Optical asymmetric cryptography based on elliptical polarized light linear truncation and a numerical reconstruction technique.

PubMed

Lin, Chao; Shen, Xueju; Wang, Zhisong; Zhao, Cheng

2014-06-20

We demonstrate a novel optical asymmetric cryptosystem based on the principle of elliptical polarized light linear truncation and a numerical reconstruction technique. The device of an array of linear polarizers is introduced to achieve linear truncation on the spatially resolved elliptical polarization distribution during image encryption. This encoding process can be characterized as confusion-based optical cryptography that involves no Fourier lens and diffusion operation. Based on the Jones matrix formalism, the intensity transmittance for this truncation is deduced to perform elliptical polarized light reconstruction based on two intensity measurements. Use of a quick response code makes the proposed cryptosystem practical, with versatile key sensitivity and fault tolerance. Both simulation and preliminary experimental results that support theoretical analysis are presented. An analysis of the resistance of the proposed method on a known public key attack is also provided.

Polarizing beam splitter based on the anisotropic spectral reflectivity characteristic of form-birefringent multilayer gratings.

PubMed

Tyan, R C; Sun, P C; Scherer, A; Fainman, Y

1996-05-15

We introduce a novel polarizing beam splitter that uses the anisotropic spectral reflectivity (ASR) characteristic of a high-spatial-frequency multilayer binary grating. Such ASR effects allow us to design an optical element that is transparent for TM polarization and reflective for TE polarization. For normally incident light our element acts as a polarization-selective mirror. The properties of this polarizing beam splitter are investigated with rigorous coupled-wave analysis. The design results show that an ASR polarizing beam splitter can provide a high polarization extinction ratio for optical waves from a wide range of incident angles and a broad optical spectral bandwidth.

Polarization and Thickness Dependent Absorption Properties of Black Phosphorus: New Saturable Absorber for Ultrafast Pulse Generation

PubMed Central

Li, Diao; Jussila, Henri; Karvonen, Lasse; Ye, Guojun; Lipsanen, Harri; Chen, Xianhui; Sun, Zhipei

2015-01-01

Black phosphorus (BP) has recently been rediscovered as a new and interesting two-dimensional material due to its unique electronic and optical properties. Here, we study the linear and nonlinear optical properties of BP flakes. We observe that both the linear and nonlinear optical properties are anisotropic and can be tuned by the film thickness in BP, completely different from other typical two-dimensional layered materials (e.g., graphene and the most studied transition metal dichalcogenides). We then use the nonlinear optical properties of BP for ultrafast (pulse duration down to ~786 fs in mode-locking) and large-energy (pulse energy up to >18 nJ in Q-switching) pulse generation in fiber lasers at the near-infrared telecommunication band ~1.5 μm. We observe that the output of our BP based pulsed lasers is linearly polarized (with a degree-of-polarization ~98% in mode-locking, >99% in Q-switching, respectively) due to the anisotropic optical property of BP. Our results underscore the relatively large optical nonlinearity of BP with unique polarization and thickness dependence, and its potential for polarized optical pulse generation, paving the way to BP based nonlinear and ultrafast photonic applications (e.g., ultrafast all-optical polarization switches/modulators, frequency converters etc.). PMID:26514090

Variation of linear and circular polarization persistence for changing field of view and collection area in a forward scattering environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Laan, John D.; Wright, Jeremy B.; Scrymgeour, David A.; Kemme, Shanalyn A.; Dereniak, Eustace L.

2016-05-01

We present experimental and simulation results for a laboratory-based forward-scattering environment, where 1 μm diameter polystyrene spheres are suspended in water to model the optical scattering properties of fog. Circular polarization maintains its degree of polarization better than linear polarization as the optical thickness of the scattering environment increases. Both simulation and experiment quantify circular polarization's superior persistence, compared to that of linear polarization, and show that it is much less affected by variations in the field of view and collection area of the optical system. Our experimental environment's lateral extent was physically finite, causing a significant difference between measured and simulated degree of polarization values for incident linearly polarized light, but not for circularly polarized light. Through simulation we demonstrate that circular polarization is less susceptible to the finite environmental extent as well as the collection optic's limiting configuration.

Novel polarization diversity without switch duplication of a Si-wire PILOSS optical switch.

PubMed

Tanizawa, Ken; Suzuki, Keijiro; Ikeda, Kazuhiro; Namiki, Shu; Kawashima, Hitoshi

2016-04-04

We demonstrate the compact polarization diversity based on the bidirectional full-port use of a path-independent-insertion-loss (PILOSS) optical switch. A polarization-diversity 4 × 4 strictly non-blocking optical switch is developed using a single thermooptic PILOSS Si-wire switch and fiber-based polarization beam splitters (PBSs) and combiners (PBCs). We measure characteristics of the switch and confirm that the proposed configuration demonstrates the performance in the insertion loss, polarization-dependent loss (PDL), and differential group delay (DGD) comparable with that of a conventional polarization-diversity 4 × 4 PILOSS switch using double switch elements. On the other hand, higher crosstalk is observed. The crosstalk increase is associated with the backward crosstalk at a waveguide intersection based on a directional coupler. The effect of the backward crosstalk on the total crosstalk is estimated, and future prospects are discussed.

Optical path switching based differential absorption radiometry for substance detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sachse, Glen W. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

An optical path switch divides sample path radiation into a time series of alternating first polarized components and second polarized components. The first polarized components are transmitted along a first optical path and the second polarized components along a second optical path. A first gasless optical filter train filters the first polarized components to isolate at least a first wavelength band thereby generating first filtered radiation. A second gasless optical filter train filters the second polarized components to isolate at least a second wavelength band thereby generating second filtered radiation. A beam combiner combines the first and second filtered radiation to form a combined beam of radiation. A detector is disposed to monitor magnitude of at least a portion of the combined beam alternately at the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band as an indication of the concentration of the substance in the sample path.

Optical path switching based differential absorption radiometry for substance detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sachse, Glen W. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

An optical path switch divides sample path radiation into a time series of alternating first polarized components and second polarized components. The first polarized components are transmitted along a first optical path and the second polarized components along a second optical path. A first gasless optical filter train filters the first polarized components to isolate at least a first wavelength band thereby generating first filtered radiation. A second gasless optical filter train filters the second polarized components to isolate at least a second wavelength band thereby generating second filtered radiation. A beam combiner combines the first and second filtered radiation to form a combined beam of radiation. A detector is disposed to monitor magnitude of at least a portion of the combined beam alternately at the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band as an indication of the concentration of the substance in the sample path.

Visualization of polarization state and its application in optics classroom teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Bing; Liu, Wei; Shi, Jianhua; Wang, Wei; Yao, Tianfu; Liu, Shugang

2017-08-01

Polarization of light and the related knowledge are key and difficult points in optical teaching, and they are difficult to be understood since they are very abstract concepts. To help students understand the polarization properties of light, some classroom demonstration experiments have been constructed by employing the optical source, polarizers, wave plates optical cage system and polarization axis finder (PAF). The PAF is a polarization indicating device with many linear polarizing components concentric circles, which can visualize the polarization axis's direction of linearly polarized light intuitively. With the help of these demonstration experiment systems, the conversion and difference between the linear polarized light and circularly polarized light have been observed directly by inserting or removing a quarter-wave plate. The rotation phenomenon of linearly polarized light's polarization axis when it propagates through an optical active medium has been observed and studied in experiment, and the strain distribution of some mounted and unmounted lenses have also been demonstrated and observed in experiment conveniently. Furthermore, some typical polarization targets, such as liquid crystal display (LCD), polarized dark glass and skylight, have been observed based on PAF, which is quite suitable to help students understand these targets' polarization properties and the related physical laws. Finally, these demonstration experimental systems have been employed in classroom teaching of our university in physical optics, optoelectronics and photoelectric detection courses, and they are very popular with teachers and students.

All-optical clocked flip-flops and random access memory cells using the nonlinear polarization rotation effect of low-polarization-dependent semiconductor optical amplifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yongjun; Liu, Xinyu; Tian, Qinghua; Wang, Lina; Xin, Xiangjun

2018-03-01

Basic configurations of various all-optical clocked flip-flops (FFs) and optical random access memory (RAM) based on the nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) effect of low-polarization-dependent semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) are proposed. As the constituent elements, all-optical logic gates and all-optical SR latches are constructed by taking advantage of the SOA's NPR switch. Different all-optical FFs (AOFFs), including SR-, D-, T-, and JK-types as well as an optical RAM cell were obtained by the combination of the proposed all-optical SR latches and logic gates. The effectiveness of the proposed schemes were verified by simulation results and demonstrated by a D-FF and 1-bit RAM cell experimental system. The proposed all-optical clocked FFs and RAM cell are significant to all-optical signal processing.

Fiber-FSO/wireless convergent systems based on dual-polarization and one optical sideband transmission schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Xu-Hong; Lu, Hai-Han; Li, Chung-Yi; Wang, Yun-Chieh; Chang, Jen-Chieh; Jheng, Yu-Bo; Tsai, Wen-Shing

2018-06-01

A bidirectional fiber-free-space optical (FSO)/wireless convergent system that uses dual-polarization and one optical sideband transmission schemes for hybrid vestigial sideband (VSB)–four-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4)/millimeter-wave signal transmission is proposed and demonstrated. Using a dual-polarization scheme, one optical sideband that is modulated by a 56 Gb s‑1 VSB–PAM4 signal (x-polarization) and another optical sideband that is modulated by a 10 Gbps data stream (y-polarization) are separated and polarized orthogonally. One optical sideband modulated by a 10 Gbps data stream (y-polarization) is delivered to efficaciously suppress the dispersion-induced limitation due to a span of 40 km single-mode fiber (SMF) and the distortion due to the beating among multiple sidebands. The proposed bidirectional fiber-FSO/wireless convergent system is a prominent one for providing broadband integrated services, such as the Internet, telecommunication, and 5G mobile networks.

Electronic polarization-division demultiplexing based on digital signal processing in intensity-modulation direct-detection optical communication systems.

PubMed

Kikuchi, Kazuro

2014-01-27

We propose a novel configuration of optical receivers for intensity-modulation direct-detection (IM · DD) systems, which can cope with dual-polarization (DP) optical signals electrically. Using a Stokes analyzer and a newly-developed digital signal-processing (DSP) algorithm, we can achieve polarization tracking and demultiplexing in the digital domain after direct detection. Simulation results show that the power penalty stemming from digital polarization manipulations is negligibly small.

Improved optical axis determination accuracy for fiber-based polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zenghai; Matcher, Stephen J.

2013-03-01

We report on a new calibration technique that permits the accurate extraction of sample Jones matrix and hence fast-axis orientation by using fiber-based polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) that is completely based on non polarization maintaining fiber such as SMF-28. In this technique, two quarter waveplates are used to completely specify the parameters of the system fibers in the sample arm so that the Jones matrix of the sample can be determined directly. The device was validated on measurements of a quarter waveplate and an equine tendon sample by a single-mode fiber-based swept-source PS-OCT system.

High-power electro-optic switch technology based on novel transparent ceramic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue-Jiao, Zhang; Qing, Ye; Rong-Hui, Qu; Hai-wen, Cai

2016-03-01

A novel high-power polarization-independent electro-optic switch technology based on a reciprocal structure Sagnac interferometer and a transparent quadratic electro-optic ceramic is proposed and analyzed theoretically and experimentally. The electro-optic ceramic is used as a phase retarder for the clockwise and counter-clockwise polarized light, and their polarization directions are adjusted to their orthogonal positions by using two half-wave plates. The output light then becomes polarization-independent with respect to the polarization direction of the input light. The switch characteristics, including splitter ratios and polarization states, are theoretically analyzed and simulated in detail by the matrix multiplication method. An experimental setup is built to verify the analysis and experimental results. A new component ceramic is used and a non-polarizing cube beam splitter (NPBS) replaces the beam splitter (BS) to lower the ON/OFF voltage to 305 V and improve the extinction ratio by 2 dB. Finally, the laser-induced damage threshold for the proposed switch is measured and discussed. It is believed that potential applications of this novel polarization-independent electro-optic switch technology will be wide, especially for ultrafast high-power laser systems. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61137004, 61405218, and 61535014).

A liquid lens switching-based motionless variable fiber-optic delay line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khwaja, Tariq Shamim; Reza, Syed Azer; Sheikh, Mumtaz

2018-05-01

We present a Variable Fiber-Optic Delay Line (VFODL) module capable of imparting long variable delays by switching an input optical/RF signal between Single Mode Fiber (SMF) patch cords of different lengths through a pair of Electronically Controlled Tunable Lenses (ECTLs) resulting in a polarization-independent operation. Depending on intended application, the lengths of the SMFs can be chosen accordingly to achieve the desired VFODL operation dynamic range. If so desired, the state of the input signal polarization can be preserved with the use of commercially available polarization-independent ECTLs along with polarization-maintaining SMFs (PM-SMFs), resulting in an output polarization that is identical to the input. An ECTL-based design also improves power consumption and repeatability. The delay switching mechanism is electronically-controlled, involves no bulk moving parts, and can be fully-automated. The VFODL module is compact due to the use of small optical components and SMFs that can be packaged compactly.

Highly efficient all-fiber tunable polarization filter using torsional acoustic wave.

PubMed

Lee, Kwang Jo; Park, Hyun Chul; Kim, Byoung Yoon

2007-09-17

We demonstrate an all-fiber tunable polarization filter with high coupling efficiency based on acousto-optic coupling between two optical polarization modes of the LP(01) mode propagating in a highly birefringent single mode optical fiber. An over-coupling between the two polarization modes is realized over the wavelength range from 1530 nm to 1610 nm using traveling torsional acoustic wave. The measured 3-dB optical bandwidth of the filter was 4.8 nm at the wavelength around 1550 nm. The details of the filter transmission and the coupling characteristics are discussed.

Analysis methods for polarization state and energy transmission of rays propagating in optical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chao; Liu, Qiangsheng; Cen, Zhaofeng; Li, Xiaotong

2010-11-01

Polarization state of only completely polarized light can be analyzed by some software, ZEMAX for example. Based on principles of geometrical optics, novel descriptions of the light with different polarization state are provided in this paper. Differential calculus is well used for saving the polarization state and amplitudes of sampling rays when ray tracing. The polarization state changes are analyzed in terms of several typical circumstances, such as Brewster incidence, total reflection. Natural light and partially polarized light are discussed as an important aspect. Further more, a computing method including composition and decomposition of sampling rays at each surface is also set up to analyze the energy transmission of the rays for optical systems. Adopting these analysis methods mentioned, not only the polarization state changes of the incident rays can be obtained, but also the energy distributions can be calculated. Since the energy distributions are obtained, the surface with the most energy loss will be found in the optical system. The energy value and polarization state of light reaching the image surface will also be available. These analysis methods are very helpful for designing or analyzing optical systems, such as analyzing the energy of stray light in high power optical systems, researching the influences of optical surfaces to rays' polarization state in polarization imaging systems and so on.

Birefringence measurement of retinal nerve fiber layer using polarization-sensitive spectral domain optical coherence tomography with Jones matrix based analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamanari, Masahiro; Miura, Masahiro; Makita, Shuichi; Yatagai, Toyohiko; Yasuno, Yoshiaki

2007-02-01

Birefringence of retinal nerve fiber layer is measured by polarization-sensitive spectral domain optical coherence tomography using the B-scan-oriented polarization modulation method. Birefringence of the optical fiber and the cornea is compensated by Jones matrix based analysis. Three-dimensional phase retardation map around the optic nerve head and en-face phase retardation map of the retinal nerve fiber layer are shown. Unlike scanning laser polarimetry, our system can measure the phase retardation quantitatively without using bow-tie pattern of the birefringence in the macular region, which enables diagnosis of glaucoma even if the patients have macular disease.

Optically buffered Jones-matrix-based multifunctional optical coherence tomography with polarization mode dispersion correction

PubMed Central

Hong, Young-Joo; Makita, Shuichi; Sugiyama, Satoshi; Yasuno, Yoshiaki

2014-01-01

Polarization mode dispersion (PMD) degrades the performance of Jones-matrix-based polarization-sensitive multifunctional optical coherence tomography (JM-OCT). The problem is specially acute for optically buffered JM-OCT, because the long fiber in the optical buffering module induces a large amount of PMD. This paper aims at presenting a method to correct the effect of PMD in JM-OCT. We first mathematically model the PMD in JM-OCT and then derive a method to correct the PMD. This method is a combination of simple hardware modification and subsequent software correction. The hardware modification is introduction of two polarizers which transform the PMD into global complex modulation of Jones matrix. Subsequently, the software correction demodulates the global modulation. The method is validated with an experimentally obtained point spread function with a mirror sample, as well as by in vivo measurement of a human retina. PMID:25657888

Flexible particle manipulation techniques with conical refraction-based optical tweezers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDougall, C.; Henderson, Robert; Carnegie, David J.; Sokolovskii, Grigorii S.; Rafailov, Edik U.; McGloin, David

2012-10-01

We present an optimized optical tweezers system based upon the conical refraction of circularly polarized light in a biaxial crystal. The described optical arrangement avoids distortions to the Lloyd plane rings that become apparent when working with circularly polarized light in conventional optical tweezers. We demonstrate that the intensity distribution of the conically diffracted light permits optical manipulation of high and low refractive index particles simultaneously. Such trapping is in three dimensions and not limited to the Lloyd plane rings. By removal of a quarter waveplate the system also permits the study of linearly polarized conical refraction. We show that particle position in the Raman plane is determined by beam power, and indicates that true optical tweezing is not taking place in this part of the beam.

Feasibility study of the application of radially polarized illumination to solid immersion lens-based near-field optics.

PubMed

Yoon, Yong-Joong; Kim, Wan-Chin; Park, No-Cheol; Park, Kyoung-Su; Park, Young-Pil

2009-07-01

We analyzed the behavior of the electric field in a focal plane consisting of a solid immersion lens (SIL), an air gap, and a measurement sample for radially polarized illumination in SIL-based near-field optics with an annular aperture. The analysis was based on the Debye diffraction integral and multiple beam interference. For SIL-based near-field optics whose NA is higher than unity, radially polarized light generates a smaller beam spot on the bottom surface of a SIL than circularly polarized light; however, the beam spot on the measurement sample is broadened with a more dominant transverse electric field. By introducing an annular aperture technique, it is possible to decrease the effects of the transverse electric field, and therefore the size of the beam spot on the measurement sample can be small. This analysis could have various applications in near-field optical storage, near-field microscopy, lithography at ultrahigh resolution, and other applications that use SILs for high resolution.

Distributed phase birefringence measurements based on polarization correlation in phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometers.

PubMed

Soto, Marcelo A; Lu, Xin; Martins, Hugo F; Gonzalez-Herraez, Miguel; Thévenaz, Luc

2015-09-21

In this paper a technique to measure the distributed birefringence profile along optical fibers is proposed and experimentally validated. The method is based on the spectral correlation between two sets of orthogonally-polarized measurements acquired using a phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometer (ϕOTDR). The correlation between the two measured spectra gives a resonance (correlation) peak at a frequency detuning that is proportional to the local refractive index difference between the two orthogonal polarization axes of the fiber. In this way the method enables local phase birefringence measurements at any position along optical fibers, so that any longitudinal fluctuation can be precisely evaluated with metric spatial resolution. The method has been experimentally validated by measuring fibers with low and high birefringence, such as standard single-mode fibers as well as conventional polarization-maintaining fibers. The technique has potential applications in the characterization of optical fibers for telecommunications as well as in distributed optical fiber sensing.

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography using continuous polarization modulation with arbitrary phase modulation amplitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zenghai; Kasaragod, Deepa K.; Matcher, Stephen J.

2012-03-01

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that the phase retardance and relative optic-axis orientation of a sample can be calculated without prior knowledge of the actual value of the phase modulation amplitude when using a polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography system based on continuous polarization modulation (CPM-PS-OCT). We also demonstrate that the sample Jones matrix can be calculated at any values of the phase modulation amplitude in a reasonable range depending on the system effective signal-to-noise ratio. This has fundamental importance for the development of clinical systems by simplifying the polarization modulator drive instrumentation and eliminating its calibration procedure. This was validated on measurements of a three-quarter waveplate and an equine tendon sample by a fiber-based swept-source CPM-PS-OCT system.

Enhancement of optical polarization degree of AlGaN quantum wells by using staggered structure.

PubMed

Wang, Weiying; Lu, Huimin; Fu, Lei; He, Chenguang; Wang, Mingxing; Tang, Ning; Xu, Fujun; Yu, Tongjun; Ge, Weikun; Shen, Bo

2016-08-08

Staggered AlGaN quantum wells (QWs) are designed to enhance the transverse-electric (TE) polarized optical emission in deep ultraviolet (DUV) light- emitting diodes (LED). The optical polarization properties of the conventional and staggered AlGaN QWs are investigated by a theoretical model based on the k·p method as well as polarized photoluminescence (PL) measurements. Based on an analysis of the valence subbands and momentum matrix elements, it is found that AlGaN QWs with step-function-like Al content in QWs offers much stronger TE polarized emission in comparison to that from conventional AlGaN QWs. Experimental results show that the degree of the PL polarization at room temperature can be enhanced from 20.8% of conventional AlGaN QWs to 40.2% of staggered AlGaN QWs grown by MOCVD, which is in good agreement with the theoretical simulation. It suggests that polarization band engineering via staggered AlGaN QWs can be well applied in high efficiency AlGaN-based DUV LEDs.

Photodetection and Photoswitch Based On Polarized Optical Response of Macroscopically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes.

PubMed

Zhang, Ling; Wu, Yang; Deng, Lei; Zhou, Yi; Liu, Changhong; Fan, Shoushan

2016-10-12

Light polarization is extensively applied in optical detection, industry processing and telecommunication. Although aligned carbon nanotube naturally suppresses the transmittance of light polarized parallel to its axial direction, there is little application regarding the photodetection of carbon nanotube based on this anisotropic interaction with linearly polarized light. Here, we report a photodetection device realized by aligned carbon nanotube. Because of the different absorption behavior of polarized light with respect to polarization angles, such device delivers an explicit response to specific light wavelength regardless of its intensity. Furthermore, combining both experimental and mathematical analysis, we found that the light absorption of different wavelength causes characteristic thermoelectric voltage generation, which makes aligned carbon nanotube promising in optical detection. This work can also be utilized directly in developing new types of photoswitch that features a broad spectrum application from near-ultraviolet to intermediate infrared with easy integration into practical electric devices, for instance, a "wavelength lock".

Cross-Polarization Optical Coherence Tomography with Active Maintenance of the Circular Polarization of a Sounding Wave in a Common Path System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelikonov, V. M.; Romashov, V. N.; Shabanov, D. V.; Ksenofontov, S. Yu.; Terpelov, D. A.; Shilyagin, P. A.; Gelikonov, G. V.; Vitkin, I. A.

2018-05-01

We consider a cross-polarization optical coherence tomography system with a common path for the sounding and reference waves and active maintenance of the circular polarization of a sounding wave. The system is based on the formation of birefringent characteristics of the total optical path, which are equivalent to a quarter-wave plate with a 45° orientation of its optical axes with respect to the linearly polarized reference wave. Conditions under which any light-polarization state can be obtained using a two-element phase controller are obtained. The dependence of the local cross-scattering coefficient of light in a model medium and biological tissue on the sounding-wave polarization state is demonstrated. The necessity of active maintenance of the circular polarization of a sounding wave in this common path system (including a flexible probe) is shown to realize uniform optimal conditions for cross-polarization studies of biological tissue.

Dental caries detection by optical spectroscopy: a polarized Raman approach with fibre-optic coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, A. C.-T.; Choo-Smith, L.-P.; Werner, J.; Hewko, M.; Sowa, M. G.; Dong, C.; Cleghorn, B.

2006-09-01

Incipient dental caries lesions appear as white spots on the tooth surface; however, accurate detection of early approximal lesions is difficult due to limited sensitivity of dental radiography and other traditional diagnostic tools. A new fibre-optic coupled spectroscopic method based on polarized Raman spectroscopy (P-RS) with near-IR laser excitation is introduced which provides contrast for detecting and characterizing incipient caries. Changes in polarized Raman spectra are observed in PO 4 3- vibrations arising from hydroxyapatite of mineralized tooth tissue. Demineralization-induced morphological/orientational alteration of enamel crystallites is believed to be responsible for the reduction of Raman polarization anisotropy observed in the polarized Raman spectra of caries lesions. Supporting evidence obtained by polarized Raman spectral imaging is presented. A specially designed fibre-optic coupled setup for simultaneous measurement of parallel- and cross-polarized tooth Raman spectra is demonstrated in this study.

Polarization in Nanophotonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Jan Philipp Balthasar

In the last three or so decades, optical scientists have begun to capitalize in earnest on the advances in nanofabrication that is owed to the explosive rise of miniaturized semiconductor electronics. The resulting field, nanophotonics, has opened a vast design space for applied researchers and required revisiting some of the oldest problems and assumptions of optical physics. Polarization, meaning, in the context of light, the direction of oscillation of the electromagnetic field in space, is a particularly malleable property of light that can be used to shape and direct wave fronts, to measure and control light-matter interactions, and to encode information. It remains an underexplored and underutilized feature of nature, though the new methods of nanophotonics can harness its potential to a much greater extent than any previous optical technology platform. This thesis explores some aspects of the role light's polarization plays at the interface of optics and nanotechnology. In particular, it will touch upon the way polarization may be used to control the generation of optical nearfields, how the polarization structure of evanescent waves leads to unusual optical forces, and how nanoscale polarization-transformations enable a new class of polarization-sensitive optical elements. It will also show how nanophotonics may address the problem of measuring polarization based on a new polarimeter architecture.

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography measurements with different phase modulation amplitude when using continuous polarization modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zenghai; Kasaragod, Deepa K.; Matcher, Stephen J.

2012-01-01

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that the phase retardance and relative optic-axis orientation of a sample can be calculated without prior knowledge of the actual value of the phase modulation amplitude when using a polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography system based on continuous polarization modulation (CPM-PS-OCT). We also demonstrate that the sample Jones matrix can be calculated at any values of the phase modulation amplitude in a reasonable range depending on the system effective signal-to-noise ratio. This has fundamental importance for the development of clinical systems by simplifying the polarization modulator drive instrumentation and eliminating its calibration procedure. This was validated on measurements of a three-quarter waveplate and an equine tendon sample by a fiber-based swept-source CPM-PS-OCT system.

Depth-resolved birefringence and differential optical axis orientation measurements with fiber-based polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Guo, Shuguang; Zhang, Jun; Wang, Lei; Nelson, J Stuart; Chen, Zhongping

2004-09-01

Conventional polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) can provide depth-resolved Stokes parameter measurements of light reflected from turbid media. A new algorithm that takes into account changes in the optical axis is introduced to provide depth-resolved birefringence and differential optical axis orientation images by use of fiber-based PS-OCT. Quaternion, a convenient mathematical tool, is used to represent an optical element and simplify the algorithm. Experimental results with beef tendon and rabbit tendon and muscle show that this technique has promising potential for imaging the birefringent structure of multiple-layer samples with varying optical axes.

Digital optical signal processing with polarization-bistable semiconductor lasers

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

Jai-Ming Liu,; Ying-Chin Chen,

1985-04-01

The operations of a complete set of optical AND, NAND, OR, and NOR gates and clocked optical S-R, D, J-K, and T flip-flops are demonstrated, based on direct polarization switching and polarization bistability, which we have recently observed in InGaAsP/InP semiconductor lasers. By operating the laser in the direct-polarizationswitchable mode, the output of the laser can be directly switched between the TM00 and TE00 modes with high extinction ratios by changing the injection-current level, and optical logic gates are constructed with two optoelectronic switches or photodetectors. In the polarization-bistable mode, the laser exhibits controllable hysteresis loops in the polarization-resolved powermore » versus current characteristics. When the laser is biased in the middle of the hysteresis loop, the light output can be switched between the two polarization states by injection of short electrical or optical pulses, and clocked optical flip-flops are constructed with a few optoelectronic switches and/or photodetectors. The 1 and 0 states of these devices are defined through polarization changes of the laser and direct complement functions are obtainable from the TE and TM output signals from the same laser. Switching of the polarization-bistable lasers with fast-rising current pulses has an instrument-limited mode-switching time on the order of 1 ns. With fast optoelectronic switches and/or fast photodetectors, the overall switching speed of the logic gates and flip-flops is limited by the polarizationbistable laser to <1 ns. We have demonstrated the operations of these devices using optical signals generated by semiconductor lasers. The proposed schemes of our devices are compatible with monolithic integration based on current fabrication technology and are applicable to other types of bistable semiconductor lasers.« less

Polarization-selective optical transmission through a plasmonic metasurface.

PubMed

Pelzman, Charles; Cho, Sang-Yeon

2015-06-22

We present the design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of a nanoslit-based metasurface that offers polarization-selective optical transmission for advanced imaging applications. The metasurface consists of an array of meta-atoms, constructed with two orthogonally coupled subwavelength apertures. Highly enhanced optical transmission was achieved by selective excitation of surface plasmon waves on the metasurface. By rotating the orientation of the linearly polarized incident beam, switching of enhanced optical transmission bands through the metasurface was experimentally demonstrated. This demonstration is a significant step towards developing advanced multispectral imaging devices.

Polarization-selective optical transmission through a plasmonic metasurface

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

Pelzman, Charles; Cho, Sang-Yeon, E-mail: sangycho@nmsu.edu

2015-06-22

We present the design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of a nanoslit-based metasurface that offers polarization-selective optical transmission for advanced imaging applications. The metasurface consists of an array of meta-atoms, constructed with two orthogonally coupled subwavelength apertures. Highly enhanced optical transmission was achieved by selective excitation of surface plasmon waves on the metasurface. By rotating the orientation of the linearly polarized incident beam, switching of enhanced optical transmission bands through the metasurface was experimentally demonstrated. This demonstration is a significant step towards developing advanced multispectral imaging devices.

Polarization division multiplexing for optical data communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanovich, Darko; Powell, Samuel B.; Gruev, Viktor; Chamberlain, Roger D.

2018-02-01

Multiple parallel channels are ubiquitous in optical communications, with spatial division multiplexing (separate physical paths) and wavelength division multiplexing (separate optical wavelengths) being the most common forms. Here, we investigate the viability of polarization division multiplexing, the separation of distinct parallel optical communication channels through the polarization properties of light. Two or more linearly polarized optical signals (at different polarization angles) are transmitted through a common medium, filtered using aluminum nanowire optical filters fabricated on-chip, and received using individual silicon photodetectors (one per channel). The entire receiver (including optics) is compatible with standard CMOS fabrication processes. The filter model is based upon an input optical signal formed as the sum of the Stokes vectors for each individual channel, transformed by the Mueller matrix that models the filter proper, resulting in an output optical signal that impinges on each photodiode. The results show that two- and three-channel systems can operate with a fixed-threshold comparator in the receiver circuit, but four-channel systems (and larger) will require channel coding of some form. For example, in the four-channel system, 10 of 16 distinct bit patterns are separable by the receiver. The model supports investigation of the range of variability tolerable in the fabrication of the on-chip polarization filters.

Generation of spirally polarized propagation-invariant beam using fiber microaxicon.

PubMed

Philip, Geo M; Viswanathan, Nirmal K

2011-10-01

We present here a fiber microaxicon (MA)based method to generate spirally polarized propagation-invariant optical beam. MA chemically etched in the tip of a two-mode fiber efficiently converts the generic cylindrically polarized vortex fiber mode into a spirally polarized propagation-invariant (Bessel-type) beam via radial dependence of polarization rotation angle. The combined roles of helico-conical phase and nonparaxial propagation in the generation and characteristics of the output beam from the fiber MA are discussed. © 2011 Optical Society of America

A Si nanocube array polarizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Linghua; Jiang, Yingjie; Xing, Li; Yao, Jun

2017-10-01

We have proposed a full dielectric (silicon) nanocube array polarizer based on a silicon dioxide substrate. Each polarization unit column includes a plurality of equal spaced polarization units. By optimizing the length, the width, the height of the polarization units and the center distance of adjacent polarization unit (x direction and y direction), an extinction ratio (ER) of higher than 25dB was obtained theoretically when the incident light wavelength is 1550nm. while for applications of most polarization optical elements, ER above 10dB is enough. With this condition, the polarizer we designed can work in a wide wavelength range from 1509.31nm to 1611.51nm. Compared with the previous polarizer, we have introduced a polarizer which is a full dielectric device, which solves the problems of low efficiency caused by Ohmic loss and weak coupling. Furthermore, compared with the existing optical polarizers, our polarizer has the advantages of thin thickness, small size, light weight, and low processing difficulty, which is in line with the future development trend of optical elements.

Liquid-crystal-based switchable polarizers for sensor protection.

PubMed

Wu, C S; Wu, S T

1995-11-01

Linear polarizers are generally employed in conjunction with advanced liquid-crystal filters for the protection of human eyes and optical sensors. For detection sensitivity under a no-threat condition to be maximized, the polarizer should remain in a clear state with a minimum insertion loss. When threats are present, it should be quickly switched to function as a linear polarizer with a high extinction ratio. Two types of switchable polarizer for sensor protection are demonstrated. The polarization conversion type exhibits a high optical efficiency in its clear state, a high extinction ratio in the linear polarizer state, and a fast switching speed, except that its field of view is limited to approximately ±10°. In contrast, an improved switchable dichroic polarizer functions effectively over a much wider field of view. However, its extinction ratio and optical efficiency in its clear state are lower than those of the polarization conversion type.

Liquid-crystal-based switchable polarizers for sensor protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Chiung-Sheng; Wu, Shin-Tson

1995-11-01

Linear polarizers are generally employed in conjunction with advanced liquid-crystal filters for the protection of human eyes and optical sensors. For detection sensitivity under a no-threat condition to be maximized, the polarizer should remain in a clear state with a minimum insertion loss. When threats are present, it should be quickly switched to function as a linear polarizer with a high extinction ratio. Two types of switchable polarizer for sensor protection are demonstrated. The polarization conversion type exhibits a high optical efficiency in its clear state, a high extinction ratio in the linear polarizer state, and a fast switching speed, except that its field of view is limited to approximately +/-10 deg In contrast, an improved switchable dichroic polarizer functions effectively over a much wider field of view. However, its extinction ratio and optical efficiency in its clear state are lower than those of the polarization conversion type.

Estimation of polarization distribution on gold nanorods system from hierarchical features of optical near-field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchiyama, Kazuharu; Nishikawa, Naoki; Nakagomi, Ryo; Kobayashi, Kiyoshi; Hori, Hirokazu

2018-02-01

To design optoelectronic functionalities in nanometer scale based on interactions of electronic system with optical near-fields, it is essential to evaluate the relationship between optical near-fields and their sources. Several theoretical studies have been performed, so far, to analyze such complex relationship to design the interaction fields of several specific scales. In this study, we have performed detailed and high-precision measurements of optical near-field structures woven by a large number of independent polarizations generated in the gold nanorods array under laser light irradiation at the resonant frequency. We have accumulated the multi-layered data of optical near-field imaging at different heights above the planar surface with the resolution of several nm by a STM-assisted scanning near-field optical microscope. Based on these data, we have performed an inverse calculation to estimate the position, direction, and strength of the local polarization buried under the flat surface of the sample. As a result of the inverse operation, we have confirmed that the complexities in the nanometer scale optical near-fields could be reconstructed by combinations of induced polarization in each gold nanorod. We have demonstrated the hierarchical properties of optical near-fields based on spatial frequency expansion and superposition of dipole fields to provide insightful information for applications such for secure multi-layered information storage.

Optical Polarization of Nuclear Spins in Silicon Carbide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falk, Abram L.; Klimov, Paul V.; Ivády, Viktor; Szász, Krisztián; Christle, David J.; Koehl, William F.; Gali, Ádám; Awschalom, David D.

2015-06-01

We demonstrate optically pumped dynamic nuclear polarization of 29Si nuclear spins that are strongly coupled to paramagnetic color centers in 4 H - and 6 H -SiC. The 9 9 % ±1 % degree of polarization that we observe at room temperature corresponds to an effective nuclear temperature of 5 μ K . By combining ab initio theory with the experimental identification of the color centers' optically excited states, we quantitatively model how the polarization derives from hyperfine-mediated level anticrossings. These results lay a foundation for SiC-based quantum memories, nuclear gyroscopes, and hyperpolarized probes for magnetic resonance imaging.

Highly polarization sensitive photodetectors based on quasi-1D titanium trisulfide (TiS3)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Sijie; Xiao, Wenbo; Zhong, Mianzeng; Pan, Longfei; Wang, Xiaoting; Deng, Hui-Xiong; Liu, Jian; Li, Jingbo; Wei, Zhongming

2018-05-01

Photodetectors with high polarization sensitivity are in great demand in advanced optical communication. Here, we demonstrate that photodetectors based on titanium trisulfide (TiS3) are extremely sensitive to polarized light (from visible to the infrared), due to its reduced in-plane structural symmetry. By density functional theory calculation, TiS3 has a direct bandgap of 1.13 eV. The highest photoresponsivity reaches 2500 A W-1. What is more, in-plane optical selection caused by strong anisotropy leads to the photoresponsivity ratio for different directions of polarization that can reach 4:1. The angle-dependent photocurrents of TiS3 clearly display strong linear dichroism. Moreover, the Raman peak at 370 cm-1 is also very sensitive to the polarization direction. The theoretical optical absorption of TiS3 is calculated by using the HSE06 hybrid functional method, in qualitative agreement with the observed experimental photoresponsivity.

Highly polarization sensitive photodetectors based on quasi-1D titanium trisulfide (TiS3).

PubMed

Liu, Sijie; Xiao, Wenbo; Zhong, Mianzeng; Pan, Longfei; Wang, Xiaoting; Deng, Hui-Xiong; Liu, Jian; Li, Jingbo; Wei, Zhongming

2018-05-04

Photodetectors with high polarization sensitivity are in great demand in advanced optical communication. Here, we demonstrate that photodetectors based on titanium trisulfide (TiS 3 ) are extremely sensitive to polarized light (from visible to the infrared), due to its reduced in-plane structural symmetry. By density functional theory calculation, TiS 3 has a direct bandgap of 1.13 eV. The highest photoresponsivity reaches 2500 A W -1 . What is more, in-plane optical selection caused by strong anisotropy leads to the photoresponsivity ratio for different directions of polarization that can reach 4:1. The angle-dependent photocurrents of TiS 3 clearly display strong linear dichroism. Moreover, the Raman peak at 370 cm -1 is also very sensitive to the polarization direction. The theoretical optical absorption of TiS 3 is calculated by using the HSE06 hybrid functional method, in qualitative agreement with the observed experimental photoresponsivity.

On-chip non-reciprocal optical devices based on quantum inspired photonic lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Ganainy, R.; Eisfeld, A.; Levy, Miguel; Christodoulides, D. N.

2013-10-01

We propose integrated optical structures that can be used as isolators and polarization splitters based on engineered photonic lattices. Starting from optical waveguide arrays that mimic Fock space (quantum state with a well-defined particle number) representation of a non-interacting two-site Bose Hubbard Hamiltonian, we show that introducing magneto-optic nonreciprocity to these structures leads to a superior optical isolation performance. In the forward propagation direction, an input TM polarized beam experiences a perfect state transfer between the input and output waveguide channels while surface Bloch oscillations block the backward transmission between the same ports. Our analysis indicates a large isolation ratio of 75 dB after a propagation distance of 8 mm inside seven coupled waveguides. Moreover, we demonstrate that, a judicious choice of the nonreciprocity in this same geometry can lead to perfect polarization splitting.

Theoretical model of a polarization diffractive elements for the light beams conversion holographic formation in PDLCs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharangovich, Sergey N.; Semkin, Artem O.

2017-12-01

In this work a theoretical model of the holographic formation of the polarization diffractive optical elements for the transformation of Gaussian light beams into Bessel-like ones in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC) is developed. The model is based on solving the equations of photo-induced Fredericks transition processes for polarization diffractive elements formation by orthogonally polarized light beams with inhomogeneous amplitude and phase profiles. The results of numerical simulation of the material's dielectric tensor changing due to the structure's formation process are presented for various recording beams' polarization states. Based on the results of numerical simulation, the ability to form the diffractive optical elements for light beams transformation by the polarization holography methods is shown.

Generating polarization-entangled photon pairs using cross-spliced birefringent fibers.

PubMed

Meyer-Scott, Evan; Roy, Vincent; Bourgoin, Jean-Philippe; Higgins, Brendon L; Shalm, Lynden K; Jennewein, Thomas

2013-03-11

We demonstrate a novel polarization-entangled photon-pair source based on standard birefringent polarization-maintaining optical fiber. The source consists of two stretches of fiber spliced together with perpendicular polarization axes, and has the potential to be fully fiber-based, with all bulk optics replaced with in-fiber equivalents. By modelling the temporal walk-off in the fibers, we implement compensation necessary for the photon creation processes in the two stretches of fiber to be indistinguishable. Our source subsequently produces a high quality entangled state having (92.2 ± 0.2) % fidelity with a maximally entangled Bell state.

Polarization recovery through scattering media.

PubMed

de Aguiar, Hilton B; Gigan, Sylvain; Brasselet, Sophie

2017-09-01

The control and use of light polarization in optical sciences and engineering are widespread. Despite remarkable developments in polarization-resolved imaging for life sciences, their transposition to strongly scattering media is currently not possible, because of the inherent depolarization effects arising from multiple scattering. We show an unprecedented phenomenon that opens new possibilities for polarization-resolved microscopy in strongly scattering media: polarization recovery via broadband wavefront shaping. We demonstrate focusing and recovery of the original injected polarization state without using any polarizing optics at the detection. To enable molecular-level structural imaging, an arbitrary rotation of the input polarization does not degrade the quality of the focus. We further exploit the robustness of polarization recovery for structural imaging of biological tissues through scattering media. We retrieve molecular-level organization information of collagen fibers by polarization-resolved second harmonic generation, a topic of wide interest for diagnosis in biomedical optics. Ultimately, the observation of this new phenomenon paves the way for extending current polarization-based methods to strongly scattering environments.

Solid-state circularly polarized luminescence measurements: Theoretical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harada, Takunori; Kuroda, Reiko; Moriyama, Hiroshi

2012-03-01

Because a circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) spectrophotometer is a polarization-modulation instrument, artifacts resulting from optical anisotropies that are unique to the solid state necessarily accompany CPL signals. A set of procedures for obtaining the true CPL signal has been derived based on the Stokes-Mueller matrix method. Experiments on chiral fluorophore single crystals of benzil with larger and smaller optical anisotropies have shown that our method can eliminate parasitic artifacts to obtain the true CPL signal, even in cases where optical anisotropies are substantial.

Traveling wave electro-optic phase modulators based on intrinsically polar self-assembled chromophoric superlattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Y.-G.; Wu, A.; Lu, H.-L.; Chang, S.; Lu, W.-K.; Ho, S. T.; van der Boom, M. E.; Marks, T. J.

2001-07-01

Traveling-wave electro-optic modulators based on chromophoric self-assembled superlattices (SASs) possessing intrinsically polar microstructures have been designed and fabricated. Although the thickness of the SAS layer is only ˜150 nm, a π-phase shift is clearly observed. From the measured Vπ value, the effective electro-optic coefficient of the SAS film is determined to be ˜21.8 pm/V at an input wavelength of 1064 nm.

Numerical method to optimize the polar-azimuthal orientation of infrared superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors.

PubMed

Csete, Mária; Sipos, Áron; Najafi, Faraz; Hu, Xiaolong; Berggren, Karl K

2011-11-01

A finite-element method for calculating the illumination-dependence of absorption in three-dimensional nanostructures is presented based on the radio frequency module of the Comsol Multiphysics software package (Comsol AB). This method is capable of numerically determining the optical response and near-field distribution of subwavelength periodic structures as a function of illumination orientations specified by polar angle, φ, and azimuthal angle, γ. The method was applied to determine the illumination-angle-dependent absorptance in cavity-based superconducting-nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) designs. Niobium-nitride stripes based on dimensions of conventional SNSPDs and integrated with ~ quarter-wavelength hydrogen-silsesquioxane-filled nano-optical cavity and covered by a thin gold film acting as a reflector were illuminated from below by p-polarized light in this study. The numerical results were compared to results from complementary transfer-matrix-method calculations on composite layers made of analogous film-stacks. This comparison helped to uncover the optical phenomena contributing to the appearance of extrema in the optical response. This paper presents an approach to optimizing the absorptance of different sensing and detecting devices via simultaneous numerical optimization of the polar and azimuthal illumination angles. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Crosstalk elimination in the detection of dual-beam optical tweezers by spatial filtering

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

Ott, Dino; Oddershede, Lene B., E-mail: oddershede@nbi.dk; Reihani, S. Nader S.

2014-05-15

In dual-beam optical tweezers, the accuracy of position and force measurements is often compromised by crosstalk between the two detected signals, this crosstalk leading to systematic and significant errors on the measured forces and distances. This is true both for dual-beam optical traps where the splitting of the two traps is done by polarization optics and for dual optical traps constructed by other methods, e.g., holographic tweezers. If the two traps are orthogonally polarized, most often crosstalk is minimized by inserting polarization optics in front of the detector; however, this method is not perfect because of the de-polarization of themore » trapping beam introduced by the required high numerical aperture optics. Here we present a simple and easy-to-implement method to efficiently eliminate crosstalk. The method is based on spatial filtering by simply inserting a pinhole at the correct position and is highly compatible with standard back focal plane photodiode based detection of position and force. Our spatial filtering method reduces crosstalk up to five times better than polarization filtering alone. The effectiveness is dependent on pinhole size and distance between the traps and is here quantified experimentally and reproduced by theoretical modeling. The method here proposed will improve the accuracy of force-distance measurements, e.g., of single molecules, performed by dual-beam optical traps and hence give much more scientific value for the experimental efforts.« less

Distributed fiber strain and vibration sensor based on Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry and polarization optical time-domain reflectometry.

PubMed

Wang, Feng; Zhang, Xuping; Wang, Xiangchuan; Chen, Haisheng

2013-07-15

A distributed fiber strain and vibration sensor which effectively combines Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry and polarization optical time-domain reflectometry is proposed. Two reference beams with orthogonal polarization states are, respectively, used to perform the measurement. By using the signal obtained from either reference beam, the vibration of fiber can be measured from the polarization effect. After combining the signals obtained by both reference beams, the strain can be measured from the Brillouin effect. In the experiment, 10 m spatial resolution, 0.6 kHz frequency measurement range, 2.5 Hz frequency resolution, and 0.2 MHz uncertainty of Brillouin frequency measurement are realized for a 4 km sensing distance.

Generation of elliptical and circular vector hollow beams with different polarizations by a Mach-Zehnder-type optical path

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhizhang; Pei, Chunying; Xia, Meng; Yin, Yaling; Xia, Yong; Yin, Jianping

2018-01-01

We present an experimental approach to convert linearly polarized Gaussian beams into elliptical and circular vector hollow beams (VHBs) with different polarization states. The scheme employed is based on a Mach-Zehnder-type optical path combined with a reflective spatial light modulator (SLM) in each path. The resulting VHBs have radial, azimuthal, and other polarization states. Our studies also show that the size of the generated VHBs remains constant during the propagation in free space over a certain distance, and can be controlled by the axial ratio of the SLM’s binary phase plate. These studies deliver great optical parameters and hold promising applications in the fields of optical trapping and manipulation of particles.

Polarized excitons and optical activity in single-wall carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Yao-Wen; Jin, Bih-Yaw

2018-05-01

The polarized excitons and optical activity of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are studied theoretically by π -electron Hamiltonian and helical-rotational symmetry. By taking advantage of the symmetrization, the single-particle energy and properties of a SWNT are characterized with the corresponding helical band structure. The dipole-moment matrix elements, magnetic-moment matrix elements, and the selection rules can also be derived. Based on different selection rules, the optical transitions can be assigned as the parallel-polarized, left-handed circularly-polarized, and right-handed circularly-polarized transitions, where the combination of the last two gives the cross-polarized transition. The absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectra are simulated by exciton calculation. The calculated results are well comparable with the reported measurements. Built on the foundation, magnetic-field effects on the polarized excitons and optical activity of SWNTs are studied. Dark-bright exciton splitting and interband Faraday effect in the CD spectrum of SWNTs under an axial magnetic field are predicted. The Faraday rotation dispersion can be analyzed according to the selection rules of circular polarizations and the helical band structure.

Polarization and dynamical properties of VCSELs-based photonic neuron subject to optical pulse injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Shuiying; Wen, Aijun; Zhang, Hao; Li, Jiafu; Guo, Xingxing; Shang, Lei; Lin, Lin

2016-11-01

The polarization-resolved nonlinear dynamics of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) subject to orthogonally polarized optical pulse injection are investigated numerically based on the spin flip model. By extensive numerical bifurcation analysis, the responses dynamics of photonic neuron based on VCSELs under the arrival of external stimuli of orthogonally polarized optical pulse injection are mainly discussed. It is found that, several neuron-like dynamics, such as phasic spiking of a single abrupt large amplitude pulse followed with or without subthreshold oscillation, and tonic spiking with multiple periodic pulses, are successfully reproduced in the numerical model of VCSELs. Besides, the effects of stimuli strength, pump current, frequency detuning, as well as the linewidth enhancement factor on the neuron-like response dynamics are examined carefully. The operating parameters ranges corresponding to different neuron-like dynamics are further identified. Thus, the numerical model and simulation results are very useful and interesting for the ultrafast brain-inspired neuromorphic photonics systems based on VCSELs.

Rotated waveplates in integrated waveguide optics.

PubMed

Corrielli, Giacomo; Crespi, Andrea; Geremia, Riccardo; Ramponi, Roberta; Sansoni, Linda; Santinelli, Andrea; Mataloni, Paolo; Sciarrino, Fabio; Osellame, Roberto

2014-06-25

Controlling and manipulating the polarization state of a light beam is crucial in applications ranging from optical sensing to optical communications, both in the classical and quantum regime, and ultimately whenever interference phenomena are to be exploited. In addition, many of these applications present severe requirements of phase stability and greatly benefit from a monolithic integrated-optics approach. However, integrated devices that allow arbitrary transformations of the polarization state are very difficult to produce with conventional lithographic technologies. Here we demonstrate waveguide-based optical waveplates, with arbitrarily rotated birefringence axis, fabricated by femtosecond laser pulses. To validate our approach, we exploit this component to realize a compact device for the quantum state tomography of two polarization-entangled photons. This work opens perspectives for integrated manipulation of polarization-encoded information with relevant applications ranging from integrated polarimetric sensing to quantum key distribution.

Polarization characteristics of an altazimuth sky scanner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrison, L. M.; Blaszczak, Z.; Green, A. E. S.

1980-01-01

A theoretical description of the polarization characteristics of an altazimuth sky scanner optical system based on Mueller-Stokes calculus is presented. This computer-driven optical system was designed to perform laboratory studies of skylight and of celestial objects during day or night, and has no space limitations; however, the two parallel 45 deg tilt mirrors introduce some intrinsic polarization. Therefore, proper data interpretation requires a theoretical understanding of the polarization features of the instrument and accurate experimental determination of the Mueller-Stokes matrix elements describing the polarizing and depolarizing action of the system.

A four-port vertical-coupling optical interface based on two-dimensional grating coupler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zan; Zhang, Zanyun; Huang, Beiju; Cheng, Chuantong; Gao, Tianxi; Hu, Xiaochuan; Zhang, Lin; Chen, Hongda

2016-10-01

In this work, a fiber-to-chip optical interface with four output ports is proposed. External lights irradiate vertically from single mode fiber to the center of optical interface can be coupled into silicon photonic chips and split into four siliconon- insulator (SOI) waveguides. If the light is circular polarized, the power of light will be equally split into four ports. Meanwhile, all lights travel in the four channel will be converted into TE polarization. The optical interface is based on a two-dimensional grating coupler with carefully designed duty cycle and period. Simulation results show that the coupling efficiency of each port can reach 11.6% so that the total coupling efficiency of the interface is 46.4%. And Lights coupled into four waveguides are all converted into TE polarization. Further, the optical interface has a simple grating structure allowing for easy fabrication.

Ultra-thin optical vortex phase plate based on the metasurface and the angular momentum transformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei; Li, Yan; Guo, Zhongyi; Li, Rongzhen; Zhang, Jingran; Zhang, Anjun; Qu, Shiliang

2015-04-01

The ultra-thin optical vortex phase plate (VPP) has been designed and investigated based on the metasurface of the metal rectangular split-ring resonators (MRSRRs) array. The circularly polarized incident light can convert into corresponding cross-polarization transmission light, and the phase and the amplitude of cross-polarization transmission light can be simultaneously governed by modulating two arms of the MRSRR. The MRSRR has been arranged in a special order for forming an ultra-thin optical VPP that can covert a plane wave into a vortex beam with a variety of the topological charges, and the transformation between spin angular momentum (SAM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM) has been discussed in detail. The multi-spectral characteristics of the VPP have also been investigated, and the operating bandwidth of the designed VPP is 190 nm (in the range of 710-900 nm), which enable a potential implication for integrated optics and vortex optics.

Optical Path Switching Based Differential Absorption Radiometry for Substance Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sachse, Glen W. (Inventor)

2000-01-01

A system and method are provided for detecting one or more substances. An optical path switch divides sample path radiation into a time series of alternating first polarized components and second polarized components. The first polarized components are transmitted along a first optical path and the second polarized components along a second optical path. A first gasless optical filter train filters the first polarized components to isolate at least a first wavelength band thereby generating first filtered radiation. A second gasless optical filter train filters the second polarized components to isolate at least a second wavelength band thereby generating second filtered radiation. The first wavelength band and second wavelength band are unique. Further, spectral absorption of a substance of interest is different at the first wavelength band as compared to the second wavelength band. A beam combiner combines the first and second filtered radiation to form a combined beam of radiation. A detector is disposed to monitor magnitude of at least a portion of the combined beam alternately at the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band as an indication of the concentration of the substance in the sample path.

Waveguide electro-optic modulators based on intrinsically polar self-assembled superlattices (SASs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhifu; Ho, Seng Tiong; Chang, Seongsik; Zhao, Yiguang; Marks, Tobin J.; Kang, Hu; van der Boom, Milko E.; Zhu, Peiwang

2002-12-01

In this paper we describe methods of fabricating and characterizing organic electro-optic modulators based on intrinsically polar self-assembled superlattices. These structures are intrinsically acentric, and exhibit large second harmonic generation and electro-optic responses without the requirement of poling by an external electric field. A novel wet chemical protection-deprotection approach for the growth of self-assembled superlattices have been developed, and the refractive indices of self-assembled organic electro-optic superlattices may be tuned during the self-assembly process. Prototype electro-optic modulators based on chromophoric self-assembled superlattices have been designed and fabricated. The effective electro-optic coefficient of the self-assembled superlattice film in a phase modulator is estimated as about 20 pm/V at a wavelength of 1064 nm.

Porous Silicon Gradient Refractive Index Micro-Optics.

PubMed

Krueger, Neil A; Holsteen, Aaron L; Kang, Seung-Kyun; Ocier, Christian R; Zhou, Weijun; Mensing, Glennys; Rogers, John A; Brongersma, Mark L; Braun, Paul V

2016-12-14

The emergence and growth of transformation optics over the past decade has revitalized interest in how a gradient refractive index (GRIN) can be used to control light propagation. Two-dimensional demonstrations with lithographically defined silicon (Si) have displayed the power of GRIN optics and also represent a promising opportunity for integrating compact optical elements within Si photonic integrated circuits. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of three-dimensional Si-based GRIN micro-optics through the shape-defined formation of porous Si (PSi). Conventional microfabrication creates Si square microcolumns (SMCs) that can be electrochemically etched into PSi elements with nanoscale porosity along the shape-defined etching pathway, which imparts the geometry with structural birefringence. Free-space characterization of the transmitted intensity distribution through a homogeneously etched PSi SMC exhibits polarization splitting behavior resembling that of dielectric metasurfaces that require considerably more laborious fabrication. Coupled birefringence/GRIN effects are studied by way of PSi SMCs etched with a linear (increasing from edge to center) GRIN profile. The transmitted intensity distribution shows polarization-selective focusing behavior with one polarization focused to a diffraction-limited spot and the orthogonal polarization focused into two laterally displaced foci. Optical thickness-based analysis readily predicts the experimentally observed phenomena, which strongly match finite-element electromagnetic simulations.

High-speed spectral domain polarization-sensitive OCT using a single InGaAs line-scan camera and an optical switch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sang-Won; Jeong, Hyun-Woo; Kim, Beop-Min

2010-02-01

We demonstrated high-speed spectral domain polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (SD-PSOCT) using a single InGaAs line-scan camera and an optical switch at 1.3-μm region. The polarization-sensitive low coherence interferometer in the system was based on the original free-space PS-OCT system published by Hee et al. The horizontal and vertical polarization light rays split by polarization beam splitter were delivered and detected via an optical switch to a single spectrometer by turns instead of dual spectrometers. The SD-PSOCT system had an axial resolution of 8.2 μm, a sensitivity of 101.5 dB, and an acquisition speed of 23,496 Alines/s. We obtained the intensity, phase retardation, and fast axis orientation images of a biological tissue. In addition, we calculated the averaged axial profiles of the phase retardation in human skin.

Design technique for all-dielectric non-polarizing beam splitter plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizea, A.

2012-03-01

There are many situations when, for the proper working, an opto-electronic device requiring optical components does not change the polarization state of light after a reflection, splitting or filtering. In this paper, a design for a non-polarizing beam splitter plate is proposed. Based on certain optical properties of homogeneous dielectric materials we will establish a reliable thin film package formula, excellent for the start of optimization to obtain a 20-nm bandwidth non-polarizing beam splitter.

1300 nm optically pumped quantum dot spin vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser

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

Alharthi, S. S., E-mail: ssmalh@essex.ac.uk; Henning, I. D.; Adams, M. J.

We report a room temperature optically pumped Quantum Dot-based Spin-Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting laser (QD Spin-VECSEL) operating at the telecom wavelength of 1.3 μm. The active medium was composed of 5 × 3 QD layers; each threefold group was positioned at an antinode of the standing wave of the optical field. Circularly polarized lasing in the QD-VECSEL under Continuous-Wave optical pumping has been realized with a threshold pump power of 11 mW. We further demonstrate at room temperature control of the QD-VECSEL output polarization ellipticity via the pump polarization.

Modulus design multiwavelength polarization microscope for transmission Mueller matrix imaging.

PubMed

Zhou, Jialing; He, Honghui; Chen, Zhenhua; Wang, Ye; Ma, Hui

2018-01-01

We have developed a polarization microscope based on a commercial transmission microscope. We replace the halogen light source by a collimated LED light source module of six different colors. We use achromatic polarized optical elements that can cover the six different wavelength ranges in the polarization state generator (PSG) and polarization state analyzer (PSA) modules. The dual-rotating wave plate method is used to measure the Mueller matrix of samples, which requires the simultaneous rotation of the two quarter-wave plates in both PSG and PSA at certain angular steps. A scientific CCD detector is used as the image receiving module. A LabView-based software is developed to control the rotation angels of the wave plates and the exposure time of the detector to allow the system to run fully automatically in preprogrammed schedules. Standard samples, such as air, polarizers, and quarter-wave plates, are used to calibrate the intrinsic Mueller matrix of optical components, such as the objectives, using the eigenvalue calibration method. Errors due to the images walk-off in the PSA are studied. Errors in the Mueller matrices are below 0.01 using air and polarizer as standard samples. Data analysis based on Mueller matrix transformation and Mueller matrix polarization decomposition is used to demonstrate the potential application of this microscope in pathological diagnosis. (2018) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Polarization-insensitive techniques for optical signal processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salem, Reza

2006-12-01

This thesis investigates polarization-insensitive methods for optical signal processing. Two signal processing techniques are studied: clock recovery based on two-photon absorption in silicon and demultiplexing based on cross-phase modulation in highly nonlinear fiber. The clock recovery system is tested at an 80 Gb/s data rate for both back-to-back and transmission experiments. The demultiplexer is tested at a 160 Gb/s data rate in a back-to-back experiment. We experimentally demonstrate methods for eliminating polarization dependence in both systems. Our experimental results are confirmed by theoretical and numerical analysis.

Polarization holograms in a bifunctional amorphous polymer exhibiting equal values of photoinduced linear and circular birefringences.

PubMed

Provenzano, Clementina; Pagliusi, Pasquale; Cipparrone, Gabriella; Royes, Jorge; Piñol, Milagros; Oriol, Luis

2014-10-09

Light-controlled molecular alignment is a flexible and useful strategy introducing novelty in the fields of mechanics, self-organized structuring, mass transport, optics, and photonics and addressing the development of smart optical devices. Azobenzene-containing polymers are well-known photocontrollable materials with large and reversible photoinduced optical anisotropies. The vectorial holography applied to these materials enables peculiar optical devices whose properties strongly depend on the relative values of the photoinduced birefringences. Here is reported a polarization holographic recording based on the interference of two waves with orthogonal linear polarization on a bifunctional amorphous polymer that, exceptionally, exhibits equal values of linear and circular birefringence. The peculiar photoresponse of the material coupled with the holographic technique demonstrates an optical device capable of decomposing the light into a set of orthogonally polarized linear components. The holographic structures are theoretically described by the Jones matrices method and experimentally investigated.

Chaos synchronization in vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser based on rotated polarization-preserved optical feedback.

PubMed

Nazhan, Salam; Ghassemlooy, Zabih; Busawon, Krishna

2016-01-01

In this paper, the influence of the rotating polarization-preserved optical feedback on the chaos synchronization of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is investigated experimentally. Two VCSELs' polarization modes (XP) and (YP) are gradually rotated and re-injected back into the VCSEL. The anti-phase dynamics synchronization of the two polarization modes is evaluated using the cross-correlation function. For a fixed optical feedback, a clear relationship is found between the cross-correlation coefficient and the polarization angle θp. It is shown that high-quality anti-phase polarization-resolved chaos synchronization is achieved at higher values of θp. The maximum value of the cross-correlation coefficient achieved is -0.99 with a zero time delay over a wide range of θp beyond 65° with a poor synchronization dynamic at θp less than 65°. Furthermore, it is observed that the antiphase irregular oscillation of the XP and YP modes changes with θp. VCSEL under the rotating polarization optical feedback can be a good candidate as a chaotic synchronization source for a secure communication system.

Optical design of the EPIC-IM crossed Dragone telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Huan; Johnson, Brad; Dragovan, Mark; Bock, James; Aljabri, Abdullah; Amblard, Alex; Bauman, Daniel; Betoule, Marc; Chui, Talso; Colombo, Loris; Cooray, Asantha; Crumb, Dustin; Day, Peter; Dickenson, Clive; Dowell, Darren; Golwala, Sunil; Gorski, Krzysztof; Hanany, Shaul; Holmes, Warren; Irwin, Kent; Keating, Brian; Kuo, Chao-Lin; Lee, Adrian; Lange, Andrew; Lawrence, Charles; Meyer, Steve; Miller, Nate; Nguyen, Hien; Pierpaoli, Elena; Ponthieu, Nicolas; Puget, Jean-Loup; Raab, Jeff; Richards, Paul; Satter, Celeste; Seiffert, Mike; Shimon, Meir; Williams, Brett; Zmuidzinas, Jonas

2010-07-01

The Experimental Probe of Inflationary Cosmology - Intermediate Mission (EPIC-IM) is a concept for the NASA Einstein Inflation Probe satellite. EPIC-IM is designed to characterize the polarization properties of the Cosmic Microwave Background to search for the B-mode polarization signal characteristic of gravitational waves generated during the epoch of Inflation in the early universe. EPIC-IM employs a large focal plane with 11,000 detectors operating in 9 wavelength bands to provide 30 times higher sensitivity than the currently operating Planck satellite. The optical design is based on a wide-field 1.4 m crossed-Dragone telescope, an aperture that allows not only comprehensive measurements of Inflationary B-mode polarization, but also measurements of the E-mode and lensing polarization signals to cosmological limits, as well as all-sky maps of Galactic polarization with unmatched sensitivity and angular resolution. The optics are critical to measuring these extremely faint polarization signals, and any design must meet demanding requirements on systematic error control. We describe the EPIC-IM crossed Dragone optical design, its polarization properties, and far-sidelobe response.

Optical characterization and polarization calibration for rigid endoscopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Missael; Gruev, Viktor

2017-02-01

Polarization measurements give orthogonal information to spectral images making them a great tool in the characterization of environmental parameters in nature. Thus, polarization imagery has proven to be remarkably useful in a vast range of biomedical applications. One such application is the early diagnosis of flat cancerous lesions in murine colorectal tumor models, where polarization data complements NIR fluorescence analysis. Advances in nanotechnology have led to compact and precise bio-inspired imaging sensors capable of accurately co-registering multidimensional spectral and polarization information. As more applications emerge for these imagers, the optics used in these instruments get very complex and can potentially compromise the original polarization state of the incident light. Here we present a complete optical and polarization characterization of three rigid endoscopes of size 1.9mm x 10cm (Karl Storz, Germany), 5mm x 30cm, and 10mm x 33cm (Olympus, Germany), used in colonoscopy for the prevention of colitis-associated cancer. Characterization results show that the telescope optics act as retarders and effectively depolarize the linear component. These incorrect readings can cause false-positives or false-negatives leading to an improper diagnosis. In this paper, we offer a polarization calibration scheme for these endoscopes based on Mueller calculus. By modeling the optical properties from training data as real-valued Mueller matrices, we are able to successfully reconstruct the initial polarization state acquired by the imaging system.

Polarization-independent fiber filter with an all-polarization-maintaining fiber loop for tunable fiber lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jun; Wu, Weiran; Rao, Qi; Zhou, Kejiang

2018-05-01

Tunable fiber lasers are a promising light source in all-optical wavelength conversion, fiber grating sensing and optical add-drop multiplexing. In order to achieve a tunable wavelength in the output, optical filters are indispensable for the construction of tunable fiber lasers. Recently, much attention has been given to developing high-performance filters. This paper proposes an environment-insensitive filter based on a Sagnac interferometer which was designed by an all-polarization-maintaining fiber with linear birefringence. According to the Sagnac interferometer, we derived the transfer function of an environment-insensitive filter. Based on this principle, it is shown that the device is able to implement a precision filtering function that can be used in a fiber laser’s optical resonant cavity. The experiment results demonstrated the effectiveness of this structure.

New optical scheme for a polarimetric-based glucose sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ansari, Rafat R.; Bockle, Stefan; Rovati, Luigi

2004-01-01

A new optical scheme to detect glucose concentration in the aqueous humor of the eye is presented. The ultimate aim is to apply this technique in designing a new instrument for, routinely and frequently, noninvasively monitoring blood glucose levels in diabetic patients without contact (no index matching) between the eye and the instrument. The optical scheme exploits the Brewster reflection of circularly polarized light off of the lens of the eye. Theoretically, this reflected linearly polarized light on its way to the detector is expected to rotate its state of polarization, owing to the presence of glucose molecules in the aqueous humor of a patient's eye. An experimental laboratory setup based on this scheme was designed and tested by measuring a range of known concentrations of glucose solutions dissolved in water. (c) 2004 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Optic axis determination by fibre-based polarization-sensitive swept-source optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zenghai; Kasaragod, Deepa K.; Matcher, Stephen J.

2011-02-01

We describe a fibre-based variable-incidence angle (VIA) polarization-sensitive swept-source optical coherence tomography (PS-SS-OCT) system to determine the 3D optical axis of birefringent biological tissues. Single-plane VIA-PS-OCT is also explored which requires measurement of the absolute fast-axis orientation. A state-of-the-art PS-SS-OCT system with some improvements both in hardware and software was used to determine the apparent optical birefringence of equine tendon for a number of different illumination directions. Polar and azimuthal angles of cut equine tendon were produced by the VIA method and compared with the nominal values. A quarter waveplate (QWP) and equine tendon were used as test targets to validate the fast-axis measurements using the system. Polar and azimuthal angles of cut equine tendon broadly agreed with the expected values within about 8% of the nominal values. A theoretical and experimental analysis of the effect of the sample arm fibre on determination of optical axis orientation using a proposed definition based on the orientation of the eigenpolarization ellipse experimentally confirms that this algorithm only works correctly for special settings of the sample arm fibre. A proposed algorithm based on the angle between Stokes vectors on the Poincaré sphere is confirmed to work for all settings of the sample arm fibre. A calibration procedure is proposed to remove the sign ambiguity of the measured orientation and was confirmed experimentally by using the QWP.

Optic axis determination by fiber-based polarization-sensitive swept-source optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zenghai; Kasaragod, Deepa K.; Matcher, Stephen J.

2011-03-01

We describe a fiber-based variable-incidence-angle (VIA) polarization-sensitive swept-source optical coherence tomography (PS-SS-OCT) system to determine the 3-D optical axis of birefringent biological tissues. Single-plane VIAPS- OCT is also explored which requires measurement of the absolute fast-axis orientation. A state-of-the-art PS-SS-OCT system with some improvements both in hardware and software was used to determine the apparent optical birefringence of equine tendon for a number of different illumination directions. Polar and azimuthal angles of cut equine tendon were produced by VIA method and compared with the nominal values. A quarter waveplate (QWP) and equine tendon were used as test targets to validate the fast-axis measurements using the system. Polar and azimuthal angles of cut equine tendon broadly agreed with the expected values within about 8% of the nominal values. A theoretical and experimental analysis of the effect of the sample arm fiber on determination of optical axis orientation using a proposed definition based on the orientation of the eigenpolarization ellipse experimentally confirms that this algorithm only works correctly for special settings of the sample arm fiber. A proposed algorithm based on the angle between Stokes vectors on the Poincaré sphere is confirmed to work for all settings of the sample arm fiber. A calibration procedure is proposed to remove the sign ambiguity of the measured orientation and was confirmed experimentally by using the QWP.

Viewing zone duplication of multi-projection 3D display system using uniaxial crystal.

PubMed

Lee, Chang-Kun; Park, Soon-Gi; Moon, Seokil; Lee, Byoungho

2016-04-18

We propose a novel multiplexing technique for increasing the viewing zone of a multi-view based multi-projection 3D display system by employing double refraction in uniaxial crystal. When linearly polarized images from projector pass through the uniaxial crystal, two possible optical paths exist according to the polarization states of image. Therefore, the optical paths of the image could be changed, and the viewing zone is shifted in a lateral direction. The polarization modulation of the image from a single projection unit enables us to generate two viewing zones at different positions. For realizing full-color images at each viewing zone, a polarization-based temporal multiplexing technique is adopted with a conventional polarization switching device of liquid crystal (LC) display. Through experiments, a prototype of a ten-view multi-projection 3D display system presenting full-colored view images is implemented by combining five laser scanning projectors, an optically clear calcite (CaCO₃) crystal, and an LC polarization rotator. For each time sequence of temporal multiplexing, the luminance distribution of the proposed system is measured and analyzed.

Optically Transparent Microwave Polarizer Based On Quasi-Metallic Graphene.

PubMed

Grande, Marco; Bianco, Giuseppe Valerio; Vincenti, Maria Antonietta; de Ceglia, Domenico; Capezzuto, Pio; Scalora, Michael; D'Orazio, Antonella; Bruno, Giovanni

2015-11-25

In this paper, we report on the engineering and the realization of optically transparent graphene-based microwave devices using Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) graphene whose sheet resistance may be tailored down to values below 30 Ω/sq. In particular, we show that the process was successfully used to realize and characterize a simple, optically transparent graphene-based wire-grid polarizer at microwave frequencies (X band). The availability of graphene operating in a quasi-metallic region may allow the integration of graphene layers in several microwave components, thus leading to the realization of fully transparent (and flexible) microwave devices.

Optically Transparent Microwave Polarizer Based On Quasi-Metallic Graphene

PubMed Central

Grande, Marco; Bianco, Giuseppe Valerio; Vincenti, Maria Antonietta; de Ceglia, Domenico; Capezzuto, Pio; Scalora, Michael; D’Orazio, Antonella; Bruno, Giovanni

2015-01-01

In this paper, we report on the engineering and the realization of optically transparent graphene-based microwave devices using Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) graphene whose sheet resistance may be tailored down to values below 30 Ω/sq. In particular, we show that the process was successfully used to realize and characterize a simple, optically transparent graphene-based wire-grid polarizer at microwave frequencies (X band). The availability of graphene operating in a quasi-metallic region may allow the integration of graphene layers in several microwave components, thus leading to the realization of fully transparent (and flexible) microwave devices. PMID:26603112

EDITORIAL: Polarization Optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turunen, Jari; Friesem, Asher A.; Friberg, Ari T.

2004-03-01

This special issue on Polarization Optics contains one review article and 23 research papers, many of which are based on presentations at the International Commission for Optics Topical Meeting on Polarization Optics, held in Polvijärvi, Finland, between 30 June and 3 July 2003. While this issue should not in any sense be considered as a `proceedings' of this meeting, the possibility of submitting papers to it was widely advertised during the meeting, which was attended by a large fraction of prominent scientists in the field of polarization optics. Thus the quality of papers in this special issue is high. In announcing both the meeting and this special issue, we emphasized that the concept of `polarization optics' should be understood in a wide sense. In fact, all contributions dealing with the vectorial nature of light were welcome. As a result, the papers included here cover a wide range of different aspects of linear and nonlinear polarization optics. Both theoretical and experimental features are discussed. We are pleased to see that the conference and this special issue both reflect the wide diversity of important and novel polarization phenomena in optics. The papers in this special issue, and other recently published works, demonstrate that even though polarization is a fundamental property of electromagnetic fields, interest in it is rapidly increasing. The fundamental relations between partial coherence and partial polarization are currently under vigorous research in electromagnetic coherence theory. In diffractive optics it has been found that the exploitation of the vectorial nature of light can be of great benefit. Fabrication of sophisticated, spatially variable polarization-control elements is becoming possible with the aid of nanolithography. Polarization singularities and the interplay of bulk properties and topology in nanoscale systems have created much enthusiasm. In nonlinear optics, the second harmonic waves generated on reflection and transmission of intense light enable research into the chirality of nanogratings. Pump-probe techniques allow one to visualize the effects of the nanostructure topology on the surface mode excitation. In quantum optics the coherent control of polarization may lead to new and fascinating applications. Some authors of invited papers at the conference have written review-type introductory sections—they were encouraged to do so—but all contributions are genuine research papers with original results, and were judged according to the normal publication criteria of the journal. It is our pleasure to thank all authors for making this a splendid special issue of Journal of Optics A: Pure and Applied Optics.

Femtosecond optical polarization switching using a cadmium oxide-based perfect absorber

DOE PAGES

Yang, Yuanmu; Kelley, Kyle; Sachet, Edward; ...

2017-05-01

Ultrafast control of the polarization state of light may enable a plethora of applications in optics, chemistry and biology. However, conventional polarizing elements, such as polarizers and waveplates, are either static or possess only gigahertz switching speeds. Here, with the aid of high-mobility indium-doped cadmium oxide (CdO) as the gateway plasmonic material, we realize a high-quality factor Berreman-type perfect absorber at a wavelength of 2.08 μm. On sub-bandgap optical pumping, the perfect absorption resonance strongly redshifts because of the transient increase of the ensemble-averaged effective electron mass of CdO, which leads to an absolute change in the p-polarized reflectance frommore » 1.0 to 86.3%. As a result, by combining the exceedingly high modulation depth with the polarization selectivity of the perfect absorber, we experimentally demonstrate a reflective polarizer with a polarization extinction ratio of 91 that can be switched on and off within 800 fs.« less

Femtosecond optical polarization switching using a cadmium oxide-based perfect absorber

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

Yang, Yuanmu; Kelley, Kyle; Sachet, Edward

Ultrafast control of the polarization state of light may enable a plethora of applications in optics, chemistry and biology. However, conventional polarizing elements, such as polarizers and waveplates, are either static or possess only gigahertz switching speeds. Here, with the aid of high-mobility indium-doped cadmium oxide (CdO) as the gateway plasmonic material, we realize a high-quality factor Berreman-type perfect absorber at a wavelength of 2.08 μm. On sub-bandgap optical pumping, the perfect absorption resonance strongly redshifts because of the transient increase of the ensemble-averaged effective electron mass of CdO, which leads to an absolute change in the p-polarized reflectance frommore » 1.0 to 86.3%. As a result, by combining the exceedingly high modulation depth with the polarization selectivity of the perfect absorber, we experimentally demonstrate a reflective polarizer with a polarization extinction ratio of 91 that can be switched on and off within 800 fs.« less

All-optical polarization control and noise cleaning based on a nonlinear lossless polarizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barozzi, Matteo; Vannucci, Armando; Picchi, Giorgio

2015-01-01

We propose an all-optical fiber-based device able to accomplish both polarization control and OSNR enhancement of an amplitude modulated optical signal, affected by unpolarized additive white Gaussian noise, at the same time. The proposed noise cleaning device is made of a nonlinear lossless polarizer (NLP), that performs polarization control, followed by an ideal polarizing filter that removes the orthogonally polarized half of additive noise. The NLP transforms every input signal polarization into a unique, well defined output polarization (without any loss of signal energy) and its task is to impose a signal polarization aligned with the transparent eigenstate of the polarizing filter. In order to effectively control the polarization of the modulated signal, we show that two different NLP configurations (with counter- or co-propagating pump laser) are needed, as a function of the signal polarization coherence time. The NLP is designed so that polarization attraction is effective only on the "noiseless" (i.e., information-bearing) component of the signal and not on noise, that remains unpolarized at the NLP output. Hence, the proposed device is able to discriminate signal power (that is preserved) from in-band noise power (that is partly suppressed). Since signal repolarization is detrimental if applied to polarization-multiplexed formats, the noise cleaner application is limited here to "legacy" links, with 10 Gb/s OOK modulation, still representing the most common format in deployed networks. By employing the appropriate NLP configurations, we obtain an OSNR gain close to 3dB. Furthermore, we show how the achievable OSNR gain can be estimated theoretically.

Phased-array sources based on nonlinear metamaterial nanocavities

PubMed Central

Wolf, Omri; Campione, Salvatore; Benz, Alexander; Ravikumar, Arvind P.; Liu, Sheng; Luk, Ting S.; Kadlec, Emil A.; Shaner, Eric A.; Klem, John F.; Sinclair, Michael B.; Brener, Igal

2015-01-01

Coherent superposition of light from subwavelength sources is an attractive prospect for the manipulation of the direction, shape and polarization of optical beams. This phenomenon constitutes the basis of phased arrays, commonly used at microwave and radio frequencies. Here we propose a new concept for phased-array sources at infrared frequencies based on metamaterial nanocavities coupled to a highly nonlinear semiconductor heterostructure. Optical pumping of the nanocavity induces a localized, phase-locked, nonlinear resonant polarization that acts as a source feed for a higher-order resonance of the nanocavity. Varying the nanocavity design enables the production of beams with arbitrary shape and polarization. As an example, we demonstrate two second harmonic phased-array sources that perform two optical functions at the second harmonic wavelength (∼5 μm): a beam splitter and a polarizing beam splitter. Proper design of the nanocavity and nonlinear heterostructure will enable such phased arrays to span most of the infrared spectrum. PMID:26126879

Single SOA based simultaneous amplitude regeneration for WDM-PDM RZ-PSK signals.

PubMed

Wu, Wenhan; Yu, Yu; Zou, Bingrong; Yang, Weili; Zhang, Xinliang

2013-03-25

We propose and demonstrate all-optical amplitude regeneration for the wavelength division multiplexing and polarization division multiplexing (WDM-PDM) return-to-zero phase shift keying (RZ-PSK) signals using a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and subsequent filtering. The regeneration is based on the cross phase modulation (XPM) effect in the saturated SOA and the subsequent narrow filtering. The spectrum of the distorted signal can be broadened due to the phase modulation induced by the synchronous optical clock signal. A narrow band pass filter is utilized to extract part of the broadened spectrum and remove the amplitude noise, while preserving the phase information. The working principle for multi-channel and polarization orthogonality preserving is analyzed. 4-channel dual polarization signals can be simultaneously amplitude regenerated without introducing wavelength and polarization demultiplexing. An average power penalty improvement of 1.75dB can be achieved for the WDM-PDM signals.

Implementing and testing a fiber-optic polarization-based intrusion detection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajj, Rasha El; MacDonald, Gregory; Verma, Pramode; Huck, Robert

2015-09-01

We describe a layer-1-based intrusion detection system for fiber-optic-based networks. Layer-1-based intrusion detection represents a significant elevation in security as it prohibits an adversary from obtaining information in the first place (no cryptanalysis is possible). We describe the experimental setup of the intrusion detection system, which is based on monitoring the behavior of certain attributes of light both in unperturbed and perturbed optical fiber links. The system was tested with optical fiber links of various lengths and types, under different environmental conditions, and under changes in fiber geometry similar to what is experienced during tapping activity. Comparison of the results for perturbed and unperturbed links has shown that the state of polarization is more sensitive to intrusion activity than the degree of polarization or power of the received light. The testing was conducted in a simulated telecommunication network environment that included both underground and aerial links. The links were monitored for intrusion activity. Attempts to tap the link were easily detected with no apparent degradation in the visual quality of the real-time surveillance video.

Performance of wireless optical communication systems under polarization effects over atmospheric turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jiankun; Li, Ziyang; Dang, Anhong

2018-06-01

It has been recntly shown that polarization state of propagation beam would suffer from polarization fluctuations due to the detrimental effects of atmospheric turbulence. This paper studies the performance of wireless optical communication (WOC) systems in the presence of polarization effect of atmosphere. We categorize the atmospheric polarization effect into polarization rotation, polarization-dependent power loss, and phase shift effect, with each effect described and modeled with the help of polarization-coherence theory and the extended Huygens-Fresnelprinciple. The channel matrices are derived to measure the cross-polarization interference of the system. Signal-to-noise ratio and bit error rate for polarization multiplexing system and polarization modulation system are obtained to assess the viability using the approach of M turbulence model. Monte Carlo simulation results show the performance of polarization based WOC systems to be degraded by atmospheric polarization effect, which could be evaluated precisely using the proposed model with given turbulent strengths.

Integrated optical modulator manipulating the polarization and rotation handedness of Orbital Angular Momentum states.

PubMed

Mousavi, S Faezeh; Nouroozi, Rahman; Vallone, Giuseppe; Villoresi, Paolo

2017-06-19

Recent studies demonstrated that the optical channels encoded by Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) are capable candidates for improving the next generation of communication systems. OAM states can enhance the capacity and security of high-dimensional communication channels in both classical and quantum regimes based on optical fibre and free space. Hence, fast and precise control of the beams encoded by OAM can provide their commercial applications in the compatible communication networks. Integrated optical devices are good miniaturized options to perform this issue. This paper proposes a numerically verified integrated high-frequency electro-optical modulator for manipulation of the guided modes encoded in both OAM and polarization states. The proposed modulator is designed as an electro-optically active Lithium Niobate (LN) core photonic wire with silica as its cladding in a LN on Insulator (LNOI) configuration. It consists of two successive parts; a phase shifter to reverse the rotation handedness of the input OAM state and a polarization converter to change the horizontally polarized OAM state to the vertically polarized one. It is shown that all four possible output polarization-OAM encoded states can be achieved with only 6 V and 7 V applied voltages to the electrodes in the two parts of the modulator.

Dual comb generation from a mode-locked fiber laser with orthogonally polarized interlaced pulses.

PubMed

Akosman, Ahmet E; Sander, Michelle Y

2017-08-07

Ultra-high precision dual-comb spectroscopy traditionally requires two mode-locked, fully stabilized lasers with complex feedback electronics. We present a novel mode-locked operation regime in a thulium-holmium co-doped fiber laser, a frequency-halved state with orthogonally polarized interlaced pulses, for dual comb generation from a single source. In a linear fiber laser cavity, an ultrafast pulse train composed of co-generated, equal intensity and orthogonally polarized consecutive pulses at half of the fundamental repetition rate is demonstrated based on vector solitons. Upon optical interference of the orthogonally polarized pulse trains, two stable microwave RF beat combs are formed, effectively down-converting the optical properties into the microwave regime. These co-generated, dual polarization interlaced pulse trains, from one all-fiber laser configuration with common mode suppression, thus provide an attractive compact source for dual-comb spectroscopy, optical metrology and polarization entanglement measurements.

All-optical regeneration using SOA-based polarization-discriminated switch injected by transparent assist light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usami, Masashi; Tsurusawa, Munefumi; Inohara, Ryo; Nishimura, Kohsuke

2003-08-01

All optical regenerations or wavelength conversions using SOA-based polarization discriminated switch injected by a transparent assist light are reviewed. First, the reduction of a gain recovery time in SOA by injection of a transparent assist light wass discussed. A simple measurement technique of cross gain modulation (XGM) and cross phase modulation (XPM) in SOA was shown to confirm that the injection of transparent cw assist light reduced a gain recovery time without significant reduction in the amount of XGM and XPM. All optical regeneration operation 40Gbit/s as well as bit-rate tunable operation from 10Gbit/s to 80Gbit/s were presented. Simultaneous demultiplexing from 80Gbit/s to 2 channels of 40Gbit/s signals with little loss was also demonstrated. Finally, tolerance to amplitude noise and timing jitter was discussed. Those results indicate that the SOA-based polarization discriminated switch is a promising candidate for all-optical regenerator from the practical point of view.

Holographic fabrication of 3D photonic crystals through interference of multi-beams with 4 + 1, 5 + 1 and 6 + 1 configurations.

PubMed

George, D; Lutkenhaus, J; Lowell, D; Moazzezi, M; Adewole, M; Philipose, U; Zhang, H; Poole, Z L; Chen, K P; Lin, Y

2014-09-22

In this paper, we are able to fabricate 3D photonic crystals or quasi-crystals through single beam and single optical element based holographic lithography. The reflective optical elements are used to generate multiple side beams with s-polarization and one central beam with circular polarization which in turn are used for interference based holographic lithography without the need of any other bulk optics. These optical elements have been used to fabricate 3D photonic crystals with 4, 5 or 6-fold symmetry. A good agreement has been observed between fabricated holographic structures and simulated interference patterns.

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.

Quantitative polarization and flow evaluation of choroid and sclera by multifunctional Jones matrix optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyama, S.; Hong, Y.-J.; Kasaragod, D.; Makita, S.; Miura, M.; Ikuno, Y.; Yasuno, Y.

2016-03-01

Quantitative evaluation of optical properties of choroid and sclera are performed by multifunctional optical coherence tomography. Five normal eyes, five glaucoma eyes and one choroidal atrophy eye are examined. The refractive error was found to be correlated with choroidal birefringence, polarization uniformity, and flow in addition to scleral birefringence among normal eyes. The significant differences were observed between the normal and the glaucoma eyes, as for choroidal polarization uniformity, flow and scleral birefringence. An automatic segmentation algorithm of retinal pigment epithelium and chorioscleral interface based on multifunctional signals is also presented.

Optical-wireless-optical full link for polarization multiplexing quadrature amplitude/phase modulation signal transmission.

PubMed

Li, Xinying; Yu, Jianjun; Chi, Nan; Zhang, Junwen

2013-11-15

We propose and experimentally demonstrate an optical wireless integration system at the Q-band, in which up to 40 Gb/s polarization multiplexing multilevel quadrature amplitude/phase modulation (PM-QAM) signal can be first transmitted over 20 km single-mode fiber-28 (SMF-28), then delivered over a 2 m 2 × 2 multiple-input multiple-output wireless link, and finally transmitted over another 20 km SMF-28. The PM-QAM modulated wireless millimeter-wave (mm-wave) signal at 40 GHz is generated based on the remote heterodyning technique, and demodulated by the radio-frequency transparent photonic technique based on homodyne coherent detection and baseband digital signal processing. The classic constant modulus algorithm equalization is used at the receiver to realize polarization demultiplexing of the PM-QAM signal. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, we realize the conversion of the PM-QAM modulated wireless mm-wave signal to the optical signal as well as 20 km fiber transmission of the converted optical signal.

Optical Manipulation along Optical Axis with Polarization Sensitive Meta-lens.

PubMed

Markovich, Hen; Shishkin, Ivan; Hendler, Netta; Ginzburg, Pavel

2018-06-27

The ability to manipulate small objects with focused laser beams opens a broad spectrum of opportunities in fundamental and applied studies, where a precise control over mechanical path and stability is required. While conventional optical tweezers are based on bulky diffractive optical elements, developing compact integrable within a fluid cell trapping devices is highly demanded. Here, plasmonic polarization sensitive metasurface-based lens, embedded within a fluid, is demonstrated to provide several stable trapping centers along the optical axis. The position of a particle is controlled with the polarization of the incident light, interacting with plasmonic nanoscale patch antennas, organized within overlapping Fresnel zones of the lens. While standard diffractive optical elements face challenges to trap objects in lateral direction outside the depth of focus, bi-focal Fresnel meta-lens demonstrates the capability to manipulate a bead along 4 micrometers line. Additional fluorescent module, incorporated within the optical trapping setup, was implemented and enabled accurate mapping of optical potential via a particle tracking algorithm. Auxiliary micro- and nano- structures, integrated within fluidic devices, provide numerous opportunities to achieve flexible optomechanical manipulation, including, transport, trapping and sorting, which are highly demanded in lab-on-a-chip applications and many others.

RMB identification based on polarization parameters inversion imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Guoyan; Gao, Kun; Liu, Xuefeng; Ni, Guoqiang

2016-10-01

Social order is threatened by counterfeit money. Conventional anti-counterfeit technology is much too old to identify its authenticity or not. The intrinsic difference between genuine notes and counterfeit notes is its paper tissue. In this paper a new technology of detecting RMB is introduced, the polarization parameter indirect microscopic imaging technique. A conventional reflection microscopic system is used as the basic optical system, and inserting into it with polarization-modulation mechanics. The near-field structural characteristics can be delivered by optical wave and material coupling. According to coupling and conduction physics, calculate the changes of optical wave parameters, then get the curves of the intensity of the image. By analyzing near-field polarization parameters in nanoscale, finally calculate indirect polarization parameter imaging of the fiber of the paper tissue in order to identify its authenticity.

Seamless integration of 57.2-Gb/s signal wireline transmission and 100-GHz wireless delivery.

PubMed

Li, Xinying; Yu, Jianjun; Dong, Ze; Cao, Zizheng; Chi, Nan; Zhang, Junwen; Shao, Yufeng; Tao, Li

2012-10-22

We experimentally demonstrated the seamless integration of 57.2-Gb/s signal wireline transmission and 100-GHz wireless delivery adopting polarization-division-multiplexing quadrature-phase-shift-keying (PDM-QPSK) modulation with 400-km single-mode fiber-28 (SMF-28) transmission and 1-m wireless delivery. The X- and Y-polarization components of optical PDM-QPSK baseband signal are simultaneously up-converted to 100 GHz by optical polarization-diversity heterodyne beating, and then independently transmitted and received by two pairs of transmitter and receiver antennas, which make up a 2x2 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless link based on microwave polarization multiplexing. At the wireless receiver, a two-stage down conversion is firstly done in analog domain based on balanced mixer and sinusoidal radio frequency (RF) signal, and then in digital domain based on digital signal processing (DSP). Polarization de-multiplexing is realized by constant modulus algorithm (CMA) based on DSP in heterodyne coherent detection. Our experimental results show that more taps are required for CMA when the X- and Y-polarization antennas have different wireless distance.

Optical micro-cavities on silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Daoxin; Liu, Erhu; Tan, Ying

2018-01-01

Silicon-based optical microcavities are very popular for many applications because of the ultra-compact footprint, easy scalability, and functional versatility. In this paper we give a discussion about the challenges of the optical microcavities on silicon and also give a review of our recent work, including the following parts. First, a near-"perfect" high-order MRR optical filter with a box-like filtering response is realized by introducing bent directional couplers to have sufficient coupling between the access waveguide and the microrings. Second, an efficient thermally-tunable MRR-based optical filter with graphene transparent nano-heater is realized by introducing transparent graphene nanoheaters. Thirdly, a polarization-selective microring-based optical filter is realized to work with resonances for only one of TE and TM polarizations for the first time. Finally, a on-chip reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer for hybrid mode- /wavelength-division-multiplexing systems is realized for the first time by monolithically integrating a mode demultiplexer, four MRR optical switches, and a mode multiplexer.

Tunable dichroic polarization beam splitter created by one-step holographic photoalignment using four-beam polarization interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawai, Kotaro; Sakamoto, Moritsugu; Noda, Kohei; Sasaki, Tomoyuki; Kawatsuki, Nobuhiro; Ono, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

A tunable dichroic polarization beam splitter (tunable DPBS) simultaneously performs the follow functions: 1. Separation of a polarized incident beam into multiple pairs of orthogonally polarized beams; 2. Separation of the propagation direction of two wavelength incident beams after passing through the tunable DPBS; and 3. Control of both advanced polarization and wavelength separation capabilities by varying the temperature of the tunable DPBS. This novel complex optical property is realized by diffraction phenomena using a designed three-dimensional periodic structure of aligned liquid crystals in the tunable DPBS, which was fabricated quickly with precision in a one-step photoalignment using four-beam polarization interferometry. In experiments, we demonstrated that these diffraction properties are obtained by entering polarized beams of wavelengths 532 nm and 633 nm onto the tunable DPBS. These diffraction properties are described using the Jones calculus in a polarization propagation analysis. Of significance is that the aligned liquid crystal structure needed to obtain these diffraction properties was proposed based on a theoretical analysis, and these properties were then demonstrated experimentally. The tunable DPBS can perform several functions of a number of optical elements such as wave plates, polarization beam splitter, dichroic beam splitter, and tunable wavelength filter. Therefore, the tunable DPBS can contribute to greater miniaturization, sophistication, and cost reduction of optical systems used widely in applications, such as optical measurements, communications, and information processing.

Chaos synchronization in vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser based on rotated polarization-preserved optical feedback

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

Nazhan, Salam; Ghassemlooy, Zabih; Busawon, Krishna

2016-01-15

In this paper, the influence of the rotating polarization-preserved optical feedback on the chaos synchronization of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is investigated experimentally. Two VCSELs' polarization modes (XP) and (YP) are gradually rotated and re-injected back into the VCSEL. The anti-phase dynamics synchronization of the two polarization modes is evaluated using the cross-correlation function. For a fixed optical feedback, a clear relationship is found between the cross-correlation coefficient and the polarization angle θ{sub p}. It is shown that high-quality anti-phase polarization-resolved chaos synchronization is achieved at higher values of θ{sub p}. The maximum value of the cross-correlation coefficient achievedmore » is −0.99 with a zero time delay over a wide range of θ{sub p} beyond 65° with a poor synchronization dynamic at θ{sub p} less than 65°. Furthermore, it is observed that the antiphase irregular oscillation of the XP and YP modes changes with θ{sub p}. VCSEL under the rotating polarization optical feedback can be a good candidate as a chaotic synchronization source for a secure communication system.« less

Effects of collection geometry variations on linear and circular polarization persistence in both isotropic-scattering and forward-scattering environments

DOE PAGES

van der Laan, John D.; Wright, Jeremy B.; Scrymgeour, David A.; ...

2016-11-04

We present simulation and experimental results showing circular polarization is more tolerant of optical collection geometry (field of view and collection area) variations than linear polarization for forward-scattering environments. Circular polarization also persists superiorly in the forward-scattering environment compared to linear polarization by maintaining its degree of polarization better through increasing optical thicknesses. In contrast, both linear and circular polarizations are susceptible to collection geometry variations for isotropic-scattering (Rayleigh regime) environments, and linear polarization maintains a small advantage in polarization persistence. Simulations and measurements are presented for laboratory-based environments of polystyrene microspheres in water. As a result, particle diameters weremore » 0.0824 μm (for isotropic-scattering) and 1.925 μm (for forward-scattering) with an illumination wavelength of 543.5 nm.« less

Effects of collection geometry variations on linear and circular polarization persistence in both isotropic-scattering and forward-scattering environments

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

van der Laan, John D.; Wright, Jeremy B.; Scrymgeour, David A.

We present simulation and experimental results showing circular polarization is more tolerant of optical collection geometry (field of view and collection area) variations than linear polarization for forward-scattering environments. Circular polarization also persists superiorly in the forward-scattering environment compared to linear polarization by maintaining its degree of polarization better through increasing optical thicknesses. In contrast, both linear and circular polarizations are susceptible to collection geometry variations for isotropic-scattering (Rayleigh regime) environments, and linear polarization maintains a small advantage in polarization persistence. Simulations and measurements are presented for laboratory-based environments of polystyrene microspheres in water. As a result, particle diameters weremore » 0.0824 μm (for isotropic-scattering) and 1.925 μm (for forward-scattering) with an illumination wavelength of 543.5 nm.« less

Polarization characteristics of inhomogeneous models of nonstationary light-scattering media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolinskii, E. S.; Petruk, V. G.; Lavreniuk, V. I.

1990-09-01

The optical parameters of monodisperse layers of MgO and turpentine black with different surface particle densities are investigated using a polarization spectrum extinction meter. A method for determining the volume density of a real nonstationary scattering and absorbing medium is proposed which is based on the transfer equations. Graphical and spectroanalytical data are presented which allow for various optical and physical factors. Polarization measurements of the layers are carried out, and scattering matrices are obtained.

Photonic generation of ultra-wideband doublet pulse using a semiconductor-optical-amplifier based polarization-diversified loop.

PubMed

Luo, Bowen; Dong, Jianji; Yu, Yuan; Yang, Ting; Zhang, Xinliang

2012-06-15

We propose and demonstrate a novel scheme of ultra-wideband (UWB) doublet pulse generation using a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) based polarization-diversified loop (PDL) without any assistant light. In our scheme, the incoming gaussian pulse is split into two parts by the PDL, and each of them is intensity modulated by the other due to cross-gain modulation (XGM) in the SOA. Then, both parts are recombined with incoherent summation to form a UWB doublet pulse. Bi-polar UWB doublet pulse generation is demonstrated using an inverted gaussian pulse injection. Moreover, pulse amplitude modulation of UWB doublet is also experimentally demonstrated. Our scheme shows some advantages, such as simple implementation without assistant light and single optical carrier operation with good fiber dispersion tolerance.

Low-photon-number optical switch and AND/OR logic gates based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system.

PubMed

Ma, Shen; Ye, Han; Yu, Zhong-Yuan; Zhang, Wen; Peng, Yi-Wei; Cheng, Xiang; Liu, Yu-Min

2016-01-11

We propose a new scheme based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system to realize all-optical switch and logic gates in low-photon-number regime. Suppression of mode transmission due to the destructive interference effect is theoretically demonstrated by driving the cavity with two orthogonally polarized pulsed lasers at certain pulse delay. The transmitted mode can be selected by designing laser pulse sequence. The optical switch with high on-off ratio emerges when considering one driving laser as the control. Moreover, the AND/OR logic gates based on photon polarization are achieved by cascading the coupling system. Both proposed optical switch and logic gates work well in ultra-low energy magnitude. Our work may enable various applications of all-optical computing and quantum information processing.

Low-photon-number optical switch and AND/OR logic gates based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system

PubMed Central

Ma, Shen; Ye, Han; Yu, Zhong-Yuan; Zhang, Wen; Peng, Yi-Wei; Cheng, Xiang; Liu, Yu-Min

2016-01-01

We propose a new scheme based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system to realize all-optical switch and logic gates in low-photon-number regime. Suppression of mode transmission due to the destructive interference effect is theoretically demonstrated by driving the cavity with two orthogonally polarized pulsed lasers at certain pulse delay. The transmitted mode can be selected by designing laser pulse sequence. The optical switch with high on-off ratio emerges when considering one driving laser as the control. Moreover, the AND/OR logic gates based on photon polarization are achieved by cascading the coupling system. Both proposed optical switch and logic gates work well in ultra-low energy magnitude. Our work may enable various applications of all-optical computing and quantum information processing. PMID:26750557

Investigation of numerical simulation on all-optical flip-flop stability maps of 1550nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jun; Xia, Qing; Wang, Xiaofa

2017-10-01

Based on the extended spin-flip model, the all-optical flip-flop stability maps of the 1550nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser have been studied. Theoretical results show that excellent agreement is found between theoretical and the reported experimental results in polarization switching point current which is equal to 1.95 times threshold. Furthermore, the polarization bistable region is wide which is from 1.05 to 1.95 times threshold. A new method is presented that uses power difference between two linear polarization modes as the judging criterion of trigger degree and stability maps of all-optical flip-flop operation under different injection parameters are obtained. By alternately injecting set and reset pulse with appropriate parameters, the mutual conversion switching between two polarization modes is realized, the feasibility of all-optical flip-flop operation is checked theoretically. The results show certain guiding significance on the experimental study on all optical buffer technology.

A compact spin-exchange optical pumping system for 3He polarization based on a solenoid coil, a VBG laser diode, and a cosine theta RF coil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sungman; Kim, Jongyul; Moon, Myung Kook; Lee, Kye Hong; Lee, Seung Wook; Ino, Takashi; Skoy, Vadim R.; Lee, Manwoo; Kim, Guinyun

2013-02-01

For use as a neutron spin polarizer or analyzer in the neutron beam lines of the HANARO (High-flux Advanced Neutron Application ReactOr) nuclear research reactor, a 3He polarizer was designed based on both a compact solenoid coil and a VBG (volume Bragg grating) diode laser with a narrow spectral linewidth of 25 GHz. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal was measured and analyzed using both a built-in cosine radio-frequency (RF) coil and a pick-up coil. Using a neutron transmission measurement, we estimated the polarization ratio of the 3He cell as 18% for an optical pumping time of 8 hours.

Hybrid reflection type metasurface of nano-antennas designed for optical needle field generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shiyi; Zhan, Qiwen

2015-03-01

We propose a reflection type metal-insulator-metal (MIM) metasurface composed of hybrid optical antennas for comprehensive spatial engineering the properties of optical fields. Its capability is illustrated with an example to create a radially polarized vectorial beam for optical needle field generation. Functioning as local quarter-wave-plates (QWP), the MIM metasurface is designed to convert circularly polarized incident into local linear polarization to create an overall radial polarization with corresponding binary phases and desired normalized amplitude modulation ranged from 0.07 to 1. To obtain enough degrees of freedom, the optical-antenna layer comprises periodic arrangements of double metallic nano-bars with perpendicular placement and single nano-bars respectively for different amplitude modulation requirements. Both of the antennas enable to introduce π/2 retardation while reaching the desired modulation range both for phase and amplitude. Through adjusting the antennas' geometry and array carefully, we shift the gap-surface plasmon resonances facilitated by optical antennas to realize the manipulation of vectorial properties. Designed at 1064 nm wavelength, the particularly generated vectorial light output can be further tightly focused by a high numerical aperture objective to obtain longitudinally polarized flat-top focal field. The so-called optical needle field is a promising candidate for novel applications that transcend disciplinary boundaries. The proposed metasurface establishes a new class of compact optical components based on nano-scale structures, leading to compound functions for vectorial light generation.

Depth-encoded all-fiber swept source polarization sensitive OCT

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhao; Lee, Hsiang-Chieh; Ahsen, Osman Oguz; Lee, ByungKun; Choi, WooJhon; Potsaid, Benjamin; Liu, Jonathan; Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar; Cable, Alex; Kraus, Martin F.; Liang, Kaicheng; Hornegger, Joachim; Fujimoto, James G.

2014-01-01

Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is a functional extension of conventional OCT and can assess depth-resolved tissue birefringence in addition to intensity. Most existing PS-OCT systems are relatively complex and their clinical translation remains difficult. We present a simple and robust all-fiber PS-OCT system based on swept source technology and polarization depth-encoding. Polarization multiplexing was achieved using a polarization maintaining fiber. Polarization sensitive signals were detected using fiber based polarization beam splitters and polarization controllers were used to remove the polarization ambiguity. A simplified post-processing algorithm was proposed for speckle noise reduction relaxing the demand for phase stability. We demonstrated systems design for both ophthalmic and catheter-based PS-OCT. For ophthalmic imaging, we used an optical clock frequency doubling method to extend the imaging range of a commercially available short cavity light source to improve polarization depth-encoding. For catheter based imaging, we demonstrated 200 kHz PS-OCT imaging using a MEMS-tunable vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and a high speed micromotor imaging catheter. The system was demonstrated in human retina, finger and lip imaging, as well as ex vivo swine esophagus and cardiovascular imaging. The all-fiber PS-OCT is easier to implement and maintain compared to previous PS-OCT systems and can be more easily translated to clinical applications due to its robust design. PMID:25401008

Fiber-based polarization-sensitive OCT of the human retina with correction of system polarization distortions

PubMed Central

Braaf, Boy; Vermeer, Koenraad A.; de Groot, Mattijs; Vienola, Kari V.; de Boer, Johannes F.

2014-01-01

In polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) the use of single-mode fibers causes unpredictable polarization distortions which can result in increased noise levels and erroneous changes in calculated polarization parameters. In the current paper this problem is addressed by a new Jones matrix analysis method that measures and corrects system polarization distortions as a function of wavenumber by spectral analysis of the sample surface polarization state and deeper located birefringent tissue structures. This method was implemented on a passive-component depth-multiplexed swept-source PS-OCT system at 1040 nm which was theoretically modeled using Jones matrix calculus. High-resolution B-scan images are presented of the double-pass phase retardation, diattenuation, and relative optic axis orientation to show the benefits of the new analysis method for in vivo imaging of the human retina. The correction of system polarization distortions yielded reduced phase retardation noise, and better estimates of the diattenuation and the relative optic axis orientation in weakly birefringent tissues. The clinical potential of the system is shown by en face visualization of the phase retardation and optic axis orientation of the retinal nerve fiber layer in a healthy volunteer and a glaucoma patient with nerve fiber loss. PMID:25136498

Polarization properties of amyloid-beta plaques in Alzheimer's disease (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumann, Bernhard; Wöhrer, Adelheid; Ricken, Gerda; Pircher, Michael; Kovacs, Gabor G.; Hitzenberger, Christoph K.

2016-03-01

In histopathological practice, birefringence is used for the identification of amyloidosis in numerous tissues. Amyloid birefringence is caused by the parallel arrangement of fibrous protein aggregates. Since neurodegenerative processes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are also linked to the formation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques, optical methods sensitive to birefringence may act as non-invasive tools for Aβ identification. At last year's Photonics West, we demonstrated polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) imaging of ex vivo cerebral tissue of advanced stage AD patients. PS-OCT provides volumetric, structural imaging based on both backscatter contrast and tissue polarization properties. In this presentation, we report on polarization-sensitive neuroimaging along with numerical simulations of three-dimensional Aβ plaques. High speed PS-OCT imaging was performed using a spectral domain approach based on polarization maintaining fiber optics. The sample beam was interfaced to a confocal scanning microscope arrangement. Formalin-fixed tissue samples as well as thin histological sections were imaged. For comparison to the PS-OCT results, ray propagation through plaques was modeled using Jones analysis and various illumination geometries and plaque sizes. Characteristic polarization patterns were found. The results of this study may not only help to understand PS-OCT imaging of neuritic Aβ plaques but may also have implications for polarization-sensitive imaging of other fibrillary structures.

Wavefront sensing with all-digital Stokes measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudley, Angela; Milione, Giovanni; Alfano, Robert R.; Forbes, Andrew

2014-09-01

A long-standing question in optics has been to efficiently measure the phase (or wavefront) of an optical field. This has led to numerous publications and commercial devices such as phase shift interferometry, wavefront reconstruction via modal decomposition and Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors. In this work we develop a new technique to extract the phase which in contrast to previously mentioned methods is based on polarization (or Stokes) measurements. We outline a simple, all-digital approach using only a spatial light modulator and a polarization grating to exploit the amplitude and phase relationship between the orthogonal states of polarization to determine the phase of an optical field. We implement this technique to reconstruct the phase of static and propagating optical vortices.

Free-space optical polarization demultiplexing and multiplexing by means of conical refraction.

PubMed

Turpin, Alex; Loiko, Yurii; Kalkandjiev, Todor K; Mompart, Jordi

2012-10-15

Polarization demultiplexing and multiplexing by means of conical refraction is proposed to increase the channel capacity for free-space optical communication applications. The proposed technique is based on the forward-backward optical transform occurring when a light beam propagates consecutively along the optic axes of two identical biaxial crystals with opposite orientations of their conical refraction characteristic vectors. We present an experimental proof of usefulness of the conical refraction demultiplexing and multiplexing technique by increasing in one order of magnitude the channel capacity at optical frequencies in a propagation distance of 4 m.

Realizing Broadband and Invertible Linear-to-circular Polarization Converter with Ultrathin Single-layer Metasurface

PubMed Central

Li, Zhancheng; Liu, Wenwei; Cheng, Hua; Chen, Shuqi; Tian, Jianguo

2015-01-01

The arbitrary control of the polarization states of light has attracted the interest of the scientific community because of the wide range of modern optical applications that such control can afford. However, conventional polarization control setups are bulky and very often operate only within a narrow wavelength range, thereby resisting optical system miniaturization and integration. Here, we present the basic theory, simulated demonstration, and in-depth analysis of a high-performance broadband and invertible linear-to-circular (LTC) polarization converter composed of a single-layer gold nanorod array with a total thickness of ~λ/70 for the near-infrared regime. This setup can transform a circularly polarized wave into a linearly polarized one or a linearly polarized wave with a wavelength-dependent electric field polarization angle into a circularly polarized one in the transmission mode. The broadband and invertible LTC polarization conversion can be attributed to the tailoring of the light interference at the subwavelength scale via the induction of the anisotropic optical resonance mode. This ultrathin single-layer metasurface relaxes the high-precision requirements of the structure parameters in general metasurfaces while retaining the polarization conversion performance. Our findings open up intriguing possibilities towards the realization of novel integrated metasurface-based photonics devices for polarization manipulation, modulation, and phase retardation. PMID:26667360

Generation of Optical Millimeter Wave Using Two Cascaded Polarization Modulators Based on Frequency Octupling Without Filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yang; Ma, Jianxin; Zhang, Ruijiao; Xin, Xiangjun; Zhang, Junyi

2015-11-01

An approach to generate an optical millimeter wave is introduced with frequency octupling using two cascaded polarization modulators followed by polarizers, respectively. By adjusting the modulation indexes of polarization modulators, only the ±4th-order sidebands are generated with a pure spectrum. Since no filter is needed, the proposed technique can be used to generate a frequency-tunable millimeter wave with a large frequency-tunable range. To prove the feasibility of the proposed approach, a simulation is conducted to generate an 80-GHz millimeter wave, and then its transmission performance is checked.

Magneto-optic current sensor

DOEpatents

Lanagan, Michael T.; Valsko-Vlasov, Vitalii K.; Fisher, Brandon L.; Welp, Ulrich

2003-10-07

An optical current transducer configured to sense current in the conductor is disclosed. The optical current transducer includes a light source and a polarizer that generates linearly polarized light received from a the light source. The light is communicated to a magneto-optic garnet that includes, among other elements, bismuth, iron and oxygen and is coupled to the conductor. The magneto-optic garnet is configured to rotate the polarization of the linearly polarized light received from the polarizer. The optical current transducer also includes an analyzer in optical communication with the magneto-optic garnet. The analyzer detects the rotation of the linearly polarized light caused by the magneto-optic garnet.

Polarization signatures of relativistic magnetohydrodynamic shocks in the blazar emission region. I. Force-free helical magnetic fields

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Haocheng; Deng, Wei; Li, Hui; ...

2016-01-20

The optical radiation and polarization signatures in blazars are known to be highly variable during flaring activities. It is frequently argued that shocks are the main driver of the flaring events. However, the spectral variability modelings generally lack detailed considerations of the self-consistent magnetic field evolution modeling; thus, so far the associated optical polarization signatures are poorly understood. We present the first simultaneous modeling of the optical radiation and polarization signatures based on 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations of relativistic shocks in the blazar emission environment, with the simplest physical assumptions. By comparing the results with observations, we find that shocks inmore » a weakly magnetized environment will largely lead to significant changes in the optical polarization signatures, which are seldom seen in observations. Hence an emission region with relatively strong magnetization is preferred. In such an environment, slow shocks may produce minor flares with either erratic polarization fluctuations or considerable polarization variations, depending on the parameters; fast shocks can produce major flares with smooth polarization angle rotations. In addition, the magnetic fields in both cases are observed to actively revert to the original topology after the shocks. In addition, all these features are consistent with observations. Future observations of the radiation and polarization signatures will further constrain the flaring mechanism and the blazar emission environment.« less

Power selective optical filter devices and optical systems using same

DOEpatents

Koplow, Jeffrey P

2014-10-07

In an embodiment, a power selective optical filter device includes an input polarizer for selectively transmitting an input signal. The device includes a wave-plate structure positioned to receive the input signal, which includes at least one substantially zero-order, zero-wave plate. The zero-order, zero-wave plate is configured to alter a polarization state of the input signal passing in a manner that depends on the power of the input signal. The zero-order, zero-wave plate includes an entry and exit wave plate each having a fast axis, with the fast axes oriented substantially perpendicular to each other. Each entry wave plate is oriented relative to a transmission axis of the input polarizer at a respective angle. An output polarizer is positioned to receive a signal output from the wave-plate structure and selectively transmits the signal based on the polarization state.

Phased-array sources based on nonlinear metamaterial nanocavities

DOE PAGES

Wolf, Omri; Campione, Salvatore; Benz, Alexander; ...

2015-07-01

Coherent superposition of light from subwavelength sources is an attractive prospect for the manipulation of the direction, shape and polarization of optical beams. This phenomenon constitutes the basis of phased arrays, commonly used at microwave and radio frequencies. Here we propose a new concept for phased-array sources at infrared frequencies based on metamaterial nanocavities coupled to a highly nonlinear semiconductor heterostructure. Optical pumping of the nanocavity induces a localized, phase-locked, nonlinear resonant polarization that acts as a source feed for a higher-order resonance of the nanocavity. Varying the nanocavity design enables the production of beams with arbitrary shape and polarization.more » As an example, we demonstrate two second harmonic phased-array sources that perform two optical functions at the second harmonic wavelength (~5 μm): a beam splitter and a polarizing beam splitter. As a result, proper design of the nanocavity and nonlinear heterostructure will enable such phased arrays to span most of the infrared spectrum.« less

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

Doubling transmission capacity in optical wireless system by antenna horizontal- and vertical-polarization multiplexing.

PubMed

Li, Xinying; Yu, Jianjun; Zhang, Junwen; Dong, Ze; Chi, Nan

2013-06-15

We experimentally demonstrate 2×56 Gb/s two-channel polarization-division-multiplexing quadrature-phase-shift-keying signal delivery over 80 km single-mode fiber-28 and 2 m Q-band (33-50 GHz) wireless link, adopting antenna horizontal- (H-) and vertical-polarization (V-polarization) multiplexing. At the wireless receiver, classic constant-modulus-algorithm equalization based on digital signal processing can realize polarization demultiplexing and remove the crosstalk at the same antenna polarization. By adopting antenna polarization multiplexing, the signal baud rate and performance requirements for optical and wireless devices can be reduced but at the cost of double antennas and devices, while wireless transmission capacity can also be increased but at the cost of stricter requirements for V-polarization. The isolation is only about 19 dB when V-polarization deviation approaches 10°, which will affect high-speed (>50 Gb/s) wireless delivery.

Polarimetry noise in fiber-based optical coherence tomography instrumentation

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ellen Ziyi; Vakoc, Benjamin J.

2011-01-01

High noise levels in fiber-based polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) have broadly limited its clinical utility. In this study we investigate contribution of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) to the polarimetry noise. We develop numerical models of the PS-OCT system including PMD and validate these models with empirical data. Using these models, we provide a framework for predicting noise levels, for processing signals to reduce noise, and for designing an optimized system. PMID:21935044

Graphene-based ultrasonic detector for photoacoustic imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Fan; Song, Wei; Zhang, Chonglei; Fang, Hui; Min, Changjun; Yuan, Xiaocong

2018-03-01

Taking advantage of optical absorption imaging contrast, photoacoustic imaging technology is able to map the volumetric distribution of the optical absorption properties within biological tissues. Unfortunately, traditional piezoceramics-based transducers used in most photoacoustic imaging setups have inadequate frequency response, resulting in both poor depth resolution and inaccurate quantification of the optical absorption information. Instead of the piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer, we develop a graphene-based optical sensor for detecting photoacoustic pressure. The refractive index in the coupling medium is modulated due to photoacoustic pressure perturbation, which creates the variation of the polarization-sensitive optical absorption property of the graphene. As a result, the photoacoustic detection is realized through recording the reflectance intensity difference of polarization light. The graphene-based detector process an estimated noise-equivalentpressure (NEP) sensitivity of 550 Pa over 20-MHz bandwidth with a nearby linear pressure response from 11.0 kPa to 53.0 kPa. Further, a graphene-based photoacoustic microscopy is built, and non-invasively reveals the microvascular anatomy in mouse ears label-freely.

Optical force and torque on a dielectric Rayleigh particle by a circular Airy vortex beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Musheng; Huang, Sujuan; Shao, Wei; Liu, Xianpeng

2018-03-01

Optical force and torque exerted on the Rayleigh particles by tightly focused circularly polarized circular Airy vortex beams (CAVB) in the far field are studied in this paper. The relation between parameters of circularly polarized CAVB and the trapping properties is numerically analyzed based on Rayleigh models and the Debye diffraction theory. The results show that both the high refractive index and low refractive index particles can be fully stably trapped in three dimensions by circularly polarized CAVB. The parameters of circularly polarized CAVB greatly affect the optical force. The longitudinal and transverse gradient force increase with the increase of decay factor and scaling factor, and decrease with the increase of the radius of the first primary ring and topological charges. The positions of the longitudinal stable equilibrium move toward the high numerical aperture lens when the scaling factor and the radius of the primary ring increase. The trapping range is broadened with the decrease of scaling factor. The optical orbital torque (OOT) of circularly polarized CAVB has circular symmetry and remains positive or negative. With the increase of topological charges, the peak value of OOT first increases and then decreases after reaches a maximum. These results are useful for optical trapping, optical levitation and particle acceleration.

Optimized fan-shaped chiral metamaterial as an ultrathin narrow-band circular polarizer at visible frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yizhuo; Wang, Xinghai; Ingram, Whitney; Ai, Bin; Zhao, Yiping

2018-04-01

Chiral metamaterials have the great ability to manipulate the circular polarizations of light, which can be utilized to build ultrathin circular polarizers. Here we build a narrow-band circular polarizer at visible frequencies based on plasmonic fan-shaped chiral nanostructures. In order to achieve the best optical performance, we systematically investigate how different fabrication factors affect the chiral optical response of the fan-shaped chiral nanostructures, including incident angle of vapor depositions, nanostructure thickness, and post-deposition annealing. The optimized fan-shaped nanostructures show two narrow bands for different circular polarizations with the maximum extinction ratios 7.5 and 6.9 located at wavelength 687 nm and 774 nm, respectively.

Broadband polarization gratings for efficient liquid crystal display, beam steering, spectropolarimetry, and Fresnel zone plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Chulwoo

Efficient control of light polarization is essential in any optical systems where polarized light is used or polarization information is of interest. In addition to intensity and wavelength, polarization of light gives a very useful/powerful tool to control light itself and observe many interesting optical phenomena in nature and applications. Most available light sources, however, produce unpolarized or weakly polarized light except some of fancy lasers. Therefore, efficient polarization control/generation is important to improve/advance existing or emerging technologies utilizing polarized light. It is also true that polarization can be used to control another properties of light (i.e., intensity, direction). We have introduced and demonstrated achromatic polarization gratings (PGs) as broadband polarizing beam splitters performing ˜100% theoretical efficiency over a wide spectral range. The novel design of achromatic PGs and their effective fabrication method will be presented. Experimental demonstration will show that practically 100% efficient diffraction is achieved by achromatic PGs embodied as thin liquid crystal (LC) layers patterned by holographic photoalignment techniques. Non-ideal diffraction behaviors of the PGs also have been investigated beyond the paraxial limitations via numerical analysis based on the finite-difference time-domain method. We, first, study the effect of the grating regime for this special type of anisotropic diffraction gratings with the minimum assumptions. Optical properties of the PGs at oblique incidence angles and in a finite pixel are numerically predicted and confirmed by experiments. Design and fabrication of small-period PGs are discussed to show how to achieve high diffraction efficiency and large diffraction angles at the same time. Three key innovative technologies utilizing the unique diffraction properties of the PGs have been introduced and experimentally demonstrated. The first application for light-efficient LC displays is the polymer-PG display, which allows an immediate brightness improvement (up to a factor of two) of conventional LC displays by replacing absorbing polarizers with achromatic PGs as thin, transmissive polymer films. We demonstrate the first proof-of-concept prototype projector based on the polymer-PG display and we also discuss optical design considerations and challenges toward a viable solution for our ultrabright pico-projector applications of the polymer-PG display. Second, two novel beam steering concepts based on the PG diffraction have been proposed. The polarization-sensitive diffraction of the PGs provides very attractive beam steering operations with ultra-high efficiency over wide steering angles by all-thin-plate electro-optical systems. We developed a non-mechanical, wide-angle beam steering system using stacked PGs and LC waveplates, and we also demonstrated a continuous beam steering using two rotating PGs, named the Risley grating as a thin-plate version of the Risley prism. The third PG application is in imaging and non-imaging spectropolarimetry. We have shown a snapshot, hyperspectral, full-Stokes polarimeter using inline PGs and quarter-waveplates. The use of PGs as a new polarimetric element for astronomical instruments in the mid-wave IR wavelengths also has been proposed to overcome current limitations of existing IR polarimeters. In the last part of this Dissertation, we introduce a polarization-type Fresnel zone plates (P-FZPs), comprising of spatially distributed linear birefringence or concentric PG (CPG) patterns. Effective fabrication methods of P-FZPs have been developed using polarization holography based on the Michelson interferometer and photoalignment of LC materials. We demonstrated high-quality P-FZPs, which exhibit ideal Fresnel-type lens effects, formed as both LC polymer films and electro-optical LC devices. We also discuss the polarization-selective lens properties of the P-FZPs as well as their electro-optical switching. In summary, we have explored the fundamental diffraction behavior of the polarization gratings and their applications in advanced optics and photonics. The achromatic designs of the PGs allow their broadband diffraction operation over a wide range of spectrum, which increases the applicability of the PGs with a great extent. Three novel technologies that directly benefit from the distinct diffraction properties of the PGs have been developed. In addition, a new diffractive lens element operating solely on light polarization has been introduced and experimentally demonstrated. We conclude this Dissertation with our suggestions of a number of potential innovations and advances in technologies that can be enabled by polarization gratings and related technologies.

Optical cage generated by azimuthal- and radial-variant vector beams.

PubMed

Man, Zhongsheng; Bai, Zhidong; Li, Jinjian; Zhang, Shuoshuo; Li, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Yuquan; Ge, Xiaolu; Fu, Shenggui

2018-05-01

We propose a method to generate an optical cage using azimuthal- and radial-variant vector beams in a high numerical aperture optical system. A new kind of vector beam that has azimuthal- and radial-variant polarization states is proposed and demonstrated theoretically. Then, an integrated analytical model to calculate the electromagnetic field and Poynting vector distributions of the input azimuthal- and radial-variant vector beams is derived and built based on the vector diffraction theory of Richards and Wolf. From calculations, a full polarization-controlled optical cage is obtained by simply tailoring the radial index of the polarization, the uniformity U of which is up to 0.7748, and the cleanness C is zero. Additionally, a perfect optical cage can be achieved with U=1, and C=0 by introducing an amplitude modulation; its magnetic field and energy flow are also demonstrated in detail. Such optical cages may be helpful in applications such as optical trapping and high-resolution imaging.

Enhanced polarization of (11-22) semi-polar InGaN nanorod array structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Athanasiou, M.; Smith, R. M.; Hou, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Gong, Y.; Wang, T.

2015-10-01

By means of a cost effective nanosphere lithography technique, an InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well structure grown on (11-22) semipolar GaN has been fabricated into two dimensional nanorod arrays which form a photonic crystal (PhC) structure. Such a PhC structure demonstrates not only significantly increased emission intensity, but also an enhanced polarization ratio of the emission. This is due to an effective inhibition of the emission in slab modes and then redistribution to the vertical direction, thus minimizing the light scattering processes that lead to randomizing of the optical polarization. The PhC structure is designed based on a standard finite-difference-time-domain simulation, and then optically confirmed by detailed time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. The results presented pave the way for the fabrication of semipolar InGaN/GaN based emitters with both high efficiency and highly polarized emission.

Photonic variable delay devices based on optical birefringence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yao, X. Steve (Inventor)

2005-01-01

Optical variable delay devices for providing variable true time delay to multiple optical beams simultaneously. A ladder-structured variable delay device comprises multiple basic building blocks stacked on top of each other resembling a ladder. Each basic building block has two polarization beamsplitters and a polarization rotator array arranged to form a trihedron; Controlling an array element of the polarization rotator array causes a beam passing through the array element either going up to a basic building block above it or reflect back towards a block below it. The beams going higher on the ladder experience longer optical path delay. An index-switched optical variable delay device comprises of many birefringent crystal segments connected with one another, with a polarization rotator array sandwiched between any two adjacent crystal segments. An array element in the polarization rotator array controls the polarization state of a beam passing through the element, causing the beam experience different refractive indices or path delays in the following crystal segment. By independently control each element in each polarization rotator array, variable optical path delays of each beam can be achieved. Finally, an index-switched variable delay device and a ladder-structured variable device are cascaded to form a new device which combines the advantages of the two individual devices. This programmable optic device has the properties of high packing density, low loss, easy fabrication, and virtually infinite bandwidth. The device is inherently two dimensional and has a packing density exceeding 25 lines/cm2. The delay resolution of the device is on the order of a femtosecond (one micron in space) and the total delay exceeds 10 nanosecond. In addition, the delay is reversible so that the same delay device can be used for both antenna transmitting and receiving.

An optically passive method that doubles the rate of 2-Ghz timing fiducials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boni, R.; Kendrick, J.; Sorce, C.

2017-08-01

Solid-state optical comb-pulse generators provide a convenient and accurate method to include timing fiducials in a streak camera image for time base correction. Commercially available vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL's) emitting in the visible currently in use can be modulated up to 2 GHz. An optically passive method is presented to interleave a time-delayed path of the 2-GHz comb with itself, producing a 4-GHz comb. This technique can be applied to VCSEL's with higher modulation rates. A fiber-delivered, randomly polarized 2-GHz VCSEL comb is polarization split into s-polarization and p-polarization paths. One path is time delayed relative to the other by twice the 2-GHz rate with +/-1-ps accuracy; the two paths then recombine at the fiber-coupled output. High throughput (>=90%) is achieved by carefully using polarization beam-splitting cubes, a total internal reflection beam-path-steering prism, and antireflection coatings. The glass path-length delay block and turning prism are optically contacted together. The beam polarizer cubes that split and recombine the paths are precision aligned and permanently cemented into place. We expect the palm-sized, inline fiber-coupled, comb-rate-doubling device to maintain its internal alignment indefinitely.

Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensors for Vibration Detection

PubMed Central

Liu, Xin; Jin, Baoquan; Bai, Qing; Wang, Yu; Wang, Dong; Wang, Yuncai

2016-01-01

Distributed fiber-optic vibration sensors receive extensive investigation and play a significant role in the sensor panorama. Optical parameters such as light intensity, phase, polarization state, or light frequency will change when external vibration is applied on the sensing fiber. In this paper, various technologies of distributed fiber-optic vibration sensing are reviewed, from interferometric sensing technology, such as Sagnac, Mach–Zehnder, and Michelson, to backscattering-based sensing technology, such as phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometer, polarization-optical time domain reflectometer, optical frequency domain reflectometer, as well as some combinations of interferometric and backscattering-based techniques. Their operation principles are presented and recent research efforts are also included. Finally, the applications of distributed fiber-optic vibration sensors are summarized, which mainly include structural health monitoring and perimeter security, etc. Overall, distributed fiber-optic vibration sensors possess the advantages of large-scale monitoring, good concealment, excellent flexibility, and immunity to electromagnetic interference, and thus show considerable potential for a variety of practical applications. PMID:27472334

Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensors for Vibration Detection.

PubMed

Liu, Xin; Jin, Baoquan; Bai, Qing; Wang, Yu; Wang, Dong; Wang, Yuncai

2016-07-26

Distributed fiber-optic vibration sensors receive extensive investigation and play a significant role in the sensor panorama. Optical parameters such as light intensity, phase, polarization state, or light frequency will change when external vibration is applied on the sensing fiber. In this paper, various technologies of distributed fiber-optic vibration sensing are reviewed, from interferometric sensing technology, such as Sagnac, Mach-Zehnder, and Michelson, to backscattering-based sensing technology, such as phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometer, polarization-optical time domain reflectometer, optical frequency domain reflectometer, as well as some combinations of interferometric and backscattering-based techniques. Their operation principles are presented and recent research efforts are also included. Finally, the applications of distributed fiber-optic vibration sensors are summarized, which mainly include structural health monitoring and perimeter security, etc. Overall, distributed fiber-optic vibration sensors possess the advantages of large-scale monitoring, good concealment, excellent flexibility, and immunity to electromagnetic interference, and thus show considerable potential for a variety of practical applications.

Propagation of polarized light through textile material.

PubMed

Peng, Bo; Ding, Tianhuai; Wang, Peng

2012-09-10

In this paper a detailed investigation, based on simulations and experiments of polarized light propagation through textile material, is presented. The fibers in textile material are generally anisotropic with axisymmetric structure. The formalism of anisotropic fiber scattering (AFS) at oblique incidence is first deduced and then, based on this formalism and considered multiscattering, a polarization-dependent Monte Carlo method is employed to simulate the propagation of polarized light in textile material. Taking cotton fiber assemblies as samples, the forward-scattering Mueller matrices are calculated theoretically through the AFS-based simulations and measured experimentally by an improved Mueller matrix polarimeter. Their variations according to sample thickness are discussed primarily. With these matrices polar-decomposed, a further discussion on the optical polarization properties of cotton fiber assemblies (i.e., depolarization Δ, diattenuation D, optical rotation ψ and linear retardance δ) versus the thickness is held. Simultaneously, a meaningful comparison of both the matrices and their polar decomposition, generated from the simulations based on isotropic fiber scattering (IFS), with those simulated based on AFS is made. Results show that the IFS-derived values are strikingly different from those that are AFS-derived due to ignoring the fiber anisotropy. Furthermore, all the AFS-derived results are perfectly consistent with those obtained experimentally, which suggests that the Monte Carlo simulation based on AFS has potential applications for light scattering and propagation in textile material.

Polarization maintaining fiber magnetic sensor based on the digital phase generated carrier technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xueliang; Meng, Zhou; Hu, Zhengliang; Yang, Huayong; Song, Zhangqi; Hu, Yongming

2008-12-01

A polarization maintaining fiber (PMF) magnetic field sensor based on a digital phase generated carrier (PGC) technology is presented. A magnetic sensor constructed with two magnetostrictive strips attached on the sensing fiber is joined in the sensing arm of a fiber Michelson interferometer. The fiber optic interferometric system is made of all PMF, which inhibits the polarization-induced signal fading. The light source is a fiber laser which can be modulated directly. The PGC metnod is used to demodulate magnetic field signal avoiding phase induced interferometric signal fading, and ensure the sensing partto be all fiber structure. A fiber optic magnetic field sensor with appreciate size for the fiber optic hydrophone towed array is obtained, which can be used to sense the enviromental magnetic field along the sensing direction.This sensor is a good choice for the directional angle measurement through sensing the Earth magnetic field in the array shape measurement of a fiber optic hydrophone towed array.

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.

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.

Motion-artifact-robust, polarization-resolved second-harmonic-generation microscopy based on rapid polarization switching with electro-optic Pockells cell and its application to in vivo visualization of collagen fiber orientation in human facial skin

PubMed Central

Tanaka, Yuji; Hase, Eiji; Fukushima, Shuichiro; Ogura, Yuki; Yamashita, Toyonobu; Hirao, Tetsuji; Araki, Tsutomu; Yasui, Takeshi

2014-01-01

Polarization-resolved second-harmonic-generation (PR-SHG) microscopy is a powerful tool for investigating collagen fiber orientation quantitatively with low invasiveness. However, the waiting time for the mechanical polarization rotation makes it too sensitive to motion artifacts and hence has hampered its use in various applications in vivo. In the work described in this article, we constructed a motion-artifact-robust, PR-SHG microscope based on rapid polarization switching at every pixel with an electro-optic Pockells cell (PC) in synchronization with step-wise raster scanning of the focus spot and alternate data acquisition of a vertical-polarization-resolved SHG signal and a horizontal-polarization-resolved one. The constructed PC-based PR-SHG microscope enabled us to visualize orientation mapping of dermal collagen fiber in human facial skin in vivo without the influence of motion artifacts. Furthermore, it implied the location and/or age dependence of the collagen fiber orientation in human facial skin. The robustness to motion artifacts in the collagen orientation measurement will expand the application scope of SHG microscopy in dermatology and collagen-related fields. PMID:24761292

Polarization chaos and random bit generation in nonlinear fiber optics induced by a time-delayed counter-propagating feedback loop.

PubMed

Morosi, J; Berti, N; Akrout, A; Picozzi, A; Guasoni, M; Fatome, J

2018-01-22

In this manuscript, we experimentally and numerically investigate the chaotic dynamics of the state-of-polarization in a nonlinear optical fiber due to the cross-interaction between an incident signal and its intense backward replica generated at the fiber-end through an amplified reflective delayed loop. Thanks to the cross-polarization interaction between the two-delayed counter-propagating waves, the output polarization exhibits fast temporal chaotic dynamics, which enable a powerful scrambling process with moving speeds up to 600-krad/s. The performance of this all-optical scrambler was then evaluated on a 10-Gbit/s On/Off Keying telecom signal achieving an error-free transmission. We also describe how these temporal and chaotic polarization fluctuations can be exploited as an all-optical random number generator. To this aim, a billion-bit sequence was experimentally generated and successfully confronted to the dieharder benchmarking statistic tools. Our experimental analysis are supported by numerical simulations based on the resolution of counter-propagating coupled nonlinear propagation equations that confirm the observed behaviors.

Distributed measurement of polarization mode coupling in fiber ring based on P-OTDR complete polarization state detection.

PubMed

Huang, Zejia; Wu, Chongqing; Wang, Zhi; Wang, Jian; Liu, Lanlan

2018-02-19

Using a quaternion method, the polarization mode-coupling coefficient can be derived from three components of the Stokes vectors at three adjacent points along a fiber. A complete polarization optical time-domain reflectometry scheme for polarization mode coupling distributed measurement in polarization-maintaining fiber ring is proposed based on the above theoretical derivations. By comparing the measurement results of two opposite incident directions and two orthogonal polarization axes of polarization-maintaining fiber rings with different lengths, the feasibility and repeatability of the measurement scheme are verified experimentally with a positioning spatial resolution of 1 meter.

Spin exchange optical pumping based polarized 3He filling station for the Hybrid Spectrometer at the Spallation Neutron Source.

PubMed

Jiang, C Y; Tong, X; Brown, D R; Culbertson, H; Graves-Brook, M K; Hagen, M E; Kadron, B; Lee, W T; Robertson, J L; Winn, B

2013-06-01

The Hybrid Spectrometer (HYSPEC) is a new direct geometry spectrometer at the Spallation Neutron Source at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This instrument is equipped with polarization analysis capability with 60° horizontal and 15° vertical detector coverages. In order to provide wide angle polarization analysis for this instrument, we have designed and built a novel polarized (3)He filling station based on the spin exchange optical pumping method. It is designed to supply polarized (3)He gas to HYSPEC as a neutron polarization analyzer. In addition, the station can optimize the (3)He pressure with respect to the scattered neutron energies. The depolarized (3)He gas in the analyzer can be transferred back to the station to be repolarized. We have constructed the prototype filling station. Preliminary tests have been carried out demonstrating the feasibility of the filling station. Here, we report on the design, construction, and the preliminary results of the prototype filling station.

Interrogation and mitigation of polarization effects for standard and birefringent FBGs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Selwan K.; Van Roosbroeck, Jan; O'Dowd, John A.; Van Hoe, Bram; Lindner, Eric; Vlekken, Johan; Farnan, Martin; Karabacak, Devrez M.; Singer, Johannes M.

2016-05-01

Optical sensors based on Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) are used in several applications and industries. Several inscription techniques and type of fibers can be used. However, depending on the writing process, type of fiber used and the packaging of the sensor a Polarization Dependent Frequency Shift (PDFS) can often be observed with polarized tunable laser based optical interrogators. Here we study the PDFS of the FBG peak for the different FBG types. A PDFS of <1pm up to >20pm was observed across the FBGs. To mitigate and reduce this effect we propose a polarization mitigation technique which relies on a synchronous polarization switch to reduce the effect typically by a factor greater than 4. In other scenarios the sensor itself is designed to be birefringent (Bi-FBG) to allow pressure and/or simultaneous temperature and strain measurements. Using the same polarization switch we demonstrate how we can interrogate the Bi-FBGs with high accuracy to enable high performance of such sensors to be achievable.

All-optical quantum fluid spin beam splitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askitopoulos, A.; Nalitov, A. V.; Sedov, E. S.; Pickup, L.; Cherotchenko, E. D.; Hatzopoulos, Z.; Savvidis, P. G.; Kavokin, A. V.; Lagoudakis, P. G.

2018-06-01

We investigate the spin behavior of the first excited state of a polariton condensate in an optical trap by means of polarization resolved spectroscopy. The interplay between the repulsive polariton interactions and the gain saturation results in a nontrivial spontaneous switching between the two quasidegenerate spatial modes of the polariton condensate. As a result, the polarization pattern of the emitted light dramatically changes. Successful harnessing of this effect can lead to a spin-demultiplexing device for polariton-based optical integrated circuits.

Intangible pointlike tracers for liquid-crystal-based microsensors

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

Brasselet, Etienne; Juodkazis, Saulius

2010-12-15

We propose an optical detection technique for liquid-crystal-based sensors that is based on polarization-resolved tracking of optical singularities and does not rely on standard observation of light-intensity changes caused by modifications of the liquid crystal orientational ordering. It uses a natural two-dimensional network of polarization singularities embedded in the transverse cross section of a probe beam that passes through a liquid crystal sample, in our case, a nematic droplet held in laser tweezers. The identification and spatial evolution of such a topological fingerprint is retrieved from subwavelength polarization-resolved imaging, and the mechanical constraint exerted on the molecular ordering by themore » trapping beam itself is chosen as the control parameter. By restricting our analysis to one type of point singularity, C points, which correspond to location in space where the polarization azimuth is undefined, we show that polarization singularities appear as intangible pointlike tracers for liquid-crystal-based three-dimensional microsensors. The method has a superresolution potential and can be used to visualize changes at the nanoscale.« less

Effects of polarization mode dispersion on polarization-entangled photons generated via broadband pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion

PubMed Central

Lim, Hyang-Tag; Hong, Kang-Hee; Kim, Yoon-Ho

2016-01-01

An inexpensive and compact frequency multi-mode diode laser enables a compact two-photon polarization entanglement source via the continuous wave broadband pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process. Entanglement degradation caused by polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is one of the critical issues in optical fiber-based polarization entanglement distribution. We theoretically and experimentally investigate how the initial entanglement is degraded when the two-photon polarization entangled state undergoes PMD. We report an effect of PMD unique to broadband pumped SPDC, equally applicable to pulsed pumping as well as cw broadband pumping, which is that the amount of the entanglement degradation is asymmetrical to the PMD introduced to each quantum channel. We believe that our results have important applications in long-distance distribution of polarization entanglement via optical fiber channels. PMID:27174100

Polarization-Insensitive Tunable Optical Filters based on Liquid Crystal Polarization Gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicolescu, Elena

Tunable optical filters are widely used for a variety of applications including spectroscopy, optical communication networks, remote sensing, and biomedical imaging and diagnostics. All of these application areas can greatly benefit from improvements in the key characteristics of the tunable optical filters embedded in them. Some of these key parameters include peak transmittance, bandwidth, tuning range, and transition width. In recent years research efforts have also focused on miniaturizing tunable optical filters into physically small packages for compact portable spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging applications such as real-time medical diagnostics and defense applications. However, it is important that miniaturization not have a detrimental effect on filter performance. The overarching theme of this dissertation is to explore novel configurations of Polarization Gratings (PGs) as simple, low-cost, polarization-insensitive alternatives to conventional optical filtering technologies for applications including hyperspectral imaging and telecommunications. We approach this goal from several directions with a combination of theory and experimental demonstration leading to, in our opinion, a significant contribution to the field. We present three classes of tunable optical filters, the first of which is an angle-filtering scheme where the stop-band wavelengths are redirected off axis and the passband is transmitted on-axis. This is achieved using a stacked configuration of polarization gratings of various thicknesses. To improve this class of filter, we also introduce a novel optical element, the Bilayer Polarization Grating, exhibiting unique optical properties and demonstrating complex anchoring conditions with high quality. The second class of optical filter is analogous to a Lyot filter, utilizing stacks of static or tunable waveplates sandwiched with polarizing elements. However, we introduce a new configuration using PGs and static waveplates to replace the polarizers in the system, thereby greatly increasing the filter throughput. We then turn our attention to a Fourier filtering technique. This is a fundamentally different filtering approach involving a single PG where the filtering functionality involves selecting a spectral band with a movable aperture or slit and a diffractive element (PG in our case). Finally, we study the integration of a PG in a multi-channel wavelength blocker system focusing on the practical and fundamental limitations of using a PG as a variable optical attenuator/wavelength blocker in a commercial optical telecommunications network.

Malaria Diagnosis Using a Mobile Phone Polarized Microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirnstill, Casey W.; Coté, Gerard L.

2015-08-01

Malaria remains a major global health burden, and new methods for low-cost, high-sensitivity, diagnosis are essential, particularly in remote areas with low-resource around the world. In this paper, a cost effective, optical cell-phone based transmission polarized light microscope system is presented for imaging the malaria pigment known as hemozoin. It can be difficult to determine the presence of the pigment from background and other artifacts, even for skilled microscopy technicians. The pigment is much easier to observe using polarized light microscopy. However, implementation of polarized light microscopy lacks widespread adoption because the existing commercial devices have complicated designs, require sophisticated maintenance, tend to be bulky, can be expensive, and would require re-training for existing microscopy technicians. To this end, a high fidelity and high optical resolution cell-phone based polarized light microscopy system is presented which is comparable to larger bench-top polarized microscopy systems but at much lower cost and complexity. The detection of malaria in fixed and stained blood smears is presented using both, a conventional polarized microscope and our cell-phone based system. The cell-phone based polarimetric microscopy design shows the potential to have both the resolution and specificity to detect malaria in a low-cost, easy-to-use, modular platform.

Malaria Diagnosis Using a Mobile Phone Polarized Microscope

PubMed Central

Pirnstill, Casey W.; Coté, Gerard L.

2015-01-01

Malaria remains a major global health burden, and new methods for low-cost, high-sensitivity, diagnosis are essential, particularly in remote areas with low-resource around the world. In this paper, a cost effective, optical cell-phone based transmission polarized light microscope system is presented for imaging the malaria pigment known as hemozoin. It can be difficult to determine the presence of the pigment from background and other artifacts, even for skilled microscopy technicians. The pigment is much easier to observe using polarized light microscopy. However, implementation of polarized light microscopy lacks widespread adoption because the existing commercial devices have complicated designs, require sophisticated maintenance, tend to be bulky, can be expensive, and would require re-training for existing microscopy technicians. To this end, a high fidelity and high optical resolution cell-phone based polarized light microscopy system is presented which is comparable to larger bench-top polarized microscopy systems but at much lower cost and complexity. The detection of malaria in fixed and stained blood smears is presented using both, a conventional polarized microscope and our cell-phone based system. The cell-phone based polarimetric microscopy design shows the potential to have both the resolution and specificity to detect malaria in a low-cost, easy-to-use, modular platform. PMID:26303238

Electro-optically tunable microwave source based on composite-cavity microchip laser.

PubMed

Qiao, Yunfei; Zheng, Shilie; Chi, Hao; Jin, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Xianmin

2012-12-17

A compact and electric tuning microwave source based on a diode-pumped composite Nd:YAG-LiNbO(3) cavity microchip laser is demonstrated. The electro-optical element introduces an electric tuning intra-cavity birefringence which causes a tunable frequency difference between two spilt orthogonal polarization states of a longitude mode. Thus a continuously tunable microwave signal with frequency up to 14.12 GHz can be easily generated by beating the two polarization modes on a high speed photodetector.

Distributed optical fiber vibration sensor based on spectrum analysis of Polarization-OTDR system.

PubMed

Zhang, Ziyi; Bao, Xiaoyi

2008-07-07

A fully distributed optical fiber vibration sensor is demonstrated based on spectrum analysis of Polarization-OTDR system. Without performing any data averaging, vibration disturbances up to 5 kHz is successfully demonstrated in a 1km fiber link with 10m spatial resolution. The FFT is performed at each spatial resolution; the relation of the disturbance at each frequency component versus location allows detection of multiple events simultaneously with different and the same frequency components.

All-dielectric planar chiral metasurface with gradient geometric phase.

PubMed

Ma, Zhijie; Li, Yi; Li, Yang; Gong, Yandong; Maier, Stefan A; Hong, Minghui

2018-03-05

Planar optical chirality of a metasurface measures its differential response between left and right circularly polarized (CP) lights and governs the asymmetric transmission of CP lights. In 2D ultra-thin plasmonic structures the circular dichroism is limited to 25% in theory and it requires high absorption loss. Here we propose and numerically demonstrate a planar chiral all-dielectric metasurface that exhibits giant circular dichroism and transmission asymmetry over 0.8 for circularly polarized lights with negligible loss, without bringing in bianisotropy or violating reciprocity. The metasurface consists of arrays of high refractive index germanium Z-shape resonators that break the in-plane mirror symmetry and induce cross-polarization conversion. Furthermore, at the transmission peak of one handedness, the transmitted light is efficiently converted into the opposite circular polarization state, with a designated geometric phase depending on the orientation angle of the optical element. In this way, the optical component sets before and after the metasurface to filter the light of certain circular polarization states are not needed and the metasurface can function under any linear polarization, in contrast to the conventional setup for geometry phase based metasurfaces. Anomalous transmission and two-dimensional holography based on the geometric phase chiral metasurface are numerically demonstrate as proofs of concept.

Three-dimensionally modulated anisotropic structure for diffractive optical elements created by one-step three-beam polarization holographic photoalignment

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

Kawai, Kotaro, E-mail: s135016@stn.nagaokaut.ac.jp; Sakamoto, Moritsugu; Noda, Kohei

2016-03-28

A diffractive optical element with a three-dimensional liquid crystal (LC) alignment structure for advanced control of polarized beams was fabricated by a highly efficient one-step photoalignment method. This study is of great significance because different two-dimensional continuous and complex alignment patterns can be produced on two alignment films by simultaneously irradiating an empty glass cell composed of two unaligned photocrosslinkable polymer LC films with three-beam polarized interference beam. The polarization azimuth, ellipticity, and rotation direction of the diffracted beams from the resultant LC grating widely varied depending on the two-dimensional diffracted position and the polarization states of the incident beams.more » These polarization diffraction properties are well explained by theoretical analysis based on Jones calculus.« less

Coherent control of optical polarization effects in metamaterials

PubMed Central

Mousavi, Seyedmohammad A.; Plum, Eric; Shi, Jinhui; Zheludev, Nikolay I.

2015-01-01

Processing of photonic information usually relies on electronics. Aiming to avoid the conversion between photonic and electronic signals, modulation of light with light based on optical nonlinearity has become a major research field and coherent optical effects on the nanoscale are emerging as new means of handling and distributing signals. Here we demonstrate that in slabs of linear material of sub-wavelength thickness optical manifestations of birefringence and optical activity (linear and circular birefringence and dichroism) can be controlled by a wave coherent with the wave probing the polarization effect. We demonstrate this in proof-of-principle experiments for chiral and anisotropic microwave metamaterials, where we show that the large parameter space of polarization characteristics may be accessed at will by coherent control. Such control can be exerted at arbitrarily low intensities, thus arguably allowing for fast handling of electromagnetic signals without facing thermal management and energy challenges. PMID:25755071

Meta-q-plate for complex beam shaping

PubMed Central

Ji, Wei; Lee, Chun-Hong; Chen, Peng; Hu, Wei; Ming, Yang; Zhang, Lijian; Lin, Tsung-Hsien; Chigrinov, Vladimir; Lu, Yan-Qing

2016-01-01

Optical beam shaping plays a key role in optics and photonics. In this work, meta-q-plate featured by arbitrarily space-variant optical axes is proposed and demonstrated via liquid crystal photoalignment based on a polarization-sensitive alignment agent and a dynamic micro-lithography system. Meta-q-plates with multiple-, azimuthally/radially variant topological charges and initial azimuthal angles are fabricated. Accordingly, complex beams with elliptical, asymmetrical, multi-ringed and hurricane transverse profiles are generated, making the manipulation of optical vortex up to an unprecedented flexibility. The evolution, handedness and Michelson interferogram of the hurricane one are theoretically analysed and experimentally verified. The design facilitates the manipulation of polarization and spatial degrees of freedom of light in a point-to-point manner. The realization of meta-q-plate drastically enhances the capability of beam shaping and may pave a bright way towards optical manipulations, OAM based informatics, quantum optics and other fields. PMID:27149897

Meta-q-plate for complex beam shaping.

PubMed

Ji, Wei; Lee, Chun-Hong; Chen, Peng; Hu, Wei; Ming, Yang; Zhang, Lijian; Lin, Tsung-Hsien; Chigrinov, Vladimir; Lu, Yan-Qing

2016-05-06

Optical beam shaping plays a key role in optics and photonics. In this work, meta-q-plate featured by arbitrarily space-variant optical axes is proposed and demonstrated via liquid crystal photoalignment based on a polarization-sensitive alignment agent and a dynamic micro-lithography system. Meta-q-plates with multiple-, azimuthally/radially variant topological charges and initial azimuthal angles are fabricated. Accordingly, complex beams with elliptical, asymmetrical, multi-ringed and hurricane transverse profiles are generated, making the manipulation of optical vortex up to an unprecedented flexibility. The evolution, handedness and Michelson interferogram of the hurricane one are theoretically analysed and experimentally verified. The design facilitates the manipulation of polarization and spatial degrees of freedom of light in a point-to-point manner. The realization of meta-q-plate drastically enhances the capability of beam shaping and may pave a bright way towards optical manipulations, OAM based informatics, quantum optics and other fields.

High-speed polarization sensitive optical frequency domain imaging with frequency multiplexing

PubMed Central

Yun, S.H.; Vakoc, B.J.; Shishkov, M.; Desjardins, A.E.; Park, B.H.; de Boer, J.F.; Tearney, G.J.; Bouma, B.E.

2009-01-01

Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) provides a cross-sectional image of birefringence in biological samples that is complementary in many applications to the standard reflectance-based image. Recent ex vivo studies have demonstrated that birefringence mapping enables the characterization of collagen and smooth muscle concentration and distribution in vascular tissues. Instruments capable of applying these measurements percutaneously in vivo may provide new insights into coronary atherosclerosis and acute myocardial infarction. We have developed a polarization sensitive optical frequency domain imaging (PS-OFDI) system that enables high-speed intravascular birefringence imaging through a fiber-optic catheter. The novel design of this system utilizes frequency multiplexing to simultaneously measure reflectance of two incident polarization states, overcoming concerns regarding temporal variations of the catheter fiber birefringence and spatial variations in the birefringence of the sample. We demonstrate circular cross-sectional birefringence imaging of a human coronary artery ex vivo through a flexible fiber-optic catheter with an A-line rate of 62 kHz and a ranging depth of 6.2 mm. PMID:18542183

Modulus design multiwavelength polarization microscope for transmission Mueller matrix imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jialing; He, Honghui; Chen, Zhenhua; Wang, Ye; Ma, Hui

2018-01-01

We have developed a polarization microscope based on a commercial transmission microscope. We replace the halogen light source by a collimated LED light source module of six different colors. We use achromatic polarized optical elements that can cover the six different wavelength ranges in the polarization state generator (PSG) and polarization state analyzer (PSA) modules. The dual-rotating wave plate method is used to measure the Mueller matrix of samples, which requires the simultaneous rotation of the two quarter-wave plates in both PSG and PSA at certain angular steps. A scientific CCD detector is used as the image receiving module. A LabView-based software is developed to control the rotation angels of the wave plates and the exposure time of the detector to allow the system to run fully automatically in preprogrammed schedules. Standard samples, such as air, polarizers, and quarter-wave plates, are used to calibrate the intrinsic Mueller matrix of optical components, such as the objectives, using the eigenvalue calibration method. Errors due to the images walk-off in the PSA are studied. Errors in the Mueller matrices are below 0.01 using air and polarizer as standard samples. Data analysis based on Mueller matrix transformation and Mueller matrix polarization decomposition is used to demonstrate the potential application of this microscope in pathological diagnosis.

Design of frequency-encoded data-based optical master-slave-JK flip-flop using polarization switch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Sumana; Mandal, Dhoumendra; Mandal, Mrinal Kanti; Garai, Sisir Kumar

2017-06-01

An optical data processing and communication system provides enormous potential bandwidth and a very high processing speed, and it can fulfill the demands of the present generation. For an optical computing system, several data processing units that work in the optical domain are essential. Memory elements are undoubtedly essential to storing any information. Optical flip-flops can store one bit of optical information. From these flip-flop registers, counters can be developed. Here, the authors proposed an optical master-slave (MS)-JK flip-flop with the help of two-input and three-input optical NAND gates. Optical NAND gates have been developed using semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). The nonlinear polarization switching property of an SOA has been exploited here, and it acts as a polarization switch in the proposed scheme. A frequency encoding technique is adopted for representing data. A specific frequency of an optical signal represents a binary data bit. This technique of data representation is helpful because frequency is the fundamental property of a signal, and it remains unaltered during reflection, refraction, absorption, etc. throughout the data propagation. The simulated results enhance the admissibility of the scheme.

Experimental investigation of polarization insensitivity and cascadability with semiconductor optical amplifier-based differential phase-shift keyed wavelength converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Yaya; Wu, Chongqing; Liu, Bo; Ullah, Rahat; Tian, Feng

2017-12-01

We experimentally investigate the polarization insensitivity and cascadability of an all-optical wavelength converter for differential phase-shift keyed (DPSK) signals for the first time. The proposed wavelength converter is composed of a one-bit delay interferometer demodulation stage followed by a single semiconductor optical amplifier. The impact of input DPSK signal polarization fluctuation on receiver sensitivity for the converted signal is carried out. It is found that this scheme is almost insensitive to the state of polarization of the input DPSK signal. Furthermore, the cascadability of the converter is demonstrated in a two-path recirculating loop. Error-free transmission is achieved with 20 stage cascaded wavelength conversions over 2800 km, where the power penalty is <3.4 dB at bit error rate of 10-9.

Fiber-based polarization-sensitive Mueller matrix optical coherence tomography with continuous source polarization modulation.

PubMed

Jiao, Shuliang; Todorović, Milos; Stoica, George; Wang, Lihong V

2005-09-10

We report on a new configuration of fiber-based polarization-sensitive Mueller matrix optical coherence tomography that permits the acquisition of the round-trip Jones matrix of a biological sample using only one light source and a single depth scan. In this new configuration, a polarization modulator is used in the source arm to continuously modulate the incident polarization state for both the reference and the sample arms. The Jones matrix of the sample can be calculated from the two frequency terms in the two detection channels. The first term is modulated by the carrier frequency, which is determined by the longitudinal scanning mechanism, whereas the other term is modulated by the beat frequency between the carrier frequency and the second harmonic of the modulation frequency of the polarization modulator. One important feature of this system is that, for the first time to our knowledge, the Jones matrix of the sample can be calculated with a single detection channel and a single measurement when diattenuation is negligible. The system was successfully tested by imaging both standard polarization elements and biological samples.

Capacity upgrade in short-reach optical fibre networks: simultaneous 4-PAM 20 Gbps data and polarization-modulated PPS clock signal using a single VCSEL carrier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isoe, G. M.; Wassin, S.; Gamatham, R. R. G.; Leitch, A. W. R.; Gibbon, T. B.

2017-11-01

In this work, a four-level pulse amplitude modulation (4-PAM) format with a polarization-modulated pulse per second (PPS) clock signal using a single vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) carrier is for the first time experimentally demonstrated. We propose uncomplex alternative technique for increasing capacity and flexibility in short-reach optical communication links through multi-signal modulation onto a single VCSEL carrier. A 20 Gbps 4-PAM data signal is directly modulated onto a single mode 10 GHz bandwidth VCSEL carrier at 1310 nm, therefore, doubling the network bit rate. Carrier spectral efficiency is further maximized by exploiting the inherent orthogonal polarization switching of the VCSEL carrier with changing bias in transmission of a PPS clock signal. We, therefore, simultaneously transmit a 20 Gbps 4-PAM data signal and a polarization-based PPS clock signal using a single VCSEL carrier. It is the first time a signal VCSEL carrier is reported to simultaneously transmit a directly modulated 20 Gbps 4-PAM data signal and a polarization-based PPS clock signal. We further demonstrate on the design of a software-defined digital signal processing (DSP)-assisted receiver as an alternative to costly receiver hardware. Experimental results show that a 3.21 km fibre transmission with simultaneous 20 Gbps 4-PAM data signal and polarization-based PPS clock signal introduced a penalty of 3.76 dB. The contribution of polarization-based PPS clock signal to this penalty was found out to be 0.41 dB. Simultaneous distribution of data and timing clock signals over shared network infrastructure significantly increases the aggregated data rate at different optical network units (ONUs), without costly investment.

Fine structure and optical properties of biological polarizers in crustaceans and cephalopods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiou, Tsyr-Huei; Caldwell, Roy L.; Hanlon, Roger T.; Cronin, Thomas W.

2008-04-01

The lighting of the underwater environment is constantly changing due to attenuation by water, scattering by suspended particles, as well as the refraction and reflection caused by the surface waves. These factors pose a great challenge for marine animals which communicate through visual signals, especially those based on color. To escape this problem, certain cephalopod mollusks and stomatopod crustaceans utilize the polarization properties of light. While the mechanisms behind the polarization vision of these two animal groups are similar, several distinctive types of polarizers (i.e. the structure producing the signal) have been found in these animals. To gain a better knowledge of how these polarizers function, we studied the relationships between fine structures and optical properties of four types of polarizers found in cephalopods and stomatopods. Although all the polarizers share a somewhat similar spectral range, around 450- 550 nm, the reflectance properties of the signals and the mechanisms used to produce them have dramatic differences. In cephalopods, stack-plates polarizers produce the polarization patterns found on the arms and around their eyes. In stomatopods, we have found one type of beam-splitting polarizer based on photonic structures and two absorptive polarizer types based on dichroic molecules. These stomatopod polarizers may be found on various appendages, and on the cuticle covering dorsal or lateral sides of the animal. Since the efficiencies of all these polarizer types are somewhat sensitive to the change of illumination and viewing angle, how these animals compensate with different behaviors or fine structural features of the polarizer also varies.

Expression of the degree of polarization based on the geometrical optics pBRDF model.

PubMed

Wang, Kai; Zhu, Jingping; Liu, Hong; Du, Bingzheng

2017-02-01

An expression of the degree of polarization (DOP) based on the geometrical optics polarimetric bidirectional reflectance distribution function model is presented. In this expression, the DOP is related to the surface roughness and decreases at different reflection angles because diffuse reflection is taken into consideration. A shadowing/masking function introduced into the specular reflection expression makes the DOP values decrease as the angle of incidence or observation approaches grazing. Different kinds of materials were measured to validate the accuracy of this DOP expression. The measured results suggest that the errors of the DOP are reduced significantly, and the polarized reflection characteristics can be described more reasonably and accurately.

Polarization-multiplexed 2×2 phosphor-LED wireless light communication without using analog equalization and optical blue filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, C. H.; Chen, H. Y.; Liu, Y. L.; Chow, C. W.

2015-01-01

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a 380 (2×190) Mbps phosphor-light-emitting-diode (LED) based visible light communication (VLC) system by using 2×2 polarization-multiplexing design for in-building access applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time of employing polarization-multiplexing to achieve a high VLC transmission capacity by using phosphor-based white-LED without optical blue filter. Besides, utilizing the optimum resistor-inductor-capacity (RLC) bias-tee design, it can not only perform the function of combining the direct-current (DC) and the electrical data signal, but also act as a simple LED-Tx circuit. No optical blue filter and complicated post-equalization are required at the Rx. Here, the orthogonal-frequency-division-multiplexing (OFDM) quadrature-amplitude-modulation (QAM) with bit-loading is employed to enhance the transmission data rate.

An Ultrafast Switchable Terahertz Polarization Modulator Based on III-V Semiconductor Nanowires.

PubMed

Baig, Sarwat A; Boland, Jessica L; Damry, Djamshid A; Tan, H Hoe; Jagadish, Chennupati; Joyce, Hannah J; Johnston, Michael B

2017-04-12

Progress in the terahertz (THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum is undergoing major advances, with advanced THz sources and detectors being developed at a rapid pace. Yet, ultrafast THz communication is still to be realized, owing to the lack of practical and effective THz modulators. Here, we present a novel ultrafast active THz polarization modulator based on GaAs semiconductor nanowires arranged in a wire-grid configuration. We utilize an optical pump-terahertz probe spectroscopy system and vary the polarization of the optical pump beam to demonstrate ultrafast THz modulation with a switching time of less than 5 ps and a modulation depth of -8 dB. We achieve an extinction of over 13% and a dynamic range of -9 dB, comparable to microsecond-switchable graphene- and metamaterial-based THz modulators, and surpassing the performance of optically switchable carbon nanotube THz polarizers. We show a broad bandwidth for THz modulation between 0.1 and 4 THz. Thus, this work presents the first THz modulator which combines not only a large modulation depth but also a broad bandwidth and picosecond time resolution for THz intensity and phase modulation, making it an ideal candidate for ultrafast THz communication.

Birefringence profile adjustment by spatial overlap of nanogratings induced by ultra-short laser pulses inside fused silica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arabanian, Atoosa Sadat; Najafi, Somayeh; Ajami, Aliasghar; Husinsky, Wolfgang; Massudi, Reza

2018-02-01

We have succeeded in realizing a method to control the spatial distribution of optical retardation as a result of nanogratings in bulk-fused silica induced by ultrashort laser pulses. A colorimetry-based retardation measurement (CBRM) based on the Michel-Levy interference color chart using a polarization microscope is used to determine the profiles of the optical retardation. Effects of the spatial overlap of written regions as well as the energy and polarization of the writing pulses on the induced retardations are studied. It has been found that the spatial overlap of lines written by pulse trains with different energies and polarizations can result in an adjustment of the induced birefringence in the overlap region. This approach offers the possibility of designing polarization-sensitive components with a desired birefringence profile.

High-Order Dielectric Metasurfaces for High-Efficiency Polarization Beam Splitters and Optical Vortex Generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Zhongyi; Zhu, Lie; Guo, Kai; Shen, Fei; Yin, Zhiping

2017-08-01

In this paper, a high-order dielectric metasurface based on silicon nanobrick array is proposed and investigated. By controlling the length and width of the nanobricks, the metasurfaces could supply two different incremental transmission phases for the X-linear-polarized (XLP) and Y-linear-polarized (YLP) light with extremely high efficiency over 88%. Based on the designed metasurface, two polarization beam splitters working in high-order diffraction modes have been designed successfully, which demonstrated a high transmitted efficiency. In addition, we have also designed two vortex-beam generators working in high-order diffraction modes to create vortex beams with the topological charges of 2 and 3. The employment of dielectric metasurfaces operating in high-order diffraction modes could pave the way for a variety of new ultra-efficient optical devices.

All fiber optics circular-state swept source polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Lin, Hermann; Kao, Meng-Chun; Lai, Chih-Ming; Huang, Jyun-Cin; Kuo, Wen-Chuan

2014-02-01

A swept source (SS)-based circular-state (CS) polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) constructed entirely with polarization-maintaining fiber optics components is proposed with the experimental verification. By means of the proposed calibration scheme, bulk quarter-wave plates can be replaced by fiber optics polarization controllers to, therefore, realize an all-fiber optics CS SSPS-OCT. We also present a numerical dispersion compensation method, which can not only enhance the axial resolution, but also improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the images. We demonstrate that this compact and portable CS SSPS-OCT system with an accuracy comparable to bulk optics systems requires less stringent lens alignment and can possibly serve as a technology to realize PS-OCT instrument for clinical applications (e.g., endoscopy). The largest deviations in the phase retardation (PR) and fast-axis (FA) angle due to sample probe in the linear scanning and a rotation angle smaller than 65 deg were of the same order as those in stationary probe setups. The influence of fiber bending on the measured PR and FA is also investigated. The largest deviations of the PR were 3.5 deg and the measured FA change by ~12 to 21 deg. Finally, in vivo imaging of the human fingertip and nail was successfully demonstrated with a linear scanning probe.

Complete all-optical processing polarization-based binary logic gates and optical processors.

PubMed

Zaghloul, Y A; Zaghloul, A R M

2006-10-16

We present a complete all-optical-processing polarization-based binary-logic system, by which any logic gate or processor can be implemented. Following the new polarization-based logic presented in [Opt. Express 14, 7253 (2006)], we develop a new parallel processing technique that allows for the creation of all-optical-processing gates that produce a unique output either logic 1 or 0 only once in a truth table, and those that do not. This representation allows for the implementation of simple unforced OR, AND, XOR, XNOR, inverter, and more importantly NAND and NOR gates that can be used independently to represent any Boolean expression or function. In addition, the concept of a generalized gate is presented which opens the door for reconfigurable optical processors and programmable optical logic gates. Furthermore, the new design is completely compatible with the old one presented in [Opt. Express 14, 7253 (2006)], and with current semiconductor based devices. The gates can be cascaded, where the information is always on the laser beam. The polarization of the beam, and not its intensity, carries the information. The new methodology allows for the creation of multiple-input-multiple-output processors that implement, by itself, any Boolean function, such as specialized or non-specialized microprocessors. Three all-optical architectures are presented: orthoparallel optical logic architecture for all known and unknown binary gates, singlebranch architecture for only XOR and XNOR gates, and the railroad (RR) architecture for polarization optical processors (POP). All the control inputs are applied simultaneously leading to a single time lag which leads to a very-fast and glitch-immune POP. A simple and easy-to-follow step-by-step algorithm is provided for the POP, and design reduction methodologies are briefly discussed. The algorithm lends itself systematically to software programming and computer-assisted design. As examples, designs of all binary gates, multiple-input gates, and sequential and non-sequential Boolean expressions are presented and discussed. The operation of each design is simply understood by a bullet train traveling at the speed of light on a railroad system preconditioned by the crossover states predetermined by the control inputs. The presented designs allow for optical processing of the information eliminating the need to convert it, back and forth, to an electronic signal for processing purposes. All gates with a truth table, including for example Fredkin, Toffoli, testable reversible logic, and threshold logic gates, can be designed and implemented using the railroad architecture. That includes any future gates not known today. Those designs and the quantum gates are not discussed in this paper.

Assessing near infrared optical properties of ceramic orthodontic brackets using cross-polarization optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Isfeld, Darren M; Aparicio, Conrado; Jones, Robert S

2014-04-01

Secondary decay (caries) under ceramic orthodontic brackets remains a significant dental problem and near infrared cross-polarization optical coherence tomography (CP-OCT) has the potential to detect underlying demineralization. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of crystalline structure and chemical composition of ceramic brackets on CP-OCT imaging. Four ceramic brackets types, which were divided into monocrystalline and polycrystalline, were examined using CP-OCT. The results of this study demonstrated that the crystallinity of the ceramic brackets affected the 1310 nm CP-OCT imaging with the greatest attenuation seen in polycrystalline alumina brackets. The alumina polycrystalline bracket materials had significantly higher attenuation and scattering than alumina monocrystalline brackets (p < 0.05, ANOVA, Bonferroni). Additionally, bracket base morphology and composition affected NIR light attenuation. There was considerable attenuation in bracket bases that contained additive zirconium spheres (∼30 µm) and this alteration was significantly greater than the jagged alumina crystallographic alterations found in the other bracket systems (p < 0.05, ANOVA, Bonferroni). Noninvasive, near infrared (NIR) cross-polarization optical coherence tomography (CP-OCT) has potential to effectively image through portions of ceramic brackets; however, further investigation into the optical effects of resin integration in the base portion of the brackets is warranted. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Optically controlled waveplate at a telecom wavelength using a ladder transition in Rb atoms for all-optical switching and high speed Stokesmetric imaging.

PubMed

Krishnamurthy, Subramanian; Tu, Y; Wang, Y; Tseng, S; Shahriar, M S

2014-11-17

We demonstrate an optically controlled waveplate at ~1323 nm using the 5S(1/2)-5P(1/2)-6S(1/2) ladder transition in a Rb vapor cell. The lower leg of the transitions represents the control beam, while the upper leg represents the signal beam. We show that we can place the signal beam in any arbitrary polarization state with a suitable choice of polarization of the control beam. Specifically, we demonstrate a differential phase retardance of ~180 degrees between the two circularly polarized components of a linearly polarized signal beam. We also demonstrate that the system can act as a Quarter Wave plate. The optical activity responsible for the phase retardation process is explained in terms of selection rules involving the Zeeman sublevels. As such, the system can be used to realize a fast Stokesmetric imaging system with a speed of ~3 MHz. When implemented using a tapered nano fiber embedded in a vapor cell, this system can be used to realize an ultra-low power all-optical switch as well as a Quantum Zeno Effect based all-optical logic gate by combining it with an optically controlled polarizer, previously demonstrated by us. We present numerical simulations of the system using a comprehensive model which incorporates all the relevant Zeeman sub-levels in the system, using a novel algorithm recently developed by us for efficient computation of the evolution of an arbitrary large scale quantum system.

Temporal formation of optical anisotropy and surface relief during polarization holographic recording in polymethylmethacrylate with azobenzene side groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Tomoyuki; Izawa, Masahiro; Noda, Kohei; Nishioka, Emi; Kawatsuki, Nobuhiro; Ono, Hiroshi

2014-03-01

The formation of polarization holographic gratings with both optical anisotropy and surface relief (SR) deformation was studied for polymethylmethacrylate with azobenzene side groups. Temporal contributions of isotropic and anisotropic phase gratings were simultaneously determined by observing transitional intensity and polarization states of the diffraction beams and characterizing by means of Jones calculus. To clarify the mechanism of SR deformation, cross sections of SR were characterized based on the optical gradient force model; experimental observations were in good agreement with the theoretical expectation. We clarified that the anisotropic phase change originating in the reorientation of the azobenzene side groups was induced immediately at the beginning of the holographic recording, while the response time of the isotropic phase change originating in the molecular migration due to the optical gradient force was relatively slow.

Design of polarization insensitive filters with micro- and nano-grating structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wen-liang; Rong, Xiao-hong

2014-03-01

For isotropic dielectric thin films, polarization effect is an inherent characteristic. As it will make the performance of optical-electric system go to bad, such polarization-dependent properties are often intolerable and should be eliminated in many applications. In this paper, based on a micro- and nano-optical structure whose period consists of four parts, a polarization insensitive filter is obtained by combining rigorous wave theory and multi-objective immune optimization algorithm. Its working wavelength is 1315 nm which is often used in laser systems. The results of our design show that TE and TM polarized waves have reflectivities of 0.482 and 0.485, respectively at designed wavelength of 1315 nm. And it denotes that two values are both close to the design values, their difference is only 0.003, and polarization deviation is also very little. Therefore, the designed filter can eliminate the effect of polarization deviation very well at 1315 nm wavelength.

Electro-optic high voltage sensor

DOEpatents

Davidson, James R.; Seifert, Gary D.

2003-09-16

A small sized electro-optic voltage sensor capable of accurate measurement of high voltages without contact with a conductor or voltage source is provided. When placed in the presence of an electric field, the sensor receives an input beam of electromagnetic radiation. A polarization beam displacer separates the input beam into two beams with orthogonal linear polarizations and causes one linearly polarized beam to impinge a crystal at a desired angle independent of temperature. The Pockels effect elliptically polarizes the beam as it travels through the crystal. A reflector redirects the beam back through the crystal and the beam displacer. On the return path, the polarization beam displacer separates the elliptically polarized beam into two output beams of orthogonal linear polarization. The system may include a detector for converting the output beams into electrical signals and a signal processor for determining the voltage based on an analysis of the output beams.

Analysis of polarization characteristics of plant canopies using land-based remote sensing measurements for development of ground truth methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidko, Aleksandr; Pisman, Tamara; Botvich, Irina; Shevyrnogov, Anatoly

In order to develop satellite technology for monitoring of terrestrial plant canopies and land-based optical remote sensing techniques, one should employ new approaches to identifying farmlands and determining the plant species composition. The results present a study on polarized characteristics of spectral reflection factor of plant canopies (forests and farm crop canopies) under field conditions, using optical remote sensing techniques. The polarized components of the reflectance factor and the degree of polarization were calculated. Measurements were performed using a spectrophotometer with a polarized light filter attachment. Measurements were done within the spectral range from 400 to 840 nm. The viewing angle was no greater than 200 with respect to the nadir. Measurements of the polarization characteristics of the vegetation on the test ranges were conducted during June-July month when the height of the sun was at its zenith. Different wavelength dependences of the spectral reflection factor polarized component (Rq) and degree of polarization (P) were found both for the coniferous and broadleaf forests (pine and birch) and for farm crops (wheat and corn) and grass canopies. These differences can be used to determine species composition of plant canopies.

Front lighted optical tooling method and apparatus

DOEpatents

Stone, W.J.

1983-06-30

An optical tooling method and apparatus uses a front lighted shadowgraphic technique to enhance visual contrast of reflected light. The apparatus includes an optical assembly including a fiducial mark, such as cross hairs, reflecting polarized light with a first polarization, a polarizing element backing the fiducial mark and a reflective surface backing the polarizing element for reflecting polarized light bypassing the fiducial mark and traveling through the polarizing element. The light reflected by the reflecting surface is directed through a second pass of the polarizing element toward the frontal direction with a polarization differing from the polarization of the light reflected by the fiducial mark. When used as a tooling target, the optical assembly may be mounted directly to a reference surface or may be secured in a mounting, such as a magnetic mounting. The optical assembly may also be mounted in a plane defining structure and used as a spherometer in conjunction with an optical depth measuring instrument.

Inhomogeneous nuclear spin polarization induced by helicity-modulated optical excitation of fluorine-bound electron spins in ZnSe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heisterkamp, F.; Greilich, A.; Zhukov, E. A.; Kirstein, E.; Kazimierczuk, T.; Korenev, V. L.; Yugova, I. A.; Yakovlev, D. R.; Pawlis, A.; Bayer, M.

2015-12-01

Optically induced nuclear spin polarization in a fluorine-doped ZnSe epilayer is studied by time-resolved Kerr rotation using resonant excitation of donor-bound excitons. Excitation with helicity-modulated laser pulses results in a transverse nuclear spin polarization, which is detected as a change of the Larmor precession frequency of the donor-bound electron spins. The frequency shift in dependence on the transverse magnetic field exhibits a pronounced dispersion-like shape with resonances at the fields of nuclear magnetic resonance of the constituent zinc and selenium isotopes. It is studied as a function of external parameters, particularly of constant and radio frequency external magnetic fields. The width of the resonance and its shape indicate a strong spatial inhomogeneity of the nuclear spin polarization in the vicinity of a fluorine donor. A mechanism of optically induced nuclear spin polarization is suggested based on the concept of resonant nuclear spin cooling driven by the inhomogeneous Knight field of the donor-bound electron.

Wave-plate structures, power selective optical filter devices, and optical systems using same

DOEpatents

Koplow, Jeffrey P [San Ramon, CA

2012-07-03

In an embodiment, an optical filter device includes an input polarizer for selectively transmitting an input signal. The device includes a wave-plate structure positioned to receive the input signal, which includes first and second substantially zero-order, zero-wave plates arranged in series with and oriented at an angle relative to each other. The first and second zero-wave plates are configured to alter a polarization state of the input signal passing in a manner that depends on the power of the input signal. Each zero-wave plate includes an entry and exit wave plate each having a fast axis, with the fast axes oriented substantially perpendicular to each other. Each entry wave plate is oriented relative to a transmission axis of the input polarizer at a respective angle. An output polarizer is positioned to receive a signal output from the wave-plate structure and selectively transmits the signal based on the polarization state.

The polarization response in InAs quantum dots: theoretical correlation between composition and electronic properties.

PubMed

Usman, Muhammad; Tasco, Vittorianna; Todaro, Maria Teresa; De Giorgi, Milena; O'Reilly, Eoin P; Klimeck, Gerhard; Passaseo, Adriana

2012-04-27

III-V growth and surface conditions strongly influence the physical structure and resulting optical properties of self-assembled quantum dots (QDs). Beyond the design of a desired active optical wavelength, the polarization response of QDs is of particular interest for optical communications and quantum information science. Previous theoretical studies based on a pure InAs QD model failed to reproduce experimentally observed polarization properties. In this work, multi-million atom simulations are performed in an effort to understand the correlation between chemical composition and polarization properties of QDs. A systematic analysis of QD structural parameters leads us to propose a two-layer composition model, mimicking In segregation and In-Ga intermixing effects. This model, consistent with mostly accepted compositional findings, allows us to accurately fit the experimental PL spectra. The detailed study of QD morphology parameters presented here serves as a tool for using growth dynamics to engineer the strain field inside and around the QD structures, allowing tuning of the polarization response.

Anisotropic ray trace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Wai Sze Tiffany

Optical components made of anisotropic materials, such as crystal polarizers and crystal waveplates, are widely used in many complex optical system, such as display systems, microlithography, biomedical imaging and many other optical systems, and induce more complex aberrations than optical components made of isotropic materials. The goal of this dissertation is to accurately simulate the performance of optical systems with anisotropic materials using polarization ray trace. This work extends the polarization ray tracing calculus to incorporate ray tracing through anisotropic materials, including uniaxial, biaxial and optically active materials. The 3D polarization ray tracing calculus is an invaluable tool for analyzing polarization properties of an optical system. The 3x3 polarization ray tracing P matrix developed for anisotropic ray trace assists tracking the 3D polarization transformations along a ray path with series of surfaces in an optical system. To better represent the anisotropic light-matter interactions, the definition of the P matrix is generalized to incorporate not only the polarization change at a refraction/reflection interface, but also the induced optical phase accumulation as light propagates through the anisotropic medium. This enables realistic modeling of crystalline polarization elements, such as crystal waveplates and crystal polarizers. The wavefront and polarization aberrations of these anisotropic components are more complex than those of isotropic optical components and can be evaluated from the resultant P matrix for each eigen-wavefront as well as for the overall image. One incident ray refracting or reflecting into an anisotropic medium produces two eigenpolarizations or eigenmodes propagating in different directions. The associated ray parameters of these modes necessary for the anisotropic ray trace are described in Chapter 2. The algorithms to calculate the P matrix from these ray parameters are described in Chapter 3 for anisotropic ray tracing. x. Chapter 4 presents the data reduction of the P matrix of a crystal waveplate. The diattenuation is embedded in the singular values of P. The retardance is divided into two parts: (A) The physical retardance induced by OPLs and surface interactions, and (B) the geometrical transformation induced by geometry of a ray path, which is calculated by the geometrical transform Q matrix. The Q matrix of an anisotropic intercept is derived from the generalization of s- and p-bases at the anisotropic intercept; the p basis is not confined to the plane of incidence due to the anisotropic refraction or reflection. Chapter 5 shows how the multiple P matrices associated with the eigenmodes resulting from propagation through multiple anisotropic surfaces can be combined into one P matrix when the multiple modes interfere in their overlapping regions. The resultant P matrix contains diattenuation induced at each surface interaction as well as the retardance due to ray propagation and total internal reflections. The polarization aberrations of crystal waveplates and crystal polarizers are studied in Chapter 6 and Chapter 7. A wavefront simulated by a grid of rays is traced through the anisotropic system and the resultant grid of rays is analyzed. The analysis is complicated by the ray doubling effects and the partially overlapping eigen-wavefronts propagating in various directions. The wavefront and polarization aberrations of each eigenmode can be evaluated from the electric field distributions. The overall polarization at the plane of interest or the image quality at the image plane are affected by each of these eigen-wavefronts. Isotropic materials become anisotropic due to stress, strain, or applied electric or magnetic fields. In Chapter 8, the P matrix for anisotropic materials is extended to ray tracing in stress birefringent materials which are treated as spatially varying anisotropic materials. Such simulations can predict the spatial retardance variation throughout the stressed optical component and its effects on the point spread function and modulation transfer function for different incident polarizations. The anisotropic extension of the P matrix also applies to other anisotropic optical components, such as anisotropic diffractive optical elements and anisotropic thin films. It systematically keeps track of polarization transformation in 3D global Cartesian coordinates of a ray propagating through series of anisotropic and isotropic optical components with arbitrary orientations. The polarization ray tracing calculus with this generalized P matrix provides a powerful tool for optical ray trace and allows comprehensive analysis of complex optical system. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

In vivo imaging of human oral hard and soft tissues by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walther, Julia; Golde, Jonas; Kirsten, Lars; Tetschke, Florian; Hempel, Franz; Rosenauer, Tobias; Hannig, Christian; Koch, Edmund

2017-12-01

Since optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides three-dimensional high-resolution images of biological tissue, the benefit of polarization contrast in the field of dentistry is highlighted in this study. Polarization-sensitive OCT (PS OCT) with phase-sensitive recording is used for imaging dental and mucosal tissues in the human oral cavity in vivo. An enhanced polarization contrast of oral structures is reached by analyzing the signals of the co- and crosspolarized channels of the swept source PS OCT system quantitatively with respect to reflectivity, retardation, optic axis orientation, and depolarization. The calculation of these polarization parameters enables a high tissue-specific contrast imaging for the detailed physical interpretation of human oral hard and soft tissues. For the proof-of-principle, imaging of composite restorations and mineralization defects at premolars as well as gingival, lingual, and labial oral mucosa was performed in vivo within the anterior oral cavity. The achieved contrast-enhanced results of the investigated human oral tissues by means of polarization-sensitive imaging are evaluated by the comparison with conventional intensity-based OCT.

Long-distance delivery of multi-channel polarization signals in nuclear fusion research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Jinseok; Chung, Jinil; Lee, Kyuhang

2017-04-01

A polarization-preserving optical system that includes a dual photoelastic modulator (PEM) has been designed and fabricated for the motional Stark effect (MSE) diagnostic system which measures internal magnetic field structures inside the tokamak for the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research. The collection optics located outside the vacuum window is composed of four lenses, a dielectric coated mirror, and a dichroic beam splitter in addition to the PEM and a polarizer. The fiber dissector is designed based on the focal plane that aligns 25 lines of sight, each of which constitutes a bundle of 19 600-μm fibers. The fibers run about 40 m from the front optics in the tokamak vacuum vessel to the detector in the diagnostic area remote from the tokamak hall. This takes the advantage of the fact that the polarization information is intensity-modulated once going through the PEM and the polarizer. The polarization signals measured by the MSE diagnostic successfully demonstrates its proof-of-principle physics that is critical in the stable and steady-state operation of the tokamak plasmas.

Modified polarized geometrical attenuation model for bidirectional reflection distribution function based on random surface microfacet theory.

PubMed

Liu, Hong; Zhu, Jingping; Wang, Kai

2015-08-24

The geometrical attenuation model given by Blinn was widely used in the geometrical optics bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) models. Blinn's geometrical attenuation model based on symmetrical V-groove assumption and ray scalar theory causes obvious inaccuracies in BRDF curves and negatives the effects of polarization. Aiming at these questions, a modified polarized geometrical attenuation model based on random surface microfacet theory is presented by combining of masking and shadowing effects and polarized effect. The p-polarized, s-polarized and unpolarized geometrical attenuation functions are given in their separate expressions and are validated with experimental data of two samples. It shows that the modified polarized geometrical attenuation function reaches better physical rationality, improves the precision of BRDF model, and widens the applications for different polarization.

Geometric metasurface enabling polarization independent beam splitting.

PubMed

Yoon, Gwanho; Lee, Dasol; Nam, Ki Tae; Rho, Junsuk

2018-06-21

A polarization independent holographic beam splitter that generates equal-intensity beams based on geometric metasurface is demonstrated. Although conventional geometric metasurfaces have the advantages of working over a broad frequency range and having intuitive design principles, geometric metasurfaces have the limitation that they only work for circular polarization. In this work, Fourier holography is used to overcome this limitation. A perfect overlap resulting from the origin-symmetry of the encoded image enables polarization independent operation of geometric metasurfaces. The designed metasurface beam splitter is experimentally demonstrated by using hydrogenated amorphous silicon, and the device performs consistent beam splitting regardless of incident polarizations as well as wavelengths. Our device can be applied to generate equal-intensity beams for entangled photon light sources in quantum optics, and the design approach provides a way to develop ultra-thin broadband polarization independent components for modern optics.

Three-dimensional imaging through turbid media based on polarization-difference liquid-crystal microlens array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xin, Zhaowei; Wei, Dong; Li, Dapeng; Xie, Xingwang; Chen, Mingce; Zhang, Xinyu; Wang, Haiwei; Xie, Changsheng

2018-02-01

In this paper, a polarization difference liquid-crystal microlens array (PD-LCMLA) for three dimensional imaging application through turbid media is fabricated and demonstrated. This device is composed of a twisted nematic liquidcrystal cell (TNLCC), a polarizer and a liquid-crystal microlens array. The polarizer is sandwiched between the TNLCC and LCMLA to help the polarization difference system achieving the orthogonal polarization raw images. The prototyped camera for polarization difference imaging has been constructed by integrating the PD-LCMLA with an image sensor. The orthogonally polarized light-field images are recorded by switching the working state of the TNLCC. Here, by using a special microstructure in conjunction with the polarization-difference algorithm, we demonstrate that the three-dimensional information in the scattering media can be retrieved from the polarization-difference imaging system with an electrically tunable PD-LCMLA. We further investigate the system's potential function based on the flexible microstructure. The microstructure provides a wide operation range in the manipulation of incident beams and also emerges multiple operation modes for imaging applications, such as conventional planar imaging, polarization imaging mode, and polarization-difference imaging mode. Since the PD-LCMLA demonstrates a very low power consumption, multiple imaging modes and simple manufacturing, this kind of device presents a potential to be used in many other optical and electro-optical systems.

High-speed polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography for retinal diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Biwei; Wang, Bingqing; Vemishetty, Kalyanramu; Nagle, Jim; Liu, Shuang; Wang, Tianyi; Rylander, Henry G., III; Milner, Thomas E.

2012-01-01

We report design and construction of an FPGA-based high-speed swept-source polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (SS-PS-OCT) system for clinical retinal imaging. Clinical application of the SS-PS-OCT system is accurate measurement and display of thickness, phase retardation and birefringence maps of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in human subjects for early detection of glaucoma. The FPGA-based SS-PS-OCT system provides three incident polarization states on the eye and uses a bulk-optic polarization sensitive balanced detection module to record two orthogonal interference fringe signals. Interference fringe signals and relative phase retardation between two orthogonal polarization states are used to obtain Stokes vectors of light returning from each RNFL depth. We implement a Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to compute accurate phase retardation and birefringence maps. For each retinal scan, a three-state Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear algorithm is applied to 360 clusters each consisting of 100 A-scans to determine accurate maps of phase retardation and birefringence in less than 1 second after patient measurement allowing real-time clinical imaging-a speedup of more than 300 times over previous implementations. We report application of the FPGA-based SS-PS-OCT system for real-time clinical imaging of patients enrolled in a clinical study at the Eye Institute of Austin and Duke Eye Center.

Reflection-induced linear polarization rotation and phase modulation between orthogonal waves for refractive index variation measurement.

PubMed

Twu, Ruey-Ching; Wang, Jhao-Sheng

2016-04-01

An optical phase interrogation is proposed to study reflection-induced linear polarization rotation in a common-path homodyne interferometer. This optical methodology can also be applied to the measurement of the refractive index variation of a liquid solution. The performance of the refractive index sensing structure is discussed theoretically, and the experimental results demonstrated a very good ability based on the proposed schemes. Compared with a conventional common-path heterodyne interferometer, the proposed homodyne interferometer with only a single channel reduced the usage of optic elements.

Controlling propagation and coupling of waveguide modes using phase-gradient metasurfaces

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

Li, Zhaoyi; Kim, Myoung -Hwan; Wang, Cheng

Here, research on two-dimensional designer optical structures, or metasurfaces, has mainly focused on controlling the wavefronts of light propagating in free space. Here, we show that gradient metasurface structures consisting of phased arrays of plasmonic or dielectric nanoantennas can be used to control guided waves via strong optical scattering at subwavelength intervals. Based on this design principle, we experimentally demonstrate waveguide mode converters, polarization rotators and waveguide devices supporting asymmetric optical power transmission. We also demonstrate all-dielectric on-chip polarization rotators based on phased arrays of Mie resonators with negligible insertion losses. Our gradient metasurfaces can enable small-footprint, broadband and low-lossmore » photonic integrated devices.« less

Controlling propagation and coupling of waveguide modes using phase-gradient metasurfaces

DOE PAGES

Li, Zhaoyi; Kim, Myoung -Hwan; Wang, Cheng; ...

2017-04-17

Here, research on two-dimensional designer optical structures, or metasurfaces, has mainly focused on controlling the wavefronts of light propagating in free space. Here, we show that gradient metasurface structures consisting of phased arrays of plasmonic or dielectric nanoantennas can be used to control guided waves via strong optical scattering at subwavelength intervals. Based on this design principle, we experimentally demonstrate waveguide mode converters, polarization rotators and waveguide devices supporting asymmetric optical power transmission. We also demonstrate all-dielectric on-chip polarization rotators based on phased arrays of Mie resonators with negligible insertion losses. Our gradient metasurfaces can enable small-footprint, broadband and low-lossmore » photonic integrated devices.« less

Polarization-dependent plasmonic splitter based on low-loss polymer optical materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Guang; Fu, Xing-Chang; Zhang, Li-Jiang; Liu, Yi-Ran; Zhao, Ning; Zhang, Tong

2018-01-01

A polarization-dependent optical beam splitter consisting of a straight long-range surface plasmon polariton (LRSPP) waveguide and an S-bend polymer waveguide was designed, fabricated and measured in this paper. At the splitting section, the two different waveguides are vertically coupled. The measurenment results show that the splitter operated in dual-channel mode at TM polarization, and single-channel mode at TE polarization. In addition, the polymer waveguide and LRSPP waveguide in the splitter exhibit low propagation loss of 0.51 dB/cm and 1.7 dB/cm, respectively. The hybrid beam splitter has wide potential applications in three dimensional (3D) multilayer photonic integrated circuits (PICs).

Formation of multiple focal spots using a high NA lens with a complex spiral phase mask

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lalithambigai, K.; Anbarasan, P. M.; Rajesh, K. B.

2014-07-01

The formation of a transversally polarized beam by transmitting a tightly focused double-ring-shaped azimuthally polarized beam through a complex spiral phase mask and high numerical aperture lens is presented based on vector diffraction theory. The generation of transversally polarized focal spot segment splitting and multiple focal spots is illustrated numerically. Moreover, we found that a properly designed complex spiral phase mask can move the focal spots along the optical axis in the z direction. Therefore, one can achieve a focal segment of two, three or multiple completely transversely polarized focal spots, which finds applications in optical trapping and in material processing technologies.

Three-Dimensional Large Screen Display Using Polymer-Dispersed Liquid-Crystal Light Valves and a Schlieren Optical System: Proposal and Basic Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takizawa, Kuniharu

A novel three-dimensional (3-D) projection display used with polarized eyeglasses is proposed. It consists of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal-light valves that modulate the illuminated light based on light scattering, a polarization beam splitter, and a Schlieren projection system. The features of the proposed display include a 3-D image display with a single projector, half size and half power consumption compared with a conventional 3-D projector with polarized glasses. Measured electro-optic characteristics of a polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal cell inserted between crossed polarizers suggests that the proposed display achieves small cross talk and high-extinction ratio.

An apparatus for pulsed ESR and DNP experiments using optically excited triplet states down to liquid helium temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichhorn, T. R.; Haag, M.; van den Brandt, B.; Hautle, P.; Wenckebach, W. Th.; Jannin, S.; van der Klink, J. J.; Comment, A.

2013-09-01

In standard Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) electron spins are polarized at low temperatures in a strong magnetic field and this polarization is transferred to the nuclear spins by means of a microwave field. To obtain high nuclear polarizations cryogenic equipment reaching temperatures of 1 K or below and superconducting magnets delivering several Tesla are required. This equipment strongly limits applications in nuclear and particle physics where beams of particles interact with the polarized nuclei, as well as in neutron scattering science. The problem can be solved using short-lived optically excited triplet states delivering the electron spin. The spin is polarized in the optical excitation process and both the cryogenic equipment and magnet can be simplified significantly. A versatile apparatus is described that allows to perform pulsed dynamic nuclear polarization experiments at X-band using short-lived optically excited triplet sates. The efficient 4He flow cryostat that cools the sample to temperatures between 4 K and 300 K has an optical access with a coupling stage for a fiber transporting the light from a dedicated laser system. It is further designed to be operated on a neutron beam. A combined pulse ESR/DNP spectrometer has been developed to observe and characterize the triplet states and to perform pulse DNP experiments. The ESR probe is based on a dielectric ring resonator of 7 mm inner diameter that can accommodate cubic samples of 5 mm length needed for neutron experiments. NMR measurements can be performed during DNP with a coil integrated in the cavity. With the presented apparatus a proton polarization of 0.5 has been achieved at 0.3 T.

Optically controlled polarizer using a ladder transition for high speed Stokesmetric Imaging and Quantum Zeno Effect based optical logic.

PubMed

Krishnamurthy, Subramanian; Wang, Y; Tu, Y; Tseng, S; Shahriar, M S

2013-10-21

We demonstrate an optically controlled polarizer at ~1323 nm using a ladder transition in a Rb vapor cell. The lower leg of the 5S(1/2),F = 1->5P(1/2),F = 1,2->6S(1/2),F = 1,2 transitions is excited by a Ti:Sapphire laser locked to a saturated absorption signal, representing the control beam. A tunable fiber laser at ~1323 nm is used to excite the upper leg of the transitions, representing the signal beam. When the control beam is linearly polarized, it produces an excitation of the intermediate level with a particular orientation of the angular momentum. Under ideal conditions, this orientation is transparent to the signal beam if it has the same polarization as the control beam and is absorbed when it is polarized orthogonally. We also present numerical simulations of the system using a comprehensive model which incorporates all the relevant Zeeman sub-levels in the system, and identify means to improve the performance of the polarizer. A novel algorithm to compute the evolution of large scale quantum system enabled us to perform this computation, which may have been considered too cumbersome to carry out previously. We describe how such a polarizer may serve as a key component for high-speed Stokesmetric imaging. We also show how such a polarizer, combined with an optically controlled waveplate, recently demonstrated by us, can be used to realize a high speed optical logic gate by making use of the Quantum Zeno Effect. Finally, we describe how such a logic gate can be realized at an ultra-low power level using a tapered nanofiber embedded in a vapor cell.

Method and system for compact, multi-pass pulsed laser amplifier

DOEpatents

Erlandson, Alvin Charles

2014-11-25

A laser amplifier includes an input aperture operable to receive laser radiation having a first polarization, an output aperture coupled to the input aperture by an optical path, and a polarizer disposed along an optical path. A transmission axis of the polarizer is aligned with the first polarization. The laser amplifier also includes n optical switch disposed along the optical path. The optical switch is operable to pass the laser radiation when operated in a first state and to reflect the laser radiation when operated in a second state. The laser amplifier further includes an optical gain element disposed along the optical path and a polarization rotation device disposed along the optical path.

Investigation of vertical cavity surface emitting laser dynamics for neuromorphic photonic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurtado, A.; Schires, K.; Henning, I. D.; Adams, M. J.

2012-03-01

We report an approach based upon vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) to reproduce optically different behaviors exhibited by biological neurons but on a much faster timescale. The technique proposed is based on the polarization switching and nonlinear dynamics induced in a single VCSEL under polarized optical injection. The particular attributes of VCSELs and the simple experimental configuration used in this work offer prospects of fast, reconfigurable processing elements with excellent fan-out and scaling potentials for use in future computational paradigms and artificial neural networks.

Optical circulator analysis and optimization: a mini-project for physical optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Zhujun

2017-08-01

One of the mini-projects for the course of physical optics is reported. The project is designed to increase comprehension on the basics and applications of polarized light and birefringent crystal. Firstly, the students are required to analyze the basic principle of an optical circulator based on birefringent crystal. Then, they need to consider the engineering optimization problems. The key tasks include analyzing the polarization transforming unit (composed of a half-waveplate and a Faraday rotator) based on Jones matrix, maximizing the walk-off angle between e-ray and o-ray in birefringent crystal, separating e-ray and o-ray symmetrically, employment of a transformed Wollaston prism for input/output coupling of optical beams to fibers. Three years' practice shows that the project is of moderate difficulty, while it covers most of the related knowledge required for the course and helps to train the engineering thinking.

Spin-controlled ultrafast vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höpfner, Henning; Lindemann, Markus; Gerhardt, Nils C.; Hofmann, Martin R.

2014-05-01

Spin-controlled semiconductor lasers are highly attractive spintronic devices providing characteristics superior to their conventional purely charge-based counterparts. In particular, spin-controlled vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers (spin-VCSELs) promise to offer lower thresholds, enhanced emission intensity, spin amplification, full polarization control, chirp control and ultrafast dynamics. Most important, the ability to control and modulate the polarization state of the laser emission with extraordinarily high frequencies is very attractive for many applications like broadband optical communication and ultrafast optical switches. We present a novel concept for ultrafast spin-VCSELs which has the potential to overcome the conventional speed limitation for directly modulated lasers by the relaxation oscillation frequency and to reach modulation frequencies significantly above 100 GHz. The concept is based on the coupled spin-photon dynamics in birefringent micro-cavity lasers. By injecting spin-polarized carriers in the VCSEL, oscillations of the coupled spin-photon system can by induced which lead to oscillations of the polarization state of the laser emission. These oscillations are decoupled from conventional relaxation oscillations of the carrier-photon system and can be much faster than these. Utilizing these polarization oscillations is thus a very promising approach to develop ultrafast spin-VCSELs for high speed optical data communication in the near future. Different aspects of the spin and polarization dynamics, its connection to birefringence and bistability in the cavity, controlled switching of the oscillations, and the limitations of this novel approach will be analysed theoretically and experimentally for spin-polarized VCSELs at room temperature.

Optical detection dental disease using polarized light

DOEpatents

Everett, Matthew J.; Colston, Jr., Billy W.; Sathyam, Ujwal S.; Da Silva, Luiz B.; Fried, Daniel

2003-01-01

A polarization sensitive optical imaging system is used to detect changes in polarization in dental tissues to aid the diagnosis of dental disease such as caries. The degree of depolarization is measured by illuminating the dental tissue with polarized light and measuring the polarization state of the backscattered light. The polarization state of this reflected light is analyzed using optical polarimetric imaging techniques. A hand-held fiber optic dental probe is used in vivo to direct the incident beam to the dental tissue and collect the reflected light. To provide depth-resolved characterization of the dental tissue, the polarization diagnostics may be incorporated into optical coherence domain reflectometry and optical coherence tomography (OCDR/OCT) systems, which enables identification of subsurface depolarization sites associated with demineralization of enamel or bone.

Fiber-based coherent polarization beam combining with cascaded phase-locking and polarization-transforming controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yan; Geng, Chao; Li, Feng; Huang, Guan; Li, Xinyang

2018-05-01

In this paper, the fiber-based coherent polarization beam combining (CPBC) with cascaded phase-locking (PL) and polarization-transforming (PT) controls was proposed to combine imbalanced input beams where the number of the input beams is not binary, in which the PL control was performed using the piezoelectric-ring fiber-optic phase compensator, and the PT control was realized by the dynamic polarization controller, simultaneously. The principle of the proposed CPBC was introduced. The performance of the proposed CPBC was analyzed in comparison with the CPBC based on PL control and the CPBC based on PT control. The basic experiment of CPBC of three laser beams was carried out to validate the feasibility of the proposed CPBC, where cascaded controls of PL and PT were implemented based on stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed CPBC incorporates the advantages of the two previous CPBC schemes and performs well in the closed loop. Moreover, the expansibility and the application of the proposed CPBC were validated by scaling the CPBC to combine seven laser beams. We believe that the proposed fiber-based CPBC with cascaded PL and PT controls has great potential in free space optical communications employing the multi-aperture receiver with asymmetric structure.

A New Optical Scheme for a Polarimetric-Based Glucose Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ansari, Rafat R.; Boeckle, Stefan; Rovati, Luigi; Salzman, Jack A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We describe a new optical scheme to perform polarimetric measurements to detect glucose concentration in the aqueous humor of a model eye. The ultimate aim is to apply this technique in designing a new instrument for measuring glucose levels in diabetic patients routinely, frequently, and non-invasively. The scheme exploits the Brewsterreflection of circularly polarized light off of the lens of the eye. Theoretically, this backreflected linearly polarized light on its way to the detector is expected to rotate its state of polarization due to the presence of glucose molecules in the aqueous humor of patients. An experimental laboratory setup based on this scheme was designed and tested by measuring a range of known concentration of glucose solutions dissolved in water.

Spectral binning for mitigation of polarization mode dispersion artifacts in catheter-based optical frequency domain imaging

PubMed Central

Villiger, Martin; Zhang, Ellen Ziyi; Nadkarni, Seemantini K.; Oh, Wang-Yuhl; Vakoc, Benjamin J.; Bouma, Brett E.

2013-01-01

Polarization mode dispersion (PMD) has been recognized as a significant barrier to sensitive and reproducible birefringence measurements with fiber-based, polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography systems. Here, we present a signal processing strategy that reconstructs the local retardation robustly in the presence of system PMD. The algorithm uses a spectral binning approach to limit the detrimental impact of system PMD and benefits from the final averaging of the PMD-corrected retardation vectors of the spectral bins. The algorithm was validated with numerical simulations and experimental measurements of a rubber phantom. When applied to the imaging of human cadaveric coronary arteries, the algorithm was found to yield a substantial improvement in the reconstructed birefringence maps. PMID:23938487

2x2 MIMO-OFDM Gigabit fiber-wireless access system based on polarization division multiplexed WDM-PON.

PubMed

Deng, Lei; Pang, Xiaodan; Zhao, Ying; Othman, M B; Jensen, Jesper Bevensee; Zibar, Darko; Yu, Xianbin; Liu, Deming; Monroy, Idelfonso Tafur

2012-02-13

We propose a spectral efficient radio over wavelength division multiplexed passive optical network (WDM-PON) system by combining optical polarization division multiplexing (PDM) and wireless multiple input multiple output (MIMO) spatial multiplexing techniques. In our experiment, a training-based zero forcing (ZF) channel estimation algorithm is designed to compensate the polarization rotation and wireless multipath fading. A 797 Mb/s net data rate QPSK-OFDM signal with error free (<1 × 10(5)) performance and a 1.59 Gb/s net data rate 16QAM-OFDM signal with BER performance of 1.2 × 10(2) are achieved after transmission of 22.8 km single mode fiber followed by 3 m and 1 m air distances, respectively.

Study on the polarization scrambling time for ultra-high-speed optical fiber communication systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Nan; Li, Tangjun; Zhong, Kangping; Gong, Taorong; Lu, Dan; Chen, Ming; Wang, Chen

2009-11-01

A 160Gbit/s optical time-division-multiplexing (OTDM) transmission system with polarization Scrambler is demonstrated experimentally. The Scrambler based on the structure of the all-fiber dynamic polarization controller (PolaRITE II by General Photonics Co.). The polarization controller is controlled accurately the peak scrambling frequencies and the corresponding half-wave voltages by home-made a singlechip circuit. Both theory and experience show that the rate of scrambler is related to the spectrum width, spectral distribution, modulation rate and so on. The rate of Scramble for broadband light would be much slower compare with narrowband light to carrying out depolarization. In the same width of spectrum, light with abundant spectrum would need a slower rate. The relationship between the Rate of Scrambler and the Character of different Lasers will be discussed by using Stokes parameters and Mueller matrix. And the experiments performed to verify the results of theoretical analysis results. The Scrambler can reduce Intersymbol Interference, Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) and Polarization Dependent Loss (PDL) that have are validated experimentally. Based on the Scrambler, the 160-Gb/s OTDM transmissions are successfully demonstrated.

Animated Displays IV: Linear Polarization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chagnon, Paul

1993-01-01

Describes several demonstrations that can be easily reproduced to help students understand optical polarization. Displays and supplement text include polarization by reflection; polarization by scattering; liquid crystals; optical activity; calcite; birefringent plastics; retardation plates; photoelasticity; and the "Optical Barber…

Micro-position sensor using faraday effect

DOEpatents

McElfresh, Michael [Livermore, CA; Lucas, Matthew [Pittsburgh, PA; Silveira, Joseph P [Tracy, CA; Groves, Scott E [Brentwood, CA

2007-02-27

A micro-position sensor and sensing system using the Faraday Effect. The sensor uses a permanent magnet to provide a magnetic field, and a magneto-optic material positioned in the magnetic field for rotating the plane of polarization of polarized light transmitted through the magneto-optic material. The magnet is independently movable relative to the magneto-optic material so as to rotate the plane of polarization of the polarized light as a function of the relative position of the magnet. In this manner, the position of the magnet relative to the magneto-optic material may be determined from the rotated polarized light. The sensing system also includes a light source, such as a laser or LED, for producing polarized light, and an optical fiber which is connected to the light source and to the magneto-optic material at a sensing end of the optical fiber. Processing electronics, such as a polarimeter, are also provided for determining the Faraday rotation of the plane of polarization of the back-reflected polarized light to determine the position of the magnet relative to the sensing end of the optical fiber.

Analysis of CPolSK-based FSO system working in space-to-ground channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Yuwei; Sato, Takuro

2018-03-01

In this article, the transmission performance of a circle polarization shift keying (CPolSK)-based free space optical (FSO) system working in space-to-ground channel is analyzed. Formulas describing the optical polarization distortion caused by the atmospheric turbulence and the communication qualities in terms of signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), bit-error-ratio (BER) and outage probability of the proposed system are derived. Based on the Stokes parameters data measured by a Japanese optical communication satellite, we evaluate the space-to-ground FSO link and simulate the system performance under a varying regime of turbulence strength. The proposed system provides a more efficient way to compensate scintillation effects in a comparison with the on-off-keying (OOK)-based FSO system. These results are useful to the designing and evaluating of a deep space FSO communication system.

Vector Beam Polarization State Spectrum Analyzer.

PubMed

Moreno, Ignacio; Davis, Jeffrey A; Badham, Katherine; Sánchez-López, María M; Holland, Joseph E; Cottrell, Don M

2017-05-22

We present a proof of concept for a vector beam polarization state spectrum analyzer based on the combination of a polarization diffraction grating (PDG) and an encoded harmonic q-plate grating (QPG). As a result, a two-dimensional polarization diffraction grating is formed that generates six different q-plate channels with topological charges from -3 to +3 in the horizontal direction, and each is split in the vertical direction into the six polarization channels at the cardinal points of the corresponding higher-order Poincaré sphere. Consequently, 36 different channels are generated in parallel. This special polarization diffractive element is experimentally demonstrated using a single phase-only spatial light modulator in a reflective optical architecture. Finally, we show that this system can be used as a vector beam polarization state spectrum analyzer, where both the topological charge and the state of polarization of an input vector beam can be simultaneously determined in a single experiment. We expect that these results would be useful for applications in optical communications.

Image acquisition device of inspection robot based on adaptive rotation regulation of polarizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Maoqi; Wang, Xingguang; Liang, Tao; Yang, Guoqing; Zhang, Chuangyou; Gao, Faqin

2017-12-01

An image processing device of inspection robot with adaptive polarization adjustment is proposed, that the device includes the inspection robot body, the image collecting mechanism, the polarizer and the polarizer automatic actuating device. Where, the image acquisition mechanism is arranged at the front of the inspection robot body for collecting equipment image data in the substation. Polarizer is fixed on the automatic actuating device of polarizer, and installed in front of the image acquisition mechanism, and that the optical axis of the camera vertically goes through the polarizer and the polarizer rotates with the optical axis of the visible camera as the central axis. The simulation results show that the system solves the fuzzy problems of the equipment that are caused by glare, reflection of light and shadow, and the robot can observe details of the running status of electrical equipment. And the full coverage of the substation equipment inspection robot observation target is achieved, which ensures the safe operation of the substation equipment.

Wafer defect detection by a polarization-insensitive external differential interference contrast module.

PubMed

Nativ, Amit; Feldman, Haim; Shaked, Natan T

2018-05-01

We present a system that is based on a new external, polarization-insensitive differential interference contrast (DIC) module specifically adapted for detecting defects in semiconductor wafers. We obtained defect signal enhancement relative to the surrounding wafer pattern when compared with bright-field imaging. The new DIC module proposed is based on a shearing interferometer that connects externally at the output port of an optical microscope and enables imaging thin samples, such as wafer defects. This module does not require polarization optics (such as Wollaston or Nomarski prisms) and is insensitive to polarization, unlike traditional DIC techniques. In addition, it provides full control of the DIC shear and orientation, which allows obtaining a differential phase image directly on the camera (with no further digital processing) while enhancing defect detection capabilities, even if the size of the defect is smaller than the resolution limit. Our technique has the potential of future integration into semiconductor production lines.

Polarization independent thermally tunable erbium-doped fiber amplifier gain equalizer using a cascaded Mach-Zehnder coupler.

PubMed

Sahu, P P

2008-02-10

A thermally tunable erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) gain equalizer filter based on compact point symmetric cascaded Mach-Zehnder (CMZ) coupler is presented with its mathematical model and is found to be polarization dependent due to stress anisotropy caused by local heating for thermo-optic phase change from its mathematical analysis. A thermo-optic delay line structure with a stress releasing groove is proposed and designed for the reduction of polarization dependent characteristics of the high index contrast point symmetric delay line structure of the device. It is found from thermal analysis by using an implicit finite difference method that temperature gradients of the proposed structure, which mainly causes the release of stress anisotropy, is approximately nine times more than that of the conventional structure. It is also seen that the EDFA gain equalized spectrum by using the point symmetric CMZ device based on the proposed structure is almost polarization independent.

Polarization manipulation in single refractive prism based holography lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Wenjie; Xu, Yi; Xiao, Yujian; Lv, Xiaoxu; Wu, Lijun

2015-01-01

We propose theoretically and demonstrate experimentally a simple but effective strategy for polarization manipulation in single refractive prism based holographic lithography. By tuning the polarization of a single laser beam, we can obtain the pill shape interference pattern with a high-contrast where a complex optical setup and multiple polarizers are needed in the conventional holography lithography. Fabrication of pill shape two-dimensional polymer photonic crystals using one beam and one shoot holography lithography is shown as an example to support our theoretical results. This integrated polarization manipulation technique can release the crucial stability restrictions imposed on the multiple beams holography lithography.

High-contrast fluorescence imaging based on the polarization dependence of the fluorescence enhancement using an optical interference mirror slide.

PubMed

Yasuda, Mitsuru; Akimoto, Takuo

2015-01-01

High-contrast fluorescence imaging using an optical interference mirror (OIM) slide that enhances the fluorescence from a fluorophore located on top of the OIM surface is reported. To enhance the fluorescence and reduce the background light of the OIM, transverse-electric-polarized excitation light was used as incident light, and the transverse-magnetic-polarized fluorescence signal was detected. As a result, an approximate 100-fold improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio was achieved through a 13-fold enhancement of the fluorescence signal and an 8-fold reduction of the background light.

Generation of polarization squeezed light with an optical parametric amplifier at 795 nm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Yashuai; Wen, Xin; Liu, Jinyu; He, Jun; Wang, Junmin

2018-06-01

We report the experimental demonstration of polarization squeezed beam at 795 nm by combining a quadrature amplitude squeezed beam with an in-phase bright coherent beam. The quadrature amplitude squeezed beam is generated by a degenerate optical parametric amplifier based on a PPKTP crystal. Stokes operators Sˆ2 squeezing of -3.8 dB and Sˆ3 anti-squeezing of +5.0 dB have been observed. This polarization squeezed beam resonant to rubidium D1 line has potential applications in quantum information networks and precision measurement beyond the shot noise limit.

Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography – a review [Invited

PubMed Central

de Boer, Johannes F.; Hitzenberger, Christoph K.; Yasuno, Yoshiaki

2017-01-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is now a well-established modality for high-resolution cross-sectional and three-dimensional imaging of transparent and translucent samples and tissues. Conventional, intensity based OCT, however, does not provide a tissue-specific contrast, causing an ambiguity with image interpretation in several cases. Polarization sensitive (PS) OCT draws advantage from the fact that several materials and tissues can change the light’s polarization state, adding an additional contrast channel and providing quantitative information. In this paper, we review basic and advanced methods of PS-OCT and demonstrate its use in selected biomedical applications. PMID:28663869

Compact high-efficiency 100-W-level diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG laser with linearly polarized TEM00 mode output.

PubMed

Xu, Yi-Ting; Xu, Jia-Lin; Guo, Ya-Ding; Yang, Feng-Tu; Chen, Yan-Zhong; Xu, Jian; Xie, Shi-Yong; Bo, Yong; Peng, Qin-Jun; Cui, Dafu; Xu, Zu-Yan

2010-08-20

We present a compact high-efficiency and high-average-power diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG rod laser oscillator operated with a linearly polarized fundamental mode. The oscillator resonator is based on an L-shaped convex-convex cavity with an improved module and a dual-rod configuration for birefringence compensation. Under a pump power of 344 W, a linearly polarized average output power of 101.4 W at 1064 nm is obtained, which corresponds to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 29.4%. The laser is operated at a repetition rate of 400 Hz with a beam quality factor of M(2)=1.14. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest optical-to-optical efficiency for a side-pumped TEM(00) Nd:YAG rod laser oscillator with a 100-W-level output ever reported.

Polarization Enhanced Charge Transfer: Dual-Band GaN-Based Plasmonic Photodetector.

PubMed

Jia, Ran; Zhao, Dongfang; Gao, Naikun; Liu, Duo

2017-01-13

Here, we report a dual-band plasmonic photodetector based on Ga-polar gallium nitride (GaN) for highly sensitive detection of UV and green light. We discover that decoration of Au nanoparticles (NPs) drastically increases the photoelectric responsivities by more than 50 times in comparition to the blank GaN photodetector. The observed behaviors are attributed to polarization enhanced charge transfer of optically excited hot electrons from Au NPs to GaN driven by the strong spontaneous polarization field of Ga-polar GaN. Moreover, defect ionization promoted by localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) is also discussed. This novel type of photodetector may shed light on the design and fabrication of photoelectric devices based on polar semiconductors and microstructural defects.

Polarization-Analyzing CMOS Image Sensor With Monolithically Embedded Polarizer for Microchemistry Systems.

PubMed

Tokuda, T; Yamada, H; Sasagawa, K; Ohta, J

2009-10-01

This paper proposes and demonstrates a polarization-analyzing CMOS sensor based on image sensor architecture. The sensor was designed targeting applications for chiral analysis in a microchemistry system. The sensor features a monolithically embedded polarizer. Embedded polarizers with different angles were implemented to realize a real-time absolute measurement of the incident polarization angle. Although the pixel-level performance was confirmed to be limited, estimation schemes based on the variation of the polarizer angle provided a promising performance for real-time polarization measurements. An estimation scheme using 180 pixels in a 1deg step provided an estimation accuracy of 0.04deg. Polarimetric measurements of chiral solutions were also successfully performed to demonstrate the applicability of the sensor to optical chiral analysis.

Polarization-sensitive electro-optic detection of terahertz wave using three different types of crystal symmetry: Toward broadband polarization spectroscopy

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

Oguchi, Kenichi; Iwasaki, Hotsumi; Okano, Makoto

2016-01-04

We investigated polarization-sensitive electro-optic (EO) detection of terahertz (THz) waves by using two uniaxial crystals: a c-cut gallium selenide and a c-cut lithium niobate crystals. We formulated a general frequency-domain description of EO detection by in-plane isotropic EO crystals, which holds regardless of the frequency. Based on this description, the polarization of THz waves can be derived by analyzing EO sampling signals measured with two orthogonal configurations of the in-plane isotropic EO crystals as well as typical (111) zinc-blende EO crystals. In addition, we experimentally demonstrated that the frequency-dependent polarization of THz waves can be reproducibly retrieved using three EOmore » crystals with different crystal symmetries and with different phase matching conditions. Our description provides essential information for practical polarization sensing in the THz frequency range as well as in the mid-infrared range.« less

Using XMM-Newton and Optical Photometry to Figure Out CVs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szkody, P.; Homer, L.; Henden, A.

2006-06-01

X-ray light curves from XMM-Newton combined with optical data from the satellite and ground-based observers provide distinctive shapes and periodicities that give information on the correct classification of cataclysmic variables. Our recent data on three SDSS sources with strong helium emission are used to identify a highly magnetic system (a polar), the spin of the white dwarf in an intermediate polar, and a typical disk accreting system.

Advanced polarization sensitive analysis in optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieloszyńska, Aleksandra; StrÄ kowski, Marcin R.

2017-08-01

The optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical imaging method, which is widely applied in variety applications. This technology is used to cross-sectional or surface imaging with high resolution in non-contact and non-destructive way. OCT is very useful in medical applications like ophthalmology, dermatology or dentistry, as well as beyond biomedical fields like stress mapping in polymers or protective coatings defects detection. Standard OCT imaging is based on intensity images which can visualize the inner structure of scattering devices. However, there is a number of extensions improving the OCT measurement abilities. The main of them are the polarization sensitive OCT (PS-OCT), Doppler enable OCT (D-OCT) or spectroscopic OCT (S-OCT). Our research activities have been focused on PS-OCT systems. The polarization sensitive analysis delivers an useful information about optical anisotropic properties of the evaluated sample. This kind of measurements is very important for inner stress monitoring or e.g. tissue recognition. Based on our research results and knowledge the standard PS-OCT provide only data about birefringence of the measured sample. However, based on the OCT measurements more information including depolarization and diattenuation might be obtained. In our work, the method based on Jones formalism are going to be presented. It is used to determine birefringence, dichroism and optic axis orientation of the tested sample. In this contribution the setup of the optical system, as well as tests results verifying the measurements abilities of the system are going to be presented. The brief discussion about the effectiveness and usefulness of this approach will be carried out.

Effect of polarization self-action in cubic crystals: peculiarities and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boiko, Sergei A.; Lisitsa, Mikhail P.; Tarasov, Georgiy G.; Valakh, Mikhail Y.

1995-04-01

New concepts are developed to describe a wide area of nonlinear systems involving the phase relaxation peculiarities for the degenerate two- level system under the resonant optical excitation. Nonlinear susceptibility of the two-level system becomes anisotropic, and self- induced changes of polarization (SICP) are developed to the large (gigantic) magnitudes. The nonlinearities of two different natures are considered: the saturation of absorption and the resonant optical reorientation of anisotropic defects. For these particular cases, the SICP effects manifest themselves at a field much lower than that in traditional nonlinear optics. The larger magnitudes of the effects offer good possibilities for the development of optical devices based on the new physical principles. Various applications of SICP effects are demonstrated, including the spectroscopic investigations of impure cubic crystals, optical diagnostics, optical storage, information processing, and the development of new optical devices.

Integrated optics implementation of a fiber optic rotation sensor - Analysis and development. [for Mariner Mark II planetary explorer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartman, R. K.; Youmans, B. R.; Nerheim, N. M.

1987-01-01

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing a fiber optic rotation sensor (FORS) for use on the Mariner Mark II series of planetary explorer craft and in other space applications. FORS is a closed-loop phase-nulling device and embodies a number of interesting innovations. Chief among these are the incorporation of the device's couplers, phase modulators, and polarizer on a single lithium niobate (LinbO3) integrate optics chip and a novel means of reading out angular position and rotation rate based on optical beat detection. Various aspects of the FORS design and operation are described and discussed. Particular attention is paid to analyzing errors attributable to polarizer imperfection and the so-called residual Michelson effect.

Multiport optical circulator by using polarizing beam splitter cubes as spatial walk-off polarizers.

PubMed

Chen, Jing-Heng; Chen, Kun-Huang; Lin, Jiun-You; Hsieh, Hsiang-Yung

2010-03-10

Optical circulators are necessary passive devices applied in optical communication systems. In the design of optical circulators, the implementation of the function of spatial walk-off polarizers is a key technique that significantly influences the performance and cost of a device. This paper proposes a design of a multiport optical circulator by using polarizing beam splitter cubes as spatial walk-off polarizers. To show the feasibility of the design, a prototype of a six-port optical circulator was fabricated. The insertion losses are 0.94-1.49 dB, the isolations are 25-51 dB, and return losses are 27.72 dB.

Polarization tracking system for free-space optical communication, including quantum communication

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

Nordholt, Jane Elizabeth; Newell, Raymond Thorson; Peterson, Charles Glen

Quantum communication transmitters include beacon lasers that transmit a beacon optical signal in a predetermined state of polarization such as one of the states of polarization of a quantum communication basis. Changes in the beacon polarization are detected at a receiver, and a retarder is adjusted so that the states of polarization in a received quantum communication optical signal are matched to basis polarizations. The beacon and QC signals can be at different wavelengths so that the beacon does not interfere with detection and decoding of the QC optical signal.

Characterization and application of optical fibers: 1. Application of optical fibers in gas concentration and radiation dose measurements. 2. Polarization effects in fiber communication systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Ping

The thesis consists of two research directions: Optical fiber applications in gas concentration and radiation dose measurements; and polarization effects in fiber optic communication systems. Part I of the thesis presents two optical fiber applications. (1) An infrared (IR) fiber bundle has been designed and fabricated to measure gas concentrations in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. This fiber bundle covers the IR range from 0.5 to 20 mum and reduces the light beam divergence in the CVD chamber, which makes it possible to measure gas concentrations in a region near the substrate surface. Semi-ellipsoid mirrors have been designed and used to increase the collection efficiency of infrared radiation and to compensate the loss introduced by the fiber bundle. (2) A fiber optic radiation sensor based on radiation-induced fiber loss is reported. The gamma radiation-induced loss spectra in various fibers have been studied. Among all the fibers tested, 5% P-doped fiber shows the highest sensitivity to gamma radiation. The wavelength and dose rate dependence of radiation-induced loss in 5% P-doped fiber are investigated and the possibility of using this fiber as a radiation sensor for radiation therapy is discussed. Part II of the thesis examines two polarization effects, polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and polarization dependent loss (PDL), in fiber optic communication systems based on the waveplate models. A new waveplate model, capable of generating any PMD and PDL values, is proposed to overcome the limitations of the conventional waveplate model. Using both models the statistical distributions of PDL and differential group delay (DGD) have been studied considering the presence of biased elliptical birefringence. The principal state of polarization (PSP) of an optical pulse is proposed for a fiber having both PMD and PDL. PMD and PDL of a pulse for a fiber consisting of two polarization maintaining fiber segments are calculated, and the pulse distortions due to PMD and PDL are analyzed. PMD and PDL impact on digital communication systems have been studied in terms of system Q factor, bit error rate (BER) and system outage probability. The acceptable PMD values in a system with PDL are discussed for various power margins. The Q factor distributions due to PDL and its combination with PMD have been measured experimentally and compared to numerical simulations.

Arbitrary spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion of light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devlin, Robert C.; Ambrosio, Antonio; Rubin, Noah A.; Mueller, J. P. Balthasar; Capasso, Federico

2017-11-01

Optical elements that convert the spin angular momentum (SAM) of light into vortex beams have found applications in classical and quantum optics. These elements—SAM-to-orbital angular momentum (OAM) converters—are based on the geometric phase and only permit the conversion of left- and right-circular polarizations (spin states) into states with opposite OAM. We present a method for converting arbitrary SAM states into total angular momentum states characterized by a superposition of independent OAM. We designed a metasurface that converts left- and right-circular polarizations into states with independent values of OAM and designed another device that performs this operation for elliptically polarized states. These results illustrate a general material-mediated connection between SAM and OAM of light and may find applications in producing complex structured light and in optical communication.

Theory and analysis of a large field polarization imaging system with obliquely incident light.

PubMed

Lu, Xiaotian; Jin, Weiqi; Li, Li; Wang, Xia; Qiu, Su; Liu, Jing

2018-02-05

Polarization imaging technology provides information about not only the irradiance of a target but also the polarization degree and angle of polarization, which indicates extensive application potential. However, polarization imaging theory is based on paraxial optics. When a beam of obliquely incident light passes an analyser, the direction of light propagation is not perpendicular to the surface of the analyser and the applicability of the traditional paraxial optical polarization imaging theory is challenged. This paper investigates a theoretical model of a polarization imaging system with obliquely incident light and establishes a polarization imaging transmission model with a large field of obliquely incident light. In an imaging experiment with an integrating sphere light source and rotatable polarizer, the polarization imaging transmission model is verified and analysed for two cases of natural light and linearly polarized light incidence. Although the results indicate that the theoretical model is consistent with the experimental results, the theoretical model distinctly differs from the traditional paraxial approximation model. The results prove the accuracy and necessity of the theoretical model and the theoretical guiding significance for theoretical and systematic research of large field polarization imaging.

Optical/Infrared Signatures for Space-Based Remote Sensing

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-01

Vanderbilt et al., 1985a, 1985b]. So, first linear polarization was introduced, followed by progress toward a full vector theory of polarization ...radiance profiles taken 30 s apart in a view direction orthogonal to the velocity vector , showing considerable structure due to radiance layers in the...6 Figure 3. The northern polar region and locations of the MSX

Silica-based, compact and variable-optical-attenuator integrated coherent receiver with stable optoelectronic coupling system.

PubMed

Tsunashima, Satoshi; Nakajima, Fumito; Nasu, Yusuke; Kasahara, Ryoichi; Nakanishi, Yasuhiko; Saida, Takashi; Yamada, Takashi; Sano, Kimikazu; Hashimoto, Toshikazu; Fukuyama, Hiroyuki; Nosaka, Hideaki; Murata, Koichi

2012-11-19

We demonstrate a compact and variable-optical-attenuator (VOA) integrated coherent receiver with a silica-based planar lightwave circuit (PLC). To realize the compact receiver, we integrate a VOA in a single PLC chip with polarization beam splitters and optical 90-degree hybrids, and employ a stable optoelectronic coupling system consisting of micro lens arrays and photodiode (PD) subcarriers with high-speed right-angled signal lines. We integrate a VOA and a coherent receiver in a 27x40x6 mm package, and successfully demodulate a 128-Gbit/s polarization division multiplexed (PDM) quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) signal with a VOA-assisted wide dynamic range of more than 30 dB.

Quantum communications system with integrated photonic devices

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

Nordholt, Jane E.; Peterson, Charles Glen; Newell, Raymond Thorson

Security is increased in quantum communication (QC) systems lacking a true single-photon laser source by encoding a transmitted optical signal with two or more decoy-states. A variable attenuator or amplitude modulator randomly imposes average photon values onto the optical signal based on data input and the predetermined decoy-states. By measuring and comparing photon distributions for a received QC signal, a single-photon transmittance is estimated. Fiber birefringence is compensated by applying polarization modulation. A transmitter can be configured to transmit in conjugate polarization bases whose states of polarization (SOPs) can be represented as equidistant points on a great circle on themore » Poincare sphere so that the received SOPs are mapped to equidistant points on a great circle and routed to corresponding detectors. Transmitters are implemented in quantum communication cards and can be assembled from micro-optical components, or transmitter components can be fabricated as part of a monolithic or hybrid chip-scale circuit.« less

Variable angle-of-incidence polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography: its use to study the 3D collagen structure of equine articular cartilage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ugryumova, Nadya; Gangnus, Sergei V.; Matcher, Stephen J.

2006-02-01

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography has been used to spatially map the birefringence of equine articular cartilage. The polar orientation of the collagen fibers relative to the plane of the joint surface must be taken into account if a quantitative measurement of true birefringence is required. Using a series of images taken at different angles of illumination, we determine the fiber polar angle and true birefringence at one site on a sample of equine cartilage, on the assumption that the fibers lie within the plane of imaging. We propose a more general method based on the extended Jones matrix formalism to determine both the polar and azimuthal orientation of the collagen fibers as well as the true birefringence as functions of depth.

Four-dimensional key design in amplitude, phase, polarization and distance for optical encryption based on polarization digital holography and QR code.

PubMed

Lin, Chao; Shen, Xueju; Li, Baochen

2014-08-25

We demonstrate that all parameters of optical lightwave can be simultaneously designed as keys in security system. This multi-dimensional property of key can significantly enlarge the key space and further enhance the security level of the system. The single-shot off-axis digital holography with orthogonal polarized reference waves is employed to perform polarization state recording on object wave. Two pieces of polarization holograms are calculated and fabricated to be arranged in reference arms to generate random amplitude and phase distribution respectively. When reconstruction, original information which is represented with QR code can be retrieved using Fresnel diffraction with decryption keys and read out noise-free. Numerical simulation results for this cryptosystem are presented. An analysis on the key sensitivity and fault tolerance properties are also provided.

Polarization sensitive optical low-coherence reflectometry for blood glucose monitoring in human subjects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solanki, Jitendra; Choudhary, Om Prakash; Sen, P.; Andrews, J. T.

2013-07-01

A device based on polarization sensitive optical low-coherence reflectometry is developed to monitor blood glucose levels in human subjects. The device was initially tested with tissue phantom. The measurements with human subjects for various glucose concentration levels are found to be linearly dependent on the ellipticity obtainable from the home-made phase-sensitive optical low-coherence reflectometry device. The linearity obtained between glucose concentration and ellipticity are explained with theoretical calculations using Mie theory. A comparison of results with standard clinical methods establishes the utility of the present device for non-invasive glucose monitoring.

Method And Apparatus For Evaluatin Of High Temperature Superconductors

DOEpatents

Fishman, Ilya M.; Kino, Gordon S.

1996-11-12

A technique for evaluation of high-T.sub.c superconducting films and single crystals is based on measurement of temperature dependence of differential optical reflectivity of high-T.sub.c materials. In the claimed method, specific parameters of the superconducting transition such as the critical temperature, anisotropy of the differential optical reflectivity response, and the part of the optical losses related to sample quality are measured. The apparatus for performing this technique includes pump and probe sources, cooling means for sweeping sample temperature across the critical temperature and polarization controller for controlling a state of polarization of a probe light beam.

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

Battum, LJ van; Heukelom, S

Purpose This study investigates the origin of lateral optical density (OD) variation for Gafchromic film (EBT and EBT2) scanned in transmission mode with Epson flatbed scanners (1680 Expression Pro and 10000XL). Effects investigated are: cross talk, optical path length and polarization. Methods Cross talk has been examined with triangular shaped light-transmission sheets with OD ranging from 0 to opaque. Optical path length has been studied with absorptive and reflective OD-filters (OD range 0.2 to 2.0). Dependency on light-polarization on the scanner read out has been investigated using linear polarizer sheets. All experiments have been performed at centre scanner position (normmore » point) and at several lateral scan positions, without and with (un)irradiated EBT-film. Dose values used ranged between 0.2 to 9 Gy, yielding an OD-range between 0.25 to 1.1. Results The lateral OD variation is dose dependent and increases up to 14% at most lateral position for dose up to 9 Gy. Cross talk effect contributes to 0.5% in clinical used OD ranges but equals 2% for extreme high dose gradients. Film induced optical path length will effect the lateral OD variation up to 3% at most lateral points. Light polarization is inherent present in these scanners due to multiple reflection on mirrors. In addition film induced polarization is the most important effect generating the observed lateral OD variation. Both Gafchromic film base and sensitive layer have polarizing capabilities; for the sensitive layer its influence is dose dependent. Conclusions Lateral OD variation origins from optical physics (i.e. polarization and reflection) related to scanner and film construction. Cross talk can be ignored in film dosimetry for clinical used dose values and gradients. Therefore it is recommended to determine the lateral OD variation per film type and scanner.« less

Preface to the special issue on ;Optical Communications Exploiting the Space Domain;

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jian; Yu, Siyuan; Li, Guifang

2018-02-01

The demand for high capacity optical communications will continue to be driven by the exponential growth of global internet traffic. Optical communications are about the exploitation of different physical dimensions of light waves, including complex amplitude, frequency (or wavelength), time, polarization, etc. Conventional techniques such as wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), time-division multiplexing (TDM) and polarization-division multiplexing (PDM) have almost reached their scalability limits. Space domain is the only known physical dimension left and space-division multiplexing (SDM) seems the only option to further scale the transmission capacity and spectral efficiency of optical communications. In recent years, few-mode fiber (FMF), multi-mode fiber (MMF), multi-core fiber (MCF) and few-mode multi-core fiber (FM-MCF) have been widely explored as promising candidates for fiber-based SDM. The challenges for SDM include efficient (de)multiplexer, amplifiers, and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. Photonic integration will also be a key technology to SDM. Meanwhile, free-space and underwater optical communications have also exploited the space domain to increase the transmission capacity and spectral efficiency. The challenges include long-distance transmission limited by propagation loss, divergence, scattering and turbulence. Very recently, helically phased light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) have also seen potential applications both in free-space, underwater and fiber-based optical communications. Actually, different mode bases such as linearly polarized (LP) modes and OAM modes can be employed for SDM. Additionally, SDM could be used in chip-scale photonic interconnects and data center optical interconnects. Quantum processing exploiting the space domain is of great interest. The information capacity limit and physical layer security in SDM optical communications systems are important issues to be addressed.

Polarization Dependence Suppression of Optical Fiber Grating Sensor in a π-Shifted Sagnac Loop Interferometer

PubMed Central

Son, Jaebum; Lee, Min-Kyoung; Jeong, Myung Yung; Kim, Chang-Seok

2010-01-01

In the sensing applications of optical fiber grating, it is necessary to reduce the transmission-type polarization dependence to isolate the sensing parameter. It is experimentally shown that the polarization-dependent spectrum of acousto-optic long-period fiber grating sensors can be suppressed in the transmission port of a π-shifted Sagnac loop interferometer. General expressions for the transmittance and reflectance are derived for transmission-type, reflection-type, and partially reflecting/transmitting-type polarization-dependent optical devices. The compensation of polarization dependence through the counter propagation in the Sagnac loop interferometer is quantitatively measured for a commercial in-line polarizer and an acousto-optic long-period fiber grating sensor. PMID:22399884

Optical polarimetry of Comet NEAT C/2001 Q4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesh, S.; Joshi, U. C.; Baliyan, K. S.

2009-06-01

Comet NEAT C/2001 Q4 was observed for linear polarization using the optical polarimeter mounted at the 1.2 m telescope at Mt. Abu Observatory, during the months of May and June 2004. Observations were conducted through the International Halley Watch narrow band (continuum) and BVR broad band filters. During the observing run the phase angle ranged from 85.6° in May to 55° in June. As expected, polarization increases with wavelength in this phase angle range. Polarization colour in the narrow bands changes at different epochs, perhaps related to cometary activity or molecular emission contamination. The polarization was also measured in the cometary coma at different locations along a line, in the direction of the tail. As expected, we notice minor decrease in the polarization as photocenter (nucleus) is traversed while brightness decreases sharply away from it. Based on these polarization observations we infer that the Comet NEAT C/2001 Q4 has high polarization and a typical grain composition—mixture of silicates and organics.

Anisotropic structural and optical properties of semi-polar (11-22) GaN grown on m-plane sapphire using double AlN buffer layers.

PubMed

Zhao, Guijuan; Wang, Lianshan; Yang, Shaoyan; Li, Huijie; Wei, Hongyuan; Han, Dongyue; Wang, Zhanguo

2016-02-10

We report the anisotropic structural and optical properties of semi-polar (11-22) GaN grown on m-plane sapphire using a three-step growth method which consisted of a low temperature AlN buffer layer, followed by a high temperature AlN buffer layer and GaN growth. By introducing double AlN buffer layers, we substantially improve the crystal and optical qualities of semi-polar (11-22) GaN, and significantly reduce the density of stacking faults and dislocations. The high resolution x-ray diffraction measurement revealed that the in-plane anisotropic structural characteristics of GaN layer are azimuthal dependent. Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that the majority of dislocations in the GaN epitaxial layer grown on m-sapphire are the mixed-type and the orientation of GaN layer was rotated 58.4° against the substrate. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed the PL intensity and wavelength have polarization dependence along parallel and perpendicular to the [1-100] axis (polarization degrees ~ 0.63). The realization of a high polarization semi-polar GaN would be useful to achieve III-nitride based lighting emission device for displays and backlighting.

Polarization modulation based on the hybrid waveguide of graphene sandwiched structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Junbo; Chen, Dingbo; Zhang, Jingjing; Zhang, Zhaojian; Huang, Jie

2017-09-01

Polarization beam splitter (PBS) plays an important role to realize beam control and modulation. A novel hybrid structure of graphene sandwiched waveguide is proposed to fulfill polarization manipulation and selection based on the refractive index engineering techniques. The fundamental mode of TM cannot be supported in this case. However, both TE and TM mode are excited and transmitting in the hybrid waveguide if the design parameters, including the waveguide width and the waveguide height, are changed. The incident wavelength largely affects the effective index, which results in supporting/not supporting the TM mode. The proposed design exhibits high extinction ratio, compact in size, flexible to control, compatible with CMOS process, and easy to be integrated with other optoelectronic devices, allowing it to be used in optical communication and optical information processing.

Polarization independent polymer waveguide tunable receivers incorporating a micro-optic circulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xiaoping; Park, Tae-Hyun; Park, Su-Hyun; Seo, Jun-Kyu; Oh, Min-Cheol

2018-06-01

In order to simplify the receiver configuration in a wavelength division multiplexed optical fiber network, compact wavelength tunable filters have long been expected to be used as channel selectors. Bragg reflector inherently has the most suitable reflection spectrum for filtering a single wavelength from the densely multiplexed wavelength signal. Polymer has high thermo-optic coefficient and good thermal insulation property compared to the other optical waveguide materials such as silicon and silica materials. This can be used to broadly tune the reflection spectrum of Bragg reflector using a simple micro-heater. In this work, a micro-optic circulator component and a polymeric Bragg reflector device are assembled to produce a small form factor tunable receiver. Compared to the integrated-optical versions, the micro-optics are based on well-developed manufacturing processes and can achieve competitive production yields. The device exhibits high reflectivity with a flat top passband, and a polarization dependence of 0.06 nm achieved by virtue of the low birefringence of LFR polymer, which make a significant contribution to the implementation of polarization independent tunable receiver. The wavelength tuning range of 40 nm is demonstrated by using a bottom located heater with a groove for heat isolation.

Gap plasmon-based metasurfaces: fundamentals and applications (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pors, Anders

2016-04-01

Plasmonic metasurfaces, which can be considered as the two-dimensional analog of metal-based metamaterials, have recently attracted considerable attention due to the possibility to fully control the reflected or transmitted light, while featuring relatively low losses even at optical wavelengths and being suitable for planar fabrication techniques. Among all the different design approaches, one particular configuration, consisting of a subwavelength thin dielectric spacer sandwiched between an optically thick metal film and an array of metal nanobricks (also known as nanopatches), has gained awareness from researchers working in practical any frequency regime as its realization only requires on step of lithography, yet with the possibility to fully control the amplitude and phase of the reflected light. At optical wavelengths, the full control of the reflected light is closely associated with gap surface plasmon (GSP) resonances and, hence, the configuration is also known as GSP-based metasurface. In this work, we highlight the connection between the properties of GSP modes and the optical response of GSP-based metasurfaces, particularly discussing the possibility to independently control either the reflection phases for two orthogonal polarizations or both the amplitude and phase of the reflected light for one polarization by proper choice of geometrical and material parameters [1]. Having obtained thorough insight into the optical response of GSP-based metasurfaces, we design and realize at optical and near-infrared wavelengths a broad range of inhomogeneous metasurfaces targeting different applications. For example, we exemplify the control of reflection amplitude by performing plasmonic color printing on a subwavelength scale [2], while full control of reflection phases for orthogonal polarizations are illustrated by the realization of unidirectional polarization-controlled surface plasmon polariton couplers [3] and compact polarimeters [4]. Finally, the simultaneous control of the amplitude and phase of reflected light allow us to perform calculus operations, such as differentiation and integration, on the incident light [5], which signifies the possibility to do optical signal processing using GSP-based metasurfaces. References: 1. A. Pors and S. I. Bozhevolnyi, "Gap plasmon-based phase-amplitude metasurfaces: material constraints", Opt. Mater. Express 5, 2448-2458 (2015). 2. A. S. Roberts, A. Pors, O. Albrektsen, and S. I. Bozhevolnyi, "Subwavelength plasmonic color printing for ambient use", Nano Lett. 14, 783-787 (2014). 3. A. Pors, M. G. Nielsen, T. Bernardin, J.-C. Weeber, and S. I. Bozhevolnyi, "Efficient unidirectional polarization-controlled excitation of surface plasmon polaritons", Light: Sci. Applications 3, e197 (2014). 4. A. Pors, M. G. Nielsen, and S. I. Bozhevolnyi, "Plasmonic metagratings for simultaneous determination of Stokes parameters", Optica 2, 716-723 (2015). 5. A. Pors, M. G. Nielsen, and S. I. Bozhevolnyi, "Analog computing using reflective plasmonic metasurfaces", Nano Lett. 15, 791-797 (2015).

Nuclear Spin Nanomagnet in an Optically Excited Quantum Dot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korenev, V. L.

2007-12-01

Linearly polarized light tuned slightly below the optical transition of the negatively charged exciton (trion) in a single quantum dot causes the spontaneous nuclear spin polarization (self-polarization) at a level close to 100%. The effective magnetic field of spin-polarized nuclei shifts the optical transition energy close to resonance with photon energy. The resonantly enhanced Overhauser effect sustains the stability of the nuclear self-polarization even in the absence of spin polarization of the quantum dot electron. As a result the optically selected single quantum dot represents a tiny magnet with the ferromagnetic ordering of nuclear spins—the nuclear spin nanomagnet.

Nuclear spin nanomagnet in an optically excited quantum dot.

PubMed

Korenev, V L

2007-12-21

Linearly polarized light tuned slightly below the optical transition of the negatively charged exciton (trion) in a single quantum dot causes the spontaneous nuclear spin polarization (self-polarization) at a level close to 100%. The effective magnetic field of spin-polarized nuclei shifts the optical transition energy close to resonance with photon energy. The resonantly enhanced Overhauser effect sustains the stability of the nuclear self-polarization even in the absence of spin polarization of the quantum dot electron. As a result the optically selected single quantum dot represents a tiny magnet with the ferromagnetic ordering of nuclear spins-the nuclear spin nanomagnet.

Optically-pumped spin-exchange polarized electron source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirbhai, Munir Hussein

Polarized electron beams are an indispensable probe of spin-dependent phenomena in fields of atomic and molecular physics, magnetism and biophysics. While their uses have become widespread, the standard source based on negative electron affinity gallium arsenide (GaAs) remains technically complicated. This has hindered progress on many experiments involving spin-polarized electrons, especially those using target gas loads, which tend to adversely affect the performance of GaAs sources. A robust system based on an alternative way to make polarized electron beams has been devised in this study, which builds on previous work done in our lab. It involves spin-exchange collisions between free, unpolarized electrons and oriented rubidium atoms in the presence of a quenching gas. This system has less stringent vacuum requirements than those of GaAs sources, and is capable of operating in background pressures of ~1mTorr. Beams with ~24% polarization and 4μA of current have been recorded, which is comparable to the performance obtained with the earlier version built in our lab. The present system is however not as unstable as in the previous work, and has the potential to be developed into a "turn-key" source of polarized electron beams. It has also allowed us to undertake a study to find factors which affect the beam polarization in this scheme of producing polarized electrons. Such knowledge will help us to design better optically-pumped spin-exchange polarized electron sources.

WebTOP: A 3D Interactive System for Teaching and Learning Optics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mzoughi, Taha; Herring, S. Davis; Foley, John T.; Morris, Matthew J.; Gilbert, Peter J.

2007-01-01

WebTOP is a three-dimensional, Web-based, interactive computer graphics system that helps instructors teach and students learn about waves and optics. Current subject areas include waves, geometrical optics, reflection and refraction, polarization, interference, diffraction, lasers, and scattering. Some of the topics covered are suited for…

Tight focusing of radially polarized circular Airy vortex beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Musheng; Huang, Sujuan; Shao, Wei

2017-11-01

Tight focusing properties of radially polarized circular Airy vortex beams (CAVB) are studied numerically. The light field expressions for the focused fields are derived based on vectorial Debye theory. We also study the relationship between focal profiles, such as light intensity distribution, radius of focal spot and focal length, and the parameters of CAVB. Numerical results demonstrate that we can generate a radially polarized CAVB with super-long focal length, super-strong longitudinal intensity or subwavelength focused spot at the focal plane by properly choosing the parameters of incident light and high numerical aperture (NA) lens. These results have potential applications for optical trapping, optical storage and particle acceleration.

Nonreciprocal optical isolation via graphene based photonic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roshan Entezar, S.; Karimi Habil, M.

2018-03-01

The transmission properties of a one-dimensional photonic crystal containing graphene mono-layers are studied using the transfer matrix method. It is shown that the structure can be used as a polarization-selective nonreciprocal device which discriminates between the two circularly polarized waves with different handedness impinging in the same direction. This structure may be utilized in designing optical isolators for the circularly polarized waves due to the gyrotropic behavior of the graphene mono-layers under the perpendicularly applied external magnetic field. Moreover, the effect of an external magnetic field and the chemical potential of the graphene mono-layers on the band gap of the structure are investigated.

Characterization of AVHRR global cloud detection sensitivity based on CALIPSO-CALIOP cloud optical thickness information: demonstration of results based on the CM SAF CLARA-A2 climate data record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karlsson, Karl-Göran; Håkansson, Nina

2018-02-01

The sensitivity in detecting thin clouds of the cloud screening method being used in the CM SAF cloud, albedo and surface radiation data set from AVHRR data (CLARA-A2) cloud climate data record (CDR) has been evaluated using cloud information from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard the CALIPSO satellite. The sensitivity, including its global variation, has been studied based on collocations of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and CALIOP measurements over a 10-year period (2006-2015). The cloud detection sensitivity has been defined as the minimum cloud optical thickness for which 50 % of clouds could be detected, with the global average sensitivity estimated to be 0.225. After using this value to reduce the CALIOP cloud mask (i.e. clouds with optical thickness below this threshold were interpreted as cloud-free cases), cloudiness results were found to be basically unbiased over most of the globe except over the polar regions where a considerable underestimation of cloudiness could be seen during the polar winter. The overall probability of detecting clouds in the polar winter could be as low as 50 % over the highest and coldest parts of Greenland and Antarctica, showing that a large fraction of optically thick clouds also remains undetected here. The study included an in-depth analysis of the probability of detecting a cloud as a function of the vertically integrated cloud optical thickness as well as of the cloud's geographical position. Best results were achieved over oceanic surfaces at mid- to high latitudes where at least 50 % of all clouds with an optical thickness down to a value of 0.075 were detected. Corresponding cloud detection sensitivities over land surfaces outside of the polar regions were generally larger than 0.2 with maximum values of approximately 0.5 over the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula. For polar land surfaces the values were close to 1 or higher with maximum values of 4.5 for the parts with the highest altitudes over Greenland and Antarctica. It is suggested to quantify the detection performance of other CDRs in terms of a sensitivity threshold of cloud optical thickness, which can be estimated using active lidar observations. Validation results are proposed to be used in Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project (CFMIP) Observation Simulation Package (COSP) simulators for cloud detection characterization of various cloud CDRs from passive imagery.

Polarimetry of optically selected BL Lacertae candidates from the SDSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidt, J.; Nilsson, K.

2011-05-01

We present and discuss polarimetric observations of 182 targets drawn from an optically selected sample of 240 probable BL Lac candidates out of the SDSS compiled by Collinge et al. (2005, AJ, 129, 2542). In contrast to most other BL Lac candidate samples extracted from the SDSS, its radio- and/or X-ray properties have not been taken into account for its derivation. Thus, because its selection is based on optical properties alone, it may be less prone to selection effects inherent in other samples derived at different frequencies, so it offers a unique opportunity to extract the first unbiased BL Lac luminosity function that is suitably large in size. We found 124 out of 182 targets (68%) to be polarized, 95 of the polarized targets (77%) to be highly polarized (>4%). The low-frequency peaked BL Lac candidates in the sample are on average only slightly more polarized than the high-frequency peaked ones. Compared to earlier studies, we found a high duty cycle in high polarization (˜ 66+2-14% to be >4% polarized) in high-frequency peaked BL Lac candidates. This may come from our polarization analysis, which minimizes the contamination by host galaxy light. No evidence of radio-quiet BL Lac objects in the sample was found. Our observations show that the probable sample of BL Lac candidates of Collinge et al. (2005) indeed contains a large number of bona fide BL Lac objects. High S/N spectroscopy and deep X-ray observations are required to construct the first luminosity function of optically selected BL Lac objects and to test more stringently for any radio-quiet BL Lac objects in the sample. Based on observations collected with the NTT on La Silla (Chile) operated by the European Southern Observatory in the course of the observing proposal 082.B-0133.Based on observations collected at the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA), operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC).Based on observations made with the Nordic Optical Telescope, operated on the island of La Palma jointly by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.Table 1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/529/A162

Apodised aperture using rotation of plane of polarization

DOEpatents

Simmons, W.W.; Leppelmeier, G.W.; Johnson, B.C.

1975-09-01

An apodised aperture based on the rotation of plane of polarization producing desirable characteristics on a transmitted light beam such as beam profiling in high flux laser amplifier chains is described. The apodised aperture is made with a lossless element by using one or more polarizers and/or analyzers and magneto-optical Faraday means for selectively rotating the plane of polarized radiation over the cross section to effect the desired apodisation. (auth)

Optical Layout Analysis of Polarization Interference Imaging Spectrometer by Jones Calculus in View of both Optical Throughput and Interference Fringe Visibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xuanni; Zhang, Chunmin

2013-01-01

A polarization interference imaging spectrometer based on Savart polariscope was presented. Its optical throughput was analyzed by Jones calculus. The throughput expression was given, and clearly showed that the optical throughput mainly depended on the intensity of incident light, transmissivity, refractive index and the layout of optical system. The simulation and analysis gave the optimum layout in view of both optical throughput and interference fringe visibility, and verified that the layout of our former design was optimum. The simulation showed that a small deviation from the optimum layout influenced interference fringe visibility little for the optimum one, but influenced severely for others, so a small deviation is admissible in the optimum, and this can mitigate the manufacture difficulty. These results pave the way for further research and engineering design.

Parametric imaging of collagen structural changes in human osteoarthritic cartilage using optical polarization tractography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravanfar, Mohammadreza; Pfeiffer, Ferris M.; Bozynski, Chantelle C.; Wang, Yuanbo; Yao, Gang

2017-12-01

Collagen degeneration is an important pathological feature of osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PSOCT)-based optical polarization tractography (OPT) can be useful in imaging collagen structural changes in human osteoarthritic cartilage samples. OPT eliminated the banding artifacts in conventional PSOCT by calculating the depth-resolved local birefringence and fiber orientation. A close comparison between OPT and PSOCT showed that OPT provided improved visualization and characterization of the zonal structure in human cartilage. Experimental results obtained in this study also underlined the importance of knowing the collagen fiber orientation in conventional polarized light microscopy assessment. In addition, parametric OPT imaging was achieved by quantifying the surface roughness, birefringence, and fiber dispersion in the superficial zone of the cartilage. These quantitative parametric images provided complementary information on the structural changes in cartilage, which can be useful for a comprehensive evaluation of collagen damage in osteoarthritic cartilage.

A sub-femtojoule electrical spin-switch based on optically trapped polariton condensates.

PubMed

Dreismann, Alexander; Ohadi, Hamid; Del Valle-Inclan Redondo, Yago; Balili, Ryan; Rubo, Yuri G; Tsintzos, Simeon I; Deligeorgis, George; Hatzopoulos, Zacharias; Savvidis, Pavlos G; Baumberg, Jeremy J

2016-10-01

Practical challenges to extrapolating Moore's law favour alternatives to electrons as information carriers. Two promising candidates are spin-based and all-optical architectures, the former offering lower energy consumption, the latter superior signal transfer down to the level of chip-interconnects. Polaritons-spinor quasi-particles composed of semiconductor excitons and microcavity photons-directly couple exciton spins and photon polarizations, combining the advantages of both approaches. However, their implementation for spintronics has been hindered because polariton spins can be manipulated only optically or by strong magnetic fields. Here we use an external electric field to directly control the spin of a polariton condensate, bias-tuning the emission polarization. The nonlinear spin dynamics offers an alternative route to switching, allowing us to realize an electrical spin-switch exhibiting ultralow switching energies below 0.5 fJ. Our results lay the foundation for development of devices based on the electro-optical control of coherent spin ensembles on a chip.

Single input state, single–mode fiber–based polarization sensitive optical frequency domain imaging by eigenpolarization referencing

PubMed Central

Lippok, Norman; Villiger, Martin; Jun, Chang–Su; Bouma, Brett E.

2015-01-01

Fiber–based polarization sensitive OFDI is more challenging than free–space implementations. Using multiple input states, fiber–based systems provide sample birefringence information with the benefit of a flexible sample arm but come at the cost of increased system and acquisition complexity, and either reduce acquisition speed or require increased acquisition bandwidth. Here we show that with the calibration of a single polarization state, fiber–based configurations can approach the conceptual simplicity of traditional free–space configurations. We remotely control the polarization state of the light incident at the sample using the eigenpolarization states of a wave plate as a reference, and determine the Jones matrix of the output fiber. We demonstrate this method for polarization sensitive imaging of biological samples. PMID:25927775

Depth perception based 3D holograms enabled with polarization-independent metasurfaces.

PubMed

Deng, Juan; Li, Zile; Zheng, Guoxing; Tao, Jin; Dai, Qi; Deng, Liangui; He, Ping'an; Deng, Qiling; Mao, Qingzhou

2018-04-30

Metasurfaces consist of dielectric nanobrick arrays with different dimensions in the long and short axes can be used to generate different phase delays, predicting a new way to manipulate an incident beam in the two orthogonal directions separately. Here we demonstrate the concept of depth perception based three-dimensional (3D) holograms with polarization-independent metasurfaces. 4-step dielectric metasurfaces-based fan-out optical elements and holograms operating at 658 nm were designed and simulated. Two different holographic images with high fidelity were generated at the same plane in the far field for different polarization states. One can observe the 3D effect of target objects with polarized glasses. With the advantages of ultracompactness, flexibility and replicability, the polarization-independent metasurfaces open up depth perception based stereoscopic imaging in a holographic way.

Phase-shifted Solc-type filter based on thin periodically poled lithium niobate in a reflective geometry.

PubMed

Ding, Tingting; Zheng, Yuanlin; Chen, Xianfeng

2018-04-30

Configurable narrow bandwidth filters are indispensable components in optical communication networks. Here, we present an easily-integrated compact tunable filtering based on polarization-coupling process in a thin periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) in a reflective geometry via the transverse electro-optic (EO) effect. The structure, composed of an in-line polarizer and a thinned PPLN chip, forms a phase-shift Solc-type filter with similar mechanism to defected Bragg gratings. The filtering effect can be dynamically switched on and off by a transverse electric filed. Analogy of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) transmission spectrum and electrically controllable group delay is experimentally observed. The mechanism features tunable center wavelength in a wide range with respect to temperature and tunable optical delay to the applied voltage, which may offer another way for optical tunable filters or delay lines.

Limits on Optical Polarization during the Prompt Phase of GRB 140430A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopač, D.; Mundell, C. G.; Japelj, J.; Arnold, D. M.; Steele, I. A.; Guidorzi, C.; Dichiara, S.; Kobayashi, S.; Gomboc, A.; Harrison, R. M.; Lamb, G. P.; Melandri, A.; Smith, R. J.; Virgili, F. J.; Castro-Tirado, A. J.; Gorosabel, J.; Järvinen, A.; Sánchez-Ramírez, R.; Oates, S. R.; Jelínek, M.

2015-11-01

Gamma-ray burst GRB 140430A was detected by the Swift satellite and observed promptly with the imaging polarimeter RINGO3 mounted on the Liverpool Telescope, with observations beginning while the prompt γ-ray emission was still ongoing. In this paper, we present densely sampled (10-s temporal resolution) early optical light curves (LCs) in 3 optical bands and limits to the degree of optical polarization. We compare optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray properties and present an analysis of the optical emission during a period of high-energy flaring. The complex optical LC cannot be explained merely with a combination of forward and reverse shock emission from a standard external shock, implying additional contribution of emission from internal shock dissipation. We estimate an upper limit for time averaged optical polarization during the prompt phase to be as low as P < 12% (1σ). This suggests that the optical flares and early afterglow emission in this GRB are not highly polarized. Alternatively, time averaging could mask the presence of otherwise polarized components of distinct origin at different polarization position angles.

Impact of optical feedback on current-induced polarization behavior of 1550 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.

PubMed

Deng, Tao; Wu, Zheng-Mao; Xie, Yi-Yuan; Wu, Jia-Gui; Tang, Xi; Fan, Li; Panajotov, Krassimir; Xia, Guang-Qiong

2013-06-01

Polarization switching (PS) between two orthogonal linearly polarized fundamental modes is experimentally observed in commercial free-running 1550 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) (Raycan). The characteristics of this PS are strongly modified after introducing a polarization-preserved (PP) or polarization-orthogonal (PO) optical feedback. Under the case that the external cavity is approximately 30 cm, the PP optical feedback results in the PS point shifting toward a lower injection current, and the region within which the two polarization modes coexist is enlarged with the increase of the PP feedback strength. Under too-strong PP feedback levels, the PS disappears. The impact of PO optical feedback on VCSEL polarization behavior is quite similar to that of PP optical feedback, but larger feedback strength is needed to obtain similar results.

Progress in Insect-Inspired Optical Navigation Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thakoor, Sarita; Chahl, Javaan; Zometzer, Steve

2005-01-01

Progress has been made in continuing efforts to develop optical flight-control and navigation sensors for miniature robotic aircraft. The designs of these sensors are inspired by the designs and functions of the vision systems and brains of insects. Two types of sensors of particular interest are polarization compasses and ocellar horizon sensors. The basic principle of polarization compasses was described (but without using the term "polarization compass") in "Insect-Inspired Flight Control for Small Flying Robots" (NPO-30545), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 29, No. 1 (January 2005), page 61. To recapitulate: Bees use sky polarization patterns in ultraviolet (UV) light, caused by Rayleigh scattering of sunlight by atmospheric gas molecules, as direction references relative to the apparent position of the Sun. A robotic direction-finding technique based on this concept would be more robust in comparison with a technique based on the direction to the visible Sun because the UV polarization pattern is distributed across the entire sky and, hence, is redundant and can be extrapolated from a small region of clear sky in an elsewhere cloudy sky that hides the Sun.

Determination of 3D optic axis orientation in cartilage by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ugryumova, Nadya; Bonesi, Marco; Matcher, Stephen J.

2008-02-01

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography has been used to solve fast-axis fibre orientation in three dimension space. Previously we have demonstrated that the apparent variations in polar angle orientation of collagen fibers along sagittal ridge of equine third metacarpophalangeal joint exist. A quantitative method based on multiple angles of illumination has been proposed to determine the polar angle of the collagen fibers. This method however ignored the full 3D structure by assuming that the collagen fibers long-axis lay within the plane of incidence. A new quantitative method based on the theory of light propagation in uniaxial materials is described which avoids this assumption. To test this method we have performed control experiments on a sample of equine tendon (this tissue has well defined c-axis lying along the long-axis of the tendon). Several samples of tendon were cut to achieve a planar surface inclined at -20° to the long axis. Additional 30° rotation provided non-zero azimuthal angle. The surface was then imaged using incident beam angles -40°, -20°, 0, +20°, +40° in two orthogonal planes. Values for both the polar and azimuthal angles were then derived using a numerical optimisation procedure. Results agreed qualitatively with the nominal values but suggested that the accuracy was limited by our method of determining the apparent birefringence.

Determination of 3D optic axis orientation in cartilage by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ugryumova, Nadya; Matcher, Stephen J.

2007-02-01

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography has been used to solve fast-axis fibre orientation in three dimension space. Previously we have demonstrated that the apparent variations in polar angle orientation of collagen fibers along sagittal ridge of equine third metacarpophalangeal joint exist. A quantitative method based on multiple angles of illumination has been proposed to determine the polar angle of the collagen fibers. This method however ignored the full 3-D structure by assuming that the collagen fibers long-axis lay within the plane of incidence. A new quantitative method based on the theory of light propagation in uniaxial materials is described which avoids this assumption. To test this method we have performed control experiments on a sample of equine tendon (this tissue has well defined c-axis lying along the long-axis of the tendon). Several samples of tendon were cut to achieve a planar surface inclined at -20° to the long axis. Additional 30° rotation provided non-zero azimuthal angle. The surface was then imaged using incident beam angles -40°, -20°, 0, +20°, +40° in two orthogonal planes. Values for both the polar and azimuthal angles were then derived using a numerical optimisation procedure. Results agreed qualitatively with the nominal values but suggested that the accuracy was limited by our method of determining the apparent birefringence.

Using Polarized Spectroscopy to Investigate Order in Thin-Films of Ionic Self-Assembled Materials Based on Azo-Dyes

PubMed Central

Ahmad, Mariam; Andersen, Frederik; Brend Bech, Ári; Bendixen, H. Krestian L.; Nawrocki, Patrick R.; Bloch, Anders J.; Bora, Ilkay; Bukhari, Tahreem A.; Bærentsen, Nicolai V.; Carstensen, Jens; Chima, Smeeah; Colberg, Helene; Dahm, Rasmus T.; Daniels, Joshua A.; Dinckan, Nermin; El Idrissi, Mohamed; Erlandsen, Ricci; Førster, Marc; Ghauri, Yasmin; Gold, Mikkel; Hansen, Andreas; Hansen, Kenn; Helmsøe-Zinck, Mathias; Henriksen, Mathias; Hoffmann, Sophus V.; Hyllested, Louise O. H.; Jensen, Casper; Kallenbach, Amalie S.; Kaur, Kirandip; Khan, Suheb R.; Kjær, Emil T. S.; Kristiansen, Bjørn; Langvad, Sylvester; Lund, Philip M.; Munk, Chastine F.; Møller, Theis; Nehme, Ola M. Z.; Nejrup, Mathilde Rove; Nexø, Louise; Nielsen, Simon Skødt Holm; Niemeier, Nicolai; Nikolajsen, Lasse V.; Nøhr, Peter C. T.; Skaarup Ovesen, Jacob; Paustian, Lucas; Pedersen, Adam S.; Petersen, Mathias K.; Poulsen, Camilla M.; Praeger-Jahnsen, Louis; Qureshi, L. Sonia; Schiermacher, Louise S.; Simris, Martin B.; Smith, Gorm; Smith, Heidi N.; Sonne, Alexander K.; Zenulovic, Marko R.; Winther Sørensen, Alma; Vogt, Emil; Væring, Andreas; Westermann, Jonas; Özcan, Sevin B.

2018-01-01

Three series of ionic self-assembled materials based on anionic azo-dyes and cationic benzalkonium surfactants were synthesized and thin films were prepared by spin-casting. These thin films appear isotropic when investigated with polarized optical microscopy, although they are highly anisotropic. Here, three series of homologous materials were studied to rationalize this observation. Investigating thin films of ordered molecular materials relies to a large extent on advanced experimental methods and large research infrastructure. A statement that in particular is true for thin films with nanoscopic order, where X-ray reflectometry, X-ray and neutron scattering, electron microscopy and atom force microscopy (AFM) has to be used to elucidate film morphology and the underlying molecular structure. Here, the thin films were investigated using AFM, optical microscopy and polarized absorption spectroscopy. It was shown that by using numerical method for treating the polarized absorption spectroscopy data, the molecular structure can be elucidated. Further, it was shown that polarized optical spectroscopy is a general tool that allows determination of the molecular order in thin films. Finally, it was found that full control of thermal history and rigorous control of the ionic self-assembly conditions are required to reproducibly make these materials of high nanoscopic order. Similarly, the conditions for spin-casting are shown to be determining for the overall thin film morphology, while molecular order is maintained. PMID:29462883

Using Polarized Spectroscopy to Investigate Order in Thin-Films of Ionic Self-Assembled Materials Based on Azo-Dyes.

PubMed

Kühnel, Miguel R Carro-Temboury Martin; Ahmad, Mariam; Andersen, Frederik; Bech, Ári Brend; Bendixen, H Krestian L; Nawrocki, Patrick R; Bloch, Anders J; Bora, Ilkay; Bukhari, Tahreem A; Bærentsen, Nicolai V; Carstensen, Jens; Chima, Smeeah; Colberg, Helene; Dahm, Rasmus T; Daniels, Joshua A; Dinckan, Nermin; Idrissi, Mohamed El; Erlandsen, Ricci; Førster, Marc; Ghauri, Yasmin; Gold, Mikkel; Hansen, Andreas; Hansen, Kenn; Helmsøe-Zinck, Mathias; Henriksen, Mathias; Hoffmann, Sophus V; Hyllested, Louise O H; Jensen, Casper; Kallenbach, Amalie S; Kaur, Kirandip; Khan, Suheb R; Kjær, Emil T S; Kristiansen, Bjørn; Langvad, Sylvester; Lund, Philip M; Munk, Chastine F; Møller, Theis; Nehme, Ola M Z; Nejrup, Mathilde Rove; Nexø, Louise; Nielsen, Simon Skødt Holm; Niemeier, Nicolai; Nikolajsen, Lasse V; Nøhr, Peter C T; Orlowski, Dominik B; Overgaard, Marc; Ovesen, Jacob Skaarup; Paustian, Lucas; Pedersen, Adam S; Petersen, Mathias K; Poulsen, Camilla M; Praeger-Jahnsen, Louis; Qureshi, L Sonia; Ree, Nicolai; Schiermacher, Louise S; Simris, Martin B; Smith, Gorm; Smith, Heidi N; Sonne, Alexander K; Zenulovic, Marko R; Sørensen, Alma Winther; Sørensen, Karina; Vogt, Emil; Væring, Andreas; Westermann, Jonas; Özcan, Sevin B; Sørensen, Thomas Just

2018-02-15

Three series of ionic self-assembled materials based on anionic azo-dyes and cationic benzalkonium surfactants were synthesized and thin films were prepared by spin-casting. These thin films appear isotropic when investigated with polarized optical microscopy, although they are highly anisotropic. Here, three series of homologous materials were studied to rationalize this observation. Investigating thin films of ordered molecular materials relies to a large extent on advanced experimental methods and large research infrastructure. A statement that in particular is true for thin films with nanoscopic order, where X-ray reflectometry, X-ray and neutron scattering, electron microscopy and atom force microscopy (AFM) has to be used to elucidate film morphology and the underlying molecular structure. Here, the thin films were investigated using AFM, optical microscopy and polarized absorption spectroscopy. It was shown that by using numerical method for treating the polarized absorption spectroscopy data, the molecular structure can be elucidated. Further, it was shown that polarized optical spectroscopy is a general tool that allows determination of the molecular order in thin films. Finally, it was found that full control of thermal history and rigorous control of the ionic self-assembly conditions are required to reproducibly make these materials of high nanoscopic order. Similarly, the conditions for spin-casting are shown to be determining for the overall thin film morphology, while molecular order is maintained.

Experimental verification of long-term evolution radio transmissions over dual-polarization combined fiber and free-space optics optical infrastructures.

PubMed

Bohata, J; Zvanovec, S; Pesek, P; Korinek, T; Mansour Abadi, M; Ghassemlooy, Z

2016-03-10

This paper describes the experimental verification of the utilization of long-term evolution radio over fiber (RoF) and radio over free space optics (RoFSO) systems using dual-polarization signals for cloud radio access network applications determining the specific utilization limits. A number of free space optics configurations are proposed and investigated under different atmospheric turbulence regimes in order to recommend the best setup configuration. We show that the performance of the proposed link, based on the combination of RoF and RoFSO for 64 QAM at 2.6 GHz, is more affected by the turbulence based on the measured difference error vector magnitude value of 5.5%. It is further demonstrated the proposed systems can offer higher noise immunity under particular scenarios with the signal-to-noise ratio reliability limit of 5 dB in the radio frequency domain for RoF and 19.3 dB in the optical domain for a combination of RoF and RoFSO links.

Mathematical Model of the One-stage Magneto-optical Sensor Based on Faraday Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babaev, O. G.; Paranin, V. D.; Sinitsin, L. I.

2018-01-01

The aim of this work is to refine a model of magneto-optical sensors based on Faraday’s longitudinal magneto-optical effect. The tasks of the study include computer modeling and analysis of the transfer characteristic of a single-stage magneto-optical sensor for various polarization of the input beam and non-ideal optical components. The proposed mathematical model and software make it possible to take into account the non-ideal characteristics of film polaroids observed in operation in the near infrared region and at increased temperatures. On the basis of the results of the model analysis it was found that the dependence of normalized transmission T(γ2) has periodic nature. Choosing the angle (γ 2-γ 1) makes it possible to shift the initial operation point and change the sensitivity dT/dγ 2. The influence of the input beam polarization increases with the increase of polaroid parameter deviation from ideal and shows itself as reduction of modulation depth and angular shift of the sensor conversion response.

Room temperature high circular dichroism ultraviolet lasing from planar spiral metal-GaN nanowire cavity (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shih, Min-Hsiung

2016-09-01

Circularly polarized light and chiroptical effect have received considerable attention in advanced photonic and electronic technologies including optical spintronics, quantum-based optical information processing and communication, and high-efficiency liquid crystal display backlights. Moreover, the development of circularly polarized photon sources has played a major role in circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, which is important for analyses of optically active molecules, chiral synthesis in biology and chemistry, and ultrafast magnetization control. However, the conventional collocation of light-emitting devices and additional circular-polarization converters that produce circularly polarized beams makes the setup bulky and hardly compatible with nanophotonic devices in ultrasmall scales. In fact, the direct generation of circularly polarized photons may simplify the system integration, compact the setup, lower the cost of external components, and perhaps enhance the power efficiency. In this work, with the spiral-type metal-gallium nitride (GaN) nanowire cavity, we demonstrated an ultrasmall semiconductor laser capable of emitting circularly-polarized photons. The left- and right-hand spiral metal nanowire cavities with varied periods were designed at ultraviolet wavelengths to achieve the high quality factor circular dichroism metastructures. The dissymmetry factors characterizing the degrees of circular polarizations of the left- and right-hand chiral lasers were 1.4 and -1.6 (2 if perfectly circular polarized), respectively. The results show that the chiral cavities with only 5 spiral periods can achieve lasing signals with decently high degrees of circular polarizations.

Spiraling Light with Magnetic Metamaterial Quarter-Wave Turbines.

PubMed

Zeng, Jinwei; Luk, Ting S; Gao, Jie; Yang, Xiaodong

2017-09-19

Miniaturized quarter-wave plate devices empower spin to orbital angular momentum conversion and vector polarization formation, which serve as bridges connecting conventional optical beam and structured light. Enabling the manipulability of additional dimensions as the complex polarization and phase of light, quarter-wave plate devices are essential for exploring a plethora of applications based on orbital angular momentum or vector polarization, such as optical sensing, holography, and communication. Here we propose and demonstrate the magnetic metamaterial quarter-wave turbines at visible wavelength to produce radially and azimuthally polarized vector vortices from circularly polarized incident beam. The magnetic metamaterials function excellently as quarter-wave plates at single wavelength and maintain the quarter-wave phase retardation in broadband, while the turbine blades consist of multiple polar sections, each of which contains homogeneously oriented magnetic metamaterial gratings near azimuthal or radial directions to effectively convert circular polarization to linear polarization and induce phase shift under Pancharatnum-Berry's phase principle. The perspective concept of multiple polar sections of magnetic metamaterials can extend to other analogous designs in the strongly coupled nanostructures to accomplish many types of light phase-polarization manipulation and structured light conversion in the desired manner.

Fiber-optic polarization diversity detection for rotary probe optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Lee, Anthony M D; Pahlevaninezhad, Hamid; Yang, Victor X D; Lam, Stephen; MacAulay, Calum; Lane, Pierre

2014-06-15

We report a polarization diversity detection scheme for optical coherence tomography with a new, custom, miniaturized fiber coupler with single mode (SM) fiber inputs and polarization maintaining (PM) fiber outputs. The SM fiber inputs obviate matching the optical lengths of the X and Y OCT polarization channels prior to interference and the PM fiber outputs ensure defined X and Y axes after interference. Advantages for this scheme include easier alignment, lower cost, and easier miniaturization compared to designs with free-space bulk optical components. We demonstrate the utility of the detection system to mitigate the effects of rapidly changing polarization states when imaging with rotating fiber optic probes in Intralipid suspension and during in vivo imaging of human airways.

Mueller matrix signature in advanced fluorescence microscopy imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazumder, Nirmal; Qiu, Jianjun; Kao, Fu-Jen; Diaspro, Alberto

2017-02-01

We have demonstrated the measurement and characterization of the polarization properties of a fluorescence signal using four-channel photon counting based Stokes-Mueller polarization microscopy. Thus, Lu-Chipman decomposition was applied to extract the critical polarization properties such as depolarization, linear retardance and the optical rotation of collagen type I fiber. We observed the spatial distribution of anisotropic and helical molecules of collagen from the reconstructed 2D Mueller images based on the fluorescence signal in a pixel-by-pixel manner.

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography-based imaging, parameterization, and quantification of human cartilage degeneration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brill, Nicolai; Wirtz, Mathias; Merhof, Dorit; Tingart, Markus; Jahr, Holger; Truhn, Daniel; Schmitt, Robert; Nebelung, Sven

2016-07-01

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is a light-based, high-resolution, real-time, noninvasive, and nondestructive imaging modality yielding quasimicroscopic cross-sectional images of cartilage. As yet, comprehensive parameterization and quantification of birefringence and tissue properties have not been performed on human cartilage. PS-OCT and algorithm-based image analysis were used to objectively grade human cartilage degeneration in terms of surface irregularity, tissue homogeneity, signal attenuation, as well as birefringence coefficient and band width, height, depth, and number. Degeneration-dependent changes were noted for the former three parameters exclusively, thereby questioning the diagnostic value of PS-OCT in the assessment of human cartilage degeneration.

Independent Manipulation of Topological Charges and Polarization Patterns of Optical Vortices

PubMed Central

Yang, Ching-Han; Chen, Yuan-Di; Wu, Shing-Trong; Fuh, Andy Ying-Guey

2016-01-01

We present a simple and flexible method to generate various vectorial vortex beams (VVBs) with a Pancharatnam phase based on the scheme of double reflections from a single liquid crystal spatial light modulator (SLM). In this configuration, VVBs are constructed by the superposition of two orthogonally polarized orbital angular momentum (OAM) eigenstates. To verify the optical properties of the generated beams, Stokes polarimetry is developed to measure the states of polarization (SOP) over the transverse plane, while a Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor is used to measure the OAM charge of beams. It is shown that both the simulated and the experimental results are in good qualitative agreement. In addition, polarization patterns and OAM charges of generated beams can be controlled independently using the proposed method. PMID:27526858

Time-Reversal Based Range Extension technique for Ultra-wideband (UWB) Sensors and Applications in Tactical Communications and Networking

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-28

has to rely on a uni- polar sequence whose autocorrelation is typically less sharp than that of a bi-polar sequence. Optical orthogonal code (OOC...detection in multipath environments," in Proc. IEEE ICC󈧇, vol. 5, pp. 3530-3534, May 2003. [11] M. Weisenhorn and W. Hirt, "Robust Noncoherent Receiver...M. Duarte, D. Baron, S. Sarvotham, K. Kelly, and R. Baraniuk, "A New Compressive Imaging Camera Architecture using Optical -Domain Compression," in

Development of high-performance alkali-hybrid polarized 3He targets for electron scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Jaideep T.; Dolph, P. A. M.; Tobias, W. A.; Averett, T. D.; Kelleher, A.; Mooney, K. E.; Nelyubin, V. V.; Wang, Yunxiao; Zheng, Yuan; Cates, G. D.

2015-05-01

Background: Polarized 3He targets have been used as effective polarized neutron targets for electron scattering experiments for over twenty years. Over the last ten years, the effective luminosity of polarized 3He targets based on spin-exchange optical pumping has increased by over an order of magnitude. This has come about because of improvements in commercially-available lasers and an improved understanding of the physics behind the polarization process. Purpose: We present the development of high-performance polarized 3He targets for use in electron scattering experiments. Improvements in the performance of polarized 3He targets, target properties, and operating parameters are documented. Methods: We utilize the technique of alkali-hybrid spin-exchange optical pumping to polarize the 3He targets. Spectrally narrowed diode lasers used for the optical pumping greatly improved the performance. A simulation of the alkali-hybrid spin-exchange optical pumping process was developed to provide guidance in the design of the targets. Data was collected during the characterization of 24 separate glass target cells, each of which was constructed while preparing for one of four experiments at Jefferson Laboratory in Newport News, Virginia. Results: From the data obtained we made determinations of the so-called X -factors that quantify a temperature-dependent and as-yet poorly understood spin-relaxation mechanism that limits the maximum achievable 3He polarization to well under 100%. The presence of the X -factor spin-relaxation mechanism was clearly evident in our data. Good agreement between the simulation and the actual target performance was obtained by including details such as off-resonant optical pumping. Included in our results is a measurement of the K -3He spin-exchange rate coefficient kseK=(7.46 ±0.62 ) ×10-20cm3/s over the temperature range 503 K to 563 K. Conclusions: In order to achieve high performance under the operating conditions described in this paper, the K to Rb alkali vapor density ratio should be about 5 ±2 and the line width of the optical pumping lasers should be no more than 0.3 nm. Our measurements of the X -factors under these conditions seem to indicate the 3He polarization is limited to ≈90 %. The simulation results, now benchmarked against experimental data, are useful for the design of future targets. Further work is required to better understand the temperature dependence of the X -factor spin-relaxation mechanism and the limitations of our optical pumping simulation.

NCTM of liquids at high temperatures using polarization techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krishnan, Shankar; Weber, J. K. Richard; Nordine, Paul C.; Schiffman, Robert A.

1990-01-01

Temperature measurement and control is extremely important in any materials processing application. However, conventional techniques for non-contact temperature measurement (mainly optical pyrometry) are very uncertain because of unknown or varying surface emittance. Optical properties like other properties change during processing. A dynamic, in-situ measurement of optical properties including the emittance is required. Intersonics is developing new technologies using polarized laser light scattering to determine surface emittance of freely radiating bodies concurrent with conventional optical pyrometry. These are sufficient to determine the true surface temperature of the target. Intersonics is currently developing a system called DAPP, the Division of Amplitude Polarimetric Pyrometer, that uses polarization information to measure the true thermodynamic temperature of freely radiating objects. This instrument has potential use in materials processing applications in ground and space based equipment. Results of thermophysical and thermodynamic measurements using laser reflection as a temperature measuring tool are presented. The impact of these techniques on thermophysical property measurements at high temperature is discussed.

Fast optical source for quantum key distribution based on semiconductor optical amplifiers.

PubMed

Jofre, M; Gardelein, A; Anzolin, G; Amaya, W; Capmany, J; Ursin, R; Peñate, L; Lopez, D; San Juan, J L; Carrasco, J A; Garcia, F; Torcal-Milla, F J; Sanchez-Brea, L M; Bernabeu, E; Perdigues, J M; Jennewein, T; Torres, J P; Mitchell, M W; Pruneri, V

2011-02-28

A novel integrated optical source capable of emitting faint pulses with different polarization states and with different intensity levels at 100 MHz has been developed. The source relies on a single laser diode followed by four semiconductor optical amplifiers and thin film polarizers, connected through a fiber network. The use of a single laser ensures high level of indistinguishability in time and spectrum of the pulses for the four different polarizations and three different levels of intensity. The applicability of the source is demonstrated in the lab through a free space quantum key distribution experiment which makes use of the decoy state BB84 protocol. We achieved a lower bound secure key rate of the order of 3.64 Mbps and a quantum bit error ratio as low as 1.14×10⁻² while the lower bound secure key rate became 187 bps for an equivalent attenuation of 35 dB. To our knowledge, this is the fastest polarization encoded QKD system which has been reported so far. The performance, reduced size, low power consumption and the fact that the components used can be space qualified make the source particularly suitable for secure satellite communication.

Temperature-strain discrimination in distributed optical fiber sensing using phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry.

PubMed

Lu, Xin; Soto, Marcelo A; Thévenaz, Luc

2017-07-10

A method based on coherent Rayleigh scattering distinctly evaluating temperature and strain is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for distributed optical fiber sensing. Combining conventional phase-sensitive optical time-domain domain reflectometry (ϕOTDR) and ϕOTDR-based birefringence measurements, independent distributed temperature and strain profiles are obtained along a polarization-maintaining fiber. A theoretical analysis, supported by experimental data, indicates that the proposed system for temperature-strain discrimination is intrinsically better conditioned than an equivalent existing approach that combines classical Brillouin sensing with Brillouin dynamic gratings. This is due to the higher sensitivity of coherent Rayleigh scatting compared to Brillouin scattering, thus offering better performance and lower temperature-strain uncertainties in the discrimination. Compared to the Brillouin-based approach, the ϕOTDR-based system here proposed requires access to only one fiber-end, and a much simpler experimental layout. Experimental results validate the full discrimination of temperature and strain along a 100 m-long elliptical-core polarization-maintaining fiber with measurement uncertainties of ~40 mK and ~0.5 με, respectively. These values agree very well with the theoretically expected measurand resolutions.

Application of polarization in high speed, high contrast inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, Matthew J.

2017-08-01

Industrial optical inspection often requires high speed and high throughput of materials. Engineers use a variety of techniques to handle these inspection needs. Some examples include line scan cameras, high speed multi-spectral and laser-based systems. High-volume manufacturing presents different challenges for inspection engineers. For example, manufacturers produce some components in quantities of millions per month, per week or even per day. Quality control of so many parts requires creativity to achieve the measurement needs. At times, traditional vision systems lack the contrast to provide the data required. In this paper, we show how dynamic polarization imaging captures high contrast images. These images are useful for engineers to perform inspection tasks in some cases where optical contrast is low. We will cover basic theory of polarization. We show how to exploit polarization as a contrast enhancement technique. We also show results of modeling for a polarization inspection application. Specifically, we explore polarization techniques for inspection of adhesives on glass.

Superficial heat reduction technique for a hybrid microwave-optical device.

PubMed

Al-Armaghany, A; Tong, K; Leung, T S

2013-01-01

Microwave applicator in the form of a circularly polarized microstrip patch antenna is proposed to provide localized deep heating in biological tissue, which causes blood vessels to dilate leading to changes in tissue oxygenation. These changes are monitored by an integrated optical system for studying thermoregulation in different parts of the human body. Using computer simulations, this paper compares circularly and linearly polarized antennas in terms of the efficiency of depositing electromagnetic (EM) energy and the heating patterns. The biological model composes of the skin, fat and muscle layers with appropriate dielectric and thermal properties. The results show that for the same specific absorption rate (SAR) in the muscle, the circularly polarized antenna results in a lower SAR in the skin-fat interface than the linearly polarized antenna. The thermal distribution is also presented based on the biological heat equation. The proposed circularly polarized antenna shows heat reduction in the superficial layers in comparison to the linearly polarized antenna.

Three-dimensional optical memory systems based on photochromic materials: polarization control of two-color data writing and the possibility of nondestructive data reading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akimov, D. A.; Fedotov, Andrei B.; Koroteev, Nikolai I.; Magnitskii, S. A.; Naumov, A. N.; Sidorov-Biryukov, Dmitri A.; Sokoluk, N. T.; Zheltikov, Alexei M.

1998-04-01

The possibilities of optimizing data writing and reading in devices of 3D optical memory using photochromic materials are discussed. We quantitatively analyze linear and nonlinear optical properties of induline spiropyran molecules, which allows us to estimate the efficiency of using such materials for implementing 3D optical-memory devices. It is demonstrated that, with an appropriate choice of polarization vectors of laser beams, one can considerably improve the efficiency of two-photon writing in photochromic materials. The problem of reading the data stored in a photochromic material is analyzed. The possibilities of data reading methods with the use of fluorescence and four-photon techniques are compared.

Mapping the nonlinear optical susceptibility by noncollinear second-harmonic generation.

PubMed

Larciprete, M C; Bovino, F A; Giardina, M; Belardini, A; Centini, M; Sibilia, C; Bertolotti, M; Passaseo, A; Tasco, V

2009-07-15

We present a method, based on noncollinear second-harmonic generation, to evaluate the nonzero elements of the nonlinear optical susceptibility. At a fixed incidence angle, the generated signal is investigated by varying the polarization state of both fundamental beams. The resulting polarization charts allows us to verify if Kleinman's symmetry rules can be applied to a given material or to retrieve the absolute value of the nonlinear optical tensor terms, from a reference measurement. Experimental measurements obtained from gallium nitride layers are reported. The proposed method does not require an angular scan and thus is useful when the generated signal is strongly affected by sample rotation.

1.5  kW ytterbium-doped single-transverse-mode, linearly polarized monolithic fiber master oscillator power amplifier.

PubMed

Huang, Long; Ma, Pengfei; Tao, Rumao; Shi, Chen; Wang, Xiaolin; Zhou, Pu

2015-04-01

A linearly polarized monolithic fiber laser based on a master oscillator power amplifier structure with a master oscillator and a one-stage power amplifier is reported. We design a homemade oscillator based on the theory that, in the coiled gain fiber, the higher modes and the polarized mode of the fundamental mode along the fast axis are suppressed effectively because of their obviously higher bend loss than that of the polarized mode of the fundamental mode along the slow axis. The oscillator operates at 1080 nm, launching a 30 W seed laser with a high polarization extinction ratio of 19 dB into the power amplifier via a mode field adapter. The power amplifier utilizes Yb-doped polarization-maintaining fiber of 20/400  μm, which produces nearly diffraction-limited output power of about 1.5 kW with an optical-optical efficiency of 81.5% and a polarization extinction ratio of 13.8 dB. Both the M(x)² factor and the M(y)² factor of the collimated beam are measured to be about 1.2. The spectral width of the output power is broadened approximately linearly, and the full width at half maximum of the spectrum at the maximum output power is about 5.8 nm. It is known as the highest linearly polarized output power to the best of our knowledge.

Blind third-order dispersion estimation based on fractional Fourier transformation for coherent optical communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Lin; Guo, Peng; Yang, Aiying; Qiao, Yaojun

2018-02-01

In this paper, we propose a blind third-order dispersion estimation method based on fractional Fourier transformation (FrFT) in optical fiber communication system. By measuring the chromatic dispersion (CD) at different wavelengths, this method can estimation dispersion slope and further calculate the third-order dispersion. The simulation results demonstrate that the estimation error is less than 2 % in 28GBaud dual polarization quadrature phase-shift keying (DP-QPSK) and 28GBaud dual polarization 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (DP-16QAM) system. Through simulations, the proposed third-order dispersion estimation method is shown to be robust against nonlinear and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise. In addition, to reduce the computational complexity, searching step with coarse and fine granularity is chosen to search optimal order of FrFT. The third-order dispersion estimation method based on FrFT can be used to monitor the third-order dispersion in optical fiber system.

Fast optical switch having reduced light loss

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Bruce N. (Inventor); Cooper, Ronald F. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

An electrically controlled optical switch uses an electro-optic crystal of the type having at least one set of fast and slow optical axes. The crystal exhibits electric field induced birefringence such that a plane of polarization oriented along a first direction of a light beam passing through the crystal may be switched to a plane of polarization oriented along a second direction. A beam splitting polarizer means is disposed at one end of the crystal and directs a light beam passing through the crystal whose plane of polarization is oriented along the first direction differently from a light beam having a plane of polarization oriented along the second direction. The electro-optic crystal may be chosen from the crystal classes 43m, 42m, and 23. In a preferred embodiment, the electro-optic crystal is a bismuth germanium oxide crystal or a bismuth silicon oxide crystal. In another embodiment of the invention, polarization control optics are provided which transmit substantially all of the incident light to the electro-optic crystal, substantially reducing the insertion loss of the switch.

Optical properties of graphene, silicene, germanene, and stanene from IR to far UV - A first principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, Rita; Merlin, Benita

2017-11-01

This study offers an analysis of optical properties of Graphene and its 2D analogues: Silicene, Germanene, and Stanene with the help of band structures based on Density Functional Theory. The complex dielectric function and complex refractive index are calculated in both parallel (||) and perpendicular (⊥) polarization directions of the electromagnetic field. From these calculated values, optical observables like absorption, reflection, optical conductivity, and electron loss function have been studied. The optical response of all materials is shifted from ultraviolet (UV) to infrared (IR) from graphene to stanene; Graphene is more into UV region and other materials in the IR and visible regions. The intensity of absorption is maximum for stanene. The real part of dielectric function reveals the existence of plasma frequency in the || polarization direction indicating the metal to dielectric transition except for graphene. Study on refractive index clearly displays the birefringence characteristics of all materials. Reflectivity is enhanced in the mid IR and visible regions when light is polarized in the || direction. The in-depth investigations arrive at fine results which would enable the prediction of their potential applications in the optical and optoelectronic industries.

Modulation of visualized electrical field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuang, Chin-Jung; Wu, Chi-Chung; Wang, Yi-Ting; Huang, Shiuan-Hau

2015-10-01

Polarization is an important concept of electromagnetism, and polarizers were traditionally applied to demonstrate this concept in a laboratory. We set up a optical system with the optical component "axis finder" to visualize the polarization direction immediately. The light phenomena, such as birefringence, circular polarization, and Brewster's angle, can be examined polarization visually. In addition, the principle of different waveplate and optical axis can be presented in a straightforward approach. By means of image analysis, the great precision of polarizing direction can be measured up to 0.01 degree. Modulated polarized light is applied to a few optical devices, like Liquid-crystal display. It is marvelous to trace the light polarization between the backlight module, polarizer, and panel. As seeing is believing, the visualized electrical field allows educators to teach polarization in a smooth and strikingly manifest manner. Without any polarizer and analyzer, we examine the rotary power of different concentration syrup, presenting the relationship with polarization change. We also demonstrate the wide application of polarization light in modern life, and examine the principle through this visualized electrical field system.

Analysis of Polarizing Optical Systems for Digital Optical Computing with Symmetric Self Electrooptic Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-31

I AD-A232 768 I Annual Report Analysis of Polarizing Optical Systems for Digital Optical Computing with I ’ Symmetric Self Electrooptic Devices I To...TTU AND SuSiIU S. PUNDIN mUMBERS Polarizing Optical Systems for Digital Optical Computing with Symmetric Self Electrooptic Devices AFOSR-89-0542 C...UTION COO$ UNLIMITED 13. ABSTRACT (MAxnum00woUw Two architectural approaches have dominated the field of optical computing . The first appAch uses

A portable liquid crystal-based polarized light system for the detection of organophosphorus nerve gas.

PubMed

He, Feng Jie; Liu, Hui Long; Chen, Long Cong; Xiong, Xing Liang

2018-03-01

Liquid crystal (LC)-based sensors have the advantageous properties of being fast, sensitive, and label-free, the results of which can be accessed directly only through the naked eye. However, the inherent disadvantages possessed by LC sensors, such as relying heavily on polarizing microscopes and the difficulty to quantify, have limited the possibility of field applications. Herein, we have addressed these issues by constructing a portable polarized detection system with constant temperature control. This system is mainly composed of four parts: the LC cell, the optics unit, the automatic temperature control unit, and the image processing unit. The LC cell was based on the ordering transitions of LCs in the presence of analytes. The optics unit based on the imaging principle of LCs was designed to substitute the polarizing microscope for the real-time observation. The image processing unit is expected to quantify the concentration of analytes. The results have shown that the presented system can detect dimethyl methyl phosphonate (a stimulant for organophosphorus nerve gas) within 25 s, and the limit of detection is about 10 ppb. In all, our portable system has potential in field applications.

A portable liquid crystal-based polarized light system for the detection of organophosphorus nerve gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Feng Jie; Liu, Hui Long; Chen, Long Cong; Xiong, Xing Liang

2018-03-01

Liquid crystal (LC)-based sensors have the advantageous properties of being fast, sensitive, and label-free, the results of which can be accessed directly only through the naked eye. However, the inherent disadvantages possessed by LC sensors, such as relying heavily on polarizing microscopes and the difficulty to quantify, have limited the possibility of field applications. Herein, we have addressed these issues by constructing a portable polarized detection system with constant temperature control. This system is mainly composed of four parts: the LC cell, the optics unit, the automatic temperature control unit, and the image processing unit. The LC cell was based on the ordering transitions of LCs in the presence of analytes. The optics unit based on the imaging principle of LCs was designed to substitute the polarizing microscope for the real-time observation. The image processing unit is expected to quantify the concentration of analytes. The results have shown that the presented system can detect dimethyl methyl phosphonate (a stimulant for organophosphorus nerve gas) within 25 s, and the limit of detection is about 10 ppb. In all, our portable system has potential in field applications.

Three-dimensional optic axis determination using variable-incidence-angle polarization-optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ugryumova, Nadezhda; Gangnus, Sergei V.; Matcher, Stephen J.

2006-08-01

Polarization optical coherence tomography (PSOCT) is a powerful technique to nondestructively map the retardance and fast-axis orientation of birefringent biological tissues. Previous studies have concentrated on the case where the optic axis lies on the plane of the surface. We describe a method to determine the polar angle of the optic axis of a uniaxial birefringent tissue by making PSOCT measurements with a number of incident illumination directions. The method is validated on equine flexor tendon, yielding a variability of 4% for the true birefringence and 3% for the polar angle. We use the method to map the polar angle of fibers in the transitional region of equine cartilage.

Imaging of ex vivo nonmelanoma skin cancers in the optical and terahertz spectral regions optical and terahertz skin cancers imaging.

PubMed

Joseph, Cecil S; Patel, Rakesh; Neel, Victor A; Giles, Robert H; Yaroslavsky, Anna N

2014-05-01

We tested the hypothesis that polarization sensitive optical and terahertz imaging may be combined for accurate nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) delineation. Nine NMSC specimens were imaged. 513 μm and 440 nm wavelengths were used for terahertz and optical imaging, respectively. Histopathology was processed for evaluation. Terahertz reflectance of NMSC was quantified. Our results demonstrate that cross-polarized terahertz images correctly identified location of the tumours, whereas cross-polarized and polarization difference optical images accurately presented morphological features. Cross-polarized terahertz images exhibited lower reflectivity values in cancer as compared to normal tissue. Combination of optical and terahertz imaging shows promise for intraoperative delineation of NMSC. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

An all-reflective polarization rotator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohus, J.; Budai, Judit; Kalashnikov, M.; Osvay, K.

2017-05-01

The conceptual design and proof of principle experimental results of a polarization rotator based on mirrors are presented. The device is suitable for any-angle, online rotation of the plane of polarization of high peak intensity ultrashort laser pulses. Controllable rotation of the polarization vector of short laser pulses with a broad bandwidth requires achromatic retarding plates which have a limited scalability and the substantial plate thickness can lead to pulse broadening and inaccurate polarization rotation. Polarization rotators based on reflective optical elements are preferable alternatives to wave plates especially when used in high average power or high peak intensity ultra-short laser systems. The control of the polarization state is desirable in many laser-matter interaction experiments e.g., high harmonic and attosecond pulse generation, electron, proton and ion acceleration, electron-positron pair creating, vacuum nonlinear polarization effect. The device can also serve as a beam attenuator, in combination with a linear polarizer.

A polarization measurement method for the quantification of retardation in optic nerve fiber layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuma, Yasufumi; Okazaki, Yoshio; Shioiri, Takashi; Iida, Yukio; Kikuta, Hisao; Ohnuma, Kazuhiko

2008-02-01

The thickness measurement of the optic nerve fiber layer is one of the most important evaluations for carrying out glaucoma diagnosis. Because the optic nerve fiber layer has birefringence, the thickness can be measured by illuminating eye optics with circular polarized light and analyzing the elliptical rate of the detected polarized light reflected from the optic nerve fiber layer. In this method, the scattering light from the background and the retardation caused by the cornea disturbs the precise measurement. If the Stokes vector expressing the whole state of polarization can be detected, we can eliminate numerically the influence of the background scattering and of the retardation caused by the cornea. Because the retardation process of the eye optics can be represented by a numerical equation using the retardation matrix of each component and also the nonpolarized background scattering light, it can be calculated by using the Stokes vector. We applied a polarization analysis system that can detect the Stokes vector onto the fundus camera. The polarization analysis system is constructed with a CCD area image sensor, a linear polarizing plate, a micro phase plate array, and a circularly polarized light illumination unit. With this simply constructed system, we can calculate the retardation caused only by the optic nerve fiber layer and it can predict the thickness of the optic nerve fiber layer. We report the method and the results graphically showing the retardation of the optic nerve fiber layer without the retardation of the cornea.

Front lighted optical tooling method and apparatus

DOEpatents

Stone, William J.

1985-06-18

An optical tooling method and apparatus uses a front lighted shadowgraphic technique to enhance visual contrast of reflected light. The apparatus includes an optical assembly including a fiducial mark, such as cross hairs, reflecting polarized light with a first polarization, a polarizing element backing the fiducial mark and a reflective surface backing the polarizing element for reflecting polarized light bypassing the fiducial mark and traveling through the polarizing element. The light reflected by the reflecting surface is directed through a second pass of the polarizing element toward the frontal direction with a polarization differing from the polarization of the light reflected by the fiducial mark. When used as a tooling target, the optical assembly may be mounted directly to a reference surface or may be secured in a mounting, such as a magnetic mounting. The optical assembly may also be mounted in a plane defining structure and used as a spherometer in conjunction with an optical depth measuring instrument. A method of measuring a radius of curvature of an unknown surface includes positioning the spherometer on a surface between the surface and a depth measuring optical instrument. As the spherometer is frontally illuminated, the distance from the depth measuring instrument to the fiducial mark and the underlying surface are alternately measured and the difference in these measurements is used as the sagittal height to calculate a radius of curvature.

A recent change in the optical and γ-ray polarization of the Crab nebula and pulsar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moran, P.; Kyne, G.; Gouiffès, C.; Laurent, P.; Hallinan, G.; Redfern, R. M.; Shearer, A.

2016-03-01

We report on observations of the polarization of optical and γ-ray photons from the Crab nebula and pulsar system using the Galway Astronomical Stokes Polarimeter (GASP), the Hubble Space Telescope, Advanced Camera for Surveys and the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory satellite (INTEGRAL). These, when combined with other optical polarization observations, suggest that the polarized optical emission and γ-ray polarization changes in a similar manner. A change in the optical polarization angle has been observed by this work, from 109.5 ± 0.7° in 2005 to 85.3 ± 1.4° in 2012. On the other hand, the γ-ray polarization angle changed from 115 ± 11° in 2003-2007 to 80 ± 12° in 2012-2014. Strong flaring activities have been detected in the Crab nebula over the past few years by the high-energy γ-ray missions Agile and Fermi, and magnetic reconnection processes have been suggested to explain these observations. The change in the polarized optical and γ-ray emission of the Crab nebula/pulsar as observed, for the first time, by GASP and INTEGRAL may indicate that reconnection is possibly at work in the Crab nebula. We also report, for the first time, a non-zero measure of the optical circular polarization from the Crab pulsar+knot system.

Physically based reflectance model utilizing polarization measurement.

PubMed

Nakano, Takayuki; Tamagawa, Yasuhisa

2005-05-20

A surface bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) depends on both the optical properties of the material and the microstructure of the surface and appears as combination of these factors. We propose a method for modeling the BRDF based on a separate optical-property (refractive-index) estimation by polarization measurement. Because the BRDF and the refractive index for precisely the same place can be determined, errors cased by individual difference or spatial dependence can be eliminated. Our BRDF model treats the surface as an aggregation of microfacets, and the diffractive effect is negligible because of randomness. An example model of a painted aluminum plate is presented.

Polarization Properties of A Broadband Multi-Moded Concentrator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kogut, Alan; Fixsen, Dale J.; Hill, Robert S.

2015-01-01

We present the design and performance of a non-imaging concentrator for use in broad-band polarimetry at millimeter through submillimeter wavelengths. A rectangular geometry preserves the input polarization state as the concentrator couples f/2 incident optics to a 2pi sr detector. Measurements of the co-polar and cross-polar beams in both the few-mode and highly over-moded limits agree with a simple model based on mode truncation. The measured co-polar beam pattern is nearly independent of frequency in both linear polarizations. The cross-polar beam pattern is dominated by a uniform term corresponding to polarization efficiency 94%. After correcting for efficiency, the remaining cross-polar response is -18 dB.

Highly sensitive rotation sensing based on orthogonal fiber-optic structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yi; Wang, Zi-nan; Xu, Lian-yu; Wang, Cui-yun; Jia, Lei; Yu, Xiao-qi; Shao, Shan; Li, Zheng-bin

2011-08-01

In traditional fiber-optic gyroscopes (FOG), the polarization state of counter propagating waves is critically controlled, and only the mode polarized along one particular direction survives. This is important for a traditional single mode fiber gyroscope as the requirement of reciprocity. However, there are some fatal defects such as low accuracy and poor bias stability in traditional structures. In this paper, based on the idea of polarization multiplexing, a double-polarization structure is put forward and experimentally studied. In highly birefringent fibers or standard single mode fibers with induced anisotropy, two orthogonal polarization modes can be used at the same time. Therefore, in polarization maintaining fibers (PMF), each pair of counter propagating beams preserve reciprocity within their own polarization state. Two series of sensing results are gotten in the fast and slow axes in PMF. The two sensing results have their own systematic drifts and the correlation of random noise in them is approximately zero. So, beams in fast and slow axes work as two independent and orthogonal gyroscopes. In this way, amount of information is doubled, providing opportunity to eliminate noise and improve sensitivity. Theoretically, this double-polarization structure can achieve a sensitivity of 10-18 deg/h. Computer simulation demonstrates that random noise and systematic drifts are largely reduced in this novel structure. In experiment, a forty-hour stability test targeting the earth's rotation velocity is carried out. Experiment result shows that the orthogonal fiber-optic structure has two big advantages compared with traditional ones. Firstly, the structure gets true value without any bias correction in any axis and even time-varying bias does not affect the acquisition of true value. The unbiasedness makes the structure very attractive when sudden disturbances or temperature drifts existing in working environment. Secondly, the structure lowers bias for more than two orders and enhances bias stability for an order higher (compared with single axis result), achieving a bias stability of 0.01 deg/h. The evidences from all aspects convincingly show that the orthogonal fiber-optic structure is robust against environmental disturbance and material defects, achieving high stability and sensitivity.

Transmission and full-band coherent detection of polarization-multiplexed all-optical Nyquist signals generated by Sinc-shaped Nyquist pulses

PubMed Central

Zhang, Junwen; Yu, Jianjun; Chi, Nan

2015-01-01

All optical method is considered as a promising technique for high symbol rate Nyquist signal generation, which has attracted a lot of research interests for high spectral-efficiency and high-capacity optical communication system. In this paper, we extend our previous work and report the fully experimental demonstration of polarization-division multiplexed (PDM) all-optical Nyquist signal generation based on Sinc-shaped Nyquist pulse with advanced modulation formats, fiber-transmission and single-receiver full-band coherent detection. Using this scheme, we have successfully demonstrated the generation, fiber transmission and single-receiver full-band coherent detection of all-optical Nyquist PDM-QPSK and PDM-16QAM signals up to 125-GBaud. 1-Tb/s single-carrier PDM-16QAM signal generation and full-band coherent detection is realized, which shows the advantage and feasibility of the single-carrier all-optical Nyquist signals. PMID:26323238

Optical flip-flops in a polarization-encoded optical shadow-casting scheme.

PubMed

Rizvi, R A; Zubairy, M S

1994-06-10

We propose a novel scheme that optically implements various types of binary sequential logic elements. This is based on a polarization-encoded optical shadow-casting system. The proposed system architecture is capable of implementing synchronous as well as asynchronous sequential circuits owing to the inherent structural flexibility of optical shadow casting. By employing the proposed system, we present the design and implementation schemes of a J-K flip-flop and clocked R-S and D latches. The main feature of these flip-flops is that the propagation of the signal from the input plane to the output (i.e., processing) and from the output plane to the source plane (i.e., feedback) is all optical. Consequently the efficiency of these elements in terms of speed is increased. The only electronic part in the system is the detection of the outputs and the switching of the source plane.

Tunable Polarization Conversion and Rotation based on a Reconfigurable Metasurface.

PubMed

Zhang, M; Zhang, W; Liu, A Q; Li, F C; Lan, C F

2017-09-21

Polarization is an important property of electromagnetic (EM) wave and different polarization manipulations are required for varied optical applications. Here we report a reconfigurable metasurface which achieves both the polarization conversion and the polarization rotation in THz regime. The metasurface is reconfigured through the micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) actuation. The cross polarization transmittance from a linear polarized incidence is experimentally tuned from 0 to 28% at 2.66 THz. In addition, the polarization rotation angle is effectively changed from -12.8° to 13.1° at 1.78 THz. The tunable bi-functional metasurface for polarization conversion and the polarization rotation can be flexibly applied in various applications such as imaging, polarization microscopy and material analysis, etc.

Recent advances in polarized 3 He based neutron spin filter development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wangchun; Gentile, Thomas; Erwin, Ross; Watson, Shannon; Krycka, Kathryn; Ye, Qiang; NCNR NIST Team; University of Maryland Team

2015-04-01

Polarized 3 He neutron spin filters (NSFs) are based on the strong spin-dependence of the neutron absorption cross section by 3 He. NSFs can polarize large area, widely divergent, and broadband neutron beams effectively and allow for combining a neutron polarizer and a spin flipper into a single polarizing device. The last capability utilizes 3 He spin inversion based on the adiabatic fast passage (AFP) nuclear magnetic resonance technique. Polarized 3 He NSFs are significantly expanding the polarized neutron measurement capabilities at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR). Here we present an overview of 3 He NSF applications to small-angle neutron scattering, thermal triple axis spectrometry, and wide-angle polarization analysis. We discuss a recent upgrade of our spin-exchange optical pumping (SEOP) systems that utilize chirped volume holographic gratings for spectral narrowing. The new capability allows us to polarize rubidium/potassium hybrid SEOP cells over a liter in volume within a day, with 3 He polarizations up to 88%, Finally we discuss how we can achieve nearly lossless 3 He polarization inversion with AFP.

Polar CAP Boundary Identification Using Redline Imaging Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spanswick, E.; Roy, E. A.; Gallardo-Lacourt, B.; Donovan, E.; Ridley, A. J.; Gou, D.

2017-12-01

The location of the polar cap boundary is typically detected using low-orbit satellite measurements in which the boundary is identified by its unique signature of a sharp decrease in energy and particle flux poleward of the auroral oval. A previous study based in optical data by Blanchard et al. [1995] suggested that a dramatic gradient in redline aurora may also be an indicator of the polar cap boundary. While this study has been heavily cited, it was only based on few events and its findings have largely gone uncontested. Since the Blanchard study, satellite instrumentation and available auroral data have improved significantly. Auroral imaging has moved well beyond the capabilities of the instrumentation in the previous study in terms of sensitivity and both spatial and temporal resolution. We now have access to decades of optical data from arrays spanning a huge spatial range; none of which was available previously. In this study we have used data from FAST and DMSP satellites in conjunction with the University of Calgary's Narrow-band All-sky Cameras for Auroral Monitoring (NASCAM) ground based auroral imaging array and the REdline Geospace Observatory (REGO) data to assess the viability of automated detection of the polar cap boundary. In our analysis we used redline (630nm) auroral signatures from the ground based imagers around the location of the polar cap boundary observed in satellite data. We have characterized the polar cap boundary luminosity and location using the redline auroral data during different geomagnetic conditions. Our results enable a new tool to automatically identify the polar cap boundary to reach a deeper understanding of the connection between polar cap location and auroral activity.

Method for using polarization gating to measure a scattering sample

DOEpatents

Baba, Justin S.

2015-08-04

Described herein are systems, devices, and methods facilitating optical characterization of scattering samples. A polarized optical beam can be directed to pass through a sample to be tested. The optical beam exiting the sample can then be analyzed to determine its degree of polarization, from which other properties of the sample can be determined. In some cases, an apparatus can include a source of an optical beam, an input polarizer, a sample, an output polarizer, and a photodetector. In some cases, a signal from a photodetector can be processed through attenuation, variable offset, and variable gain.

Polar POLICRYPS diffractive structures generate cylindrical vector beams

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

Alj, Domenico; Caputo, Roberto, E-mail: roberto.caputo@fis.unical.it; Umeton, Cesare

2015-11-16

Local shaping of the polarization state of a light beam is appealing for a number of applications. This can be achieved by employing devices containing birefringent materials. In this article, we present one such enables converting a uniformly circularly polarized beam into a cylindrical vector beam (CVB). This device has been fabricated by exploiting the POLICRYPS (POlymer-LIquid CRYstals-Polymer-Slices) photocuring technique. It is a liquid-crystal-based optical diffraction grating featuring polar symmetry of the director alignment. We have characterized the resulting CVB profile and polarization for the cases of left and right circularly polarized incoming beams.

3 x 3 free-space optical router based on crossbar network and its control algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Peipei; Sun, Jianfeng; Yu, Zhou; Lu, Wei; Wang, Lijuan; Liu, Liren

2015-08-01

A 3 × 3 free-space optical router, which comprises optical switches and polarizing beam splitter (PBS) and based on crossbar network, is proposed in this paper. A control algorithm for the 3 × 3 free-space optical router is also developed to achieve rapid control without rearrangement. In order to test the performance of the network based on 3 × 3 free-space optical router and that of the algorithm developed for the optical router, experiments are designed. The experiment results show that the interconnection network based on the 3 × 3 free-space optical router has low cross talk, fast connection speed. Under the control of the algorithm developed, a non-block and real free interconnection network is obtained based on the 3 × 3 free-space optical router we proposed.

Method for measuring retardation of infrared wave-plate by modulated-polarized visible light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ying; Song, Feijun

2012-11-01

A new method for precisely measuring the optical phase retardation of wave-plates in the infrared spectral region is presented by using modulated-polarized visible light. An electro-optic modulator is used to accurately determine the zero point by the frequency-doubled signal of the Modulated-polarized light. A Babinet-Soleil compensator is employed to make the phase delay compensation. Based on this method, an instrument is set up to measure the retardations of the infrared wave-plates with visible region laser. Measurement results with high accuracy and sound repetition are obtained by simple calculation. Its measurement precision is less than and repetitive precision is within 0.3%.

RCNP Project on Polarized {sup 3}He Ion Sources - From Optical Pumping to Cryogenic Method

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

Tanaka, M.; Inomata, T.; Takahashi, Y.

2009-08-04

A polarized {sup 3}He ion source has been developed at RCNP for intermediate and high energy spin physics. Though we started with an OPPIS (Optical Pumping Polarized Ion Source), it could not provide highly polarized {sup 3}He beam because of fundamental difficulties. Subsequently to this unhappy result, we examined novel types of the polarized {sup 3}He ion source, i.e., EPPIS (Electron Pumping Polarized Ion Source), and ECRPIS (ECR Polarized Ion Source) experimentally or theoretically, respectively. However, attainable {sup 3}He polarization degrees and beam intensities were still insufficient for practical use. A few years later, we proposed a new idea formore » the polarized {sup 3}He ion source, SEPIS (Spin Exchange Polarized Ion Source) which is based on enhanced spin-exchange cross sections at low incident energies for {sup 3}He{sup +}+Rb, and its feasibility was experimentally examined.Recently, we started a project on polarized {sup 3}He gas generated by the brute force method with low temperature (approx4 mK) and strong magnetic field (approx17 T), and rapid melting of highly polarized solid {sup 3}He followed by gasification. When this project will be successful, highly polarized {sup 3}He gas will hopefully be used for a new type of the polarized {sup 3}He ion source.« less

Q-plates as higher order polarization controllers for orbital angular momentum modes of fiber.

PubMed

Gregg, P; Mirhosseini, M; Rubano, A; Marrucci, L; Karimi, E; Boyd, R W; Ramachandran, S

2015-04-15

We demonstrate that a |q|=1/2 plate, in conjunction with appropriate polarization optics, can selectively and switchably excite all linear combinations of the first radial mode order |l|=1 orbital angular momentum (OAM) fiber modes. This enables full mapping of free-space polarization states onto fiber vector modes, including the radially (TM) and azimuthally polarized (TE) modes. The setup requires few optical components and can yield mode purities as high as ∼30  dB. Additionally, just as a conventional fiber polarization controller creates arbitrary elliptical polarization states to counteract fiber birefringence and yield desired polarizations at the output of a single-mode fiber, q-plates disentangle degenerate state mixing effects between fiber OAM states to yield pure states, even after long-length fiber propagation. We thus demonstrate the ability to switch dynamically, potentially at ∼GHz rates, between OAM modes, or create desired linear combinations of them. We envision applications in fiber-based lasers employing vector or OAM mode outputs, as well as communications networking schemes exploiting spatial modes for higher dimensional encoding.

Theoretical and experimental study on PMD-supported transmission using polarization diversity in coherent optical OFDM systems.

PubMed

Shieh, W; Yi, X; Ma, Y; Tang, Y

2007-08-06

In this paper, we conduct theoretical and experimental study on the PMD-supported transmission with coherent optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CO-OFDM). We first present the model for the optical fiber communication channel in the presence of the polarization effects. It shows that the optical fiber channel model can be treated as a special kind of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) model, namely, a two-input two-output (TITO) model which is intrinsically represented by a two-element Jones vector familiar to the optical communications community. The detailed discussions on various coherent optical MIMO-OFDM (CO-MIMO-OFDM) models are presented. Furthermore, we show the first experiment of polarization-diversity detection in CO-OFDM systems. In particular, a CO-OFDM signal at 10.7 Gb/s is successfully recovered after 900 ps differential-group-delay (DGD) and 1000-km transmission through SSMF fiber without optical dispersion compensation. The transmission experiment with higher-order PMD further confirms the immunity of the CO-OFDM signal to PMD in the transmission fiber. The nonlinearity performance of PMD-supported transmission is also reported. For the first time, nonlinear phase noise mitigation based on receiver digital signal processing is experimentally demonstrated for CO-OFDM transmission.

Optical parametric amplification of arbitrarily polarized light in periodically poled LiNbO3.

PubMed

Shao, Guang-hao; Song, Xiao-shi; Xu, Fei; Lu, Yan-qing

2012-08-13

Optical parametric amplification (OPA) of arbitrarily polarized light is proposed in a multi-section periodically poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN). External electric field is applied on selected sections to induce the polarization rotation of involved lights, thus the quasi-phase matched optical parametric processes exhibit polarization insensitivity under suitable voltage. In addition to the amplified signal wave, an idler wave with the same polarization is generated simultaneously. As an example, a ~10 times OPA showing polarization independency is simulated. Applications of this technology are also discussed.

Polarization entangled cluster state generation in a lithium niobate chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szep, Attila; Kim, Richard; Shin, Eunsung; Fanto, Michael L.; Osman, Joseph; Alsing, Paul M.

2016-10-01

We present a design of a quantum information processing C-phase (Controlled-phase) gate applicable for generating cluster states that has a form of integrated photonic circuits assembled with cascaded directional couplers on a Ti in-diffused Lithium Niobate (Ti-LN) platform where directional couplers as the integrated optical analogue of bulk beam splitters are used as fundamental building blocks. Based on experimentally optimized fabrication parameters of Ti-LN optical waveguides operating at an 810nm wavelength, an integrated Ti-LN quantum C-phase gate is designed and simulated. Our proposed C-phase gate consists of three tunable directional couplers cascaded together with having different weighted switching ratios for providing a tool of routing vertically- and horizontally-polarized photons independently. Its operation mechanism relies on selectively controlling the optical coupling of orthogonally polarized modes via the change in the index of refraction, and its operation is confirmed by the BPM simulation.

Complex modulation using tandem polarization modulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Mehedi; Hall, Trevor

2017-11-01

A novel photonic technique for implementing frequency up-conversion or complex modulation is proposed. The proposed circuit consists of a sandwich of a quarter-wave plate between two polarization modulators, driven, respectively, by an in-phase and quadrature-phase signals. The operation of the circuit is modelled using a transmission matrix method. The theoretical prediction is then validated by simulation using an industry-standard software tool. The intrinsic conversion efficiency of the architecture is improved by 6 dB over a functionally equivalent design based on dual parallel Mach-Zehnder modulators. Non-ideal scenarios such as imperfect alignment of the optical components and power imbalances and phase errors in the electric drive signals are also analysed. As light travels, along one physical path, the proposed design can be implemented using discrete components with greater control of relative optical path length differences. The circuit can further be integrated in any material platform that offers electro-optic polarization modulators.

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

Lipunov, Vladimir M.; Kornilov, V.; Vlasenko, D.

On 2015 June 15, the Swift space observatory discovered that the Galactic black hole candidate V404 Cyg was undergoing another active X-ray phase, after 25 years of inactivity. The 12 telescopes of the MASTER Global Robotic Net located at six sites across four continents were the first ground-based observatories to start optical monitoring of the microquasar after its gamma-ray wake up at 18{sup h} 34{sup m} 09{sup s} U.T. on 2015 June 15. In this paper, we report, for the first time, the discovery of variable optical linear polarization, changing by 4%–6% over a timescale of ∼1 hr, on twomore » different epochs. We can conclude that the additional variable polarization arises from the relativistic jet generated by the black hole in V404 Cyg. The polarization variability correlates with optical brightness changes, increasing when the flux decreases.« less

Arbitrary spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion of light.

PubMed

Devlin, Robert C; Ambrosio, Antonio; Rubin, Noah A; Mueller, J P Balthasar; Capasso, Federico

2017-11-17

Optical elements that convert the spin angular momentum (SAM) of light into vortex beams have found applications in classical and quantum optics. These elements-SAM-to-orbital angular momentum (OAM) converters-are based on the geometric phase and only permit the conversion of left- and right-circular polarizations (spin states) into states with opposite OAM. We present a method for converting arbitrary SAM states into total angular momentum states characterized by a superposition of independent OAM. We designed a metasurface that converts left- and right-circular polarizations into states with independent values of OAM and designed another device that performs this operation for elliptically polarized states. These results illustrate a general material-mediated connection between SAM and OAM of light and may find applications in producing complex structured light and in optical communication. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Cascadable all-optical inverter based on a nonlinear vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier.

PubMed

Zhang, Haijiang; Wen, Pengyue; Esener, Sadik

2007-07-01

We report, for the first time to our knowledge, the operation of a cascadable, low-optical-switching-power(~10 microW) small-area (~100 microm(2)) high-speed (80 ps fall time) all-optical inverter. This inverter employs cross-gain modulation, polarization gain anisotropy, and highly nonlinear gain characteristics of an electrically pumped vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier (VCSOA). The measured transfer characteristics of such an optical inverter resemble those of standard electronic metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor-based inverters exhibiting high noise margin and high extinction ratio (~9.3 dB), making VCSOAs an ideal building block for all-optical logic and memory.

Demonstration of an ultra-wideband optical fiber inline polarizer with metal nano-grid on the fiber tip.

PubMed

Lin, Yongbin; Guo, Junpeng; Lindquist, Robert G

2009-09-28

Dramatic increase in the bandwidth of optical fiber inline polarizer can be achieved by using metal nano-grid on the fiber tip. However, high extinction ratio of such fiber polarizer requires high spatial frequency metal nano girds with high aspect ratio on the small area of optical fiber tip. We report the development of a nano-fabrication process on the optical fiber tip, and the design and realization of the first ultra-wideband fiber inline polarization device with Au nano gird fabricated on a single mode optical fiber end face.

Hollow Core Optical Fiber Gas Lasers: Toward Novel and Practical Systems in Fused Silica

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-18

Hollow core Optically pumped Fiber Gas LASer’s (HOFGLAS’s) based on population inversion combine advantages of fiber lasers such as long interaction...polarization dependent fiber properties. Preliminary experiments were performed toward simultaneous lasing in the visible and near infrared; lasing in...words) Hollow core Optically pumped Fiber Gas LASer’s (HOFGLAS’s) based on population inversion combine advantages of fiber lasers such as long

Effect of polarization on the evolution of electromagnetic hollow Gaussian Schell-model beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Xuewen; Lu, Keqing; Zhang, Yuhong; Guo, Jianbang; Li, Kehao

2011-02-01

Based on the theory of coherence, an analytical propagation formula for partially polarized and partially coherent hollow Gaussian Schell-model beams (HGSMBs) passing through a paraxial optical system is derived. Furthermore, we show that the degree of polarization of source may affect the evolution of HGSMBs and a tunable dark region may exist. For two special cases of fully coherent and partially coherent δxx = δyy, normalized intensity distributions are independent of the polarization of source.

Radially polarized conical beam from an embedded etched fiber.

PubMed

Kalaidji, Djamel; Spajer, Michel; Marthouret, Nadège; Grosjean, Thierry

2009-06-15

We propose a method for producing a conical beam based on the lateral refraction of the TM(01) mode from a two-mode fiber after chemical etching of the cladding, and for controlling its radial polarization. The whole power of the guided mode is transferred to the refracted beam with low diffraction. Polarization control by a series of azimuthal detectors and a stress controller affords the transmission of a stabilized radial polarization through an optical fiber. A solid component usable for many applications has been obtained.

Stable passive optical clock generation in SOA-based fiber lasers.

PubMed

Wang, Jing-Yun; Lin, Kuei-Huei; Chen, Hou-Ren

2015-02-15

Stable optical pulse trains are obtained from 1.3-μm and 1.5-μm semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based fiber lasers using passive optical technology. The waveforms depend on SOA currents, and the repetition rates can be tuned by varying the relative length of sub-cavities. The output pulse trains of these SOA-based fiber lasers are stable against intracavity polarization adjustment and environmental perturbation. The optical clock generation is explained in terms of mode competition, self-synchronization, and SOA saturation. Without resorting to any active modulation circuits or devices, the technology used here is simple and may find various applications in the future.

Diffraction efficiency calculations of polarization diffraction gratings with surface relief

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nazarova, D.; Sharlandjiev, P.; Berberova, N.; Blagoeva, B.; Stoykova, E.; Nedelchev, L.

2018-03-01

In this paper, we evaluate the optical response of a stack of two diffraction gratings of equal one-dimensional periodicity. The first one is a surface-relief grating structure; the second, a volume polarization grating. This model is based on our experimental results from polarization holographic recordings in azopolymer films. We used films of commercially available azopolymer (poly[1-[4-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyphenylazo) benzenesulfonamido]-1,2-ethanediyl, sodium salt]), shortly denoted as PAZO. During the recording process, a polarization grating in the volume of the material and a relief grating on the film surface are formed simultaneously. In order to evaluate numerically the optical response of this “hybrid” diffraction structure, we used the rigorous coupled-wave approach (RCWA). It yields stable numerical solutions of Maxwell’s vector equations using the algebraic eigenvalue method.

Manipulation of dielectric Rayleigh particles using highly focused elliptically polarized vector fields.

PubMed

Gu, Bing; Xu, Danfeng; Rui, Guanghao; Lian, Meng; Cui, Yiping; Zhan, Qiwen

2015-09-20

Generation of vectorial optical fields with arbitrary polarization distribution is of great interest in areas where exotic optical fields are desired. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate the versatile generation of linearly polarized vector fields, elliptically polarized vector fields, and circularly polarized vortex beams through introducing attenuators in a common-path interferometer. By means of Richards-Wolf vectorial diffraction method, the characteristics of the highly focused elliptically polarized vector fields are studied. The optical force and torque on a dielectric Rayleigh particle produced by these tightly focused vector fields are calculated and exploited for the stable trapping of dielectric Rayleigh particles. It is shown that the additional degree of freedom provided by the elliptically polarized vector field allows one to control the spatial structure of polarization, to engineer the focusing field, and to tailor the optical force and torque on a dielectric Rayleigh particle.

Elliptical polarization of near-resonant linearly polarized probe light in optically pumped alkali metal vapor

PubMed Central

Li, Yingying; Wang, Zhiguo; Jin, Shilong; Yuan, Jie; Luo, Hui

2017-01-01

Optically pumped alkali metal atoms currently provide a sensitive solution for magnetic microscopic measurements. As the most practicable plan, Faraday rotation of linearly polarized light is extensively used in spin polarization measurements of alkali metal atoms. In some cases, near-resonant Faraday rotation is applied to improve the sensitivity. However, the near-resonant linearly polarized probe light is elliptically polarized after passing through optically pumped alkali metal vapor. The ellipticity of transmitted near-resonant probe light is numerically calculated and experimentally measured. In addition, we also analyze the negative impact of elliptical polarization on Faraday rotation measurements. From our theoretical estimate and experimental results, the elliptical polarization forms an inevitable error in spin polarization measurements. PMID:28216649

Fast, High-Precision Optical Polarization Synthesizer for Ultracold-Atom Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robens, Carsten; Brakhane, Stefan; Alt, Wolfgang; Meschede, Dieter; Zopes, Jonathan; Alberti, Andrea

2018-03-01

We present a technique for the precision synthesis of arbitrary polarization states of light with a high modulation bandwidth. Our approach consists of superimposing two laser light fields with the same wavelength, but with opposite circular polarizations, where the phase and the amplitude of each light field are individually controlled. We find that the polarization-synthesized beam reaches a degree of polarization of 99.99%, which is mainly limited by static spatial variations of the polarization state over the beam profile. We also find that the depolarization caused by temporal fluctuations of the polarization state is about 2 orders of magnitude smaller. In a recent work, Robens et al. [Low-Entropy States of Neutral Atoms in Polarization-Synthesized Optical Lattices, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 065302 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.065302] demonstrated an application of the polarization synthesizer to create two independently controllable optical lattices which trap atoms depending on their internal spin state. We use ultracold atoms in polarization-synthesized optical lattices to give an independent, in situ demonstration of the performance of the polarization synthesizer.

System for testing optical fibers

DOEpatents

Golob, John E. [Olathe, KS; Looney, Larry D. [Los Alamos, NM; Lyons, Peter B. [Los Alamos, NM; Nelson, Melvin A. [Santa Barbara, CA; Davies, Terence J. [Santa Barbara, CA

1980-07-15

A system for measuring a combination of optical transmission properties of fiber optic waveguides. A polarized light pulse probe is injected into one end of the optical fiber. Reflections from discontinuities within the fiber are unpolarized whereas reflections of the probe pulse incident to its injection remain polarized. The polarized reflections are prevented from reaching a light detector whereas reflections from the discontinuities reaches the detector.

Optical atomic magnetometer

DOEpatents

Budker, Dmitry; Higbie, James; Corsini, Eric P.

2013-11-19

An optical atomic magnetometers is provided operating on the principles of nonlinear magneto-optical rotation. An atomic vapor is optically pumped using linearly polarized modulated light. The vapor is then probed using a non-modulated linearly polarized light beam. The resulting modulation in polarization angle of the probe light is detected and used in a feedback loop to induce self-oscillation at the resonant frequency.

Implementation of biological tissue Mueller matrix for polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography based on LabVIEW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yongping; Zhang, Xiyang; He, Youwu; Cai, Jianyong; Li, Hui

2018-02-01

The Jones matrix and the Mueller matrix are main tools to study polarization devices. The Mueller matrix can also be used for biological tissue research to get complete tissue properties, while the commercial optical coherence tomography system does not give relevant analysis function. Based on the LabVIEW, a near real time display method of Mueller matrix image of biological tissue is developed and it gives the corresponding phase retardant image simultaneously. A quarter-wave plate was placed at 45 in the sample arm. Experimental results of the two orthogonal channels show that the phase retardance based on incident light vector fixed mode and the Mueller matrix based on incident light vector dynamic mode can provide an effective analysis method of the existing system.

Linearly polarized fiber amplifier

DOEpatents

Kliner, Dahv A.; Koplow, Jeffery P.

2004-11-30

Optically pumped rare-earth-doped polarizing fibers exhibit significantly higher gain for one linear polarization state than for the orthogonal state. Such a fiber can be used to construct a single-polarization fiber laser, amplifier, or amplified-spontaneous-emission (ASE) source without the need for additional optical components to obtain stable, linearly polarized operation.

Effect of quantum-well thickness on the optical polarization of AlGaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Cheng; Zhang, Jing

2018-02-01

Optical polarization from AlGaN quantum well (QW) is crucial for realizing high-efficiency deep-ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) because it determines the light emission patterns and light extraction mechanism of the devices. As the Al-content of AlGaN QW increases, the valence bands order changes and consequently the light polarization switches from transverse-electric (TE) to transverse-magnetic (TM) owing to the different sign and the value of the crystal field splitting energy between AlN (-169meV) and GaN (10meV). Several groups have reported that the ordering of the bands and the TE/TM crossover Al-content could be influenced by the strain state and the quantum confinement from the AlGaN QW system. In this work, we investigate the influence of QW thickness on the optical polarization switching point from AlGaN QW with AlN barriers by using 6-band k•p model. The result presents a decreasing trend of the critical Al-content where the topmost valence band switches from heave hole (HH) to crystal field spilt-off (CH) with increasing QW thicknesses due to the internal electric field and the strain state from the AlGaN QW. Instead, the TE- and TM-polarized spontaneous emission rates switching Al-content rises first and falls later because of joint consequence of the band mixing effect and the Quantum Confined Stark Effect. The reported optical polarization from AlGaN QW emitters in the UV spectral range is assessed in this work and the tendency of the polarization switching point shows great consistency with the theoretical results, which deepens the understanding of the physics from AlGaN QW UV LEDs.

Practical method for transversely measuring the spin polarization of optically pumped alkali atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Zhichao; Yuan, Jie; Long, Xingwu

2018-06-01

A practical method to measure the spin polarization of optically pumped alkali atoms is demonstrated. In order to realize transverse measurement, the transverse spin component of spin-polarized alkali atoms is created by a rotating exciting magnetic field, and detected using the optical rotation of a near-resonant probe beam for realizing a high detection sensitivity. The dependency of the optical rotation on the spin polarization of 133Cs atoms is derived theoretically and verified experimentally. By changing the direction of the rotating magnetic field, we realize the transverse measurement of the spin polarization of 133Cs atoms in either ground-state hyperfine level.

Magneto-optical studies of quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russ, Andreas Hans

Significant effort in condensed matter physics has recently been devoted to the field of "spintronics" which seeks to utilize the spin degree of freedom of electrons. Unlike conventional electronics that rely on the electron charge, devices exploiting their spin have the potential to yield new and novel technological applications, including spin transistors, spin filters, and spin-based memory devices. Any such application has the following essential requirements: 1) Efficient electrical injection of spin-polarized carriers; 2) Long spin lifetimes; 3) Ability to control and manipulate electron spins; 4) Effective detection of spin-polarized carriers. Recent work has demonstrated efficient electrical injection from ferromagnetic contacts such as Fe and MnAs, utilizing a spin-Light Emitting Diode (spin-LED) as a method of detection. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are attractive candidates for satisfying requirements 2 and 3 as their zero dimensionality significantly suppresses many spin-flip mechanisms leading to long spin coherence times, as well as enabling the localization and manipulation of a controlled number of electrons and holes. This thesis is composed of three projects that are all based on the optical properties of QD structures including: I) Intershell exchange between spin-polarized electrons occupying adjacent shells in InAs QDs; II) Spin-polarized multiexitons in InAs QDs in the presence of spin-orbit interactions; III) The optical Aharonov-Bohm effect in AlxGa1-xAs/AlyGa1-yAs quantum wells (QWs). In the following we introduce some of the basic optical properties of quantum dots, describe the main tool (spin-LED) employed in this thesis to inject and detect spins in these QDs, and conclude with the optical Aharonov-Bohm effect (OAB) in type-II QDs.

LEO-to-ground polarization measurements aiming for space QKD using Small Optical TrAnsponder (SOTA).

PubMed

Carrasco-Casado, Alberto; Kunimori, Hiroo; Takenaka, Hideki; Kubo-Oka, Toshihiro; Akioka, Maki; Fuse, Tetsuharu; Koyama, Yoshisada; Kolev, Dimitar; Munemasa, Yasushi; Toyoshima, Morio

2016-05-30

Quantum communication, and more specifically Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), enables the transmission of information in a theoretically secure way, guaranteed by the laws of quantum physics. Although fiber-based QKD has been readily available since several years ago, a global quantum communication network will require the development of space links, which remains to be demonstrated. NICT launched a LEO satellite in 2014 carrying a lasercom terminal (SOTA), designed for in-orbit technological demonstrations. In this paper, we present the results of the campaign to measure the polarization characteristics of the SOTA laser sources after propagating from LEO to ground. The most-widely used property for encoding information in free-space QKD is the polarization, and especially the linear polarization. Therefore, studying its behavior in a realistic link is a fundamental step for proving the feasibility of space quantum communications. The results of the polarization preservation of two highly-polarized lasers are presented here, including the first-time measurement of a linearly-polarized source at λ = 976 nm and a circularly-polarized source at λ = 1549 nm from space using a realistic QKD-like receiver, installed in the Optical Ground Station at the NICT Headquarters, in Tokyo, Japan.

OCAPI: a multidirectional multichannel polarizing imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Naour, C.; Eichen, G.; Léon, J. F.

2017-11-01

OCAPI (Optical Carbonaceous and anthropogenic Aerosols Pathfinder Instrument) is an imager dedicated to the observation of the spectral, directional and polarized signatures of the solar radiance reflected by the Earth-Atmosphere system. The measurements are used to study air quality and pollution by tracking aerosol quantity, types and circulation at various scales in the visible range. The main characteristics of OCAPI are a 110° along track and cross track field of view, eight polarized channels distributed between 320 and 2130 nm. The resolution is 4 x 4 km2 in the visible and the shortwave infrared (SWIR) range, and 10 x 10 km2 in the UV. The instrumental concept is derived from POLDER and PARASOL with additional channels in the UV and SWIR to better determine aerosol properties and constrain Earth surface and cloud contributions in the detected signal. It is based on three wide field-ofview telecentric optics (UV, Visible and SWIR), a rotating wheel bearing spectral and polarized filters and two dimensional detector arrays at the focal plane of the optics. The instrument requirements, concept and budgets are presented.

Study on spin and optical polarization in a coupled InGaN/GaN quantum well and quantum dots structure.

PubMed

Yu, Jiadong; Wang, Lai; Di Yang; Zheng, Jiyuan; Xing, Yuchen; Hao, Zhibiao; Luo, Yi; Sun, Changzheng; Han, Yanjun; Xiong, Bing; Wang, Jian; Li, Hongtao

2016-10-19

The spin and optical polarization based on a coupled InGaN/GaN quantum well (QW) and quantum dots (QDs) structure is investigated. In this structure, spin-electrons can be temporarily stored in QW, and spin injection from the QW into QDs via spin-conserved tunneling is enabled. Spin relaxation can be suppressed owing to the small energy difference between the initial state in the QW and the final states in the QDs. Photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements are carried out on optical spin-injection and -detection. Owing to the coupled structure, spin-conserved tunneling mechanism plays a significant role in preventing spin relaxation process. As a result, a higher circular polarization degree (CPD) (~49.1%) is achieved compared with conventional single layer of QDs structure. Moreover, spin relaxation time is also extended to about 2.43 ns due to the weaker state-filling effect. This coupled structure is believed an appropriate candidate for realization of spin-polarized light source.

Beyond dipolar regime in high-order plasmon mode bowtie antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuche, Aurélien; Viarbitskaya, Sviatlana; Kumar, Upkar; Sharma, Jadab; Arbouet, Arnaud; Girard, Christian; Dujardin, Erik

2017-03-01

Optical nanoantennas have shown their great potential for far-field to near-field coupling and for light confinement in subwavelength volumes. Here, we report on a multimodal configuration for bright and polarization-dependent bowtie antenna based on large and highly crystalline gold prisms. Each individual prism constituting an antenna arm sustains high order plasmon modes in the visible and near infrared range that allow for high field confinement and two-dimensional optical information propagation. We demonstrate by scanning two-photon luminescence (TPL) microscopy and numerical simulations based on the Green dyadic method that these bowtie antennas result in intense hot spots in different antenna locations as a function of the incident polarization. Finally, we quantify the local field enhancement above the antennas by computing the normalized total decay rate of a molecular system placed in the near field of the antenna gap as a function of the dipole orientation. We demonstrate the existence of a subtle relation between antenna geometry, polarization dependence and field enhancement. These new multimodal optical antennas are excellent far field to near field converter and they open the door for new strategies in the design of coplanar optical components for a wide range of applications including sensing, energy conversion or integrated information processing.

Optical control of hard X-ray polarization by electron injection in a laser wakefield accelerator

PubMed Central

Schnell, Michael; Sävert, Alexander; Uschmann, Ingo; Reuter, Maria; Nicolai, Maria; Kämpfer, Tino; Landgraf, Björn; Jäckel, Oliver; Jansen, Oliver; Pukhov, Alexander; Kaluza, Malte Christoph; Spielmann, Christian

2013-01-01

Laser-plasma particle accelerators could provide more compact sources of high-energy radiation than conventional accelerators. Moreover, because they deliver radiation in femtosecond pulses, they could improve the time resolution of X-ray absorption techniques. Here we show that we can measure and control the polarization of ultra-short, broad-band keV photon pulses emitted from a laser-plasma-based betatron source. The electron trajectories and hence the polarization of the emitted X-rays are experimentally controlled by the pulse-front tilt of the driving laser pulses. Particle-in-cell simulations show that an asymmetric plasma wave can be driven by a tilted pulse front and a non-symmetric intensity distribution of the focal spot. Both lead to a notable off-axis electron injection followed by collective electron–betatron oscillations. We expect that our method for an all-optical steering is not only useful for plasma-based X-ray sources but also has significance for future laser-based particle accelerators. PMID:24026068

Development of polarization-controlled multi-pass Thomson scattering system in the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror

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

Yoshikawa, M.; Morimoto, M.; Shima, Y.

2012-10-15

In the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror, the typical electron density is comparable to that of the peripheral plasma of torus-type fusion devices. Therefore, an effective method to increase Thomson scattering (TS) signals is required in order to improve signal quality. In GAMMA 10, the yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG)-TS system comprises a laser, incident optics, light collection optics, signal detection electronics, and a data recording system. We have been developing a multi-pass TS method for a polarization-based system based on the GAMMA 10 YAG TS. To evaluate the effectiveness of the polarization-based configuration, the multi-pass system was installed in the GAMMA 10 YAG-TSmore » system, which is capable of double-pass scattering. We carried out a Rayleigh scattering experiment and applied this double-pass scattering system to the GAMMA 10 plasma. The integrated scattering signal was made about twice as large by the double-pass system.« less

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

Collisional Lifetimes of Elementary Excitations in Two-Dimensional Systems in the Field of a Strong Electromagnetic Wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalev, V. M.

2018-04-01

A two-dimensional system with two nonequivalent valleys in the field of a strong circularly polarized electromagnetic wave is considered. It is assumed that the optical selection rules for a given polarization of light allow band-to-band transitions only in valleys of one, optically active, type (two-dimensional layer based on transition metal dichalcogenides, gapped graphene, etc.). This leads to the formation of photon-coupled electron-hole pairs, or an "optical insulator" state. It is assumed that the valleys of the second type (optically inactive) are populated with an equilibrium electron gas. The relaxation of elementary excitations in this hybrid system consisting of an electron gas and a gas of electron-hole pairs caused by the Coulomb interaction between the particles is investigated.

SPEX: the Spectropolarimeter for Planetary Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rietjens, J. H. H.; Snik, F.; Stam, D. M.; Smit, J. M.; van Harten, G.; Keller, C. U.; Verlaan, A. L.; Laan, E. C.; ter Horst, R.; Navarro, R.; Wielinga, K.; Moon, S. G.; Voors, R.

2017-11-01

We present SPEX, the Spectropolarimeter for Planetary Exploration, which is a compact, robust and low-mass spectropolarimeter designed to operate from an orbiting or in situ platform. Its purpose is to simultaneously measure the radiance and the state (degree and angle) of linear polarization of sunlight that has been scattered in a planetary atmosphere and/or reflected by a planetary surface with high accuracy. The degree of linear polarization is extremely sensitive to the microphysical properties of atmospheric or surface particles (such as size, shape, and composition), and to the vertical distribution of atmospheric particles, such as cloud top altitudes. Measurements as those performed by SPEX are therefore crucial and often the only tool for disentangling the many parameters that describe planetary atmospheres and surfaces. SPEX uses a novel, passive method for its radiance and polarization observations that is based on a carefully selected combination of polarization optics. This method, called spectral modulation, is the modulation of the radiance spectrum in both amplitude and phase by the degree and angle of linear polarization, respectively. The polarization optics consists of an achromatic quarter-wave retarder, an athermal multiple-order retarder, and a polarizing beam splitter. We will show first results obtained with the recently developed prototype of the SPEX instrument, and present a performance analysis based on a dedicated vector radiative transport model together with a recently developed SPEX instrument simulator.

Self-organized plasmonic metasurfaces for all-optical modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Della Valle, G.; Polli, D.; Biagioni, P.; Martella, C.; Giordano, M. C.; Finazzi, M.; Longhi, S.; Duò, L.; Cerullo, G.; Buatier de Mongeot, F.

2015-06-01

We experimentally demonstrate a self-organized metasurface with a polarization dependent transmittance that can be dynamically controlled by optical means. The configuration consists of tightly packed plasmonic nanowires with a large dispersion of width and height produced by the defocused ion-beam sputtering of a thin gold film supported on a silica glass. Our results are quantitatively interpreted according to a theoretical model based on the thermomodulational nonlinearity of gold and a finite-element numerical analysis of the absorption and scattering cross-sections of the nanowires. We found that the polarization sensitivity of the metasurface can be strongly enhanced by pumping with ultrashort laser pulses, leading to potential applications in ultrafast all-optical modulation and switching of light.

Design of a 50/50 splitting ratio non-polarizing beam splitter based on the modal method with fused-silica transmission gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Huajun; Yuan, Dairong; Ming, Hai

2011-04-01

The optical design of a beam splitter that has a 50/50 splitting ratio regardless of the polarization is presented. The non-polarizing beam splitter (NPBS) is based on the fused-silica rectangular transmission gratings with high intensity tolerance. The modal method has been used to estimate the effective index of the modes excited in the grating region for TE and TM polarizations. If a phase difference equals an odd multiples of π/2 for the first two modes (i.e. modes 0 and 1), the incident light will be diffracted into the 0 and -1 orders with about 50% and 50% diffraction efficiency for TM and TE polarizations, respectively.

Analysis of spatial pseudodepolarizers in imaging systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcguire, James P., Jr.; Chipman, Russell A.

1990-01-01

The objective of a number of optical instruments is to measure the intensity accurately without bias as to the incident polarization state. One method to overcome polarization bias in optical systems is the insertion of a spatial pseudodepolarizer. Both the degree of depolarization and image degradation (from the polarization aberrations of the pseudodepolarizer) are analyzed for two depolarizer designs: (1) the Cornu pseudodepolarizer, effective for linearly polarized light, and (2) the dual Babinet compensator pseudodepolarizer, effective for all incident polarization states. The image analysis uses a matrix formalism to describe the polarization dependence of the diffraction patterns and optical transfer function.

Polarization domain walls in optical fibres as topological bits for data transmission

PubMed Central

Gilles, M.; Bony, P-Y.; Garnier, J.; Picozzi, A.; Guasoni, M.; Fatome, J.

2016-01-01

Domain walls are topological defects which occur at symmetry-breaking phase transitions. While domain walls have been intensively studied in ferromagnetic materials, where they nucleate at the boundary of neighbouring regions of oppositely aligned magnetic dipoles, their equivalent in optics have not been fully explored so far. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the existence of a universal class of polarization domain walls in the form of localized polarization knots in conventional optical fibres. We exploit their binding properties for optical data transmission beyond the Kerr limits of normally dispersive fibres. In particular, we demonstrate how trapping energy in well-defined train of polarization domain walls allows undistorted propagation of polarization knots at a rate of 28 GHz along a 10 km length of normally dispersive optical fibre. These results constitute the first experimental observation of kink-antikink solitary wave propagation in nonlinear fibre optics. PMID:28168000

Jones matrix analysis for a polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography system using fiber-optic components.

PubMed

Park, B Hyle; Pierce, Mark C; Cense, Barry; de Boer, Johannes F

2004-11-01

We present an analysis for polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography that facilitates the unrestricted use of fiber and fiber-optic components throughout an interferometer and yields sample birefringence, diattenuation, and relative optic axis orientation. We use a novel Jones matrix approach that compares the polarization states of light reflected from the sample surface with those reflected from within a biological sample for pairs of depth scans. The incident polarization alternated between two states that are perpendicular in a Poincaré sphere representation to ensure proper detection of tissue birefringence regardless of optical fiber contributions. The method was validated by comparing the calculated diattenuation of a polarizing sheet, chicken tendon, and muscle with that obtained by independent measurement. The relative importance of diattenuation versus birefringence to angular displacement of Stokes vectors on a Poincaré sphere was quantified.

Experimental generation of tripartite polarization entangled states of bright optical beams

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

Wu, Liang; Liu, Yanhong; Deng, Ruijie

The multipartite polarization entangled states of bright optical beams directly associating with the spin states of atomic ensembles are one of the essential resources in the future quantum information networks, which can be conveniently utilized to transfer and convert quantum states across a network composed of many atomic nodes. In this letter, we present the experimental demonstration of tripartite polarization entanglement described by Stokes operators of optical field. The tripartite entangled states of light at the frequency resonant with D1 line of Rubidium atoms are transformed into the continuous variable polarization entanglement among three bright optical beams via an opticalmore » beam splitter network. The obtained entanglement is confirmed by the extended criterion for polarization entanglement of multipartite quantized optical modes.« less

Compact wavelength-selective optical switch based on digital optical phase conjugation.

PubMed

Li, Zhiyang; Claver, Havyarimana

2013-11-15

In this Letter, we show that digital optical phase conjugation might be utilized to construct a new kind of wavelength-selective switches. When incorporated with a multimode interferometer, these switches have wide bandwidth, high tolerance for fabrication error, and low polarization dependency. They might help to build large-scale multiwavelength nonblocking switching systems, or even to fabricate an optical cross-connecting or routing system on a chip.

System for testing optical fibers

DOEpatents

Golob, J.E.; Looney, L.D.; Lyons, P.B.; Nelson, M.A.; Davies, T.J.

1980-07-15

A system for measuring a combination of optical transmission properties of fiber optic waveguides. A polarized light pulse probe is injected into one end of the optical fiber. Reflections from discontinuities within the fiber are unpolarized whereas reflections of the probe pulse incident to its injection remain polarized. The polarized reflections are prevented from reaching a light detector whereas reflections from the discontinuities reaches the detector. 2 figs.

Integrable high order UWB pulse photonic generator based on cross phase modulation in a SOA-MZI.

PubMed

Moreno, Vanessa; Rius, Manuel; Mora, José; Muriel, Miguel A; Capmany, José

2013-09-23

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a potentially integrable optical scheme to generate high order UWB pulses. The technique is based on exploiting the cross phase modulation generated in an InGaAsP Mach-Zehnder interferometer containing integrated semiconductor optical amplifiers, and is also adaptable to different pulse modulation formats through an optical processing unit which allows to control of the amplitude, polarity and time delay of the generated taps.

Polarization-dependent optical reflection ultrasonic detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiaoyi; Huang, Zhiyu; Wang, Guohe; Li, Wenzhao; Li, Changhui

2017-03-01

Although ultrasound transducers based on commercial piezoelectric-material have been widely used, they generally have limited bandwidth centered at the resonant frequency. Currently, several pure-optical ultrasonic detection methods have gained increasing interest due to their wide bandwidth and high sensitivity. However, most of them require customized components (such as micro-ring, SPR, Fabry-Perot film, etc), which limit their broad implementations. In this study, we presented a simple pure-optical ultrasound detection method, called "Polarization-dependent Reflection Ultrasonic Detection" (PRUD). It detects the intensity difference between two polarization components of the probe beam that is modulated by ultrasound waves. PRUD detect the two components by using a balanced detector, which effectively suppressed much of the unwanted noise. We have achieved the sensitivity (noise equivalent pressure) to be 1.7kPa, and this can be further improved. In addition, like many other pure-optical ultrasonic detection methods, PRUD also has a flat and broad bandwidth from almost zero to over 100MHz. Besides theoretical analysis, we did a phantom study by imaging a tungsten filament to demonstrate the performance of PRUD. We believe this simple and economic method will attract both researchers and engineers in optical and ultrasound fields.

Direct Femtosecond Laser Surface Structuring with Optical Vortex Beams Generated by a q-plate

PubMed Central

JJ Nivas, Jijil; He, Shutong; Rubano, Andrea; Vecchione, Antonio; Paparo, Domenico; Marrucci, Lorenzo; Bruzzese, Riccardo; Amoruso, Salvatore

2015-01-01

Creation of patterns and structures on surfaces at the micro- and nano-scale is a field of growing interest. Direct femtosecond laser surface structuring with a Gaussian-like beam intensity profile has already distinguished itself as a versatile method to fabricate surface structures on metals and semiconductors. Here we present an approach for direct femtosecond laser surface structuring based on optical vortex beams with different spatial distributions of the state of polarization, which are easily generated by means of a q-plate. The different states of an optical vortex beam carrying an orbital angular momentum ℓ = ±1 are used to demonstrate the fabrication of various regular surface patterns on silicon. The spatial features of the regular rippled and grooved surface structures are correlated with the state of polarization of the optical vortex beam. Moreover, scattered surface wave theory approach is used to rationalize the dependence of the surface structures on the local state of the laser beam characteristics (polarization and fluence). The present approach can be further extended to fabricate even more complex and unconventional surface structures by exploiting the possibilities offered by femtosecond optical vector fields. PMID:26658307

Focusing properties of arbitrary optical fields combining spiral phase and cylindrically symmetric state of polarization.

PubMed

Man, Zhongsheng; Bai, Zhidong; Zhang, Shuoshuo; Li, Jinjian; Li, Xiaoyu; Ge, Xiaolu; Zhang, Yuquan; Fu, Shenggui

2018-06-01

The tight focusing properties of optical fields combining a spiral phase and cylindrically symmetric state of polarization are presented. First, we theoretically analyze the mathematical characterization, Stokes parameters, and Poincaré sphere representations of arbitrary cylindrical vector (CV) vortex beams. Then, based on the vector diffraction theory, we derive and build an integrated analytical model to calculate the electromagnetic field and Poynting vector distributions of the input CV vortex beams. The calculations reveal that a generalized CV vortex beam can generate a sharper focal spot than that of a radially polarized (RP) plane beam in the focal plane. Besides, the focal size decrease accompanies its elongation along the optical axis. Hence, it seems that there is a trade-off between the transverse and axial resolutions. In addition, under the precondition that the absolute values between polarization order and topological charge are equal, a higher-order CV vortex can also achieve a smaller focal size than an RP plane beam. Further, the intensity for the sidelobe admits a significant suppression. To give a deep understanding of the peculiar focusing properties, the magnetic field and Poynting vector distributions are also demonstrated in detail. These properties may be helpful in applications such as optical trapping and manipulation of particles and superresolution microscopy imaging.

Nanodoping: a route for enhancing electro-optic performance of bent core nematic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Pradeep; Debnath, Somen; Rao, Nandiraju V. S.; Sinha, Aloka

2018-03-01

We report the effect of dispersion of barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles (BNPs) in a four ring bent core nematic (BCN) liquid crystal. Polarizing optical microscopy reveals the presence of a single nematic phase in pure and doped states. Polar switching has been observed in the bent core system and the value of spontaneous polarization (P s) increases with increase in doping concentration of BNPs in BCN. Dielectric study shows a lower frequency mode, which can be ascribed to the formation of cybotactic clusters. These clusters are also responsible for the observed polar switching in pure, as well as, in doped BCNs. Another higher frequency mode, observed only in pure BCN, indicates the rotation of molecules about their long molecular axis. The conductivity of doped samples is also found to decrease as compared to the pure BCN. This reduction helps in the minimization of negative effects caused by free ions in liquid crystal based devices. This study demonstrates that the interaction between BNPs and BCN molecules improves the P s, dielectric behaviour, viscosity and reduces the conductivity of pure BCN. Hence, nanodoping in a BCN is an effective method for the enhancement of electro-optic performances and will lead to the development of faster electro-optic devices.

An optical liquid level sensor based on core-offset fusion splicing method using polarization-maintaining fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lou, Weimin; Chen, Debao; Shen, Changyu; Lu, Yanfang; Liu, Huanan; Wei, Jian

2016-01-01

A simple liquid level sensor using a small piece of hydrofluoric acid (HF) etched polarization maintaining fiber (PMF), with SMF-PMF-SMF fiber structure based on Mach- Zehnder interference (MZI) mechanism is proposed. The core-offset fusion splicing method induced cladding modes interfere with the core mode. Moreover, the changing liquid level would influence the optical path difference of the MZI since the effective refractive indices of the air and the liquid is different. Both the variations of the wavelength shifts and power intensity attenuation corresponding to the liquid level can be obtained with a sensitivity of 0.4956nm/mm and 0.2204dB/mm, respectively.

Magneto-optical spectroscopy of Co{sub 2}FeSi Heusler compound

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

Veis, M., E-mail: veis@karlov.mff.cuni.cz; Beran, L.; Antos, R.

2014-05-07

Magneto-optical and electronic properties of the Co{sub 2}FeSi Heusler compound were studied by polar Kerr magneto-optical spectroscopy and ab-initio calculations. The thin-film samples were grown by dc/rf magnetron co-sputtering on MgO(100) substrates. A Cr seed layer was deposited prior to the Co{sub 2}FeSi layer to achieve its epitaxial growth. The magneto-optical spectroscopy was carried out using generalized magneto-optical ellipsometry with rotating analyzer in the photon energy range from 1.4 to 5.5 eV with an applied magnetic field of up to 1.2 T. The polar Kerr spectra showed a smooth spectral behavior up to 5.5 eV indicating nearly free charge carriers. Experimental data weremore » compared with ab-initio calculations based on density functional theory employing the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method.« less

Real-time polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography data processing with parallel computing

PubMed Central

Liu, Gangjun; Zhang, Jun; Yu, Lingfeng; Xie, Tuqiang; Chen, Zhongping

2010-01-01

With the increase of the A-line speed of optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems, real-time processing of acquired data has become a bottleneck. The shared-memory parallel computing technique is used to process OCT data in real time. The real-time processing power of a quad-core personal computer (PC) is analyzed. It is shown that the quad-core PC could provide real-time OCT data processing ability of more than 80K A-lines per second. A real-time, fiber-based, swept source polarization-sensitive OCT system with 20K A-line speed is demonstrated with this technique. The real-time 2D and 3D polarization-sensitive imaging of chicken muscle and pig tendon is also demonstrated. PMID:19904337

Capsize of polarization in dilute photonic crystals.

PubMed

Gevorkian, Zhyrair; Hakhoumian, Arsen; Gasparian, Vladimir; Cuevas, Emilio

2017-11-29

We investigate, experimentally and theoretically, polarization rotation effects in dilute photonic crystals with transverse permittivity inhomogeneity perpendicular to the traveling direction of waves. A capsize, namely a drastic change of polarization to the perpendicular direction is observed in a one-dimensional photonic crystal in the frequency range 10 ÷ 140 GHz. To gain more insights into the rotational mechanism, we have developed a theoretical model of dilute photonic crystal, based on Maxwell's equations with a spatially dependent two dimensional inhomogeneous dielectric permittivity. We show that the polarization's rotation can be explained by an optical splitting parameter appearing naturally in Maxwell's equations for magnetic or electric fields components. This parameter is an optical analogous of Rashba like spin-orbit interaction parameter present in quantum waves, introduces a correction to the band structure of the two-dimensional Bloch states, creates the dynamical phase shift between the waves propagating in the orthogonal directions and finally leads to capsizing of the initial polarization. Excellent agreement between theory and experiment is found.

Polarization-insensitive PAM-4-carrying free-space orbital angular momentum (OAM) communications.

PubMed

Liu, Jun; Wang, Jian

2016-02-22

We present a simple configuration incorporating single polarization-sensitive phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (SLM) to facilitate polarization-insensitive free-space optical communications employing orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes. We experimentally demonstrate several polarization-insensitive optical communication subsystems by propagating a single OAM mode, multicasting 4 and 10 OAM modes, and multiplexing 8 OAM modes, respectively. Free-space polarization-insensitive optical communication links using OAM modes that carry four-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM-4) signal are demonstrated in the experiment. The observed optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) penalties are less than 1 dB in both polarization-insensitive N-fold OAM modes multicasting and multiple OAM modes multiplexing at a bit-error rate (BER) of 2e-3 (enhanced forward-error correction (EFEC) threshold).

Auto-locking waveguide amplifier system for lidar and magnetometric applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pouliot, A.; Beica, H. C.; Carew, A.; Vorozcovs, A.; Carlse, G.; Kumarakrishnan, A.

2018-02-01

We describe a compact waveguide amplifier system that is suitable for optically pumping rubidium magnetometers. The system consists of an auto-locking vacuum-sealed external cavity diode laser, a semiconductor tapered amplifier and a pulsing unit based on an acousto-optic modulator. The diode laser utilises optical feedback from an interference filter to narrow the linewidth of an inexpensive laser diode to 500 kHz. This output is scannable over an 8 GHz range (at 780 nm) and can be locked without human intervention to any spectral marker in an expandable library of reference spectra, using the autolocking controller. The tapered amplifier amplifies the output from 50 mW up to 2 W with negligible distortions in the spectral quality. The system can operate at visible and near infrared wavelengths with MHz repetition rates. We demonstrate optical pumping of rubidium vapour with this system for magnetometric applications. The magnetometer detects the differential absorption of two orthogonally polarized components of a linearly polarized probe laser following optical pumping by a circularly polarized pump laser. The differential absorption signal is studied for a range of pulse lengths, pulse amplitudes and DC magnetic fields. Our results suggest that this laser system is suitable for optically pumping spin-exchange free magnetometers.

Optical interconnects based on VCSELs and low-loss silicon photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aalto, Timo; Harjanne, Mikko; Karppinen, Mikko; Cherchi, Matteo; Sitomaniemi, Aila; Ollila, Jyrki; Malacarne, Antonio; Neumeyr, Christian

2018-02-01

Silicon photonics with micron-scale Si waveguides offers most of the benefits of submicron SOI technology while avoiding most of its limitations. In particular, thick silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides offer 0.1 dB/cm propagation loss, polarization independency, broadband single-mode (SM) operation from 1.2 to >4 µm wavelength and ability to transmit high optical powers (>1 W). Here we describe the feasibility of Thick-SOI technology for advanced optical interconnects. With 12 μm SOI waveguides we demonstrate efficient coupling between standard single-mode fibers, vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and photodetectors (PDs), as well as wavelength multiplexing in small footprint. Discrete VCSELs and PDs already support 28 Gb/s on-off keying (OOK), which shows a path towards 50-100 Gb/s bandwidth per wavelength by using more advanced modulation formats like PAM4. Directly modulated VCSELs enable very power-efficient optical interconnects for up to 40 km distance. Furthermore, with 3 μm SOI waveguides we demonstrate extremely dense and low-loss integration of numerous optical functions, such as multiplexers, filters, switches and delay lines. Also polarization independent and athermal operation is demonstrated. The latter is achieved by using short polymer waveguides to compensate for the thermo-optic effect in silicon. New concepts for isolator integration and polarization rotation are also explained.

Transversely polarized sub-diffraction optical needle with ultra-long depth of focus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Jian; Lin, Jie; Chen, Chen; Ma, Yuan; Tan, Jiubin; Jin, Peng

2017-12-01

We generated purely transversely polarized sub-diffraction optical needles with ultra-long depth of focus (DOF) by focusing azimuthally polarized (AP) beams that were modulated by a vortex 0-2 π phase plate and binary phase diffraction optical elements (DOEs). The concentric belts' radii of the DOEs were optimized by a hybrid genetic particle swarm optimization (HGPSO) algorithm. For the focusing system with the numerical aperture (NA) of 0.95, an optical needle with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.40 λ and the DOF of 6.23 λ was generated. Similar optical needles were also generated by binary phase DOEs with different belts. The results demonstrated that the binary phase DOEs could achieve smaller FWHMs and longer DOFs simultaneously. The generated needles were circularly polarized on the z-axis and there were no longitudinally polarized components in the focal fields. The radius fabrication errors of a DOE have little effect on the optical needle produced by itself. The generated optical needles can be applied to the fields of photolithography, high-density optical data storage, microscope imaging and particle trapping.

Modulating optical polarization properties of Al-rich AlGaN/AlN quantum well by controlling wavefunction overlap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X. J.; Yu, T. J.; Lu, H. M.; Yuan, G. C.; Shen, B.; Zhang, G. Y.

2013-10-01

Using modified k.p perturbation method, the optical polarization properties of Al-rich AlGaN/AlN quantum wells (QWs) are studied. It is found that change of wavefunction overlaps between conduction band and valance subbands of heavy hole, light hole, and crystal-field split off hole is different. Such difference leads to the overturn of polarization degree and modulates optical polarization properties as well width and strain vary. This prompts that changing wavefunction overlaps of electron and hole can lead to a way to modulate optical polarization properties of Al-rich AlGaN/AlN QWs, on no condition that valence band order changes.

Ultra-broadband and low-loss 3  dB optical power splitter based on adiabatic tapered silicon waveguides.

PubMed

Wang, Yang; Gao, Shitao; Wang, Ke; Skafidas, Efstratios

2016-05-01

A broadband, low-loss and polarization-insensitive 3 dB optical power splitter based on adiabatic tapered silicon waveguides is proposed and investigated. 3D-FDTD simulation results show that the splitter achieves an output transmission efficiency of nearly 50% over an ultra-broad wavelength range from 1200 to 1700 nm. The device is fabricated, and experimental results show that the splitter exhibits a low excess loss of <0.19  dB for the TE polarization and <0.14  dB for the TM polarization over the entire measured wavelength range from 1530 to 1600 nm, while having an adiabatic taper length of only 5 μm. In addition, the measured power uniformity of the cascaded 1×8 splitter is only 0.47 dB, and 0.17 dB for the TE and TM polarizations, respectively. With the advantages of low loss, broad bandwidth, and compact size, the proposed splitter is a promising element for large-scale silicon integrated photonic circuits.

Optical vault: a reconfigurable bottle beam based on conical refraction of light.

PubMed

Turpin, A; Shvedov, V; Hnatovsky, C; Loiko, Yu V; Mompart, J; Krolikowski, W

2013-11-04

We employ conical refraction of light in a biaxial crystal to create an optical bottle for photophoretic trapping and manipulation of particles in gaseous media. We show that by only varying the polarization state of the input light beam the optical bottle can be opened and closed in order to load and unload particles in a highly controllable manner.

Switchable thulium-doped fiber laser from polarization rotation vector to scalar soliton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhichao; Fu, Songnian; Jiang, Kai; Song, Jue; Li, Huizi; Tang, Ming; Shum, Ping; Liu, Deming

2016-10-01

We experimentally demonstrate switchable temporal soliton generation from a thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL), using carbon nanotubes as the mode-locker. With the help of residual polarization dependent loss of a wavelength division multiplexer, a weak nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) effect can be achieved within the laser cavity, which may provide joint contribution for passive mode-locking operation. By finely adjusting the polarization to alter the strength of NPR-based saturable absorption, the TDFL either approaches the operation regime of scalar soliton with strong NPR effect, or generates polarization rotation locked vector soliton (PRLVS) with weak NPR effect. The scalar solitons and PRLVSs possess 3-dB optical spectrum bandwidth of 2.2 nm and 2 nm, pulse-width of 1.8 ps and 2 ps, respectively. Moreover, the PRLVSs demonstrate a typical energy exchange between two polarized components on optical spectra and a period-doubling feature in time domain. Such operation principle can also be used in 1550 nm band fiber lasers and other nonlinear systems.

Switchable thulium-doped fiber laser from polarization rotation vector to scalar soliton

PubMed Central

Wu, Zhichao; Fu, Songnian; Jiang, Kai; Song, Jue; Li, Huizi; Tang, Ming; Shum, Ping; Liu, Deming

2016-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate switchable temporal soliton generation from a thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL), using carbon nanotubes as the mode-locker. With the help of residual polarization dependent loss of a wavelength division multiplexer, a weak nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) effect can be achieved within the laser cavity, which may provide joint contribution for passive mode-locking operation. By finely adjusting the polarization to alter the strength of NPR-based saturable absorption, the TDFL either approaches the operation regime of scalar soliton with strong NPR effect, or generates polarization rotation locked vector soliton (PRLVS) with weak NPR effect. The scalar solitons and PRLVSs possess 3-dB optical spectrum bandwidth of 2.2 nm and 2 nm, pulse-width of 1.8 ps and 2 ps, respectively. Moreover, the PRLVSs demonstrate a typical energy exchange between two polarized components on optical spectra and a period-doubling feature in time domain. Such operation principle can also be used in 1550 nm band fiber lasers and other nonlinear systems. PMID:27708427

Switchable thulium-doped fiber laser from polarization rotation vector to scalar soliton.

PubMed

Wu, Zhichao; Fu, Songnian; Jiang, Kai; Song, Jue; Li, Huizi; Tang, Ming; Shum, Ping; Liu, Deming

2016-10-06

We experimentally demonstrate switchable temporal soliton generation from a thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL), using carbon nanotubes as the mode-locker. With the help of residual polarization dependent loss of a wavelength division multiplexer, a weak nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) effect can be achieved within the laser cavity, which may provide joint contribution for passive mode-locking operation. By finely adjusting the polarization to alter the strength of NPR-based saturable absorption, the TDFL either approaches the operation regime of scalar soliton with strong NPR effect, or generates polarization rotation locked vector soliton (PRLVS) with weak NPR effect. The scalar solitons and PRLVSs possess 3-dB optical spectrum bandwidth of 2.2 nm and 2 nm, pulse-width of 1.8 ps and 2 ps, respectively. Moreover, the PRLVSs demonstrate a typical energy exchange between two polarized components on optical spectra and a period-doubling feature in time domain. Such operation principle can also be used in 1550 nm band fiber lasers and other nonlinear systems.

Graded metascreens to enable a new degree of nanoscale light management

PubMed Central

Mohammadi Estakhri, Nasim; Argyropoulos, Christos; Alù, Andrea

2015-01-01

Optical metasurfaces, typically referred to as two-dimensional metamaterials, are arrays of engineered subwavelength inclusions suitably designed to tailor the light properties, including amplitude, phase and polarization state, over deeply subwavelength scales. By exploiting anomalous localized interactions of surface elements with optical waves, metasurfaces can go beyond the functionalities offered by conventional diffractive optical gratings. The innate simplicity of implementation and the distinct underlying physics of their wave–matter interaction distinguish metasurfaces from three-dimensional metamaterials and provide a valuable means of moulding optical waves in the desired manner. Here, we introduce a general approach based on the electromagnetic equivalence principle to develop and synthesize graded, non-periodic metasurfaces to generate arbitrarily prescribed distributions of electromagnetic waves. Graded metasurfaces are realized with a single layer of spatially modulated, electrically polarizable nanoparticles, tailoring the scattering response of the surface with nanoscale resolutions. We discuss promising applications based on the proposed local wave management technique, including the design of ultrathin optical carpet cloaks, alignment-free polarization beam splitters and a novel approach to enable broadband light absorption enhancement in thin-film solar cells. This concept opens up a practical route towards efficient planarized optical structures with potential impact on the integrated nanophotonic technology. PMID:26217059

Broadband photonic single sideband frequency up-converter based on the cross polarization modulation effect in a semiconductor optical amplifier for radio-over-fiber systems.

PubMed

Lee, Seung-Hun; Kim, Hyoung-Jun; Song, Jong-In

2014-01-13

A broadband photonic single sideband (SSB) frequency up-converter based on the cross polarization modulation (XPolM) effect in a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. An optical radio frequency (RF) signal in the form of an optical single sideband (OSSB) is generated by the photonic SSB frequency up-converter to solve the power fading problem caused by fiber chromatic dispersion. The generated OSSB RF signal has almost identical optical carrier power and optical sideband power. This SSB frequency up-conversion scheme shows an almost flat electrical RF power response as a function of the RF frequency in a range from 31 GHz to 75 GHz after 40 km single mode fiber (SMF) transmission. The photonic SSB frequency up-conversion technique shows negligible phase noise degradation. The phase noise of the up-converted RF signal at 49 GHz for an offset of 10 kHz is -93.17 dBc/Hz. Linearity analysis shows that the photonic SSB frequency up-converter has a spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) value of 79.51 dB · Hz(2/3).

Radio-over-fiber system with octuple frequency optical millimeter-wave signal generation using dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator based on four-wave mixing in semiconductor optical amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Hui; Zeng, Yuting; Chen, Ming; Shen, Yunlong

2018-03-01

We have proposed a scheme of radio-over-fiber (RoF) system employing a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (DP-MZM) based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). In this scheme, the pump and the signal are generated by properly adjusting the direct current bias, modulation index of the DP-MZM, and the phase difference between the sub-MZMs. Because of the pump and the signal deriving from the same optical wave, the polarization states of the two lightwaves are copolarized. The single-pump FWM is polarization insensitive. After FWM and optical filtering, the optical millimeter-wave with octuple frequency is generated. About 40-GHz RoF system with a 2.5-Gbit / s signal is implemented by numerical simulation; the result shows that it has a good performance after the signal is transmitted over 40-km single-mode fiber. Then, the effects of the SOA's injection current and the carrier-to-sideband ratio on the system performance are discussed by simulation, and the optimum value for the system is obtained.

Key product development based on cyclo olefin polymer for LCD-TV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konishi, Yuichiro; Kobayashi, Masahi; Arakawa, Kouhei

2006-09-01

Cyclo Olefin Polymer (COP), which was developed by Zeon Corporation, is well known and used as an optical plastic in optical markets, having unique properties such as high light transmission, low water absorption, low birefringence etc. Optes Inc, who is ZEON CORPORATION's affiliate optical parts manufacturer, has succeeded in the development of high performance optical base films. These are used for retardation and polarizing films in LCD's (Liquid Crystal Displays), made from Cyclo Olefin Polymer with own film extrusion technologies. The Optical base film developed by Optes Inc has superior properties compared with those of existing products such as polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Triacetate Cellulose (TAC) base in terms of low birefringence, high optical isotropy and high dimensional stability under high humidity and temperature conditions.

Electro-optic high voltage sensor

DOEpatents

Davidson, James R.; Seifert, Gary D.

2002-01-01

A small sized electro-optic voltage sensor capable of accurate measurement of high levels of voltages without contact with a conductor or voltage source is provided. When placed in the presence of an electric field, the sensor receives an input beam of electromagnetic radiation into the sensor. A polarization beam displacer serves as a filter to separate the input beam into two beams with orthogonal linear polarizations. The beam displacer is oriented in such a way as to rotate the linearly polarized beams such that they enter a Pockels crystal having at a preferred angle of 45 degrees. The beam displacer is therefore capable of causing a linearly polarized beam to impinge a crystal at a desired angle independent of temperature. The Pockels electro-optic effect induces a differential phase shift on the major and minor axes of the input beam as it travels through the Pockels crystal, which causes the input beam to be elliptically polarized. A reflecting prism redirects the beam back through the crystal and the beam displacer. On the return path, the polarization beam displacer separates the elliptically polarized beam into two output beams of orthogonal linear polarization representing the major and minor axes. The system may include a detector for converting the output beams into electrical signals, and a signal processor for determining the voltage based on an analysis of the output beams. The output beams are amplitude modulated by the frequency of the electric field and the amplitude of the output beams is proportional to the magnitude of the electric field, which is related to the voltage being measured.

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.

Electrically tunable terahertz polarization converter based on overcoupled metal-isolator-metal metamaterials infiltrated with liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasić, Borislav; Zografopoulos, Dimitrios C.; Isić, Goran; Beccherelli, Romeo; Gajić, Radoš

2017-03-01

Large birefringence and its electrical modulation by means of Fréedericksz transition makes nematic liquid crystals (LCs) a promising platform for tunable terahertz (THz) devices. The thickness of standard LC cells is in the order of the wavelength, requiring high driving voltages and allowing only a very slow modulation at THz frequencies. Here, we first present the concept of overcoupled metal-isolator-metal (MIM) cavities that allow for achieving simultaneously both very high phase difference between orthogonal electric field components and large reflectance. We then apply this concept to LC-infiltrated MIM-based metamaterials aiming at the design of electrically tunable THz polarization converters. The optimal operation in the overcoupled regime is provided by properly selecting the thickness of the LC cell. Instead of the LC natural birefringence, the polarization-dependent functionality stems from the optical anisotropy of ultrathin and deeply subwavelength MIM structures. The dynamic electro-optic control of the LC refractive index enables the spectral shift of the resonant mode and, consequently, the tuning of the phase difference between the two orthogonal field components. This tunability is further enhanced by the large confinement of the resonant electromagnetic fields within the MIM cavity. We show that for an appropriately chosen linearly polarized incident field, the polarization state of the reflected field at the target operation frequency can be continuously swept between the north and south pole of the Poincaré sphere. Using a rigorous Q-tensor model to simulate the LC electro-optic switching, we demonstrate that the enhanced light-matter interaction in the MIM resonant cavity allows the polarization converter to operate at driving voltages below 10 Volt and with millisecond switching times.

Electrically tunable terahertz polarization converter based on overcoupled metal-isolator-metal metamaterials infiltrated with liquid crystals.

PubMed

Vasić, Borislav; Zografopoulos, Dimitrios C; Isić, Goran; Beccherelli, Romeo; Gajić, Radoš

2017-03-24

Large birefringence and its electrical modulation by means of Fréedericksz transition makes nematic liquid crystals (LCs) a promising platform for tunable terahertz (THz) devices. The thickness of standard LC cells is in the order of the wavelength, requiring high driving voltages and allowing only a very slow modulation at THz frequencies. Here, we first present the concept of overcoupled metal-isolator-metal (MIM) cavities that allow for achieving simultaneously both very high phase difference between orthogonal electric field components and large reflectance. We then apply this concept to LC-infiltrated MIM-based metamaterials aiming at the design of electrically tunable THz polarization converters. The optimal operation in the overcoupled regime is provided by properly selecting the thickness of the LC cell. Instead of the LC natural birefringence, the polarization-dependent functionality stems from the optical anisotropy of ultrathin and deeply subwavelength MIM structures. The dynamic electro-optic control of the LC refractive index enables the spectral shift of the resonant mode and, consequently, the tuning of the phase difference between the two orthogonal field components. This tunability is further enhanced by the large confinement of the resonant electromagnetic fields within the MIM cavity. We show that for an appropriately chosen linearly polarized incident field, the polarization state of the reflected field at the target operation frequency can be continuously swept between the north and south pole of the Poincaré sphere. Using a rigorous Q-tensor model to simulate the LC electro-optic switching, we demonstrate that the enhanced light-matter interaction in the MIM resonant cavity allows the polarization converter to operate at driving voltages below 10 Volt and with millisecond switching times.

Polarization-insensitive ultralow-power second-harmonic generation frequency-resolved optical gating.

PubMed

Miao, Houxun; Weiner, Andrew M; Langrock, Carsten; Roussev, Rostislav V; Fejer, Martin M

2007-04-01

We demonstrate polarization-insensitive ultralow-power second-harmonic generation frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) measurements with a fiber-pigtailed, aperiodically poled lithium niobate waveguide. By scrambling the polarization much faster than the measurement integration time, we eliminate the impairment that frequency-independent random polarization fluctuations induce in FROG measurements. As a result we are able to retrieve intensity and phase profiles of few hundred femtosecond optical pulses with 50 MHz repetition rates at 5.2 nW coupled average power without control of the input polarization.

Partial polarizer filter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Title, A. M. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

A birefringent filter module comprises, in seriatum. (1) an entrance polarizer, (2) a first birefringent crystal responsive to optical energy exiting the entrance polarizer, (3) a partial polarizer responsive to optical energy exiting the first polarizer, (4) a second birefringent crystal responsive to optical energy exiting the partial polarizer, and (5) an exit polarizer. The first and second birefringent crystals have fast axes disposed + or -45 deg from the high transmitivity direction of the partial polarizer. Preferably, the second crystal has a length 1/2 that of the first crystal and the high transmitivity direction of the partial polarizer is nine times as great as the low transmitivity direction. To provide tuning, the polarizations of the energy entering the first crystal and leaving the second crystal are varied by either rotating the entrance and exit polarizers, or by sandwiching the entrance and exit polarizers between pairs of half wave plates that are rotated relative to the polarizers. A plurality of the filter modules may be cascaded.

InxAl1-xN chiral nanorods mimicking the polarization features of scarab beetles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magnusson, R.; Birch, J.; Hsiao, C.-L.; Sandström, P.; Arwin, H.; Järrendahl, K.

2015-03-01

The scarab beetle Cetonia aurata is known to reflect light with brilliant colors and a high degree of circular polarization. Both color and polarization effects originate from the beetles exoskeleton and have been attributed to a Bragg reflection of the incident light due to a twisted laminar structure. Our strategy for mimicking the optical properties of the Cetonia aurata was therefore to design and fabricate transparent, chiral films. A series of films with tailored transparent structures of helicoidal InxAl1-xN nanorods were grown on sapphire substrates using UHV magnetron sputtering. The value of x is tailored to gradually decrease from one side to the other in each nanorod normal to its growth direction. This introduces an in-plane anisotropy with different refractive indices in the direction of the gradient and perpendicular to it. By rotating the sample during film growth the in-plane optical axis will be rotated from bottom to top and thereby creating a chiral film. Based on Muellermatrix ellipsometry, optical modeling has been done suggesting that both the exoskeleton of Cetonia aurata and our artificial material can be modeled by an anisotropic film made up of a stack of thin layers, each one with its in-plane optical axis slightly rotated with respect to the previous layer. Simulations based on the optical modeling were used to investigate how pitch and thickness of the film together with the optical properties of the constitutive materials affects the width and spectral position of the Bragg reflection band.

Optics. Observation of optical polarization Möbius strips.

PubMed

Bauer, Thomas; Banzer, Peter; Karimi, Ebrahim; Orlov, Sergej; Rubano, Andrea; Marrucci, Lorenzo; Santamato, Enrico; Boyd, Robert W; Leuchs, Gerd

2015-02-27

Möbius strips are three-dimensional geometrical structures, fascinating for their peculiar property of being surfaces with only one "side"—or, more technically, being "nonorientable" surfaces. Despite being easily realized artificially, the spontaneous emergence of these structures in nature is exceedingly rare. Here, we generate Möbius strips of optical polarization by tightly focusing the light beam emerging from a q-plate, a liquid crystal device that modifies the polarization of light in a space-variant manner. Using a recently developed method for the three-dimensional nanotomography of optical vector fields, we fully reconstruct the light polarization structure in the focal region, confirming the appearance of Möbius polarization structures. The preparation of such structured light modes may be important for complex light beam engineering and optical micro- and nanofabrication. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Single-pixel computational ghost imaging with helicity-dependent metasurface hologram.

PubMed

Liu, Hong-Chao; Yang, Biao; Guo, Qinghua; Shi, Jinhui; Guan, Chunying; Zheng, Guoxing; Mühlenbernd, Holger; Li, Guixin; Zentgraf, Thomas; Zhang, Shuang

2017-09-01

Different optical imaging techniques are based on different characteristics of light. By controlling the abrupt phase discontinuities with different polarized incident light, a metasurface can host a phase-only and helicity-dependent hologram. In contrast, ghost imaging (GI) is an indirect imaging modality to retrieve the object information from the correlation of the light intensity fluctuations. We report single-pixel computational GI with a high-efficiency reflective metasurface in both simulations and experiments. Playing a fascinating role in switching the GI target with different polarized light, the metasurface hologram generates helicity-dependent reconstructed ghost images and successfully introduces an additional security lock in a proposed optical encryption scheme based on the GI. The robustness of our encryption scheme is further verified with the vulnerability test. Building the first bridge between the metasurface hologram and the GI, our work paves the way to integrate their applications in the fields of optical communications, imaging technology, and security.

Single-pixel computational ghost imaging with helicity-dependent metasurface hologram

PubMed Central

Liu, Hong-Chao; Yang, Biao; Guo, Qinghua; Shi, Jinhui; Guan, Chunying; Zheng, Guoxing; Mühlenbernd, Holger; Li, Guixin; Zentgraf, Thomas; Zhang, Shuang

2017-01-01

Different optical imaging techniques are based on different characteristics of light. By controlling the abrupt phase discontinuities with different polarized incident light, a metasurface can host a phase-only and helicity-dependent hologram. In contrast, ghost imaging (GI) is an indirect imaging modality to retrieve the object information from the correlation of the light intensity fluctuations. We report single-pixel computational GI with a high-efficiency reflective metasurface in both simulations and experiments. Playing a fascinating role in switching the GI target with different polarized light, the metasurface hologram generates helicity-dependent reconstructed ghost images and successfully introduces an additional security lock in a proposed optical encryption scheme based on the GI. The robustness of our encryption scheme is further verified with the vulnerability test. Building the first bridge between the metasurface hologram and the GI, our work paves the way to integrate their applications in the fields of optical communications, imaging technology, and security. PMID:28913433

Remotely readable fiber optic compass

DOEpatents

Migliori, Albert; Swift, Gregory W.; Garrett, Steven L.

1986-01-01

A remotely readable fiber optic compass. A sheet polarizer is affixed to a magnet rotatably mounted in a compass body, such that the polarizer rotates with the magnet. The optical axis of the sheet polarizer is preferably aligned with the north-south axis of the magnet. A single excitation light beam is divided into four identical beams, two of which are passed through the sheet polarizer and through two fixed polarizing sheets which have their optical axes at right angles to one another. The angle of the compass magnet with respect to a fixed axis of the compass body can be determined by measuring the ratio of the intensities of the two light beams. The remaining ambiguity as to which of the four possible quadrants the magnet is pointing to is resolved by the second pair of light beams, which are passed through the sheet polarizer at positions which are transected by two semicircular opaque strips formed on the sheet polarizer. The incoming excitation beam and the four return beams are communicated by means of optical fibers, giving a remotely readable compass which has no electrical parts.

Spatial light modulators for full cross-connections in optical networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Juday, Richard D. (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A polarization-independent optical switch is disclosed for switching at least one incoming beam from at least one input source to at least one output drain. The switch includes a polarizing beam splitter to split each of the at least one incoming beam into a first input beam and a second input beam, wherein the first input beam and the second input beams are independently polarized; a wave plate optically coupled to the second input beam for converting the polarization of the second input beam to an appropriately polarized second input beam; a beam combiner optically coupled to the first input beam and the modified second input beam, wherein the beam combiner accepts the first input beam and the modified second input beam to produce a combined beam; the combined beam is invariant to the polarization state of the input source's polarization; and a controllable spatial light modulator optically coupled to the combined beam, wherein the combined beam is diffracted by the controllable spatial light modulator to place light at a plurality of output locations.

Remotely readable fiber optic compass

DOEpatents

Migliori, A.; Swift, G.W.; Garrett, S.L.

1985-04-30

A remotely readable fiber optic compass. A sheet polarizer is affixed to a magnet rotatably mounted in a compass body, such that the polarizer rotates with the magnet. The optical axis of the sheet polarizer is preferably aligned with the north-south axis of the magnet. A single excitation light beam is divided into four identical beams, two of which are passed through the sheet polarizer and through two fixed polarizing sheets which have their optical axes at right angles to one another. The angle of the compass magnet with respect to a fixed axis of the compass body can be determined by measuring the ratio of the intensities of the two light beams. The remaining ambiguity as to which of the four possible quadrants the magnet is pointing to is resolved by the second pair of light beams, which are passed through the sheet polarizer at positions which are transected by two semicircular opaque strips formed on the sheet polarizer. The incoming excitation beam and the four return beams are communicated by means of optical fibers, giving a remotely readable compass which has no electrical parts.

Quantitative nanoscale imaging of orientational order in biological filaments by polarized superresolution microscopy

PubMed Central

Valades Cruz, Cesar Augusto; Shaban, Haitham Ahmed; Kress, Alla; Bertaux, Nicolas; Monneret, Serge; Mavrakis, Manos; Savatier, Julien; Brasselet, Sophie

2016-01-01

Essential cellular functions as diverse as genome maintenance and tissue morphogenesis rely on the dynamic organization of filamentous assemblies. For example, the precise structural organization of DNA filaments has profound consequences on all DNA-mediated processes including gene expression, whereas control over the precise spatial arrangement of cytoskeletal protein filaments is key for mechanical force generation driving animal tissue morphogenesis. Polarized fluorescence is currently used to extract structural organization of fluorescently labeled biological filaments by determining the orientation of fluorescent labels, however with a strong drawback: polarized fluorescence imaging is indeed spatially limited by optical diffraction, and is thus unable to discriminate between the intrinsic orientational mobility of the fluorophore labels and the real structural disorder of the labeled biomolecules. Here, we demonstrate that quantitative single-molecule polarized detection in biological filament assemblies allows not only to correct for the rotational flexibility of the label but also to image orientational order of filaments at the nanoscale using superresolution capabilities. The method is based on polarized direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy, using dedicated optical scheme and image analysis to determine both molecular localization and orientation with high precision. We apply this method to double-stranded DNA in vitro and microtubules and actin stress fibers in whole cells. PMID:26831082

Investigation on principle of polarization-difference imaging in turbid conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Wei; Guan, Jinge

2018-04-01

We investigate the principle of polarization-difference imaging (PDI) of objects in optically scattering environments. The work is performed by both Marius's law and Mueller-Stokes formalism, and is further demonstrated by simulation. The results show that the object image is obtained based on the difference in polarization direction between the scatter noise and the target signal, and imaging performance is closely related to the choice of polarization analyzer axis. In addition, this study illustrates the potential of Stoke vector for promoting application of PDI system in the real world scene.

Optical implementation of polarization-independent, bidirectional, nonblocking Clos network using polarization control technique in free space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Junbo; Yang, Jiankun; Li, Xiujian; Chang, Shengli; Su, Xianyu; Ping, Xu

2011-04-01

The clos network is one of the earliest multistage interconnection networks. Recently, it has been widely studied in parallel optical information processing systems, and there have been many efforts to develop this network. In this paper, a smart and compact Clos network, including Clos(2,3,2) and Clos(2,4,2), is proposed by using polarizing beam-splitters (PBS), phase spatial light modulators (PSLM), and mirrors. PBS features that are s-component (perpendicular to the incident plane) of the incident light beam is reflected, and the p-component (parallel to the incident plane) passes through it. According to switching logic, under control of external electrical signals, PSLM functions to control routing paths of the signal beams, i.e., the polarization of each optical signal is rotated or not rotated 90° by a programmable PSLM. This new type of configuration grants the features of less optical components, compact in structure, efficient in performance, and insensitive to polarization of signal beam. In addition, the straight, the exchange, and the broadcast functions of the basic switch element are implemented bidirectionally in free-space. Furthermore, the new optical experimental module of 2×3 and 2×4 optical switch is also presented by a cascading polarization-independent bidirectional 2×2 optical switch. Simultaneously, the routing state-table of 2×3 and 2×4 optical switch to perform all permutation output and nonblocking switch for the input signal beam, is achieved. Since the proposed optical setup consists of only optical polarization elements, it is compact in structure, and possesses a low energy loss, a high signal-to-ratio, and an available large number of optical channels. Finally, the discussions and the experimental results show that the Clos network proposed here should be helpful in the design of large-scale network matrix, and may be used in optical communication and optical information processing.

FINAL REPORT "Extreme non-linear optics of plasmas" Pierre Michel (16-LW-022)

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

Michel, Pierre

2017-11-03

Large laser facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are typically limited in performance and physical scale (and thus cost) by optics damage. In this LDRD, we investigated a radically new way to manipulate light at extreme powers and energies, where “traditional” (crystal-based) optical elements are replaced by a medium that is already “broken” and thus does not suffer from optics damage: a plasma. Our method consisted in applying multiple lasers into plasmas to imprint refractive micro-structures with optical properties designed to be similar to those of crystals or dielectric structures used in optics. In particular, we focused ourmore » efforts on two elements used to manipulate the polarization of lasers (i.e. the orientation of the light’s electric field vector): i) a polarizer, which only lets a given polarization direction pass and blocks the others, and ii) a “Pockels cell”, which can “rotate” the polarization direction or convert it from linear to elliptical or circular. These two elements are essential building blocks in almost all laser systems – for example, they can be combined to design optical gates. Here, we introduced the new concepts of a “plasma polarizer” and a “plasma Pockels cell”. Both concepts were demonstrated in proof-of-principle laboratory experiments in this LDRD. We also demonstrated that such laser-plasma systems could be used to provide full control of the refractive index of plasmas as well as their dispersion (variation of the index vs. the light wavelength), which constituted the basis for a final experiment aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of “slow light” in plasmas, i.e. the capability to slow down a light pulse almost to a full stop.« less

TM-pass polarizer based on multilayer graphene polymer waveguide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Ke-su; Li, Yue-e.; Wei, Wen-jing; Mu, Xi-jiao; Ma, A.-ning; Wang, Zhong; Song, Dan-ming

2018-05-01

A TM-pass polarizer based on multilayer graphene polymer waveguide is proposed and theoretically analyzed. The mode properties, the extinction ratio, the insertion loss and the bandwidth are also discussed. The results show that a TM-pass polarizer, which only guides the TM mode, can be achieved by multilayer graphene polymer waveguide. With length of 150 μm, the proposed polarizer can achieve extinction ratio of 33 dB and insertion loss of 0.5 dB at optical wavelength of 1.55 μm. This device has an excellent performance, including large extinction ratio and low insertion loss within the spectral range from 1.45 μm to 1.6 μm.

Design of single-polarization wavelength splitter based on photonic crystal fiber.

PubMed

Zhang, Shanshan; Zhang, Weigang; Geng, Pengcheng; Li, Xiaolan; Ruan, Juan

2011-12-20

A new single-polarization wavelength splitter based on the photonic crystal fiber (PCF) has been proposed. The full-vector finite-element method (FEM) is applied to analyze the single-polarization single-mode guiding properties. Splitting of two different wavelengths is realized by adjusting the structural parameters. The semi-vector three-dimensional beam propagation method is employed to confirm the wavelength splitting characteristics of the PCF. Numerical simulations show that the wavelengths of 1.3 μm and 1.55 μm are split for a fiber length of 10.7 mm with single-polarization guiding in each core. The crosstalk between the two cores is low over appreciable optical bandwidths.

Linearly polarized light emission from quantum dots with plasmonic nanoantenna arrays.

PubMed

Ren, Mengxin; Chen, Mo; Wu, Wei; Zhang, Lihui; Liu, Junku; Pi, Biao; Zhang, Xinzheng; Li, Qunqing; Fan, Shoushan; Xu, Jingjun

2015-05-13

Polarizers provide convenience in generating polarized light, meanwhile their adoption raises problems of extra weight, cost, and energy loss. Aiming to realize polarizer-free polarized light sources, herein, we present a plasmonic approach to achieve direct generation of linearly polarized optical waves at the nanometer scale. Periodic slot nanoantenna arrays are fabricated, which are driven by the transition dipole moments of luminescent semiconductor quantum dots. By harnessing interactions between quantum dots and scattered fields from the nanoantennas, spontaneous emission with a high degree of linear polarization is achieved from such hybrid antenna system with polarization perpendicular to antenna slot. We also demonstrate that the polarization is engineerable in aspects of both spectrum and magnitude by tailoring plasmonic resonance of the antenna arrays. Our findings will establish a basis for the development of innovative polarized light-emitting devices, which are useful in optical displays, spectroscopic techniques, optical telecommunications, and so forth.

Dependence of mobility on the electron concentration upon scattering at polar optical phonons in A{sup III}–N nitrides

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

Borisenko, S. I., E-mail: sib@tpu.ru

2016-04-15

The dependence of the effective relaxation time on the electron concentration in A{sup III}–N nitrides in the case of electron scattering at polar longitudinal optical phonons is calculated by the marching method. The method takes into account the inelasticity of electron scattering at polar optical phonons for nitrides in the zinc-blende approximation. The calculations show a substantial increase in mobility in samples with a degenerate electron gas, if screening of the long-range potential of polar longitudinal optical phonons is taken into account.

Circular polarization switching and bistability in an optically injected 1300 nm spin-vertical cavity surface emitting laser

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

Alharthi, S. S., E-mail: ssmalh@essex.ac.uk; Henning, I. D.; Adams, M. J.

We report the experimental observation of circular polarization switching (PS) and polarization bistability (PB) in a 1300 nm dilute nitride spin-vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL). We demonstrate that the circularly polarized optical signal at 1300 nm can gradually or abruptly switch the polarization ellipticity of the spin-VCSEL from right-to-left circular polarization and vice versa. Moreover, different forms of PS and PB between right- and left-circular polarizations are observed by controlling the injection strength and the initial wavelength detuning. These results obtained at the telecom wavelength of 1300 nm open the door for novel uses of spin-VCSELs in polarization sensitive applications in futuremore » optical systems.« less

Controllable optical steady behavior from nonradiative coherence in GaAs quantum well driven by a single elliptically polarized field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zhonghu; Chen, Ai-Xi; Bai, Yanfeng; Yang, Wen-Xing; Lee, Ray-Kuang

2014-05-01

In this paper, we analyze theoretically the optical steady behavior in GaAs quantum well structure which interacts with a single elliptically polarized field (EPF) and a π-polarized probe field. Due to the existence of the robust nonradiative coherence, we demonstrate that the controllable optical steady behavior including multi-stability (OM) and optical bistability (OB) can be obtained. More interestingly, our numerical results also illustrate that tuning the phase difference between two components of polarized electric field of the EPF can realize the conversion between OB and OM. Our results illustrate the potential to utilize the optical phase for developing the new all-optical switching devices, as well as a guidance in the design for possible experimental implementations.

Method for Balancing Detector Output to a Desired Level of Balance at a Frequency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sachse, Glenn W. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A multi-gas sensor is provided which modulates a polarized light beam over a broadband of wavelengths between two alternating orthogonal polarization components. The two orthogonal polarization components of the polarization modulated beam are directed along two distinct optical paths. At least one optical path contains one or more spectral discrimination elements, with each spectral discrimination element having spectral absorption features of one or more gases of interest being measured. The two optical paths then intersect, and one orthogonal component of the intersected components is transmitted and the other orthogonal component is reflected. The combined polarization modulated beam is partitioned into one or more smaller spectral regions of interest where one or more gases of interest has an absorption band. The difference in intensity between the two orthogonal polarization components is then determined in each partitioned spectral region of interest as an indication of the spectral emission/absorption of the light beam by the gases of interest in the measurement path. The spectral emission/absorption is indicative of the concentration of the one or more gases of interest in the measurement path. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention is a gas filter correlation radiometer which comprises a polarizer, a polarization modulator, a polarization beam splitter, a beam combiner, wavelength partitioning element, and detection element. The gases of interest are measured simultaneously and, further, can be measured independently or non-independently. Furthermore, optical or electronic element are provided to balance optical intensities between the two optical paths.

Multi-Gas Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sachse, Glenn W. (Inventor); Wang, Liang-Guo (Inventor); LeBel, Peter J. (Inventor); Steele, Tommy C. (Inventor); Rana, Mauro (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A multi-gas sensor is provided which modulates a polarized light beam over a broadband of wavelengths between two alternating orthogonal polarization components. The two orthogonal polarization components of the polarization modulated beam are directed along two distinct optical paths. At least one optical path contains one or more spectral discrimination element, with each spectral discrimination element having spectral absorption features of one or more gases of interest being measured. The two optical paths then intersect, and one orthogonal component of the intersected components is transmitted and the other orthogonal component is reflected. The combined polarization modulated beam is partitioned into one or more smaller spectral regions of interest where one or more gases of interest has an absorption band. The difference in intensity between the two orthogonal polarization components is then determined in each partitioned spectral region of interest as an indication of the spectral emission/absorption of the light beam by the gases of interest in the measurement path. The spectral emission/absorption is indicative of the concentration of the one or more gases of interest in the measurement path. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention is a gas filter correlation radiometer which comprises a polarizer, a polarization modulator, a polarization beam splitter, a beam combiner, wavelength partitioning element, and detection element. The gases of interest are measured simultaneously and, further, can be measured independently or non-independently. Furthermore, optical or electronic element are provided to balance optical intensities between the two optical paths.

Micro-Structured Materials for Generation of Coherent Light and Optical Signal Processing

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-22

Bliss, and D. Weyburne,, "GaAs optical parametric oscillator with circularly polarized and depolarized pump", Optics Letters, No. 18, Vol. 32, pp...Because we measure the space-charge field by propagating the intense green laser beam along the crystal c- axis, the polarization of the light is...ordinary. Most applications utilize light with extraordinary polarization to make use of the largest component of the nonlinear or electro-optic tensor

Glass-based integrated optical splitters: engineering oriented research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Yinlei; Zheng, Weiwei; Yang, Jianyi; Jiang, Xiaoqing; Wang, Minghua

2010-10-01

Optical splitter is one of most typical device heavily demanded in implementation of Fiber To The Home (FTTH) system. Due to its compatibility with optical fibers, low propagation loss, flexibility, and most distinguishingly, potentially costeffectiveness, glass-based integrated optical splitters made by ion-exchange technology promise to be very attractive in application of optical communication networks. Aiming at integrated optical splitters applied in optical communication network, glass ion-exchange waveguide process is developed, which includes two steps: thermal salts ion-exchange and field-assisted ion-diffusion. By this process, high performance optical splitters are fabricated in specially melted glass substrate. Main performance parameters of these splitters, including maximum insertion loss (IL), polarization dependence loss (PDL), and IL uniformity are all in accordance with corresponding specifications in generic requirements for optic branching components (GR-1209-CORE). In this paper, glass based integrated optical splitters manufacturing is demonstrated, after which, engineering-oriented research work results on glass-based optical splitter are presented.

TOPSAT: Global space topographic mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vetrella, Sergio

1993-01-01

Viewgraphs on TOPSAT Global Space Topographic Mission are presented. Topics covered include: polar region applications; terrestrial ecosystem applications; stereo electro-optical sensors; space-based stereoscopic missions; optical stereo approach; radar interferometry; along track interferometry; TOPSAT-VISTA system approach; ISARA system approach; topographic mapping laser altimeter; and role of multi-beam laser altimeter.

PPLN-waveguide-based polarization entangled QKD simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gariano, John; Djordjevic, Ivan B.

2017-08-01

We have developed a comprehensive simulator to study the polarization entangled quantum key distribution (QKD) system, which takes various imperfections into account. We assume that a type-II SPDC source using a PPLN-based nonlinear optical waveguide is used to generate entangled photon pairs and implements the BB84 protocol, using two mutually unbiased basis with two orthogonal polarizations in each basis. The entangled photon pairs are then simulated to be transmitted to both parties; Alice and Bob, through the optical channel, imperfect optical elements and onto the imperfect detector. It is assumed that Eve has no control over the detectors, and can only gain information from the public channel and the intercept resend attack. The secure key rate (SKR) is calculated using an upper bound and by using actual code rates of LDPC codes implementable in FPGA hardware. After the verification of the simulation results, such as the pair generation rate and the number of error due to multiple pairs, for the ideal scenario, available in the literature, we then introduce various imperfections. Then, the results are compared to previously reported experimental results where a BBO nonlinear crystal is used, and the improvements in SKRs are determined for when a PPLN-waveguide is used instead.

Metallic nano-structures for polarization-independent multi-spectral filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yongan; Vlahovic, Branislav; Brady, David Jones

2011-05-01

Cross-shaped-hole arrays (CSHAs) are selected for diminishing the polarization-dependent transmission differences of incident plane waves. We investigate the light transmission spectrum of the CSHAs in a thin gold film over a wide range of features. It is observed that two well-separated and high transmission efficiency peaks could be obtained by designing the parameters in the CSHAs for both p-polarized and s-polarized waves; and a nice transmission band-pass is also observed by specific parameters of a CSHA too. It implicates the possibility to obtain a desired polarization-independent transmission spectrum from the CSHAs by designing their parameters. These findings provide potential applications of the metallic nano-structures in optical filters, optical band-pass, optical imaging, optical sensing, and biosensors.

Optical pumping and negative luminescence polarization in charged GaAs quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shabaev, Andrew; Stinaff, Eric A.; Bracker, Allan S.; Gammon, Daniel; Efros, Alexander L.; Korenev, Vladimir L.; Merkulov, Igor

2009-01-01

Optical pumping of electron spins and negative photoluminescence polarization are observed when interface quantum dots in a GaAs quantum well are excited nonresonantly by circularly polarized light. Both observations can be explained by the formation of long-lived dark excitons through hole spin relaxation in the GaAs quantum well prior to exciton capture. In this model, optical pumping of resident electron spins is caused by capture of dark excitons and recombination in charged quantum dots. Negative polarization results from accumulation of dark excitons in the quantum well and is enhanced by optical pumping. The dark exciton model describes the experimental results very well, including intensity and bias dependence of the photoluminescence polarization and the Hanle effect.

All-semiconductor metamaterial-based optical circuit board at the microscale

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

Min, Li; Huang, Lirong, E-mail: lrhuang@hust.edu.cn

2015-07-07

The newly introduced metamaterial-based optical circuit, an analogue of electronic circuit, is becoming a forefront topic in the fields of electronics, optics, plasmonics, and metamaterials. However, metals, as the commonly used plasmonic elements in an optical circuit, suffer from large losses at the visible and infrared wavelengths. We propose here a low-loss, all-semiconductor metamaterial-based optical circuit board at the microscale by using interleaved intrinsic GaAs and doped GaAs, and present the detailed design process for various lumped optical circuit elements, including lumped optical inductors, optical capacitors, optical conductors, and optical insulators. By properly combining these optical circuit elements and arrangingmore » anisotropic optical connectors, we obtain a subwavelength optical filter, which can always hold band-stop filtering function for various polarization states of the incident electromagnetic wave. All-semiconductor optical circuits may provide a new opportunity in developing low-power and ultrafast components and devices for optical information processing.« less

Plasmonic metasurface for simultaneous detection of polarization and spectrum.

PubMed

Pelzman, Charles; Cho, Sang-Yeon

2016-03-15

We present a new plasmonic metasurface for simultaneous detection of polarization and spectrum of incident light. The demonstrated metasurface is a rationally designed cluster of artificial atoms that are engineered to exhibit polarization and wavelength-selective optical transmission. The fundamental building block of this structure is periodically coupled subwavelength aperture arrays with different orientations and lattice constants. When integrated with pixelated photodetectors, the metasurface can be used to measure the polarization and spectral information of an optical input. In this Letter, simultaneous detection of the polarization and spectrum of polarized light was experimentally demonstrated by analyzing the transmitted intensity distribution through the metasurface. The demonstrated metasurface offers great potential for many applications, such as polarimetric multispectral imaging and polarization-division multiplexing in optical communications.

Optical notch filter with tunable bandwidth based on guided-mode resonant polarization-sensitive spectral feature.

PubMed

Qian, Linyong; Zhang, Dawei; Dai, Bo; Wang, Qi; Huang, Yuanshen; Zhuang, Songlin

2015-07-13

A novel bandwidth-tunable notch filter is proposed based on the guided-mode resonance effect. The notch is created due to the superposition spectra response of two guided-mode resonant filters. The compact, bandwidth tuning capability is realized by taking advantage the effect of spectra-to-polarization sensitivity in one-dimensional classical guided-mode resonance filter, and using a liquid crystal polarization rotator for precise and simple polarization control. The operation principle and the design of the device are presented, and we demonstrate it experimentally. The central wavelength is fixed at 766.4 nm with a relatively symmetric profile. The full width at half maximum bandwidth could be tuned from 8.6 nm to 18.2 nm by controlling the applied voltage in electrically-driving polarization rotator.

Effect of Intraocular Pressure and Anisotropy on the Optical Properties of the Cornea: A Study Using Polarization Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography.

PubMed

Richhariya, Ashutosh; Verma, Yogesh; Rao, Divakar K; Roberts, Cynthia J; Mahmoud, Ashraf M; Sangwan, Virender S; Punjabi, Sunil; Gupta, Pradeep K

2014-01-01

We hypothesize that because of the anisotropic properties of the cornea, there should be a nonuniform change in birefringence with an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP). In this in vitro study, anisotropic properties, stress distribution within the cornea, and the effect of IOP on changes in stress level were investigated. Button inflation tests for deformation with polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography were used to demonstrate optical and material anisotropy on ex vivo human corneas. Inflation tests were performed on human donor corneoscleral rims. Using a turntable and hydrostatic column, each corneoscleral rim was subjected to a hydrostatic pressure of 0, 10, 15, and 20 mm Hg. At each pressure step, 4 scans at 0, 45, 90, and 135 degrees were taken by a polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography system, and the birefringence images and normal intensity-based images were recorded; images were later compiled for analysis. The retardation changed with the axis of orientation (P [T ≤ t] 1-tailed = 0.025) and IOP (P [T ≤ t] 1-tailed = 0.019). Optical thickness of the cornea decreased with increasing IOP. The optical properties of the cornea are modified with change in IOP. This is not uniform because of distinct anisotropic properties. Anisotropic properties may unpredictably affect the optical quality of cornea during or after the surgeries. Changes in corneal birefringence can be also used as a tool for measuring the IOP of the eye.

Anti resonant reflecting optical waveguide structure based on oxidized porous silicon for label free bio sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haji, L.; Hiraoui, M.; Lorrain, N.; Guendouz, M.

2012-03-01

In this letter we report on the use of an electrochemical process for the fabrication of anti resonant reflecting optical waveguide based on oxidized porous silicon. This method is known to allow the formation of various photonic structures (Bragg mirror, microcavity), thanks to the easy and in situ modulation of the porosity and thus of the refractive index. Planar anti resonant reflecting optical waveguide structure made from porous silicon is demonstrated to be very effective for low losses as compared to conventional resonant waveguide. Optical measurements carried out for TE and TM polarizations are reported and related to optical sensing.

Combining module based on coherent polarization beam combining.

PubMed

Yang, Yan; Geng, Chao; Li, Feng; Li, Xinyang

2017-03-01

A multiaperture receiver with a phased array is an effective approach to overcome the effect of the random optical disturbance in coherent free-space laser communications, in which one of the key technologies is how to efficiently combine the multiple laser beams received by the phased array antenna. A combining module based on coherent polarization beam combining (CPBC), which can combine multiple laser beams to one laser beam with high combining efficiency and output a linearly polarized beam, is proposed in this paper. The principle of the combining module is introduced, the coherent polarization combining efficiency of CPBC is analyzed, and the performance of the combining module is evaluated. Moreover, the feasibility and the expansibility of the proposed combining module are validated in experiments of CPBC based on active phase-locking.

Magneto-optical polarization rotation in a ladder-type atomic system for tunable offset locking

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

Parniak, Michał, E-mail: michal.parniak@fuw.edu.pl; Leszczyński, Adam; Wasilewski, Wojciech

2016-04-18

We demonstrate an easily tunable locking scheme for stabilizing frequency-sum of two lasers on a two-photon ladder transition based on polarization rotation in warm rubidium vapors induced by magnetic field and circularly polarized drive field. Unprecedented tunability of the two-photon offset frequency is due to strong splitting and shifting of magnetic states in external field. In our experimental setup, we achieve two-photon detuning of up to 700 MHz.

Polarized electroluminescence from edge-emission organic light emitting devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ran, G. Z.; Jiang, D. F.

2011-01-01

We report the experimental observation and measurement of the polarized electroluminescence from an edge-emission Si based- organic light emitting device (OLED) with a Sm/Au or Sm/Ag cathode. Light collected from the OLED edge comes from the scattering of the surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the device boundary. This experiment shows that such Si-OLED can be an electrically excited SPP source on a silicon chip for optical interconnect based on SPPs.

Optical polarization: plenty of room for surprise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chenault, David

2012-10-01

Solutions to difficult problems in complex environments frequently require methodical approaches and detailed research plans. Fortunately, there is still room for serendipity in disciplines that are relatively mature and well understood. As a case in point, optical sensors that exploit polarized light have matured greatly and the discipline of optical polarization has grown substantially in scope and applications over the last ten years. In spite of this increased understanding, polarization signatures are frequently not well understood. A good example is polarization in the animal kingdom. The potential for polarimetric monitoring of moose populations, and other applications, will be discussed.

Characterization of atherosclerotic plaques by cross-polarization optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gubarkova, Ekaterina V.; Dudenkova, Varvara V.; Feldchtein, Felix I.; Timofeeva, Lidia B.; Kiseleva, Elena B.; Kuznetsov, Sergei S.; Moiseev, Alexander A.; Gelikonov, Gregory V.; Vitkin, Alex I.; Gladkova, Natalia D.

2016-02-01

We combined cross-polarization optical coherence tomography (CP OCT) and non-linear microscopy based on second harmonic generation (SHG) and two-photon-excited fluorescence (2PEF) to assess collagen and elastin fibers in the development of the atherosclerotic plaque (AP). The study shows potential of CP OCT for the assessment of collagen and elastin fibers condition in atherosclerotic arteries. Specifically, the additional information afforded by CP OCT, related to birefringence and cross-scattering properties of arterial tissues, may improve the robustness and accuracy of assessment about the microstructure and composition of the plaque for different stages of atherosclerosis.

Novel method in solving non-polarizing condition in frustrated total internal reflection layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Jin Hui; Wang, Zheng Ping

2008-03-01

When used at oblique angles of incidence, the reflectance and transmittance of thin films exhibit strong polarization effects, particularly for the films inside a glass cube. However, the polarization effects are undesirable in many applications. Novel non-polarizing beam splitter designs are shown, non-polarizing beam splitters with unique optical thin films are achieved through combination of interference and frustrated total internal reflection, the non-polarizing condition expressions based on frustrated total internal reflection is derived, and applied examples of the non-polarizing beam splitters are also presented with the optimization technique and the results of Rp=(50+/-0.4)% and Rs=(50+/-0.4)% in the wavelength range of 500-600nm are obtained.

Theoretical analysis of non-polarizing beam splitters with appropriate amplitude and phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Jin Hui; Wang, Zheng Ping; Guan, Chun Ying

2009-04-01

When used at oblique angles of incidence, the reflectance and transmittance of thin films exhibit strong polarization effects, particularly for the films inside a glass cube. However, the polarization effects are undesirable in many applications. Novel non-polarizing beam splitter designs are shown. Non-polarizing beam splitters with unique optical thin films are achieved through the combination of interference and frustrated total internal reflection. The non-polarizing condition expressions based on frustrated total internal reflection are derived, and examples of the non-polarizing beam splitters are also presented with the optimization technique and the results of Rp=(50±0.5)%, Rs=(50±0.5)%, and Δr=(0±0.3) in the wavelength range of 400-700 nm are obtained.

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.

Quantification of observed flare parameters in relation to a shear-index and verification of MHD models for flare prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, S. T.

1987-01-01

The goal for the SAMEX magnetograph's optical system is to accurately measure the polarization state of sunlight in a narrow spectral bandwidth over the field of view of an active region to make an accurate determination of the magnetic field in that region. The instrumental polarization is characterized. The optics and coatings were designed to minimize this spurious polarization introduced by foreoptics. The method developed to calculate the instrumental polarization of the SAMEX optics is described.

Tight focusing of spatially variant vector optical fields with elliptical symmetry of linear polarization.

PubMed

Lerman, Gilad M; Levy, Uriel

2007-08-01

We study the tight-focusing properties of spatially variant vector optical fields with elliptical symmetry of linear polarization. We found the eccentricity of the incident polarized light to be an important parameter providing an additional degree of freedom assisting in controlling the field properties at the focus and allowing matching of the field distribution at the focus to the specific application. Applications of these space-variant polarized beams vary from lithography and optical storage to particle beam trapping and material processing.

Multiwavelength monitoring of the BL Lacertae object PKS 2155-304. 3: Ground-based observations in 1991 November

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Courvoisier, T. J.-L.; Blecha, A.; Bouchet, P.; Bratschi, P.; Carini, M. T.; Donahue, M.; Edelson, R.; Feigelson, E. D.; Filippenko, A. V.; Glass, I. S.

1995-01-01

We present ground-based observations of the BL Lac object PKS 2155-304 during 1991 November. These data were obtained as part of a large international campaign of observations spanning the electro-magnetic spectrum from the radio waves to the X-rays. The data presented here include radio and UBVRI fluxes, as well as optical polarimetry. The U to I data show the same behavior in all bands and that only upper limits to any lag can be deduced from the cross-correlation of the light curves. The spectral slope in the U-I domain remained constant on all epochs but 2. There is no correlation between changes in the spectral slope and large variations in the total or polarized flux. The radio flux variations did not follow the same pattern of variability as the optical and infrared fluxes. The polarized flux varied by a larger factor than the total flux. The variations of the polarized flux are poorly correlated with those of the total flux in the optical (and hence UV domain; see the accompanying paper by Edelson et al.) nor with those of the soft X-rays. We conclude that the variability of PKS 2155-304 in the optical and near-infrared spectral domains are easier to understand in the context of variable geometry or bulk Lorentz factor than of variable electron acceleration and cooling rates.

Photonic-chip-based all-optical ultra-wideband pulse generation via XPM and birefringence in a chalcogenide waveguide.

PubMed

Tan, Kang; Marpaung, David; Pant, Ravi; Gao, Feng; Li, Enbang; Wang, Jian; Choi, Duk-Yong; Madden, Steve; Luther-Davies, Barry; Sun, Junqiang; Eggleton, Benjamin J

2013-01-28

We report a photonic-chip-based scheme for all-optical ultra-wideband (UWB) pulse generation using a novel all-optical differentiator that exploits cross-phase modulation and birefringence in an As₂S₃ chalcogenide rib waveguide. Polarity-switchable UWB monocycles and doublets were simultaneously obtained with single optical carrier operation. Moreover, transmission over 40-km fiber of the generated UWB doublets is demonstrated with good dispersion tolerance. These results indicate that the proposed approach has potential applications in multi-shape, multi-modulation and long-distance UWB-over-fiber communication systems.

Optical Polarization of 1000 Stars Within 50-PARSECS from the Sun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leroy, J. L.

1993-11-01

We have prepared a catalogue of optical polarization measurements for 1000 stars closer than 50 parsecs from the Sun. The distances, which are presently those given in the Sky Catalogue 2000.0, 2nd edition (Hirshfeld et al. 1991) are provisional: they will be replaced later by the much safer parallaxes which will result from the Hipparcos mission. The polarization data have been compiled, for 60% in various catalogues with due care to their accuracy for 40% they are new, unpublished, measurements obtained at Pic du Midi Observatory. We expect that this new data base will allow a better understanding of the interstellar medium around the Sun; the analysis, similar to the beautiful work by Tinbergen (1982), is to be found in a companion paper.

A colinear backscattering Mueller matrix microscope for reflection Muller matrix imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhenhua; Yao, Yue; Zhu, Yuanhuan; Ma, Hui

2018-02-01

In a recent attempt, we developed a colinear backscattering Mueller matrix microscope by adding polarization state generator (PSG) and polarization state analyzer (PSA) into the illumination and detection optical paths of a commercial metallurgical microscope. It is found that specific efforts have to be made to reduce the artifacts due to the intrinsic residual polarizations of the optical system, particularly the dichroism due to the 45 degrees beam splitter. In this paper, we present a new calibration method based on numerical reconstruction of the instrument matrix to remove the artifacts introduced by beam splitter. Preliminary tests using a mirror as a standard sample show that the maximum Muller matrix element error of the colinear backscattering Muller matrix microscope can be reduced to a few percent.

Characterization of dual-polarization LTE radio over a free-space optical turbulence channel.

PubMed

Bohata, J; Zvanovec, S; Korinek, T; Mansour Abadi, M; Ghassemlooy, Z

2015-08-10

A dual polarization (DP) radio over a free-space optical (FSO) communication link using a long-term evolution (LTE) radio signal is proposed and analyzed under different turbulence channel conditions. Radio signal transmission over the DP FSO channel is experimentally verified by means of error vector magnitude (EVM) statistics. We demonstrate that such a system, employing a 64 quadrature amplitude modulation at the frequency bands of 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz, evinces reliability with <8% of EVM in a turbulent channel. Based on the results, we show that transmitting the LTE signal over the FSO channel is a potential solution for last-mile access or backbone networks, when using multiple-input multiple-output based DP signals.

Experiments and error analysis of laser ranging based on frequency-sweep polarization modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Shuyuan; Ji, Rongyi; Li, Yao; Cheng, Zhi; Zhou, Weihu

2016-11-01

Frequency-sweep polarization modulation ranging uses a polarization-modulated laser beam to determine the distance to the target, the modulation frequency is swept and frequency values are measured when transmitted and received signals are in phase, thus the distance can be calculated through these values. This method gets much higher theoretical measuring accuracy than phase difference method because of the prevention of phase measurement. However, actual accuracy of the system is limited since additional phase retardation occurs in the measuring optical path when optical elements are imperfectly processed and installed. In this paper, working principle of frequency sweep polarization modulation ranging method is analyzed, transmission model of polarization state in light path is built based on the theory of Jones Matrix, additional phase retardation of λ/4 wave plate and PBS, their impact on measuring performance is analyzed. Theoretical results show that wave plate's azimuth error dominates the limitation of ranging accuracy. According to the system design index, element tolerance and error correcting method of system is proposed, ranging system is built and ranging experiment is performed. Experiential results show that with proposed tolerance, the system can satisfy the accuracy requirement. The present work has a guide value for further research about system design and error distribution.

Experimental demonstration of polarization encoding quantum key distribution system based on intrinsically stable polarization-modulated units.

PubMed

Wang, Jindong; Qin, Xiaojuan; Jiang, Yinzhu; Wang, Xiaojing; Chen, Liwei; Zhao, Feng; Wei, Zhengjun; Zhang, Zhiming

2016-04-18

A proof-of-principle demonstration of a one-way polarization encoding quantum key distribution (QKD) system is demonstrated. This approach can automatically compensate for birefringence and phase drift. This is achieved by constructing intrinsically stable polarization-modulated units (PMUs) to perform the encoding and decoding, which can be used with four-state protocol, six-state protocol, and the measurement-device-independent (MDI) scheme. A polarization extinction ratio of about 30 dB was maintained for several hours over a 50 km optical fiber without any adjustments to our setup, which evidences its potential for use in practical applications.

Semiconductor sensor for optically measuring polarization rotation of optical wavefronts using rare earth iron garnets

DOEpatents

Duncan, Paul G.

2002-01-01

Described are the design of a rare earth iron garnet sensor element, optical methods of interrogating the sensor element, methods of coupling the optical sensor element to a waveguide, and an optical and electrical processing system for monitoring the polarization rotation of a linearly polarized wavefront undergoing external modulation due to magnetic field or electrical current fluctuation. The sensor element uses the Faraday effect, an intrinsic property of certain rare-earth iron garnet materials, to rotate the polarization state of light in the presence of a magnetic field. The sensor element may be coated with a thin-film mirror to effectively double the optical path length, providing twice the sensitivity for a given field strength or temperature change. A semiconductor sensor system using a rare earth iron garnet sensor element is described.

Optoelectronic Control of Spin and Pseudospin in Layered WSe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Aaron

2014-03-01

Coherent manipulation of spin-like quantum numbers facilitates the development of new quantum technologies. Layered transition metal dichalcogenides provide an ideal laboratory to exploit such dynamic control of spin, pseudospin, and their interplay. Here, we discuss two examples based on monolayer and bilayer WSe2. Due to the inversion asymmetry in monolayer WSe2, valley pseudospins, which index the degenerate extrema of the energy-momentum bands, possess circularly polarized optical selection rules. In addition to the generation of valley polarization through optical pumping of valley excitons, we demonstrate the creation of a coherent superposition between valley states in monolayer WSe2 by linearly polarized excitation. On the other hand, bilayer WSe2 provides an additional quantum degree of freedom, the layer pseudospin, which corresponds to layer polarization. In AB stacked bilayers, we find the real spin is locked to layer pseudospin for a given valley, which results in the suppression of spin relaxation and electrical control of spin Zeeman splitting without an applied magnetic field. Additionally, we obtain spectroscopic evidence of interlayer and intralayer trion species, an important step toward coherent optical control in van der Waals 2D heterostructures. Aaron Jones partially supported by NSF Grant No. DGE-0718124.

OPTICAL STUDIES OF 13 HARD X-RAY SELECTED CATACLYSMIC BINARIES FROM THE SWIFT-BAT SURVEY

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

Halpern, Jules P.; Thorstensen, John R.

2015-12-15

From a set of 13 cataclysmic binaries that were discovered in the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey, we conducted time-resolved optical spectroscopy and/or time-series photometry of 11, with the goal of measuring their orbital periods and searching for spin periods. Seven of the objects in this study are new optical identifications. Orbital periods are found for seven targets, ranging from 81 minutes to 20.4 hr. PBC J0706.7+0327 is an AM Herculis star (polar) based on its emission-line variations and large amplitude photometric modulation on the same period. Swift J2341.0+7645 may be a polar, although the evidence here is lessmore » secure. Coherent pulsations are detected from two objects, Swift J0503.7−2819 (975 s) and Swift J0614.0+1709 (1412 s and 1530 s, spin and beat periods, respectively), indicating that they are probable intermediate polars (DQ Herculis stars). For two other stars, longer spin periods are tentatively suggested. We also present the discovery of a 2.00 hr X-ray modulation from RX J2015.6+3711, possibly a contributor to Swift J2015.9+3715, and likely a polar.« less

Chiral photonic crystals with an anisotropic defect layer.

PubMed

Gevorgyan, A H; Harutyunyan, M Z

2007-09-01

In the present paper we consider some properties of defect modes in chiral photonic crystals with an anisotropic defect layer. We solved the problem by Ambartsumian's layer addition method. We investigated the influence of the defect layer thickness variation and its location in the chiral photonic crystal (CPC) and also its optical axes orientation, as well as of CPC thickness variation on defect mode properties. Variations of the optical thickness of the defect layer have its impact on the defect mode linewidth and the light accumulation in the defect. We obtain that CPCs lose their base property at certain defect layer thicknesses; namely, they lose their diffraction reflection dependence on light polarization. We also show that the circular polarization handedness changes from right-handed to left-handed if the defect layer location is changed, and therefore, such systems can be used to create sources of elliptically polarized light with tunable ellipticity. Some nonreciprocity properties of such systems are investigated, too. In particular, it is also shown that such a system can work as a practically ideal wide band optical diode for circularly polarized incident light provided the defect layer thickness is properly chosen, and it can work as a narrow band diode at small defect layer thicknesses.

Burn depth determination using high-speed polarization-sensitive Mueller optical coherence tomography with continuous polarization modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todorović, Miloš; Ai, Jun; Pereda Cubian, David; Stoica, George; Wang, Lihong

2006-02-01

National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) estimates more than 1.1 million burn injuries per year in the United States, with nearly 15,000 fatalities from wounds and related complications. An imaging modality capable of evaluating burn depths non-invasively is the polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography. We report on the use of a high-speed, fiber-based Mueller-matrix OCT system with continuous source-polarization modulation for burn depth evaluation. The new system is capable of imaging at near video-quality frame rates (8 frames per second) with resolution of 10 μm in biological tissue (index of refraction: 1.4) and sensitivity of 78 dB. The sample arm optics is integrated in a hand-held probe simplifying the in vivo experiments. The applicability of the system for burn depth determination is demonstrated using biological samples of porcine tendon and porcine skin. The results show an improved imaging depth (1 mm in tendon) and a clear localization of the thermally damaged region. The burnt area determined from OCT images compares well with the histology, thus proving the system's potential for burn depth determination.

Dynamics of trapped atoms around an optical nanofiber probed through polarimetry.

PubMed

Solano, Pablo; Fatemi, Fredrik K; Orozco, Luis A; Rolston, S L

2017-06-15

The evanescent field outside an optical nanofiber (ONF) can create optical traps for neutral atoms. We present a non-destructive method to characterize such trapping potentials. An off-resonance linearly polarized probe beam that propagates through the ONF experiences a slow axis of polarization produced by trapped atoms on opposite sides along the ONF. The transverse atomic motion is imprinted onto the probe polarization through the changing atomic index of refraction. By applying a transient impulse, we measure a time-dependent polarization rotation of the probe beam that provides both a rapid and non-destructive measurement of the optical trapping frequencies.

Mapping of all polarization-singularity C-point morphologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galvez, E. J.; Rojec, B. L.; Beach, K.

2014-02-01

We present theoretical descriptions and measurements of optical beams carrying isolated polarization-singularity C-points. Our analysis covers all types of C-points, including asymmetric lemons, stars and monstars. They are formed by the superposition of a circularly polarized mode carrying an optical vortex and a fundamental Gaussian mode in the opposite state of polarization. The type of C-point can be controlled experimentally by varying two parameters controlling the asymmetry of the optical vortex. This was implemented via a superposition of modes with singly charged optical vortices of opposite sign, and varying the relative amplitude and phase. The results are in excellent agreement with the predictions.

FIBER AND INTEGRATED OPTICS: Radio-frequency electrooptic modulation in optical fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulyuk, A. N.

1992-10-01

The electrooptic interaction in single-mode optical fibers with both linear and circular birefringe is analyzed. In most cases, a large interaction length imposes a limit on the modulation frequency. A circular birefringence in an optical fiber may lead to an effective coupling of polarization normal modes if a phase-matching condition is satisfied. Through an appropriate choice of polarization states of the light at the entrance and exit of the device, one can achieve a polarization modulation or a frequency shift of the light. There are possible applications in rf polarization modulators, devices for shifting the frequency of light, and detectors of electromagnetic fields.

Effects of polarization and absorption on laser induced optical breakdown threshold for skin rejuvenation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varghese, Babu; Bonito, Valentina; Turco, Simona; Verhagen, Rieko

2016-03-01

Laser induced optical breakdown (LIOB) is a non-linear absorption process leading to plasma formation at locations where the threshold irradiance for breakdown is surpassed. In this paper we experimentally demonstrate the influence of polarization and absorption on laser induced breakdown threshold in transparent, absorbing and scattering phantoms made from water suspensions of polystyrene microspheres. We demonstrate that radially polarized light yields a lower irradiance threshold for creating optical breakdown compared to linearly polarized light. We also demonstrate that the thermal initiation pathway used for generating seed electrons results in a lower irradiance threshold compared to multiphoton initiation pathway used for optical breakdown.

Precision measurement of the nuclear polarization in laser-cooled, optically pumped 37 K

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

Fenker, B.; Behr, J. A.; Melconian, D.

We report a measurement of the nuclear polarization of laser-cooled, optically pumped 37K atoms which will allow us to precisely measure angular correlation parameters in themore » $${\\beta }^{+}$$-decay of the same atoms. These results will be used to test the V ₋ A framework of the weak interaction at high precision. At the Triumf neutral atom trap (Trinat), a magneto-optical trap confines and cools neutral 37K atoms and optical pumping spin-polarizes them. We monitor the nuclear polarization of the same atoms that are decaying in situ by photoionizing a small fraction of the partially polarized atoms and then use the standard optical Bloch equations to model their population distribution. We obtain an average nuclear polarization of $$\\bar{P}=0.9913\\pm 0.0009$$, which is significantly more precise than previous measurements with this technique. Since our current measurement of the β-asymmetry has $$0.2 \\% $$ statistical uncertainty, the polarization measurement reported here will not limit its overall uncertainty. This result also demonstrates the capability to measure the polarization to $$\\lt 0.1 \\% $$, allowing for a measurement of angular correlation parameters to this level of precision, which would be competitive in searches for new physics.« less

Precision measurement of the nuclear polarization in laser-cooled, optically pumped 37 K

DOE PAGES

Fenker, B.; Behr, J. A.; Melconian, D.; ...

2016-07-13

We report a measurement of the nuclear polarization of laser-cooled, optically pumped 37K atoms which will allow us to precisely measure angular correlation parameters in themore » $${\\beta }^{+}$$-decay of the same atoms. These results will be used to test the V ₋ A framework of the weak interaction at high precision. At the Triumf neutral atom trap (Trinat), a magneto-optical trap confines and cools neutral 37K atoms and optical pumping spin-polarizes them. We monitor the nuclear polarization of the same atoms that are decaying in situ by photoionizing a small fraction of the partially polarized atoms and then use the standard optical Bloch equations to model their population distribution. We obtain an average nuclear polarization of $$\\bar{P}=0.9913\\pm 0.0009$$, which is significantly more precise than previous measurements with this technique. Since our current measurement of the β-asymmetry has $$0.2 \\% $$ statistical uncertainty, the polarization measurement reported here will not limit its overall uncertainty. This result also demonstrates the capability to measure the polarization to $$\\lt 0.1 \\% $$, allowing for a measurement of angular correlation parameters to this level of precision, which would be competitive in searches for new physics.« less

Cloud Optical Depth Measured with Ground-Based, Uncooled Infrared Imagers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, Joseph A.; Nugent, Paul W.; Pust, Nathan J.; Redman, Brian J.; Piazzolla, Sabino

2012-01-01

Recent advances in uncooled, low-cost, long-wave infrared imagers provide excellent opportunities for remotely deployed ground-based remote sensing systems. However, the use of these imagers in demanding atmospheric sensing applications requires that careful attention be paid to characterizing and calibrating the system. We have developed and are using several versions of the ground-based "Infrared Cloud Imager (ICI)" instrument to measure spatial and temporal statistics of clouds and cloud optical depth or attenuation for both climate research and Earth-space optical communications path characterization. In this paper we summarize the ICI instruments and calibration methodology, then show ICI-derived cloud optical depths that are validated using a dual-polarization cloud lidar system for thin clouds (optical depth of approximately 4 or less).

Simple and accurate wavemeter implemented with a polarization interferometer.

PubMed

Dimmick, T E

1997-12-20

A simple and accurate wavemeter for measuring the wavelength of monochromatic light is described. The device uses the wavelength-dependent phase lag between principal polarization states of a length of birefringent material (retarder) as the basis for the measurement of the optical wavelength. The retarder is sandwiched between a polarizer and a polarizing beam splitter and is oriented such that its principal axes are 45 deg to the axis of the polarizer and the principal axes of the beam splitter. As a result of the disparity in propagation velocities between the principal polarization states of the retarder, the ratio of the optical power exiting the two ports of the polarizing beam splitter is wavelength dependent. If the input wavelength is known to be within a specified range, the measurement of the power ratio uniquely determines the input wavelength. The device offers the advantage of trading wavelength coverage for increased resolution simply through the choice of the retarder length. Implementations of the device employing both bulk-optic components and fiber-optic components are described, and the results of a laboratory test of a fiber-optic prototype are presented. The prototype had a wavelength accuracy of +/-0.03 nm.

Polarization modeling and predictions for DKIST part 2: application of the Berreman calculus to spectral polarization fringes of beamsplitters and crystal retarders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrington, David M.; Snik, Frans; Keller, Christoph U.; Sueoka, Stacey R.; van Harten, Gerard

2017-10-01

We outline polarization fringe predictions derived from an application of the Berreman calculus for the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) retarder optics. The DKIST retarder baseline design used six crystals, single-layer antireflection coatings, thick cover windows, and oil between all optical interfaces. This tool estimates polarization fringes and optic Mueller matrices as functions of all optical design choices. The amplitude and period of polarized fringes under design changes, manufacturing errors, tolerances, and several physical factors can now be estimated. This tool compares well with observations of fringes for data collected with the spectropolarimeter for infrared and optical regions at the Dunn Solar Telescope using bicrystalline achromatic retarders as well as laboratory tests. With this tool, we show impacts of design decisions on polarization fringes as impacted by antireflection coatings, oil refractive indices, cover window presence, and part thicknesses. This tool helped DKIST decide to remove retarder cover windows and also recommends reconsideration of coating strategies for DKIST. We anticipate this tool to be essential in designing future retarders for mitigation of polarization and intensity fringe errors in other high spectral resolution astronomical systems.

Simultaneous modelling of X-ray emission and optical polarization of intermediate polars: the case of V405 Aur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

J. Lima, I.; Vilega Rodrigues, C.; Medeiros Gomes Silva, K.; Luna, G.; D Amico, F.; Goulart Coelho, J.

2017-10-01

Intermediate polars are compact binaries in which mass transfer occurs from a low-mass star onto a magnetic white dwarf. A shock structure is formed in the magnetic accretion column nearby the white-dwarf surface. High-energy emission is produced in the post-shock region and the main physical process envolved is bremsstrahlung and line emission. Some systems show optical polarization, which may be also originated in the post-shock region. Our main goal is to study the magnetic structure of intermediate polars by simultaneously modelling optical polarimetry and X-ray data using the CYCLOPS code. This code was developed by our group to peform multi-wavelength fitting of the accretion column flux. It considers cyclotron and free-free emission from a 3D post-shock region, which is non-homogeneous in terms of density, temperature, and magnetic field. In this study, we present our modelling of the optical polarization and X-ray emission of V405 Aurigae, the intermediate polar that has the highest magnetic field. Previous studies of this system were not successful in proposing a geometry that explains both the optical and X-ray emissions.

Proposal for fabrication-tolerant SOI polarization splitter-rotator based on cascaded MMI couplers and an assisted bi-level taper

PubMed Central

Wang, Jing; Qi, Minghao; Xuan, Yi; Huang, Haiyang; Li, You; Li, Ming; Chen, Xin; Jia, Qi; Sheng, Zhen; Wu, Aimin; Li, Wei; Wang, Xi; Zou, Shichang; Gan, Fuwan

2014-01-01

A novel silicon-on-insulator (SOI) polarization splitter-rotator (PSR) with a large fabrication tolerance is proposed based on cascaded multimode interference (MMI) couplers and an assisted mode-evolution taper. The tapers are designed to adiabatically convert the input TM0 mode into the TE1 mode, which will output as the TE0 mode after processed by the subsequent MMI mode converter, 90-degree phase shifter (PS) and MMI 3 dB coupler. The numerical simulation results show that the proposed device has a < 0.5 dB insertion loss with < −17 dB crosstalk in C optical communication band. Fabrication tolerance analysis is also performed with respect to the deviations of MMI coupler width, PS width, slab height and upper-cladding refractive index, showing that this device could work well even when affected by considerable fabrication errors. With such a robust performance with a large bandwidth, this device offers potential applications for CMOS-compatible polarization diversity, especially in the booming 100 Gb/s coherent optical communications based on silicon photonics technology. PMID:25402029

Proposal for fabrication-tolerant SOI polarization splitter-rotator based on cascaded MMI couplers and an assisted bi-level taper.

PubMed

Wang, Jing; Qi, Minghao; Xuan, Yi; Huang, Haiyang; Li, You; Li, Ming; Chen, Xin; Jia, Qi; Sheng, Zhen; Wu, Aimin; Li, Wei; Wang, Xi; Zou, Shichang; Gan, Fuwan

2014-11-17

A novel silicon-on-insulator (SOI) polarization splitter-rotator (PSR) with a large fabrication tolerance is proposed based on cascaded multimode interference (MMI) couplers and an assisted mode-evolution taper. The tapers are designed to adiabatically convert the input TM(0) mode into the TE(1) mode, which will output as the TE(0) mode after processed by the subsequent MMI mode converter, 90-degree phase shifter (PS) and MMI 3 dB coupler. The numerical simulation results show that the proposed device has a < 0.5 dB insertion loss with < -17 dB crosstalk in C optical communication band. Fabrication tolerance analysis is also performed with respect to the deviations of MMI coupler width, PS width, slab height and upper-cladding refractive index, showing that this device could work well even when affected by considerable fabrication errors. With such a robust performance with a large bandwidth, this device offers potential applications for CMOS-compatible polarization diversity, especially in the booming 100 Gb/s coherent optical communications based on silicon photonics technology.

Magnetic Fields in Blazar Jets: Radio and Optical Polarization over 20-30 Years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caldwell, Caroline; Wills, B.; Wills, D.; Aller, H.; Aller, M.

2011-01-01

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: non-BL Lac blazars with strong broad emission lines (quasars), and BL Lac objects with only weak lines. We have compiled optical linear polarization measurements of 22 blazars, incorporating much 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. These data enabled us to compare optical and radio polarization position angles. We constructed histograms of the separation of polarization position angles of the optical and radio. We found that in BL Lac objects, the histogram has a significant peak at zero separation. Since the polarization position angle indicates the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field vector, finding similar polarization position angles indicates a similar magnetic field at the origin of the optical and radio synchrotron radiation. Non-BL Lac blazars show peaks at zero and 90 degree separation of position angle. The 90 degree separation may be caused by optical depth effects within the jet. Although there are a few sources that do not strongly display the characteristics summarized by the histograms, most sources produce optical and radio polarization position angles that nearly coincide or are separated by 90 degrees. Using VLBA and VLA radio maps, we interpret the results in terms of the position angle of the jet in the sky plane.

In-line polarization rotator based on the quantum-optical analogy.

PubMed

Chen, Lei; Qu, Ke-Nan; Shen, Heng; Zhang, Wei-Gang; Chou, Keng C; Liu, Qian; Yan, Tie-Yi; Wang, Biao; Wang, Song

2016-05-01

An in-line polarization rotator (PR) is proposed based on the quantum-optical analogy (QOA). The proposed PR possesses an auxiliary E7 liquid crystal (LC) waveguide in the vicinity of the single-mode fiber (SMF) core. Because of the matched core size, the PR demonstrates good compatibility with the established backbone networks which are composed of conventional SMFs. With optimized parameters for the auxiliary waveguide, the PR offers a near 100% polarization conversion efficiency at the 1550 nm band with a bandwidth of ∼30  nm, a length of ∼4625.9  μm with a large tolerance of ∼550  μm, and a tolerance of the input light polarization angle and rotation angle of the E7 LC of ∼π/30 and ∼π/36  rad, respectively. The performance was verified by the full-vector finite-element method. The proposed PR can be easily fabricated based on the existing photonics crystal fiber manufacturing process, making it a potentially inexpensive device for applications in modern communication systems. Moreover, the QOA, compared with the previous supermode-theory design method, allows a designer to consider several waveguides separately. Therefore, various unique characteristics can be met simultaneously which is consistent with the trend of modern fiber design.

Simulations of polarization from accretion disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schultz, J.

2000-12-01

The Monte Carlo Method was used to estimate the level of polarization from axisymmetric accretion disks similar to those in low-mass X-ray binaries and some classes of cataclysmic variables. In low-mass X-ray binaries electron scattering is supposed to be the dominant opacity source in the inner disk, and most of the optical light is produced in the disk. Thompson scattering occuring in the disk corona produces linear polarization. Detailed theoretical models of accretion disks are numerous, but simple mathematical disk models were used, as the accuracy of polarization measurements does not allow distinction of the fine details of disk models. Stokes parameters were used for the radiative transfer. The simulations indicate that the vertical distribution of emissivity has the greatest effect on polarization, and variations of radial emissivity distribution have no detectable effect on polarization. Irregularities in the disk may reduce the degree of polarization. The polarization levels produced by simulations are detectable with modern instruments. Polarization measurements could be used to get rough constraints on the vertical emissivity distribution of an accretion disk, provided that a reasonably accurate disk model can be constructed from photometric or spectrosopic observations in optical and/or X-ray wavelengths. Mainly based on observations taken at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence, France, and on some observations obtained at the European Southern Observatory, Chile (ESO Prog. IDs: 57.C-0492, 59.C-0293, 61.C-0512).

Polarization locked vector solitons and axis instability in optical fiber.

PubMed

Cundiff, Steven T.; Collings, Brandon C.; Bergman, Keren

2000-09-01

We experimentally observe polarization-locked vector solitons in optical fiber. Polarization locked-vector solitons use nonlinearity to preserve their polarization state despite the presence of birefringence. To achieve conditions where the delicate balance between nonlinearity and birefringence can survive, we studied the polarization evolution of the pulses circulating in a laser constructed entirely of optical fiber. We observe two distinct states with fixed polarization. This first state occurs for very small values birefringence and is elliptically polarized. We measure the relative phase between orthogonal components along the two principal axes to be +/-pi/2. The relative amplitude varies linearly with the magnitude of the birefringence. This state is a polarization locked vector soliton. The second, linearly polarized, state occurs for larger values of birefringence. The second state is due to the fast axis instability. We provide complete characterization of these states, and present a physical explanation of both of these states and the stability of the polarization locked vector solitons. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.

Polarization locked vector solitons and axis instability in optical fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cundiff, Steven T.; Collings, Brandon C.; Bergman, Keren

2000-09-01

We experimentally observe polarization-locked vector solitons in optical fiber. Polarization locked-vector solitons use nonlinearity to preserve their polarization state despite the presence of birefringence. To achieve conditions where the delicate balance between nonlinearity and birefringence can survive, we studied the polarization evolution of the pulses circulating in a laser constructed entirely of optical fiber. We observe two distinct states with fixed polarization. This first state occurs for very small values birefringence and is elliptically polarized. We measure the relative phase between orthogonal components along the two principal axes to be ±π/2. The relative amplitude varies linearly with the magnitude of the birefringence. This state is a polarization locked vector soliton. The second, linearly polarized, state occurs for larger values of birefringence. The second state is due to the fast axis instability. We provide complete characterization of these states, and present a physical explanation of both of these states and the stability of the polarization locked vector solitons.

Investigations of electron helicity in optically active molecules using polarized beams of electrons and positrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gidley, D. W.; Rich, A.; Van House, J. C.; Zitzewitz, P. W.

1981-01-01

A positronium-formation experiment with a high sensitivity to a possible relation between the helicity of beta particles emitted in nuclear beta decay and the optical asymmetry of biological molecules is presented. The experiment is based on a mechanism in which the electrons in optically active molecules possess a helicity of less than 0.001, too weak to detect in radiolysis experiments, the sign of which depends on the chirality of the isomer. A helicity-dependent asymmetry is sought in the formation of the triplet ground state of positronium when a low-energy beam of polarized positrons of reversible helicity interacts with an optically active substance coating a channel electron multiplier. Asymmetries between positronium decays observed at positive and negative helicities for the same substance can thus be determined with a sensitivity of 0.0001, which represents a factor of 100 improvement over previous positronium experiments.

Optical fiber meta-tips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Principe, Maria; Micco, Alberto; Crescitelli, Alessio; Castaldi, Giuseppe; Consales, Marco; Esposito, Emanuela; La Ferrara, Vera; Galdi, Vincenzo; Cusano, Andrea

2016-04-01

We report on the first example of a "meta-tip" configuration that integrates a metasurface on the tip of an optical fiber. Our proposed design is based on an inverted-Babinet plasmonic metasurface obtained by patterning (via focused ion beam) a thin gold film deposited on the tip of an optical fiber, so as to realize an array of rectangular aperture nanoantennas with spatially modulated sizes. By properly tuning the resonances of the aperture nanoantennas, abrupt variations can be impressed in the field wavefront and polarization. We fabricated and characterized several proof-of-principle prototypes operating an near-infrared wavelengths, and implementing the beam-steering (with various angles) of the cross-polarized component, as well as the excitation of surface waves. Our results pave the way to the integration of the exceptional field-manipulation capabilities enabled by metasurfaces with the versatility and ubiquity of fiber-optics technological platforms.

Atomic magnetic gradiometer for room temperature high sensitivity magnetic field detection

DOEpatents

Xu, Shoujun [Berkeley, CA; Lowery, Thomas L [Belmont, MA; Budker, Dmitry [El Cerrito, CA; Yashchuk, Valeriy V [Richmond, CA; Wemmer, David E [Berkeley, CA; Pines, Alexander [Berkeley, CA

2009-08-11

A laser-based atomic magnetometer (LBAM) apparatus measures magnetic fields, comprising: a plurality of polarization detector cells to detect magnetic fields; a laser source optically coupled to the polarization detector cells; and a signal detector that measures the laser source after being coupled to the polarization detector cells, which may be alkali cells. A single polarization cell may be used for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) by prepolarizing the nuclear spins of an analyte, encoding spectroscopic and/or spatial information, and detecting NMR signals from the analyte with a laser-based atomic magnetometer to form NMR spectra and/or magnetic resonance images (MRI). There is no need of a magnetic field or cryogenics in the detection step, as it is detected through the LBAM.

Phase-Locking and Coherent Power Combining of Broadband Linearly Chirped Optical Waves

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-05

ensure path-length matching, and we estimate an accuracy of ±2 cm. Fiber-coupled acoustooptic modulators ( Brimrose Corporation) with a nominal...was performed using the VCSEL-based SFL with a chirp rate of ±2×1014 Hz/s, polarization maintaining fiber-optic components, and an AOFS ( Brimrose

All-optical UWB generation and modulation using SOA-XPM effect and DWDM-based multi-channel frequency discrimination.

PubMed

Wang, Fei; Dong, Jianji; Xu, Enming; Zhang, Xinliang

2010-11-22

An all-optical UWB pulses generation and modulation scheme using cross phase modulation (XPM) effect of semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and DWDM-based multi-channel frequency discrimination is proposed and demonstrated, which has potential application in multiuser UWB-Over-Fiber communication systems. When a Gaussian pulse light and a wavelength-tunable CW probe light are together injected into the SOA, the probe light out from the SOA will have a temporal chirp due to SOA-XPM effect. When the chirped probe light is tuned to the slopes of single DWDM channel transmittance curve, the optical phase modulation to intensity modulation conversion is achieved at DWDM that serves as a multi-channel frequency discriminator, the inverted polarity Gaussian monocycle and doublet pulse is detected by a photodetector, respectively. If the probe lights are simultaneously aimed to different slopes of several DWDM channels, multi-channel or binary-phase-coded UWB signal generation can be acquired. Using proposed scheme, pulse amplitude modulation (PAM), pulse polarity modulation (PPM) and pulse shape modulation (PSM) to UWB pulses also can be conveniently realized.

Electro-optic voltage sensor for sensing voltage in an E-field

DOEpatents

Davidson, James R.; Crawford, Thomas M.; Seifert, Gary D.

2002-03-26

A miniature electro-optic voltage sensor and system capable of accurate operation at high voltages has a sensor body disposed in an E-field. The body receives a source beam of electromagnetic radiation. A polarization beam displacer separates the source light beam into two beams with orthogonal linear polarizations. A wave plate rotates the linear polarization to rotated polarization. A transducer utilizes Pockels electro-optic effect and induces a differential phase shift on the major and minor axes of the rotated polarization in response to the E-field. A prism redirects the beam back through the transducer, wave plate, and polarization beam displacer. The prism also converts the rotated polarization to circular or elliptical polarization. The wave plate rotates the major and minor axes of the circular or elliptical polarization to linear polarization. The polarization beam displacer separates the beam into two beams of orthogonal linear polarization representing the major and minor axes. The system may have a transmitter for producing the beam of electro-magnetic radiation; a detector for converting the two beams into electrical signals; and a signal processor for determining the voltage.

Angle- and polarization-insensitive, small area, subtractive color filters via a-Si nanopillar arrays (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fountaine, Katherine T.; Ito, Mikinori; Pala, Ragip; Atwater, Harry A.

2016-09-01

Spectrally-selective nanophotonic and plasmonic structures enjoy widespread interest for application as color filters in imaging devices, due to their potential advantages over traditional organic dyes and pigments. Organic dyes are straightforward to implement with predictable optical performance at large pixel size, but suffer from inherent optical cross-talk and stability (UV, thermal, humidity) issues and also exhibit increasingly unpredictable performance as pixel size approaches dye molecule size. Nanophotonic and plasmonic color filters are more robust, but often have polarization- and angle-dependent optical response and/or require large-range periodicity. Herein, we report on design and fabrication of polarization- and angle-insensitive CYM color filters based on a-Si nanopillar arrays as small as 1um2, supported by experiment, simulation, and analytic theory. Analytic waveguide and Mie theories explain the color filtering mechanism- efficient coupling into and interband transition-mediated attenuation of waveguide-like modes—and also guided the FDTD simulation-based optimization of nanopillar array dimensions. The designed a-Si nanopillar arrays were fabricated using e-beam lithography and reactive ion etching; and were subsequently optically characterized, revealing the predicted polarization- and angle-insensitive (±40°) subtractive filter responses. Cyan, yellow, and magenta color filters have each been demonstrated. The effects of nanopillar array size and inter-array spacing were investigated both experimentally and theoretically to probe the issues of ever-shrinking pixel sizes and cross-talk, respectively. Results demonstrate that these nanopillar arrays maintain their performance down to 1um2 pixel sizes with no inter-array spacing. These concepts and results along with color-processed images taken with a fabricated color filter array will be presented and discussed.

Non-deterministic quantum CNOT gate with double encoding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gueddana, Amor; Attia, Moez; Chatta, Rihab

2013-09-01

We define an Asymmetric Partially Polarizing Beam Splitter (APPBS) to be a linear optical component having different reflectivity (transmittance) coefficients, on the upper and the lower arms, for horizontally and vertically Polarized incident photons. Our CNOT model is composed by two APPBSs, one Half Wave Plate (HWP), two Polarizing Beam Splitters (PBSs), a Beam Splitter (BS) and a -phase rotator for specific wavelength. Control qubit operates with dual rail encoding while target qubit is based on polarization encoding. To perform CNOT operation in 4/27 of the cases, input and target incoming photons are injected with different wavelengths.

Transmission intensity disturbance in a rotating polarizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, J. Y.; Li, H. X.; Wu, F. Q.

2008-01-01

Random disturbance was observed in transmission intensity in various rotating prism polarizers when they were used in optical systems. As a result, the transmitted intensity exhibited cyclic significant deviation from the Malus cosine-squared law with rotation of prisms. The disturbance spoils the light quality transmitted through the polarizer thus dramatically depresses the accuracies of measurements when the prim polarizers were used in light path. A rigorous model is presented based on the solid basis of multi-beams interference, and theoretical results show good agreement with measured values and also indicate effective method for reducing the disturbance.

Cylinder and metal grating polarization beam splitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Junbo; Xu, Suzhi

2017-08-01

We propose a novel and compact metal grating polarization beam splitter (PBS) based on its different reflected and transmitted orders. The metal grating exhibits a broadband high reflectivity and polarization dependence. The rigorous coupled wave analysis is used to calculate the reflectivity and the transmitting spectra and optimize the structure parameters to realize the broadband PBS. The finite-element method is used to calculate the field distribution. The characteristics of the broadband high reflectivity, transmitting and the polarization dependence are investigated including wavelength, period, refractive index and the radius of circle grating. When grating period d = 400 nm, incident wavelength λ = 441 nm, incident angle θ = 60° and radius of circle d/5, then the zeroth reflection order R0 = 0.35 and the transmission zeroth order T0 = 0.08 for TE polarization, however, T0 = 0.34 and R0 = 0.01 for TM mode. The simple fabrication method involves only single etch step and good compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology. PBS designed here is particularly suited for optical communication and optical information processing.

Development of the polarization tracking scheme for free-space quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toyoshima, Morio; Takayama, Yoshihisa; Kunimori, Hiroo; Takeoka, Masahiro; Fujiwara, Mikio; Sasaki, Masahide

2008-04-01

Quantum cryptography is a new technique for transmitting quantum information. The information is securely transmitted due to the laws of physics. In such systems, the vehicle that transfers quantum information is a single photon. The problem with using photons is that the transmission distance is limited by the absorption of the photons by the optical fiber along which they pass. The maximum demonstrated range so far is approximately 100 km. Using free-space quantum cryptography between a ground station and a satellite is a possible way of sending quantum information farther than is possible with optical fibers. This is because there is no birefringence effect in the atmosphere. However, there is a complication in that the directions of the polarization basis between the transmitter and the receiver must coincide with each other. This polarization changes because the mobile terminals for free-space transmission continuously change their attitudes. If the transmission protocol is based on polarization, it is necessary to compensate for the change in attitude between the mobile terminals. We are developing a scheme to track the polarization basis between the transceivers. The preliminary result is presented.

MultiFocus Polarization Microscope (MF-PolScope) for 3D polarization imaging of up to 25 focal planes simultaneously

PubMed Central

Abrahamsson, Sara; McQuilken, Molly; Mehta, Shalin B.; Verma, Amitabh; Larsch, Johannes; Ilic, Rob; Heintzmann, Rainer; Bargmann, Cornelia I.; Gladfelter, Amy S.; Oldenbourg, Rudolf

2015-01-01

We have developed an imaging system for 3D time-lapse polarization microscopy of living biological samples. Polarization imaging reveals the position, alignment and orientation of submicroscopic features in label-free as well as fluorescently labeled specimens. Optical anisotropies are calculated from a series of images where the sample is illuminated by light of different polarization states. Due to the number of images necessary to collect both multiple polarization states and multiple focal planes, 3D polarization imaging is most often prohibitively slow. Our MF-PolScope system employs multifocus optics to form an instantaneous 3D image of up to 25 simultaneous focal-planes. We describe this optical system and show examples of 3D multi-focus polarization imaging of biological samples, including a protein assembly study in budding yeast cells. PMID:25837112

A Metastability-Exchange Optical Pumping and Compression System using Polarized 3 He for a Proposed Laboratory Search for Neutron Monopole-Dipole Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Erick; Ariadne Collaboration

2015-04-01

3 He nuclei polarized using the metastability-exchange optical pumping (MEOP) method have been used for scientific applications such as magnetometry in space, neutron polarization and analysis, and medical imaging. In this talk we explain how this technique is also well-suited for a proposed experiment to search for possible monopole-dipole interactions of polarized 3 He nuclei with matter. The P-odd and T-odd monopole-dipole potential proposed by Moody and Wilczek is proportional to s-> . r-> where s-> is the 3 He spin and r-> is the separation between the particles. It can be induced by axions, and ARIADNE proposes to perform NMR on a polarized 3 He ensemble at 4K with a radially-slotted tungsten disk spinning at a multiple of the 3 He Larmour frequency to induce a resonant monopole-dipole perturbation. The radial slot length variations are chosen to maximize sensitivity to a monopole-dipole interaction range corresponding to the axion window. We describe the advantages that MEOP presents for this experiment and describe the MEOP-based polarized 3 He gas compression system at Indiana University.

A polarization system for persistent chemical detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craven-Jones, Julia; Appelhans, Leah; Couphos, Eric; Embree, Todd; Finnegan, Patrick; Goldstein, Dennis; Karelitz, David; LaCasse, Charles; Luk, Ting S.; Mahamat, Adoum; Massey, Lee; Tanbakuchi, Anthony; Washburn, Cody; Vigil, Steven

2015-09-01

We report on the development of a prototype polarization tag based system for detecting chemical vapors. The system primarily consists of two components, a chemically sensitive tag that experiences a change in its optical polarization properties when exposed to a specific chemical of interest, and an optical imaging polarimeter that is used to measure the polarization properties of the tags. Although the system concept could be extended to other chemicals, for the initial system prototype presented here the tags were developed to be sensitive to hydrogen fluoride (HF) vapors. HF is used in many industrial processes but is highly toxic and thus monitoring for its presence and concentration is often of interest for personnel and environmental safety. The tags are periodic multilayer structures that are produced using standard photolithographic processes. The polarimetric imager has been designed to measure the degree of linear polarization reflected from the tags in the short wave infrared. By monitoring the change in the reflected polarization signature from the tags, the polarimeter can be used to determine if the tag was exposed to HF gas. In this paper, a review of the system development effort and preliminary test results are presented and discussed, as well as our plan for future work.

Polarization feedback laser stabilization

DOEpatents

Esherick, Peter; Owyoung, Adelbert

1988-01-01

A system for locking two Nd:YAG laser oscillators includes an optical path for feeding the output of one laser into the other with different polarizations. Elliptical polarization is incorporated into the optical path so that the change in polarization that occurs when the frequencies coincide may be detected to provide a feedback signal to control one laser relative to the other.

The research of some polygraphic paper samples's polarization characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavryliak, Mykhailo S.; Dobrovolskyi, Yuriy G.; Motrych, Artem V.; Arkhelyuk, Alexander D.

2018-01-01

Methods of investigation the polarization characteristics of certain types of polygraph paper were described. The most effective method for estimation of the characteristic features of optical heterogeneities of polygraph paper was proposed. The greatest sensitivity to the structural organization of optical heterogeneities of paper was observed for linearly polarized light beams with 90 degree polarization azimuth.

Valence subband coupling effect on polarization of spontaneous emissions from Al-rich AlGaN/AlN quantum wells.

PubMed

Lu, Huimin; Yu, Tongjun; Yuan, Gangcheng; Jia, Chuanyu; Chen, Genxiang; Zhang, Guoyi

2012-12-03

The optical polarization properties of Al-rich AlGaN/AlN quantum wells (QWs) were investigated using the theoretical model based on the k·p method. Numerical results show that there is valence subband coupling which can influence the peak emission wavelength and emission intensity for TE and TM polarization components from Al-rich AlGaN/AlN QWs. Especially the valence subband coupling could be strong enough when CH1 is close to HH1 and LH1 subbands to modulate the critical Al content switching dominant emissions from TE to TM polarization. It is believed that the valence subband coupling may give important influence on polarization properties of spontaneous emissions and should be considered in designing high efficiency AlGaN-based ultraviolet (UV) LEDs.

Spatiotemporal polarization modulation microscopy with a microretarder array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Changqin; Ulcickas, James R. W.; Simpson, Garth J.

2018-02-01

A patterned microretarder array positioned in the rear conjugate plane of a microscope enables rapid polarizationdependent nonlinear optical microscopy. The pattern introduced to the array results in periodic modulation of the polarization-state of the incident light as a function of position within the field of view with no moving parts or active control. Introduction of a single stationary optical element and a fixed polarizer into the beam of a nonlinear optical microscope enabled nonlinear optical tensor recovery, which informs on local structure and orientation. Excellent agreement was observed between the measured and predicted second harmonic generation (SHG) of z-cut quartz, selected as a test system with well-established nonlinear optical properties. Subsequent studies of spatially varying samples further support the general applicability of this relatively simple strategy for detailed polarization analysis in both conventional and nonlinear optical imaging of structurally diverse samples.

Polarization-dependent optical absorption of MoS₂ for refractive index sensing.

PubMed

Tan, Yang; He, Ruiyun; Cheng, Chen; Wang, Dong; Chen, Yanxue; Chen, Feng

2014-12-17

As a noncentrosymmetric crystal with spin-polarized band structure, MoS2 nanomaterials have attracts increasing attention in many areas such as lithium ion batteries, flexible electronic devices, photoluminescence and valleytronics. The investigation of MoS2 is mainly focused on the electronics and spintronics instead of optics, which restrict its applications as key elements of photonics. In this work, we demonstrate the first observation of the polarization-dependent optical absorption of the MoS2 thin film, which is integrated onto an optical waveguide device. With this feature, a novel optical sensor combining MoS2 thin-film and a microfluidic structure has been constituted to achieve the sensitive monitoring of refractive index. Our work indicates the MoS2 thin film as a complementary material to graphene for the optical polarizer in the visible light range, and explores a new application direction of MoS2 nanomaterials for the construction of photonic circuits.

Thin film ferroelectric electro-optic memory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thakoor, Sarita (Inventor); Thakoor, Anilkumar P. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

An electrically programmable, optically readable data or memory cell is configured from a thin film of ferroelectric material, such as PZT, sandwiched between a transparent top electrode and a bottom electrode. The output photoresponse, which may be a photocurrent or photo-emf, is a function of the product of the remanent polarization from a previously applied polarization voltage and the incident light intensity. The cell is useful for analog and digital data storage as well as opto-electric computing. The optical read operation is non-destructive of the remanent polarization. The cell provides a method for computing the product of stored data and incident optical data by applying an electrical signal to store data by polarizing the thin film ferroelectric material, and then applying an intensity modulated optical signal incident onto the thin film material to generate a photoresponse therein related to the product of the electrical and optical signals.

Nonlinear optical cryptosystem based on joint Fresnel transform correlator under vector wave illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xueju, Shen; Chao, Lin; Xiao, Zou; Jianjun, Cai

2015-05-01

We present a nonlinear optical cryptosystem with multi-dimensional keys including phase, polarization and diffraction distance. To make full use of the degrees of freedom that optical processing offers, an elaborately designed vector wave with both a space-variant phase and locally linear polarization is generated with a common-path interferometer for illumination. The joint transform correlator in the Fresnel domain, implemented with a double optical wedge, is utilized as the encryption framework which provides an additional key known as the Fresnel diffraction distance. Two nonlinear operations imposed on the recorded joint Fresnel power distribution (JFPD) by a charge coupled device (CCD) are adopted. The first one is the division of power distribution of the reference window random function which is previously proposed by researchers and can improve the quality of the decrypted image. The second one is the recording of a hybrid JFPD using a micro-polarizers array with orthogonal and random transmissive axes attached to the CCD. Then the hybrid JFPD is further scrambled by substituting random noise for partial power distribution. The two nonlinear operations break the linearity of this cryptosystem and provide ultra security. We verify our proposal using a quick response code for noise-free recovery.

Observing the Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization with Variable-delay Polarization Modulators for the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrington, Kathleen; CLASS Collaboration

2018-01-01

The search for inflationary primordial gravitational waves and the optical depth to reionization, both through their imprint on the large angular scale correlations in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), has created the need for high sensitivity measurements of polarization across large fractions of the sky at millimeter wavelengths. These measurements are subjected to instrumental and atmospheric 1/f noise, which has motivated the development of polarization modulators to facilitate the rejection of these large systematic effects.Variable-delay polarization modulators (VPMs) are used in the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) telescopes as the first element in the optical chain to rapidly modulate the incoming polarization. VPMs consist of a linearly polarizing wire grid in front of a moveable flat mirror; varying the distance between the grid and the mirror produces a changing phase shift between polarization states parallel and perpendicular to the grid which modulates Stokes U (linear polarization at 45°) and Stokes V (circular polarization). The reflective and scalable nature of the VPM enables its placement as the first optical element in a reflecting telescope. This simultaneously allows a lock-in style polarization measurement and the separation of sky polarization from any instrumental polarization farther along in the optical chain.The Q-Band CLASS VPM was the first VPM to begin observing the CMB full time in 2016. I will be presenting its design and characterization as well as demonstrating how modulating polarization significantly rejects atmospheric and instrumental long time scale noise.

Panoramic Stokes-polarimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syniavskyi, I. I.; Ivanov, Yu. S.; Vidmachenko, A. P.; Karpov, N. V.

2013-12-01

This article proposes optical layout of the imaging polarimeter based on the polarization films to measure the linear polarization of point and extended celestial objects. The spectral range of device is 420-850 nm, field of view 0.25°x0.25°. The device is designed to equip the telescope with a diameter of primary mirror about 400 mm and aperture f/12.

Electrically tunable polarizer based on graphene-loaded plasmonic cross antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Yuwei; Xiong, Xiaoyan Y. Z.; Sha, Wei E. I.; Jiang, Li Jun

2018-04-01

The unique gate-voltage dependent optical properties of graphene make it a promising electrically-tunable plasmonic material. In this work, we proposed in situ control of the polarization of nanoantennas by combining plasmonic structures with an electrostatically tunable graphene monolayer. The tunable polarizer is designed based on an asymmetric cross nanoantenna comprising two orthogonal metallic dipoles sharing the same feed gap. Graphene monolayer is deposited on a Si/SiO2 substrate, and inserted beneath the nanoantenna. Our modelling demonstrates that as the chemical potential is incremented up to 1 eV by electrostatic doping, resonant wavelength for the longer graphene-loaded dipole is blue shifted for 500 nm (~10% of the resonance) in the mid-infrared range, whereas the shorter dipole experiences much smaller influences due to the unique wavelength-dependent optical properties of graphene. In this way, the relative field amplitude and phase between the two dipole nanoantennas are electrically adjusted, and the polarization state of the reflected wave can be electrically tuned from the circular into near-linear states with the axial ratio changing over 8 dB. Our study thus confirms the strong light-graphene interaction with metallic nanostructures, and illuminates promises for high-speed electrically controllable optoelectronic devices.

Optical properties of Argonne/KICP TES bolometers for CMB polarimetry.

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

Crites, A. T.; Bleem, L. E.; Carlstrom, J. E.

2009-01-01

We present optical data on prototype polarization sensitive Argonne/KICP detectors fabricated at Argonne National Labs which are designed to be installed on the South Pole Telescope and used to measure the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. The detectors are Mo/Au transition edge sensors (TES) suspended on silicon nitride, with radiation coupled to the TES using a gold bar absorber. Two stacked detectors with bars in orthogonal directions will be used to measure both polarizations. We discuss measurements of the optical bandpass, time constants and cross-polarization of the detectors.

Utilization of solar radiation by polar animals: an optical model for pelts.

PubMed

Grojean, R E; Sousa, J A; Henry, M C

1980-02-01

A summary of existing passive solar-heat conversion panels provides the basis for a definition of an ideal passive solar-heat converter. Evidence for the existence of a biological greenhouse effect in certain homopolar homeothermic species is reviewed. The thermal and optical properties of homeothermic pelts, in particular those of the polar bear, are described, and a qualitative optical model of the polar bear pelt is proposed. The effectiveness of polar bear and seal pelts as solar-heat converters is discussed, and comparison is made with the ideal converter.

Optical Properties of Argonne/KICP TES Bolometers for CMB Polarimetry

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

Crites, A. T.; Bleem, L. E.; Carlstrom, J. E.

2009-12-16

We present optical data on prototype polarization sensitive Argonne/KICP detectors fabricated at Argonne National Labs which are designed to be installed on the South Pole Telescope and used to measure the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. The detectors are Mo/Au transition edge sensors (TES) suspended on silicon nitride, with radiation coupled to the TES using a gold bar absorber. Two stacked detectors with bars in orthogonal directions will be used to measure both polarizations. We discuss measurements of the optical bandpass, time constants and cross-polarization of the detectors.

Side effects of the strain-doping approach to develop optical materials based on Ge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escalante, Jose M.

2018-05-01

Following the strain-doping approach for development of Ge based optical gain material, we have studied the impact of doping and strain on the optical properties of Germanium. Emphasizing the importance of the bandgap narrowing effect due to doping on the emission wavelength, we have computed a strain-doping-energy maps, which provide the strain and doping windows that can be considered in order to achieve a specific value of the Γ bandgap. Finally, we discuss the polarization of the emitted light, and its dependence on strains.

Superdense Coding over Optical Fiber Links with Complete Bell-State Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Brian P.; Sadlier, Ronald J.; Humble, Travis S.

2017-02-01

Adopting quantum communication to modern networking requires transmitting quantum information through a fiber-based infrastructure. We report the first demonstration of superdense coding over optical fiber links, taking advantage of a complete Bell-state measurement enabled by time-polarization hyperentanglement, linear optics, and common single-photon detectors. We demonstrate the highest single-qubit channel capacity to date utilizing linear optics, 1.665 ±0.018 , and we provide a full experimental implementation of a hybrid, quantum-classical communication protocol for image transfer.

Design and simulation of high resolution optical imaging system based on near-field using solid immersion lens with NA = 2.2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasian, Karim; Sadeghi, Rasool; Sadeghi, Parvin

2014-03-01

In this work, by changing annular aperture zones transmittance, we could get a spot size smaller than any reported one by utilizing annular aperture. Where, by dividing the annular aperture to more than three zones and utilizing of Sony corporation Produced SIL that has NA higher than 2, we could improve imaging resolution for radial polarization (RP); also we could decrease the FWHM from around ? to near ?. Here, the FWHM variation, according to the refractive index changing, has decreased to zero for RP. After that, circular polarization (CP) has been introduced to get a spot size less than ?. This image resolution improving can be applied to enhance optical data storage, microscopes and lithographic and other high accurate optical systems.

Achievement of needle-like focus by engineering radial-variant vector fields.

PubMed

Gu, Bing; Wu, Jia-Lu; Pan, Yang; Cui, Yiping

2013-12-16

We present and demonstrate a novel method for engineering the radial-variant polarization on the incident field to achieve a needle of transversally polarized field without any pupil filters. We generate a new kind of localized linearly-polarized vector fields with distributions of states of polarization (SoPs) describing by the radius to the power p and explore its tight focusing, nonparaxial focusing, and paraxial focusing properties. By tuning the power p, we obtain the needle-like focal field with hybrid SoPs and give the formula for describing the length of the needle. Experimentally, we systematically investigate both the intensity distributions and the polarization evolution of the optical needle by paraxial focusing the generated vector field. Such an optical needle, which enhances the light-matter interaction, has intriguing applications in optical microma-chining and nonlinear optics.

The polarization and the fundamental sensitivity of 39K (133Cs)-85Rb-4He hybrid optical pumping spin exchange relaxation free atomic magnetometers.

PubMed

Liu, Jian-Hua; Jing, Dong-Yang; Wang, Liang-Liang; Li, Yang; Quan, Wei; Fang, Jian-Cheng; Liu, Wu-Ming

2017-07-28

The hybrid optical pumping spin exchange relaxation free (SERF) atomic magnetometers can realize ultrahigh sensitivity measurement of magnetic field and inertia. We have studied the 85 Rb polarization of two types of hybrid optical pumping SERF magnetometers based on 39 K- 85 Rb- 4 He and 133 Cs- 85 Rb- 4 He respectively. Then we found that 85 Rb polarization varies with the number density of buffer gas 4 He and quench gas N 2 , pumping rate of pump beam and cell temperature respectively, which will provide an experimental guide for the design of the magnetometer. We obtain a general formula on the fundamental sensitivity of the hybrid optical pumping SERF magnetometer due to shot-noise. The formula describes that the fundamental sensitivity of the magnetometer varies with the number density of buffer gas and quench gas, the pumping rate of pump beam, external magnetic field, cell effective radius, measurement volume, cell temperature and measurement time. We obtain a highest fundamental sensitivity of 1.5073 aT/Hz 1/2 (1 aT = 10 -18 T) with 39 K- 85 Rb- 4 He magnetometer between above two types of magnetometers when 85 Rb polarization is 0.1116. We estimate the fundamental sensitivity limit of the hybrid optical pumping SERF magnetometer to be superior to 1.8359 × 10 -2 aT/Hz 1/2 , which is higher than the shot-noise-limited sensitivity of 1 aT/Hz 1/2 of K SERF atomic magnetometer.

Experimental realization of generalized qubit measurements based on quantum walks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yuan-yuan; Yu, Neng-kun; Kurzyński, Paweł; Xiang, Guo-yong; Li, Chuan-Feng; Guo, Guang-Can

2015-04-01

We report an experimental implementation of a single-qubit generalized measurement scenario, the positive-operator valued measure (POVM), based on a quantum walk model. The qubit is encoded in a single-photon polarization. The photon performs a quantum walk on an array of optical elements, where the polarization-dependent translation is performed via birefringent beam displacers and a change of the polarization is implemented with the help of wave plates. We implement: (i) trine POVM, i.e., the POVM elements uniformly distributed on an equatorial plane of the Bloch sphere; (ii) symmetric-informationally-complete (SIC) POVM; and (iii) unambiguous discrimination of two nonorthogonal qubit states.

Snapshot polarization-sensitive plug-in optical module for a Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marques, Manuel J.; Rivet, Sylvain; Bradu, Adrian; Podoleanu, Adrian

2018-02-01

In this communication, we present a proof-of-concept polarization-sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography (PS-OCT) which can be used to characterize the retardance and the axis orientation of a linear birefringent sample. This module configuration is an improvement from our previous work1, 2 since it encodes the two polarization channels on the optical path difference, effectively carrying out the polarization measurements simultaneously (snapshot measurement), whilst retaining all the advantages (namely the insensitivity to environmental parameters when using SM fibers) of these two previous configurations. Further progress consists in employing Master Slave OCT technology,3 which is used to automatically compensate for the dispersion mismatch introduced by the elements in the module. This is essential given the encoding of the polarization states on two different optical path lengths, each of them having dissimilar dispersive properties. By utilizing this method instead of the commonly used re-linearization and numerical dispersion compensation methods an improvement in terms of the calculation time required can be achieved.

Optical system storage design with diffractive optical elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kostuk, Raymond K.; Haggans, Charles W.

1993-01-01

Optical data storage systems are gaining widespread acceptance due to their high areal density and the ability to remove the high capacity hard disk from the system. In magneto-optical read-write systems, a small rotation of the polarization state in the return signal from the MO media is the signal which must be sensed. A typical arrangement used for detecting these signals and correcting for errors in tracking and focusing on the disk is illustrated. The components required to achieve these functions are listed. The assembly and alignment of this complex system has a direct impact on cost, and also affects the size, weight, and corresponding data access rates. As a result, integrating these optical components and improving packaging techniques is an active area of research and development. Most designs of binary optic elements have been concerned with optimizing grating efficiency. However, rigorous coupled wave models for vector field diffraction from grating surfaces can be extended to determine the phase and polarization state of the diffracted field, and the design of polarization components. A typical grating geometry and the phase and polarization angles associated with the incident and diffracted fields are shown. In our current stage of work, we are examining system configurations which cascade several polarization functions on a single substrate. In this design, the beam returning from the MO disk illuminates a cascaded grating element which first couples light into the substrate, then introduces a quarter wave retardation, then a polarization rotation, and finally separates s- and p-polarized fields through a polarization beam splitter. The input coupler and polarization beam splitter are formed in volume gratings, and the two intermediate elements are zero-order elements.