiber optics reviewed. State-of-the-art and probable future developments of sensors using fiber optics described in report including references to work in field. Serves to update previously published surveys. Systems incorporating fiber-optic sensors used in medical diagnosis, navigation, robotics, sonar, power industry, and industrial controls.

  15. Near field optical probe for critical dimension measurements

    DOEpatents

    Stallard, Brian R.; Kaushik, Sumanth

    1999-01-01

    A resonant planar optical waveguide probe for measuring critical dimensions on an object in the range of 100 nm and below. The optical waveguide includes a central resonant cavity flanked by Bragg reflector layers with input and output means at either end. Light is supplied by a narrow bandwidth laser source. Light resonating in the cavity creates an evanescent electrical field. The object with the structures to be measured is translated past the resonant cavity. The refractive index contrasts presented by the structures perturb the field and cause variations in the intensity of the light in the cavity. The topography of the structures is determined from these variations.

  16. All optical OFDM transmission for passive optical networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kachare, Nitin; Ashik T., J.; Bai, K. Kalyani; Kumar, D. Sriram

    2017-06-01

    This paper demonstrates the idea of data transmission at a very higher rate (Tbits/s) through optical fibers in a passive optical network using the most efficient data transmission technique widely used in wireless communication that is orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. With an increase in internet users, data traffic has also increased significantly and the current dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems may not support the next generation passive optical networks (PONs) requirements. The approach discussed in this paper allows to increase the downstream data rate per user and extend the standard single-mode fiber reach for future long-haul applications. All-optical OFDM is a promising solution for terabit per second capable single wavelength transmission, with high spectral efficiency and high tolerance to chromatic dispersion.

  17. Distributed optical fiber dynamic magnetic field sensor based on magnetostriction.

    PubMed

    Masoudi, Ali; Newson, Trevor P

    2014-05-01

    A distributed optical fiber sensor is introduced which is capable of quantifying multiple magnetic fields along a 1 km sensing fiber with a spatial resolution of 1 m. The operation of the proposed sensor is based on measuring the magnetorestrictive induced strain of a nickel wire attached to an optical fiber. The strain coupled to the optical fiber was detected by measuring the strain-induced phase variation between the backscattered Rayleigh light from two segments of the sensing fiber. A magnetic field intensity resolution of 0.3 G over a bandwidth of 50-5000 Hz was demonstrated.

  18. Field Evaluation of Anti-Biofouling Compounds on Optical Instrumentation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McLean, Scott; Schofield, Bryan; Zibordi, Giuseppe; Lewis, Marlon; Hooker, Stanford; Weidemann, Alan

    1997-01-01

    Biofouling has been a serious question in the stability of optical measurements in the ocean, particularly in moored and drifting buoy applications. Many investigators coat optical surfaces with various compounds to reduce the amount of fouling; to our knowledge, however, there are no objective, in-situ comparative testing of these compounds to evaluate their effectiveness with respect to optical stability relative to untreated controls. We have tested a wide range of compounds at in-situ locations in Halifax Harbour and in the Adriatic Sea on passive optical sensors. Compounds tested include a variety of TBT formulations, antifungal agents, and low-friction silicone-based compounds; time-scales of up to four months were evaluated. The results of these experiments are discussed.

  19. SPECIAL ISSUE ON OPTICAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION: Reconstruction of vector physical fields by optical tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kulchin, Yurii N.; Vitrik, O. B.; Kamenev, O. T.; Kirichenko, O. V.; Petrov, Yu S.

    1995-10-01

    Reconstruction of vector physical fields by optical tomography, with the aid of a system of fibre-optic measuring lines, is considered. The reported experimental results are used to reconstruct the distribution of the square of the gradient of transverse displacements of a flat membrane.

  20. Computation and analysis of backward ray-tracing in aero-optics flow fields.

    PubMed

    Xu, Liang; Xue, Deting; Lv, Xiaoyi

    2018-01-08

    A backward ray-tracing method is proposed for aero-optics simulation. Different from forward tracing, the backward tracing direction is from the internal sensor to the distant target. Along this direction, the tracing in turn goes through the internal gas region, the aero-optics flow field, and the freestream. The coordinate value, the density, and the refractive index are calculated at each tracing step. A stopping criterion is developed to ensure the tracing stops at the outer edge of the aero-optics flow field. As a demonstration, the analysis is carried out for a typical blunt nosed vehicle. The backward tracing method and stopping criterion greatly simplify the ray-tracing computations in the aero-optics flow field, and they can be extended to our active laser illumination aero-optics study because of the reciprocity principle.

  1. Tip-enhanced near-field optical microscopy

    PubMed Central

    Mauser, Nina; Hartschuh, Achim

    2013-01-01

    Tip-enhanced near-field optical microscopy (TENOM) is a scanning probe technique capable of providing a broad range of spectroscopic information on single objects and structured surfaces at nanometer spatial resolution and with highest detection sensitivity. In this review, we first illustrate the physical principle of TENOM that utilizes the antenna function of a sharp probe to efficiently couple light to excitations on nanometer length scales. We then discuss the antenna-induced enhancement of different optical sample responses including Raman scattering, fluorescence, generation of photocurrent and electroluminescence. Different experimental realizations are presented and several recent examples that demonstrate the capabilities of the technique are reviewed. PMID:24100541

  2. Afocal three-mirror anastigmat with zigzag optical axis for widened field of view and enlarged aperture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Qi; Han, Lin; Jin, Yangming; Shen, Weimin

    2016-10-01

    In order to improve the detection accuracy and range of new generation of Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) system for distant targets, its optical system, which usually consists of a fore afocal telescope and rear imaging lenses, is required to has wide spectral range, large entrance pupil aperture, and wide field of view (FOV). In this paper, a new afocal Three-Mirror Anastigmat (TMA) with widened field of view and high demagnification is suggested. Its mechanical structure remains coaxial, but it has zigzag optical axis through properly and slightly decentering and tilting of the three mirrors to avoid its secondary obscuration due to the third mirror as FOV increase. Compared with conventional off-axis TMA, the suggested zigzag-axis TMA is compact, easy-alignment and low-cost. The design method and optimum result of the suggested afocal TMA is presented. Its initial structural parameters are determined with its first-order relationship and primary aberration theory. Slight and proper decentration and tilt of each mirror is leaded in optimization so that its coaxial mechanical structure is held but attainable FOV and demagnification are respectively as wide and as high as possible. As an example, a 5.5-demagnification zigzag-axis afocal TMA with a wavelength range, an entrance pupil diameter, and FOV respectively from 3μm to 12μm, of 320mm, and 2×3.2 degrees and with a real exit pupil, is designed. Its imaging quality is diffraction limited. It is suitable for fore afocal telescope of the so-called third generation FLIR.

  3. Update on the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mainzer, Amanda K.; Eisenhardt, Peter; Wright, Edward L.; Liu, Feng-Chuan; Irace, William; Heinrichsen, Ingolf; Cutri, Roc; Duval, Valerie

    2006-01-01

    The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), a NASA MIDEX mission, will survey the entire sky in four bands from 3.3 to 23 microns with a sensitivity 1000 times greater than the IRAS survey. The WISE survey will extend the Two Micron All Sky Survey into the thermal infrared and will provide an important catalog for the James Webb Space Telescope. Using 1024(sup 2) HgCdTe and Si:As arrays at 3.3, 4.7, 12 and 23 microns, WISE will find the most luminous galaxies in the universe, the closest stars to the Sun, and it will detect most of the main belt asteroids larger than 3 km. The single WISE instrument consists of a 40 cm diamond-turned aluminum afocal telescope, a two-stage solid hydrogen cryostat, a scan mirror mechanism, and reimaging optics giving 5 resolution (full-width-half-maximum). The use of dichroics and beamsplitters allows four color images of a 47' x47' field of view to be taken every 8.8 seconds, synchronized with the orbital motion to provide total sky coverage with overlap between revolutions. WISE will be placed into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit on a Delta 7320-10 launch vehicle. The WISE survey approach is simple and efficient. The three-axis-stabilized spacecraft rotates at a constant rate while the scan mirror freezes the telescope line of sight during each exposure. WISE has completed its mission Preliminary Design Review and its NASA Confirmation Review, and the project is awaiting confirmation from NASA to proceed to the Critical Design phase. Much of the payload hardware is now complete, and assembly of the payload will occur over the next year. WISE is scheduled to launch in late 2009; the project web site can be found at www.wise.ssl.berkeley.edu.

  4. Characteristics of solid-core square-lattice microstructured optical fibers using an analytical field model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharma, Dinesh Kumar; Sharma, Anurag; Tripathi, Saurabh Mani

    2017-11-01

    The excellent propagation properties of square-lattice microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) have been widely recognized. We generalized our recently developed analytical field model (Sharma and Sharma, 2016), for index-guiding MOFs with square-lattice of circular air-holes in the photonic crystal cladding. Using the field model, we have studied the propagation properties of the fundamental mode of index-guiding square-lattice MOFs with different hole-to-hole spacing and the air-hole diameter. Results for the modal effective index, near and the far-field patterns and the group-velocity dispersion have been included. The evolution of the mode shape has been investigated in transition from the near to the far-field domain. We have also studied the splice losses between two identical square-lattice MOFs and also between an MOF and a traditional step-index single-mode fiber. Comparisons with available numerical simulation results, e.g., those based on the full-vector finite element method have also been included.

  5. Dynamic near-field optical interaction between oscillating nanomechanical structures

    DOE PAGES

    Ahn, Phillip; Chen, Xiang; Zhang, Zhen; ...

    2015-05-27

    Near-field optical techniques exploit light-matter interactions at small length scales for mechanical sensing and actuation of nanomechanical structures. Here, we study the optical interaction between two mechanical oscillators—a plasmonic nanofocusing probe-tip supported by a low frequency cantilever, and a high frequency nanomechanical resonator—and leverage their interaction for local detection of mechanical vibrations. The plasmonic nanofocusing probe provides a confined optical source to enhance the interaction between the two oscillators. Dynamic perturbation of the optical cavity between the probe-tip and the resonator leads to nonlinear modulation of the scattered light intensity at the sum and difference of their frequencies. This double-frequencymore » demodulation scheme is explored to suppress unwanted background and to detect mechanical vibrations with a minimum detectable displacement sensitivity of 0.45pm/Hz 1/2, which is limited by shot noise and electrical noise. We explore the demodulation scheme for imaging the bending vibration mode shape of the resonator with a lateral spatial resolution of 20nm. We also demonstrate the time-resolved aspect of the local optical interaction by recording the ring-down vibrations of the resonator at frequencies of up to 129MHz. The near-field optical technique is promising for studying dynamic mechanical processes in individual nanostructures.« less

  6. Depth-resolved incoherent and coherent wide-field high-content imaging (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    So, Peter T.

    2016-03-01

    Recent advances in depth-resolved wide-field imaging technique has enabled many high throughput applications in biology and medicine. Depth resolved imaging of incoherent signals can be readily accomplished with structured light illumination or nonlinear temporal focusing. The integration of these high throughput systems with novel spectroscopic resolving elements further enable high-content information extraction. We will introduce a novel near common-path interferometer and demonstrate its uses in toxicology and cancer biology applications. The extension of incoherent depth-resolved wide-field imaging to coherent modality is non-trivial. Here, we will cover recent advances in wide-field 3D resolved mapping of refractive index, absorbance, and vibronic components in biological specimens.

  7. Near-field optical recording based on solid immersion lens system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hong, Tao; Wang, Jia; Wu, Yan; Li, Dacheng

    2002-09-01

    Near-field optical recording based on solid immersion lens (SIL) system has attracted great attention in the field of high-density data storage in recent years. The diffraction limited spot size in optical recording and lithography can be decreased by utilizing the SIL. The SIL near-field optical storage has advantages of high density, mass storage capacity and compatibility with many technologies well developed. We have set up a SIL near-field static recording system. The recording medium is placed on a 3-D scanning stage with the scanning range of 70×70×70μm and positioning accuracy of sub-nanometer, which will ensure the rigorous separation control in SIL system and the precision motion of the recording medium. The SIL is mounted on an inverted microscope. The focusing between long working distance objective and SIL can be monitored and observed by the CCD camera and eyes. Readout signal can be collected by a detector. Some experiments have been performed based on the SIL near-field recording system. The attempt of the near-field recording on photochromic medium has been made and the resolution improvement of the SIL has been presented. The influence factors in SIL near-field recording system are also discussed in the paper.

  8. Fiber-optic evanescent-field sensor for attitude measurement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Yun; Chen, Shimeng; Liu, Zigeng; Guang, Jianye; Peng, Wei

    2017-11-01

    We proposed a new approach to attitude measurement by an evanescent field-based optical fiber sensing device and demonstrated a liquid pendulum. The device consisted of three fiber-optic evanescent-filed sensors which were fabricated by tapered single mode fibers and immersed in liquid. Three fiber Bragg gratings were used to measure the changes in evanescent field. And their reflection peaks were monitored in real time as measurement signals. Because every set of reflection responses corresponded to a unique attitude, the attitude of the device could be measured by the three fiber-optic evanescent-filed sensors. After theoretical analysis, computerized simulation and experimental verification, regular responses were obtained using this device for attitude measurement. The measurement ranges of dihedral angle and direction angle were 0°-50° and 0°-360°. The device is based on cost-effective power-referenced scheme. It can be used in electromagnetic or nuclear radiation environment.

  9. 4MOST optical system: presentation and design details

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Azaïs, Nicolas; Frey, Steffen; Bellido, Olga; Winkler, Roland

    2017-09-01

    The 4-meter Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope (4MOST) is a wide-field, high-multiplex spectroscopic survey facility under development for the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) 4 meter telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) at Cerro Paranal. The objective of 4MOST is to enable the simultaneous spectroscopy of a significant number of targets within a 2.5° diameter field of view, to allow high-efficiency all-sky spectroscopic surveys. A wide field corrector (WFC) is needed to couple targets across the 2.5° field diameter with the exit pupil concentric with the spherical focal surface where 2400 fibres are configured by a fibre positioner (AESOP). For optimal fibre optic coupling and active optics wavefront sensing the WFC will correct optical aberrations of the primary (M1) and secondary (M2) VISTA optics across the full field of view and provide a well-defined and stable focal surface to which the acquisition/guiding sensors, wavefront sensors, and fibre positioner are interfaced. It will also compensate for the effects of atmospheric dispersion, allowing good chromatic coupling of stellar images with the fibre apertures over a wide range of telescope zenith angles (ZD). The fibres feed three spectrographs; two thirds of the fibres will feed two low resolution spectrographs and the remaining 812 fibres will feed a high-resolution spectrograph. The three spectrographs are fixed-configuration with three channels each. We present the 4MOST optical system together with optical simulation of subsystems.

  10. Wide-Field Megahertz OCT Imaging of Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy

    PubMed Central

    Reznicek, Lukas; Kolb, Jan P.; Klein, Thomas; Mohler, Kathrin J.; Huber, Robert; Kernt, Marcus; Märtz, Josef; Neubauer, Aljoscha S.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose. To evaluate the feasibility of wide-field Megahertz (MHz) OCT imaging in patients with diabetic retinopathy. Methods. A consecutive series of 15 eyes of 15 patients with diagnosed diabetic retinopathy were included. All patients underwent Megahertz OCT imaging, a close clinical examination, slit lamp biomicroscopy, and funduscopic evaluation. To acquire densely sampled, wide-field volumetric datasets, an ophthalmic 1050 nm OCT prototype system based on a Fourier-domain mode-locked (FDML) laser source with 1.68 MHz A-scan rate was employed. Results. We were able to obtain OCT volume scans from all included 15 patients. Acquisition time was 1.8 seconds. Obtained volume datasets consisted of 2088 × 1044 A-scans of 60° of view. Thus, reconstructed en face images had a resolution of 34.8 pixels per degree in x-axis and 17.4 pixels per degree. Due to the densely sampled OCT volume dataset, postprocessed customized cross-sectional B-frames through pathologic changes such as an individual microaneurysm or a retinal neovascularization could be imaged. Conclusions. Wide-field Megahertz OCT is feasible to successfully image patients with diabetic retinopathy at high scanning rates and a wide angle of view, providing information in all three axes. The Megahertz OCT is a useful tool to screen diabetic patients for diabetic retinopathy. PMID:26273665

  11. Point symmetric design approach to a wide-field wide-wavelength cat's eye retro-reflector anastigmat

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liepmann, Till W.

    2009-08-01

    A point symmetric design approach for creating a practical cat's eye retro-reflector (CERR) anastigmat lens with a wide field of regard (FOR), uniform reflectance and wide wavelength range is described. An anastigmat design is presented that demonstrates the performance capability of the design approach. The lens design is diffraction limited in double pass at F/3, has a "working distance" between lens and reflector, wide wavelength range of operation, and uniform reflectivity over a 120 deg FOR. An anastigmat fabricated from the design is presented; however, the design approach is generally useful for any application requiring a high performance retro-reflector. The design uses only spherical surfaces, thereby avoiding the fabrication expense of aspheric surfaces.

  12. The Optics Option: Preparing For A Career In Optics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hartmann, Rudolf

    1989-04-01

    We live in a visual world. Without vision, our perception of the environment would be severely limited. Visual stimuli are seen, recorded, and processed in many different ways. Astronomy, the process of imaging distant objects, and microscopy, the process of magnifying minute detail, are extensions of vision. Other extensions of vision include seeing things in different spectra, processing images for enhancement, making decisions automatically, and guiding and controlling sophisticated, complex industrial and military equipment. Optics is the study of this vision and its applications. Optics is a fascinating field that is growing rapidly. Students and practitioners of optics are attracted to the field for a variety of reasons. Hobbies such as photography, astronomy, and video recording, as well as academic pursuits, such as a high school physics or science project, may spawn an interest in optics; however, college training is the cornerstone of an optics career. Optics is part of physics, and as such, requires coursework in the areas of geometrical optics, physical optics, spectroscopy, electricity, magnetism, and solid state physics. In addition, mathematics is extremely important for optics design, analysis, and modeling. Optics is the successful synergism of these many disciplines. Many colleges and universities offer undergraduate and graduate optics curricula. Rochester University's Institute of Optics and the Optical Sciences Center of the University of Arizona are the most prestigious of these institutions. Further, such societies as the Optical Society of America (OSA) and the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) offer a wide variety of valuable short courses, tutorials, seminars, and papers at conferences that are held several times a year. Traditional optics fields, such as optometry, the examination of the eye and correction of its defects, or ophthalmology, the study of disease and treatment of the eye, are optics-oriented careers

  13. Optic for industrial endoscope/borescope with narrow field of view and low distortion

    DOEpatents

    Stone, Gary F.; Trebes, James E.

    2005-08-16

    An optic for the imaging optics on the distal end of a flexible fiberoptic endoscope or rigid borescope inspection tool. The image coverage is over a narrow (<20 degrees) field of view with very low optical distortion (<5% pin cushion or barrel distortion), compared to the typical <20% distortion. The optic will permit non-contact surface roughness measurements using optical techniques. This optic will permit simultaneous collection of selected image plane data, which data can then be subsequently optically processed. The image analysis will yield non-contact surface topology data for inspection where access to the surface does not permit a mechanical styles profilometer verification of surface topology. The optic allows a very broad spectral band or range of optical inspection. It is capable of spectroscopic imaging and fluorescence induced imaging when a scanning illumination source is used. The total viewing angle for this optic is 10 degrees for the full field of view of 10 degrees, compared to 40-70 degrees full angle field of view of the conventional gradient index or GRIN's lens systems.

  14. Optical coherence tomography – current and future applications

    PubMed Central

    Adhi, Mehreen; Duker, Jay S.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose of review Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has revolutionized the clinical practice of ophthalmology. It is a noninvasive imaging technique that provides high-resolution, cross-sectional images of the retina, retinal nerve fiber layer and the optic nerve head. This review discusses the present applications of the commercially available spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) systems in the diagnosis and management of retinal diseases, with particular emphasis on choroidal imaging. Future directions of OCT technology and their potential clinical uses are discussed. Recent findings Analysis of the choroidal thickness in healthy eyes and disease states such as age-related macular degeneration, central serous chorioretinopathy, diabetic retinopathy and inherited retinal dystrophies has been successfully achieved using SD-OCT devices with software improvements. Future OCT innovations such as longer-wavelength OCT systems including the swept-source technology, along with Doppler OCT and en-face imaging, may improve the detection of subtle microstructural changes in chorioretinal diseases by improving imaging of the choroid. Summary Advances in OCT technology provide for better understanding of pathogenesis, improved monitoring of progression and assistance in quantifying response to treatment modalities in diseases of the posterior segment of the eye. Further improvements in both hardware and software technologies should further advance the clinician’s ability to assess and manage chorioretinal diseases. PMID:23429598

  15. Advancement of the Wide-angle JEM-EUSO Optical System with Holographic and Fresnel Lenses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Takizawa, Y.; Adams, J.H.

    2007-01-01

    JEM-EUSO is a space mission to observe extremely high-energy cosmic rays, evolved from the previous design studies of EUSO. It is adjusted for the Japan Experiment Module (JEM) of the International Space Station (ISS). JEM-EUSO uses a wide-angle refractive telescope in near-ultraviolet wavelength region to observe from ISS the time-and-space-resolved atmospheric fluorescence images of the extensive air showers. The JEM-EUSO optics is re-designed after the ESA-Phase A studies to upgrade the light-collecting-power by using a new material CYTOP, and its overall light-collecting power is about 1.5 times higher than the ESA-Phase A baseline optics. We describe in this paper an optimized optics design that maximizes the sensitivity of JEM-EUSO, and the results of the optics manufacturing tests.

  16. Two-mirror, three-reflection telescopes as candidates for sky surveys in ground and space applications. The MINITRUST: an active optics warping telescope for wide-field astronomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viotti, Roberto F.; La Padula, Cesare D.; Vignato, Agostino; Lemaitre, Gerard R.; Montiel, Pierre; Dohlen, Kjetil

    2002-12-01

    A concept based on a two-mirror, three-reflection telescope has been investigated. Its anastigmatism and flat fielded properties, the compactness and optical performances over 2-2.5 arc deg field of view, make this optical system of high interest for the development of much larger telescopes than with Schmidt designs. The 2MTRT concept is a potential candidate for sky surveys with 2-3 meter class telescopes and particularily well adapted for UV space surveys. Preliminary developments have been carried out with the construction of a 30-cm prototype on Amoretti's design, providing encouraging results. At present, a 45-cm 2MTRT prototype has been realized for ground based sky survey of NEOs, based on active optics (MINITRUST), in order to overcome the difficulty of obtaining three aspherical surfaces. The primary and tertiary lie on the same double vase substrate, and have a rest profile. The hyperbolization is carried out in situ by air depressure. The secondary, in a tulip form substrate, has been hyperbolized by elastic relaxation. The project is planned for operation in 2003.

  17. Applications for Freeforms Optics at NASA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    West, Garrett J.; Howard, Joseph M.

    2017-01-01

    Review freeform optic applications as NASA. Describe design study results showing benefits of freeform optics to the instrument size, image quality, and field of view. Review areas of study and improvements needed to freeform manufacturing for future applications.

  18. Aplanatic telescopes based on Schwarzschild optical configuration: from grazing incidence Wolter-like x-ray optics to Cherenkov two-mirror normal incidence telescopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sironi, Giorgia

    2017-09-01

    At the beginning of XX century Karl Schwarzschild defined a method to design large-field aplanatic telescopes based on the use of two aspheric mirrors. The approach was then refined by Couder (1926) who, in order to correct for the astigmatic aberration, introduced a curvature of the focal plane. By the way, the realization of normal-incidence telescopes implementing the Schwarzschild aplanatic configuration has been historically limited by the lack of technological solutions to manufacture and test aspheric mirrors. On the other hand, the Schwarzschild solution was recovered for the realization of coma-free X-ray grazing incidence optics. Wolter-like grazing incidence systems are indeed free of spherical aberration, but still suffer from coma and higher order aberrations degrading the imaging capability for off-axis sources. The application of the Schwarzschild's solution to X-ray optics allowed Wolter to define an optical system that exactly obeys the Abbe sine condition, eliminating coma completely. Therefore these systems are named Wolter-Schwarzschild telescopes and have been used to implement wide-field X-ray telescopes like the ROSAT WFC and the SOHO X-ray telescope. Starting from this approach, a new class of X-ray optical system was proposed by Burrows, Burg and Giacconi assuming polynomials numerically optimized to get a flat field of view response and applied by Conconi to the wide field x-ray telescope (WFXT) design. The Schwarzschild-Couder solution has been recently re-discovered for the application to normal-incidence Cherenkov telescopes, thanks to the suggestion by Vassiliev and collaborators. The Italian Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) realized the first Cherenkov telescope based on the polynomial variation of the Schwarzschild configuration (the so-called ASTRI telescope). Its optical qualification was successfully completed in 2016, demonstrating the suitability of the Schwarzschild-like configuration for the Cherenkov astronomy requirements

  19. Optical imaging for breast cancer prescreening

    PubMed Central

    Godavarty, Anuradha; Rodriguez, Suset; Jung, Young-Jin; Gonzalez, Stephanie

    2015-01-01

    Breast cancer prescreening is carried out prior to the gold standard screening using X-ray mammography and/or ultrasound. Prescreening is typically carried out using clinical breast examination (CBE) or self-breast examinations (SBEs). Since CBE and SBE have high false-positive rates, there is a need for a low-cost, noninvasive, non-radiative, and portable imaging modality that can be used as a prescreening tool to complement CBE/SBE. This review focuses on the various hand-held optical imaging devices that have been developed and applied toward early-stage breast cancer detection or as a prescreening tool via phantom, in vivo, and breast cancer imaging studies. Apart from the various optical devices developed by different research groups, a wide-field fiber-free near-infrared optical scanner has been developed for transillumination-based breast imaging in our Optical Imaging Laboratory. Preliminary in vivo studies on normal breast tissues, with absorption-contrasted targets placed in the intramammary fold, detected targets as deep as 8.8 cm. Future work involves in vivo imaging studies on breast cancer subjects and comparison with the gold standard X-ray mammography approach. PMID:26229503

  20. Optical field encryption for secure transmission of data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fraser, Colin B.; Harvey, Andrew R.

    2004-12-01

    The growing awareness of the vulnerability of information transmitted on communication systems within the government, military and commercial sectors, has stimulated a number of areas of research within the optical community to design optical hardware encryption systems providing inherent immunity to espionage techniques. This paper describes a hardware optical encryption technique that utilises off the shelf telecommunication equipment and negates the necessity for an independent key distribution system with respect to the data transmission system, as is common with alternative encryption system implementations. This method also lends itself easily to fiber optic or free space communication and is applicable within any optical waveband. The encryption-decryption of the optical signal is achieved through low coherence optical interferometry. This requires the instantaneous processing and analysis of the signal, optically, to retrieve the relevant optical phase information hidden in the transmitted optical noise. This technology allows an authorised user to transmit encrypted information at a high data rate securely, while maintaining opaqueness to an unauthorised observer that data transmission is occurring. As the instantaneous optical field properties of the signals present in the system are essential to the optical encryption - decryption process, the system is inherently protected against electronic recording and advances in computational decryption algorithms. For organisations wishing to protect sensitive data and levels of communication activity these are highly desirable features.

  1. Near field optical probe for critical dimension measurements

    DOEpatents

    Stallard, B.R.; Kaushik, S.

    1999-05-18

    A resonant planar optical waveguide probe for measuring critical dimensions on an object in the range of 100 nm and below is disclosed. The optical waveguide includes a central resonant cavity flanked by Bragg reflector layers with input and output means at either end. Light is supplied by a narrow bandwidth laser source. Light resonating in the cavity creates an evanescent electrical field. The object with the structures to be measured is translated past the resonant cavity. The refractive index contrasts presented by the structures perturb the field and cause variations in the intensity of the light in the cavity. The topography of the structures is determined from these variations. 8 figs.

  2. Electro-optical detector for use in a wide mass range mass spectrometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Giffin, Charles E. (Inventor)

    1976-01-01

    An electro-optical detector is disclosed for use in a wide mass range mass spectrometer (MS), in the latter the focal plane is at or very near the exit end of the magnetic analyzer, so that a strong magnetic field of the order of 1000G or more is present at the focal plane location. The novel detector includes a microchannel electron multiplier array (MCA) which is positioned at the focal plane to convert ion beams which are focused by the MS at the focal plane into corresponding electron beams which are then accelerated to form visual images on a conductive phosphored surface. These visual images are then converted into images on the target of a vidicon camera or the like for electronic processing. Due to the strong magnetic field at the focal plane, in one embodiment of the invention, the MCA with front and back parallel ends is placed so that its front end forms an angle of not less than several degrees, preferably on the order of 10.degree.-20.degree., with respect to the focal plane, with the center line of the front end preferably located in the focal plane. In another embodiment the MCA is wedge-shaped, with its back end at an angle of about 10.degree.-20.degree. with respect to the front end. In this embodiment the MCA is placed so that its front end is located at the focal plane.

  3. Current developments and tests of small x-ray optical systems for space applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pina, L.; Hudec, R.; Inneman, A.; Doubravová, D.; Marsikova, V.

    2017-05-01

    The paper addresses the X-ray monitoring for astrophysical applications. A novel approach based on the use of 1D and 2D "Lobster eye" optics in combination with Timepix X-ray detector in the energy range 3 - 40 keV was further studied. Wide-field optical system of this type has not been used in space yet. Designed wide-field optical system combined with Timepix X-ray detector is described together with latest experimental results obtained during laboratory tests. Proposed project includes theoretical study and a functional sample of the Timepix X-ray detector with multifoil wide-field X-ray "Lobster eye" optics. Using optics to focus X-rays on a detector is the only solution in cases where intensity of impinging X-ray radiation is below the sensitivity of the detector, e.g. while monitoring astrophysical objects in space, or phenomena in the Earth's atmosphere. The optical system is considered to be used in a student rocket experiment.

  4. Biological applications of near-field scanning optical microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moers, Marco H. P.; Ruiter, A. G. T.; Jalocha, Alain; van Hulst, Niko F.; Kalle, W. H. J.; Wiegant, J. C. A. G.; Raap, A. K.

    1995-09-01

    Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM) is a true optical microscopic technique allowing fluorescence, absorption, reflection and polarization contrast with the additional advantage of nanometer lateral resolution, unlimited by diffraction and operation at ambient conditions. NSOM based on metal coated adiabatically tapered fibers, combined with shear force feedback and operated in illumination mode, has proven to be the most powerful NSOM arrangement, because of its true localization of the optical interaction, its various optical contrast possibilities and its sensitivity down to the single molecular level. In this paper applications of `aperture' NSOM to Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization of human metaphase chromosomes are presented, where the localized fluorescence allows to identify specific DNA sequences. All images are accompanied by the simultaneously acquired force image, enabling direct comparison of the optical contrast with the sample topography on nanometer scale, far beyond the diffraction limit. Thus the unique combination of high resolution, specific optical contrast and ambient operation offers many new direction possibilities in biological studies.

  5. Development and tests of x-ray multifoil optical system for 1D imaging (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pína, Ladislav; Hudec, René; Inneman, Adolf J.; Baca, Tomas; Blazek, M.; Platkevic, M.; Sieger, Ladislav; Doubravova, Daniela; McEntaffer, Randall L.; Schultz, Ted B.; Dániel, Vladimír.

    2016-09-01

    The proposed wide-field optical system has not been used yet. Described novel approach is based on the use of 1D "Lobster eye" optics in combination with Timepix X-ray detector in the energy range 3 - 40 keV. The proposed project includes theoretical study and a functional sample of the Timepix X-ray detector with multifoil wide-field X-ray "Lobster eye" optics. Using optics to focus X-rays on a detector is necessary in cases where the intensity of impinging X-ray radiation is below the sensitivity of the detector without optic. Generally this is the case of very low light phenomena, or e.g. monitoring astrophysical objects in space. Namely, such optical system could find applications in laboratory spectroscopy systems or in a rocket space experiment. Designed wide-field optical system combined with Timepix X-ray detector is described together with experimental results obtained during laboratory tests.

  6. Near-Field, On-Chip Optical Brownian Ratchets.

    PubMed

    Wu, Shao-Hua; Huang, Ningfeng; Jaquay, Eric; Povinelli, Michelle L

    2016-08-10

    Nanoparticles in aqueous solution are subject to collisions with solvent molecules, resulting in random, Brownian motion. By breaking the spatiotemporal symmetry of the system, the motion can be rectified. In nature, Brownian ratchets leverage thermal fluctuations to provide directional motion of proteins and enzymes. In man-made systems, Brownian ratchets have been used for nanoparticle sorting and manipulation. Implementations based on optical traps provide a high degree of tunability along with precise spatiotemporal control. Here, we demonstrate an optical Brownian ratchet based on the near-field traps of an asymmetrically patterned photonic crystal. The system yields over 25 times greater trap stiffness than conventional optical tweezers. Our technique opens up new possibilities for particle manipulation in a microfluidic, lab-on-chip environment.

  7. Modal Analysis of β -Ga2O3:Cr Widely Tunable Luminescent Optical Microcavities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alonso-Orts, M.; Nogales, E.; San Juan, J. M.; Nó, M. L.; Piqueras, J.; Méndez, B.

    2018-06-01

    Optical microcavities are key elements in many photonic devices, and those based on distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) enhance dramatically the end reflectivity, allowing for higher quality factors and finesse values. Besides, they allow for wide wavelength tunability, needed for nano- and microscale light sources to be used as photonic building blocks in the micro- and nanoscale. Understanding the complete behavior of light within the cavity is essential to obtaining an optimized design of properties and optical tunability. In this work, focused ion-beam fabrication of high refractive-index contrast DBR-based optical cavities within Ga2O3:Cr microwires grown and doped by the vapor-solid mechanism is reported. Room-temperature microphotoluminescence spectra show strong modulations from about 650 nm up to beyond 800 nm due to the microcavity resonance modes. Selectivity of the peak wavelength is achieved for two different cavities, demonstrating the tunability of this kind of optical system. Analysis of the confined modes is carried out by an analytical approximation and by finite-difference-time-domain simulations. A good agreement is obtained between the reflectivity values of the DBRs calculated from the experimental resonance spectra, and those obtained by finite-difference-time-domain simulations. Experimental reflectivities up to 70% are observed in the studied wavelength range and cavities, and simulations demonstrate that reflectivities up to about 90% could be reached. Therefore, Ga2O3:Cr high-reflectivity optical microcavities are shown as good candidates for single-material-based, widely tunable light emitters for micro- and nanodevices.

  8. Nonperturbative model for optical response under intense periodic fields with application to graphene in a strong perpendicular magnetic field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, J. L.; Guo, C.

    2018-05-01

    Graphene exhibits extremely strong optical nonlinearity in a perpendicular magnetic field, the optical conductivities show complicated field dependence at a moderate light intensity, and the perturbation theory fails. The full optical currents induced by a periodic field are nonperturbatively investigated in an equation-of-motion framework based on the Floquet theorem, with the scattering described phenomenologically. The nonlinear responses are understood in terms of the dressed electronic states, or Floquet states, which could be characterized by a weak probe light field. The method is illustrated for a magnetic field at 5 T and a driving field with photon energy 0.05 eV. Our results show that the perturbation theory works for weak fields <3 kV/cm, confirming the unusual strong light-matter interaction for Landau levels of graphene. Our approach can be easily extended to other systems.

  9. Nonlinear optical transmittance of semiconductors in the presence of high-intensity radiation fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, H. M.; Han, F. W.; Duan, Y. F.; Huang, F.; Liu, J. L.

    2018-04-01

    We developed a systematic theoretical study of nonlinear optical properties of semiconductors. The eight-band kṡp model and the energy-balance equation are employed to calculate the transmission and optical absorption coefficients in the presence of both the linear one-photon absorption and the nonlinear two-photon absorption (TPA) processes. A substantial reduction of the optical transmittance far below the band-gap can be observed under relatively high-intensity radiation fields due to the nonlinear TPA. The TPA-induced optical transmittance decreases with increasing intensity of the radiation fields. Our theoretical results are in line with those observed experimentally. The theoretical approach can be applied to understand the nonlinear optical properties of semiconductors under high-field conditions.

  10. In-field Raman amplification on coherent optical fiber links for frequency metrology.

    PubMed

    Clivati, C; Bolognini, G; Calonico, D; Faralli, S; Mura, A; Levi, F

    2015-04-20

    Distributed Raman amplification (DRA) is widely exploited for the transmission of broadband, modulated signals used in data links, but not yet in coherent optical links for frequency metrology, where the requirements are rather different. After preliminary tests on fiber spools, in this paper we deeper investigate Raman amplification on deployed in-field optical metrological links. We actually test a Doppler-stabilized optical link both on a 94 km-long metro-network implementation with multiplexed ITU data channels and on a 180 km-long dedicated fiber haul connecting two cities, where DRA is employed in combination with Erbium-doped fiber amplification (EDFA). The performance of DRA is detailed in both experiments, indicating that it does not introduce noticeable penalties for the metrological signal or for the ITU data channels. We hence show that Raman amplification of metrological signals can be compatible with a wavelength division multiplexing architecture and that it can be used as an alternative or in combination with dedicated bidirectional EDFAs. No deterioration is noticed in the coherence properties of the delivered signal, which attains frequency instability at the 10(-19) level in both cases. This study can be of interest also in view of the undergoing deployment of continental fiber networks for frequency metrology.

  11. Development of a precision, wide-dynamic-range actuator for use in active optical systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lorell, K. R.; Aubrun, J-N.; Zacharie, D. F.; Perez, E. O.

    1989-01-01

    The design, operation, and performance of a wide-dynamic-range optical-quality actuator are discussed. The actuator uses a closed-loop control system to maintain accurate positioning and has an rms noise performance of 20 nm. A unique force offloading mechanism allows the actuator coil to dissipate less than 3 mW under quiescent conditions. The operation of an experimental segmented optical system that uses 18 of the actuators is examined to show how they are integrated into an actual system.

  12. Optical processing for future computer networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Husain, A.; Haugen, P. R.; Hutcheson, L. D.; Warrior, J.; Murray, N.; Beatty, M.

    1986-01-01

    In the development of future data management systems, such as the NASA Space Station, a major problem represents the design and implementation of a high performance communication network which is self-correcting and repairing, flexible, and evolvable. To obtain the goal of designing such a network, it will be essential to incorporate distributed adaptive network control techniques. The present paper provides an outline of the functional and communication network requirements for the Space Station data management system. Attention is given to the mathematical representation of the operations being carried out to provide the required functionality at each layer of communication protocol on the model. The possible implementation of specific communication functions in optics is also considered.

  13. Optical fiber reliability results from the Biarritz field trial

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gouronnec, Alain; Goarin, Rolland; Le Moigne, G.; Baptiste, M.

    1994-09-01

    The first experimental optical fiber network (fiber to the home CATV and video-phone) was installed in BIARRITZ, France) at the beginning or 1980. Some parts of the first optical links have now been removed. FRANCE TELECOM decided to stop field trial services, it appeared interesting to evaluate and expertise fiber reliability after more than 10 years of aging in a real adverse field environment. In this paper we give a short description of the layed down links, and indicate how we have carefully removed the individual fibers from the cables. After a first measurement of the mechanical parameters using normalized dynamic and static tests, we compared the results obtained with those of the equivalent tests used to evaluate these fibers before their installation on the field. The tests used are the same than those used in the 80 th. In conclusion, the paper gives the ageing results measured on the BIARRITZ optical fibers after more than 10 years of service in real environment and evaluate it by comparison with the results before installation.

  14. Wide-Field-of-View Millimeter-Wave Telescope Design with Ultra-Low Cross-Polarization

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bernacki, Bruce E.; Kelly, James F.; Sheen, David M.

    2012-05-01

    As millimeter-wave arrays become available, off-axis imaging performance of the fore optics increases in importance due to the relatively large physical extent of the arrays. Typically, simple optical telescope designs are adapted to millimeter-wave imaging but single-mirror spherical or classic conic designs cannot deliver adequate image quality except near the optical axis. Since most millimeter-wave designs are quasi-optical, optical ray tracing and commercial design software can be used to optimize designs to improve off-axis imaging as well as minimize cross-polarization. Methods that obey the Dragone-Mizuguchi condition for the design of reflective millimeter-wave telescopes with low cross-polarization also provide additional degreesmore » of freedom that offer larger fields of view than possible with single-reflector designs. Dragone’s graphical design method does not lend itself readily to computer-based optical design approaches, but subsequent authors expanded on Dragone’s geometric design approach with analytic expressions that describe the location, shape, off-axis height and tilt of the telescope elements that satisfy Dragone’s design rules and can be used as a first-order design for subsequent computer-based design and optimization. We investigate two design variants that obey the Dragone-Mizuguchi conditions that exhibit ultra-low polarization crosstalk and a large diffraction-limited field of view well suited to millimeter-wave imaging arrays.« less

  15. Wide-field-of-view millimeter-wave telescope design with ultra-low cross-polarization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bernacki, Bruce E.; Kelly, James F.; Sheen, David; Hatchell, Brian; Valdez, Patrick; Tedeschi, Jonathan; Hall, Thomas; McMakin, Douglas

    2012-06-01

    As millimeter-wave arrays become available, off-axis imaging performance of the fore optics increases in importance due to the relatively large physical extent of the arrays. Typically, simple optical telescope designs are adapted to millimeter-wave imaging but single-mirror spherical or classic conic designs cannot deliver adequate image quality except near the optical axis. Since millimeter-wave designs are quasi-optical, optical ray tracing and commercial design software can be used to optimize designs to improve off-axis imaging as well as minimize cross-polarization. Methods that obey the Dragone-Mizuguchi condition for the design of reflective millimeter-wave telescopes with low cross-polarization also provide additional degrees of freedom that offer larger fields of view than possible with single-reflector designs. Dragone's graphical design method does not lend itself readily to computer-based optical design approaches, but subsequent authors expanded on Dragone's geometric design approach with analytic expressions that describe the location, shape, off-axis height and tilt of the telescope elements that satisfy Dragone's design rules and can be used as a first-order design for subsequent computer-based design and optimization. We investigate two design variants that obey the Dragone-Mizuguchi conditions that exhibit ultra-low cross-polarization and a large diffraction-limited field of view well suited to millimeter-wave imaging arrays.

  16. Visualizing the optical field strengths in Au/dielectric nanostructures and its correlation to SERS enhancements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rajesh, Y.; Sangani, L. D. Varma; Shaik, Ummar Pasha; Gaur, Anshu; Mohiddon, Md Ahamad; Krishna, M. Ghanashyam

    2017-05-01

    The role of dielectric surrounding over the Au nanostructure for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) behavior is investigated by scanning near field optical microscopy (SNOM). The observed optical field strengths are correlated with the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement recorded for R6G molecule. Discontinuous nanostructured Au thin films are deposited by RF magnatron sputtering at very low rate on to three different dielectric substrates, ZnO, TiO2 and SiO2. These three Au/dielectric nanostructures are investigated using SNOM by illuminating it in near field and collecting in transmission far field configuration. The observed optical near field images of the three different nanostructures are discussed by taking their dielectric constant into the account. The SERS enhancements are correlated with the optical field strengths derived from the near field optical imaging.

  17. Nanometric summation architecture based on optical near-field interaction between quantum dots.

    PubMed

    Naruse, Makoto; Miyazaki, Tetsuya; Kubota, Fumito; Kawazoe, Tadashi; Kobayashi, Kiyoshi; Sangu, Suguru; Ohtsu, Motoichi

    2005-01-15

    A nanoscale data summation architecture is proposed and experimentally demonstrated based on the optical near-field interaction between quantum dots. Based on local electromagnetic interactions between a few nanometric elements via optical near fields, we can combine multiple excitations at a certain quantum dot, which allows construction of a summation architecture. Summation plays a key role for content-addressable memory, which is one of the most important functions in optical networks.

  18. Assessment of Sentinel Node Biopsies With Full-Field Optical Coherence Tomography.

    PubMed

    Grieve, Kate; Mouslim, Karima; Assayag, Osnath; Dalimier, Eugénie; Harms, Fabrice; Bruhat, Alexis; Boccara, Claude; Antoine, Martine

    2016-04-01

    Current techniques for the intraoperative analysis of sentinel lymph nodes during breast cancer surgery present drawbacks such as time and tissue consumption. Full-field optical coherence tomography is a novel noninvasive, high-resolution, fast imaging technique. This study investigated the use of full-field optical coherence tomography as an alternative technique for the intraoperative analysis of sentinel lymph nodes. Seventy-one axillary lymph nodes from 38 patients at Tenon Hospital were imaged minutes after excision with full-field optical coherence tomography in the pathology laboratory, before being handled for histological analysis. A pathologist performed a blind diagnosis (benign/malignant), based on the full-field optical coherence tomography images alone, which resulted in a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 83% (n = 65 samples). Regular feedback was given during the blind diagnosis, with thorough analysis of the images, such that features of normal and suspect nodes were identified in the images and compared with histology. A nonmedically trained imaging expert also performed a blind diagnosis aided by the reading criteria defined by the pathologist, which resulted in 85% sensitivity and 90% specificity (n = 71 samples). The number of false positives of the pathologist was reduced by 3 in a second blind reading a few months later. These results indicate that following adequate training, full-field optical coherence tomography can be an effective noninvasive diagnostic tool for extemporaneous sentinel node biopsy qualification. © The Author(s) 2015.

  19. Camera, handlens, and microscope optical system for imaging and coupled optical spectroscopy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mungas, Greg S. (Inventor); Boynton, John (Inventor); Sepulveda, Cesar A. (Inventor); Nunes de Sepulveda, legal representative, Alicia (Inventor); Gursel, Yekta (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    An optical system comprising two lens cells, each lens cell comprising multiple lens elements, to provide imaging over a very wide image distance and within a wide range of magnification by changing the distance between the two lens cells. An embodiment also provides scannable laser spectroscopic measurements within the field-of-view of the instrument.

  20. Camera, handlens, and microscope optical system for imaging and coupled optical spectroscopy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mungas, Greg S. (Inventor); Boynton, John (Inventor); Sepulveda, Cesar A. (Inventor); Nunes de Sepulveda, Alicia (Inventor); Gursel, Yekta (Inventor)

    2011-01-01

    An optical system comprising two lens cells, each lens cell comprising multiple lens elements, to provide imaging over a very wide image distance and within a wide range of magnification by changing the distance between the two lens cells. An embodiment also provides scannable laser spectroscopic measurements within the field-of-view of the instrument.