Sample records for phase-only spatial light

  1. Demonstration of polarization-insensitive spatial light modulation using a single polarization-sensitive spatial light modulator.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jun; Wang, Jian

    2015-07-06

    We present a simple configuration incorporating a single polarization-sensitive phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) to facilitate polarization-insensitive spatial light modulation. The polarization-insensitive configuration is formed by a polarization beam splitter (PBS), a polarization-sensitive phase-only LC-SLM, a half-wave plate (HWP), and a mirror in a loop structure. We experimentally demonstrate polarization-insensitive spatial light modulations for incident linearly polarized beams with different polarization states and polarization-multiplexed beams. Polarization-insensitive spatial light modulations generating orbital angular momentum (OAM) beams are demonstrated in the experiment. The designed polarization-insensitive configuration may find promising applications in spatial light modulations accommodating diverse incident polarizations.

  2. Optically addressed and submillisecond response phase only liquid crystal spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Xiangjie; Duan, Jiazhu; Zhang, Dayong; Luo, Yongquan

    2014-10-01

    Liquid crystal based phase only spatial light modulator has attracted many research interests since last decades because of its superior advantage. Until now the liquid crystal spatial light modulator has been applied in many fields, but the response speed of nematic LC limited its further application. In this paper, an optically addressed phase only LC spatial light modulator was proposed based on polymer network liquid crystal. Morphology effect on the light scattering of PNLC was studied, which was mainly consisted of fiber and fiber bundles. The morphology nearly determined the light scattering and electro-optical property. Due to the high threshold voltage, to address the PNLC phase modulator was also concerned. Optical addressing method was proposed, in which BSO crystal was selected to replace one of the glass substrate. The response speed of PNLC was so fast that the reorientation of liquid crystal director will follow the change of effective voltage applied on LC layer, which was related with the voltage signal and especially with electron transport of photo-induced carriers due to diffusion and drift. The on state dynamic response of phase change was investigated. Based on this device, beam steering was also achieved by loading 488nm laser strip on the optical addressed phase only spatial light modulator.

  3. Demonstration of polarization-insensitive spatial light modulation using a single polarization-sensitive spatial light modulator

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Jun; Wang, Jian

    2015-01-01

    We present a simple configuration incorporating a single polarization-sensitive phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) to facilitate polarization-insensitive spatial light modulation. The polarization-insensitive configuration is formed by a polarization beam splitter (PBS), a polarization-sensitive phase-only LC-SLM, a half-wave plate (HWP), and a mirror in a loop structure. We experimentally demonstrate polarization-insensitive spatial light modulations for incident linearly polarized beams with different polarization states and polarization-multiplexed beams. Polarization-insensitive spatial light modulations generating orbital angular momentum (OAM) beams are demonstrated in the experiment. The designed polarization-insensitive configuration may find promising applications in spatial light modulations accommodating diverse incident polarizations. PMID:26146032

  4. Linear phase encoding for holographic data storage with a single phase-only spatial light modulator.

    PubMed

    Nobukawa, Teruyoshi; Nomura, Takanori

    2016-04-01

    A linear phase encoding is presented for realizing a compact and simple holographic data storage system with a single spatial light modulator (SLM). This encoding method makes it possible to modulate a complex amplitude distribution with a single phase-only SLM in a holographic storage system. In addition, an undesired light due to the imperfection of an SLM can be removed by spatial frequency filtering with a Nyquist aperture. The linear phase encoding is introduced to coaxial holographic data storage. The generation of a signal beam using linear phase encoding is experimentally verified in an interferometer. In a coaxial holographic data storage system, single data recording, shift selectivity, and shift multiplexed recording are experimentally demonstrated.

  5. A compensation method for the full phase retardance nonuniformity in phase-only liquid crystal on silicon spatial light modulators.

    PubMed

    Teng, Long; Pivnenko, Mike; Robertson, Brian; Zhang, Rong; Chu, Daping

    2014-10-20

    A simple and efficient compensation method for the full correction of both the anisotropic and isotropic nonuniformity of the light phase retardance in a liquid crystal (LC) layer is presented. This is achieved by accurate measurement of the spatial variation of the LC layer's thickness with the help of a calibrated liquid crystal wedge, rather than solely relying on the light intensity profile recorded using two crossed polarizers. Local phase retardance as a function of the applied voltage is calculated with its LC thickness and a set of reference data measured from the intensity of the reflected light using two crossed polarizers. Compensation of the corresponding phase nonuniformity is realized by applying adjusted local voltage signals for different grey levels. To demonstrate its effectiveness, the proposed method is applied to improve the performance of a phase-only liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) spatial light modulator (SLM). The power of the first diffraction order measured with the binary phase gratings compensated by this method is compared with that compensated by the conventional crossed-polarizer method. The results show that the phase compensation method proposed here can increase the dynamic range of the first order diffraction power significantly from 15~21 dB to over 38 dB, while the crossed-polarizer method can only increase it to 23 dB.

  6. Coding/decoding two-dimensional images with orbital angular momentum of light.

    PubMed

    Chu, Jiaqi; Li, Xuefeng; Smithwick, Quinn; Chu, Daping

    2016-04-01

    We investigate encoding and decoding of two-dimensional information using the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light. Spiral phase plates and phase-only spatial light modulators are used in encoding and decoding of OAM states, respectively. We show that off-axis points and spatial variables encoded with a given OAM state can be recovered through decoding with the corresponding complimentary OAM state.

  7. Generation of dark hollow femtosecond pulsed beam by phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nie, Yongming; Ma, Haotong; Li, Xiujian; Hu, Wenhua; Yang, Jiankun

    2011-07-01

    Based on the refractive laser beam shaping system, the dark hollow femtosecond pulse beam shaping technique with a phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) is demonstrated. The phase distribution of the LC-SLM is derived by the energy conservation and constant optical path principle. The effects of the shaping system on the temporal properties, including spectral phase distribution and bandwidth of the femtosecond pulse, are analyzed in detail. Experimental results show that the hollow intensity distribution of the output pulsed beam can be maintained much at more than 1200mm. The spectral phase of the pulse is changed, and the pulse width is expanded from 199 to 230fs, which is caused by the spatial--temporal coupling effect. The coupling effect mainly depends on the phase-only LC-SLM itself, not on its loaded phase distribution. The experimental results indicate that the proposed shaping setup can generate a dark hollow femtosecond pulsed beam effectively, because the temporal Gaussian waveform is unchanged.

  8. Generation of dark hollow femtosecond pulsed beam by phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator.

    PubMed

    Nie, Yongming; Ma, Haotong; Li, Xiujian; Hu, Wenhua; Yang, Jiankun

    2011-07-20

    Based on the refractive laser beam shaping system, the dark hollow femtosecond pulse beam shaping technique with a phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) is demonstrated. The phase distribution of the LC-SLM is derived by the energy conservation and constant optical path principle. The effects of the shaping system on the temporal properties, including spectral phase distribution and bandwidth of the femtosecond pulse, are analyzed in detail. Experimental results show that the hollow intensity distribution of the output pulsed beam can be maintained much at more than 1200 mm. The spectral phase of the pulse is changed, and the pulse width is expanded from 199 to 230 fs, which is caused by the spatial-temporal coupling effect. The coupling effect mainly depends on the phase-only LC-SLM itself, not on its loaded phase distribution. The experimental results indicate that the proposed shaping setup can generate a dark hollow femtosecond pulsed beam effectively, because the temporal Gaussian waveform is unchanged. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  9. High-fidelity phase and amplitude control of phase-only computer generated holograms using conjugate gradient minimisation.

    PubMed

    Bowman, D; Harte, T L; Chardonnet, V; De Groot, C; Denny, S J; Le Goc, G; Anderson, M; Ireland, P; Cassettari, D; Bruce, G D

    2017-05-15

    We demonstrate simultaneous control of both the phase and amplitude of light using a conjugate gradient minimisation-based hologram calculation technique and a single phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM). A cost function, which incorporates the inner product of the light field with a chosen target field within a defined measure region, is efficiently minimised to create high fidelity patterns in the Fourier plane of the SLM. A fidelity of F = 0.999997 is achieved for a pattern resembling an LG10 mode with a calculated light-usage efficiency of 41.5%. Possible applications of our method in optical trapping and ultracold atoms are presented and we show uncorrected experimental realisation of our patterns with F = 0.97 and 7.8% light efficiency.

  10. A technique to calibrate spatial light modulator for varying phase response over its spatial regions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, Deepak K.; Tata, B. V. R.; Ravindran, T. R.

    2018-05-01

    Holographic Optical Tweezers (HOTs) employ the technique of beam shaping and holography in an optical manipulation system to create a multitude of focal spots for simultaneous trapping and manipulation of sub-microscopic particles. The beam shaping is accomplished by the use of a phase only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (SLM). The efficiency and the uniformity in the generated traps greatly depend on the phase response behavior of SLMs. In addition the SLMs are found to show different phase response over its different spatial regions, due to non-flat structure of SLMs. Also the phase responses are found to vary over different spatial regions due to non-uniform illumination (Gaussian profile of incident laser). There are various techniques to calibrate for the varying phase response by characterizing the phase modulation at various sub-sections. We present a simple and fast technique to calibrate the SLM suffering with spatially varying phase response. We divide the SLM into many sub-sections and optimize the brightness and gamma of each sub-section for maximum diffraction efficiency. This correction is incorporated in the Weighted Gerchberg Saxton (WGS) algorithm for generation of holograms.

  11. Hollow Gaussian beam generated by beam shaping with phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nie, Yongming; Li, Xiujian; Qi, Junli; Ma, Haotong; Liao, Jiali; Yang, Jiankun; Hu, Wenhua

    2012-03-01

    Based on the refractive beam shaping system, the transformation of a quasi-Gaussian beam into a dark hollow Gaussian beam by a phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) is proposed. According to the energy conservation and constant optical path principle, the phase distribution of the aspheric lens and the phase-only LC-SLM can modulate the wave-front properly to generate the hollow beam. The numerical simulation results indicate that, the dark hollow intensity distribution of the output shaped beam can be maintained well for a certain propagation distance during which the dark region will not decrease whereas the ideal hollow Gaussian beam will do. By designing the phase modulation profile, which loaded into the LC-SLM carefully, the experimental results indicate that the dark hollow intensity distribution of the output shaped beam can be maintained well even at a distance much more than 550 mm from the LC-SLM, which agree with the numerical simulation results.

  12. Real-time optical signal processors employing optical feedback: amplitude and phase control.

    PubMed

    Gallagher, N C

    1976-04-01

    The development of real-time coherent optical signal processors has increased the appeal of optical computing techniques in signal processing applications. A major limitation of these real-time systems is the. fact that the optical processing material is generally of a phase-only type. The result is that the spatial filters synthesized with these systems must be either phase-only filters or amplitude-only filters. The main concern of this paper is the application of optical feedback techniques to obtain simultaneous and independent amplitude and phase control of the light passing through the system. It is shown that optical feedback techniques may be employed with phase-only spatial filters to obtain this amplitude and phase control. The feedback system with phase-only filters is compared with other feedback systems that employ combinations of phase-only and amplitude-only filters; it is found that the phase-only system is substantially more flexible than the other two systems investigated.

  13. Tunable Spin dependent beam shift by simultaneously tailoring geometric and dynamical phases of light in inhomogeneous anisotropic medium

    PubMed Central

    Pal, Mandira; Banerjee, Chitram; Chandel, Shubham; Bag, Ankan; Majumder, Shovan K.; Ghosh, Nirmalya

    2016-01-01

    Spin orbit interaction and the resulting Spin Hall effect of light are under recent intensive investigations because of their fundamental nature and potential applications. Here, we report an interesting manifestation of spin Hall effect of light and demonstrate its tunability in an inhomogeneous anisotropic medium exhibiting spatially varying retardance level. In our system, the beam shift occurs only for one circular polarization mode keeping the other orthogonal mode unaffected, which is shown to arise due to the combined spatial gradients of the geometric phase and the dynamical phase of light. The constituent two orthogonal circular polarization modes of an input linearly polarized light evolve in different trajectories, eventually manifesting as a large and tunable spin separation. The spin dependent beam shift and the demonstrated principle of simultaneously tailoring space-varying geometric and dynamical phase of light for achieving its tunability (of both magnitude and direction), may provide an attractive route towards development of spin-optical devices. PMID:28004825

  14. Study on the generation of a vortex laser beam by using phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Haotong; Hu, Haojun; Xie, Wenke; Xu, Xiaojun

    2013-09-01

    The generation of vortex laser beam by using phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) combined with the spiral phase screen is experimentally and theoretically studied. Results show that Gaussian and dark hollow vortex laser beams can be generated by using this method successfully. Differing with the Gaussian and dark hollow beams, far field intensities of the generated vortex laser beams still exhibit dark hollow distributions. The comparisons between the ideal generation and experimental generation of vortex laser beams with different optical topological charges by using phase only LC-SLM is investigated in detail. Compared with the ideal generated vortex laser beam, phase distribution of the experimental generated vortex laser beam contains many phase singularities, the number of which is the same as that of the optical topological charges. The corresponding near field and far field dark hollow intensity distributions of the generated vortex laser beams exhibit discontinuous in rotational direction. Detailed theoretical analysis show that the main reason for the physical phenomenon mentioned above is the response error of phase only LC-SLM. These studies can provide effective guide for the generation of vortex laser beam by using phase only LC-SLM for optical tweezers and free space optical communication.

  15. Matched-filtering generalized phase contrast using LCoS pico-projectors for beam-forming.

    PubMed

    Bañas, Andrew; Palima, Darwin; Glückstad, Jesper

    2012-04-23

    We report on a new beam-forming system for generating high intensity programmable optical spikes using so-called matched-filtering Generalized Phase Contrast (mGPC) applying two consumer handheld pico-projectors. Such a system presents a low-cost alternative for optical trapping and manipulation, optical lattices and other beam-shaping applications usually implemented with high-end spatial light modulators. Portable pico-projectors based on liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) devices are used as binary phase-only spatial light modulators by carefully setting the appropriate polarization of the laser illumination. The devices are subsequently placed into the object and Fourier plane of a standard 4f-setup according to the mGPC spatial filtering configuration. Having a reconfigurable spatial phase filter, instead of a fixed and fabricated one, allows the beam shaper to adapt to different input phase patterns suited for different requirements. Despite imperfections in these consumer pico-projectors, the mGPC approach tolerates phase aberrations that would have otherwise been hard to overcome by standard phase projection. © 2012 Optical Society of America

  16. Spatially resolved scatter measurement of diffractive micromirror arrays.

    PubMed

    Sicker, Cornelius; Heber, Jörg; Berndt, Dirk

    2016-06-01

    Spatial light modulators (SLMs) support flexible system concepts in modern optics and especially phase-only SLMs such as micromirror arrays (MMAs) appear attractive for many applications. In order to achieve a precise phase modulation, which is crucial for optical performance, careful characterization and calibration of SLM devices is required. We examine an intensity-based measurement concept, which promises distinct advantages by means of a spatially resolved scatter measurement that is combined with the MMA's diffractive principle. Measurements yield quantitative results, which are consistent with measurements of micromirror roughness components, by white-light interferometry. They reveal relative scatter as low as 10-4, which corresponds to contrast ratios up to 10,000. The potential of the technique to resolve phase changes in the subnanometer range is experimentally demonstrated.

  17. Compensation for the phase-type spatial periodic modulation of the near-field beam at 1053 nm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Yaru; Liu, Dean; Yang, Aihua; Tang, Ruyu; Zhu, Jianqiang

    2017-10-01

    A phase-only spatial light modulator is used to provide and compensate for the spatial periodic modulation (SPM) of the near-field beam at the near infrared at 1053nm wavelength with an improved iterative weight-based method. The transmission characteristics of the incident beam has been changed by a spatial light modulator (SLM) to shape the spatial intensity of the output beam. The propagation and reverse propagation of the light in free space are two important processes in the iterative process. The based theory is the beam angular spectrum transmit formula (ASTF) and the principle of the iterative weight-based method. We have made two improvements to the originally proposed iterative weight-based method. We select the appropriate parameter by choosing the minimum value of the output beam contrast degree and use the MATLAB built-in angle function to acquire the corresponding phase of the light wave function. The required phase that compensates for the intensity distribution of the incident SPM beam is iterated by this algorithm, which can decrease the magnitude of the SPM of the intensity on the observation plane. The experimental results show that the phase-type SPM of the near-field beam is subject to a certain restriction. We have also analyzed some factors that make the results imperfect. The experiment results verifies the possible applicability of this iterative weight-based method to compensate for the SPM of the near-field beam.

  18. High-efficiency and flexible generation of vector vortex optical fields by a reflective phase-only spatial light modulator.

    PubMed

    Cai, Meng-Qiang; Wang, Zhou-Xiang; Liang, Juan; Wang, Yan-Kun; Gao, Xu-Zhen; Li, Yongnan; Tu, Chenghou; Wang, Hui-Tian

    2017-08-01

    The scheme for generating vector optical fields should have not only high efficiency but also flexibility for satisfying the requirements of various applications. However, in general, high efficiency and flexibility are not compatible. Here we present and experimentally demonstrate a solution to directly, flexibly, and efficiently generate vector vortex optical fields (VVOFs) with a reflective phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) based on optical birefringence of liquid crystal molecules. To generate the VVOFs, this approach needs in principle only a half-wave plate, an LC-SLM, and a quarter-wave plate. This approach has some advantages, including a simple experimental setup, good flexibility, and high efficiency, making the approach very promising in some applications when higher power is need. This approach has a generation efficiency of 44.0%, which is much higher than the 1.1% of the common path interferometric approach.

  19. Controlling Light Transmission Through Highly Scattering Media Using Semi-Definite Programming as a Phase Retrieval Computation Method.

    PubMed

    N'Gom, Moussa; Lien, Miao-Bin; Estakhri, Nooshin M; Norris, Theodore B; Michielssen, Eric; Nadakuditi, Raj Rao

    2017-05-31

    Complex Semi-Definite Programming (SDP) is introduced as a novel approach to phase retrieval enabled control of monochromatic light transmission through highly scattering media. In a simple optical setup, a spatial light modulator is used to generate a random sequence of phase-modulated wavefronts, and the resulting intensity speckle patterns in the transmitted light are acquired on a camera. The SDP algorithm allows computation of the complex transmission matrix of the system from this sequence of intensity-only measurements, without need for a reference beam. Once the transmission matrix is determined, optimal wavefronts are computed that focus the incident beam to any position or sequence of positions on the far side of the scattering medium, without the need for any subsequent measurements or wavefront shaping iterations. The number of measurements required and the degree of enhancement of the intensity at focus is determined by the number of pixels controlled by the spatial light modulator.

  20. Generation of spiral optical beams using a spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodrigo, Peter J.; Alonzo, Carlo A.; Gluckstad, Jesper

    2005-08-01

    Recently, a new type of beam termed "spiral optical beam" has been introduced [Alonzo, et al., Opt. Express 13, 1749 (2005)]. Spiral beams are created from multiplicative mixtures of helical and conical phase distributions. Helico-conical phase fronts that generate these novel beams are not achieved with a sequence of a corkscrew wave-plate and an axicon (as this sequence gives a sum of helical and conical phase terms). Nevertheless, the availability of phase-only spatial light modulators (SLM) allows one to directly imprint helico-conical phase functions on an incident plane wave and provides an easy way to modify the profile of the encoded phase. Focusing the phase-modified field results in spiral intensity distributions that may find use for optical manipulation of mesoscopic particles. In this paper, we have extended the discussion to translation and rotation (as well as chirality switching) of the spiral beams using SLM control.

  1. All-optical liquid crystal spatial light modulators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tabiryan, Nelson; Grozhik, Vladimir; Khoo, Iam Choon; Nersisyan, Sarik R.; Serak, Svetlana

    2003-12-01

    Nonlinear optical processes in liquid crystals (LC) can be used for construction of all-optical spatial light modulators (SLM) where the photosensitivity and phase modulating functions are integrated into a single layer of an LC-material. Such spatial light integrated modulators (SLIMs) cost only a fraction of the conventional LC-SLM and can be used with high power laser radiation due to high transparency of LC materials and absence of light absorbing electrodes on the substrates of the LC-cell constituting the SLIM. Recent development of LC materials the photosensitivity of which is comparable to that of semiconductors has led to using SLIM in schemes of optical anti-jamming, sensor protection, and image processing. All-optical processes add remarkable versatility to the operation of SLIM harnessing the wealth inherent to light-matter interaction phenomena.

  2. Two spatial light modulator system for laboratory simulation of random beam propagation in random media.

    PubMed

    Wang, Fei; Toselli, Italo; Korotkova, Olga

    2016-02-10

    An optical system consisting of a laser source and two independent consecutive phase-only spatial light modulators (SLMs) is shown to accurately simulate a generated random beam (first SLM) after interaction with a stationary random medium (second SLM). To illustrate the range of possibilities, a recently introduced class of random optical frames is examined on propagation in free space and several weak turbulent channels with Kolmogorov and non-Kolmogorov statistics.

  3. Random technique to encode complex valued holograms with on axis reconstruction onto phase-only displays.

    PubMed

    Luis Martínez Fuentes, Jose; Moreno, Ignacio

    2018-03-05

    A new technique for encoding the amplitude and phase of diffracted fields in digital holography is proposed. It is based on a random spatial multiplexing of two phase-only diffractive patterns. The first one is the phase information of the intended pattern, while the second one is a diverging optical element whose purpose is the control of the amplitude. A random number determines the choice between these two diffractive patterns at each pixel, and the amplitude information of the desired field governs its discrimination threshold. This proposed technique is computationally fast and does not require iterative methods, and the complex field reconstruction appears on axis. We experimentally demonstrate this new encoding technique with holograms implemented onto a flicker-free phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM), which allows the axial generation of such holograms. The experimental verification includes the phase measurement of generated patterns with a phase-shifting polarization interferometer implemented in the same experimental setup.

  4. Shape Measurement by Means of Phase Retrieval using a Spatial Light Modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Agour, Mostafa; Huke, Philipp; Kopylow, Christoph V.; Falldorf, Claas

    2010-04-01

    We present a novel approach to investigate the shape of a diffusely reflecting technical object. It is based on a combination of a multiple-illumination contouring procedure and phase retrieval from a set of intensity measurements. Special consideration is given to the design of the experimental configuration for phase retrieval and the iterative algorithm to extract the 3D phase map. It is mainly based on a phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM) in the Fourier domain of a 4f-imaging system. The SLM is used to modulate the light incident in the Fourier plane with the transfer function of propagation. Thus, a set of consecutive intensity measurements of the wave field scattered by the investigated object in various propagation states can be realized in a common recording plane. In contrast to already existing methods, no mechanical adjustment is required during the recording process and thus the measuring time is considerably reduced. The method is applied to investigate the shape of micro-objects obtained from a metalforming process. Finally, the experimental results are compared to those provided by a standard interferometric contouring procedure.

  5. Stand-alone scattering optical device using holographic photopolymer (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Jongchan; Lee, KyeoReh; Park, YongKeun

    2016-03-01

    When a light propagates through highly disordered medium, its optical parameters such as amplitude, phase and polarization states are completely scrambled because of multiple scattering events. Since the multiple scattering is a fundamental optical process that contains extremely high degrees of freedom, optical information of a transmitted light is totally mingled. Until recently, the presence of multiple scattering in an inhomogeneous medium is considered as a major obstacle when manipulating a light transmitting through the medium. However, a recent development of wavefront shaping techniques enable us to control the propagation of light through turbid media; a light transmitting through a turbid medium can be effectively controlled by modulating the spatial profile of the incident light using spatial light modulator. In this work, stand-alone scattering optical device is proposed; a holographic photopolymer film, which is much economic compared to the other digital spatial light modulators, is used to record and reconstruct permanent wavefront to generate optical field behind a scattering medium. By employing our method, arbitrary optical field can be generated since the scattering medium completely mixes all the optical parameters which allow us to access all the optical information only by modulating spatial phase profile of the impinging wavefront. The method is experimentally demonstrated in both the far-field and near-field regime where it shows promising fidelity and stability. The proposed stand-alone scattering optical device will opens up new avenues for exploiting the randomness inherent in disordered medium.

  6. Real-time optical correlator using computer-generated holographic filter on a liquid crystal light valve

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chao, Tien-Hsin; Yu, Jeffrey

    1990-01-01

    Limitations associated with the binary phase-only filter often used in optical correlators are presently circumvented in the writing of complex-valued data on a gray-scale spatial light modulator through the use of a computer-generated hologram (CGH) algorithm. The CGH encodes complex-valued data into nonnegative real CGH data in such a way that it may be encoded in any of the available gray-scale spatial light modulators. A CdS liquid-crystal light valve is used for the complex-valued CGH encoding; computer simulations and experimental results are compared, and the use of such a CGH filter as the synapse hologram in a holographic optical neural net is discussed.

  7. Spatially varying geometric phase in classically entangled vector beams of light

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    King-Smith, Andrew; Leary, Cody

    We present theoretical results describing a spatially varying geometric (Pancharatnam) phase present in vector modes of light, in which the polarization and transverse spatial mode degrees of freedom exhibit classical entanglement. We propose an experimental setup capable of characterizing this effect, in which a vector mode propagates through a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a birefringent phase retarder present in one arm. Since the polarization state of a classically entangled light beam exhibits spatial variation across the transverse mode profile, the phase retarder gives rise to a spatially varying geometric phase in the beam propagating through it. When recombined with the reference beam from the other interferometer arm, the presence of the geometric phase is exhibited in the resulting interference pattern. We acknowledge funding from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement by means of a Cottrell College Science Award.

  8. Analysis of security of optical encryption with spatially incoherent illumination technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheremkhin, Pavel A.; Evtikhiev, Nikolay N.; Krasnov, Vitaly V.; Rodin, Vladislav G.; Shifrina, Anna V.

    2017-03-01

    Applications of optical methods for encryption purposes have been attracting interest of researchers for decades. The first and the most popular is double random phase encoding (DRPE) technique. There are many optical encryption techniques based on DRPE. Main advantage of DRPE based techniques is high security due to transformation of spectrum of image to be encrypted into white spectrum via use of first phase random mask which allows for encrypted images with white spectra. Downsides are necessity of using holographic registration scheme in order to register not only light intensity distribution but also its phase distribution, and speckle noise occurring due to coherent illumination. Elimination of these disadvantages is possible via usage of incoherent illumination instead of coherent one. In this case, phase registration no longer matters, which means that there is no need for holographic setup, and speckle noise is gone. This technique does not have drawbacks inherent to coherent methods, however, as only light intensity distribution is considered, mean value of image to be encrypted is always above zero which leads to intensive zero spatial frequency peak in image spectrum. Consequently, in case of spatially incoherent illumination, image spectrum, as well as encryption key spectrum, cannot be white. This might be used to crack encryption system. If encryption key is very sparse, encrypted image might contain parts or even whole unhidden original image. Therefore, in this paper analysis of security of optical encryption with spatially incoherent illumination depending on encryption key size and density is conducted.

  9. Flicker in a twisted nematic spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Calderón-Hermosillo, Yuliana; García-Márquez, Jorge; Espinosa-Luna, Rafael; Ochoa, Noé Alcalá; López, Víctor; Aguilar, Alberto; Noé-Arias, Enrique; Alayli, Yasser

    2013-06-01

    Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) Spatial Light Modulators (SLM) are widely used for their capability to control beams howbeit fluctuations in phase and amplitude. It is then necessary to understand the negative effects of these fluctuations, also known as flicker, and the means to mitigate them. The flicker is observed either as high frequency variations of polarization, attenuation or high phase fluctuations on the wave front modulated by the LCoS device. Here, we compare the flicker behavior in a twisted nematic (TN) LCoS-SLM for different polarization schemes and temperatures. The quantitative evaluation shows that flicker is effectively reduced only by chilling the LCoS panel to temperatures just below 0 °C but, the LCoS modulation capability is also affected.

  10. Ultrafast, large-field multiphoton microscopy based on an acousto-optic deflector and a spatial light modulator.

    PubMed

    Shao, Yonghong; Qin, Wan; Liu, Honghai; Qu, Junle; Peng, Xiang; Niu, Hanben; Gao, Bruce Z

    2012-07-01

    We present an ultrafast, large-field multiphoton excitation fluorescence microscope with high lateral and axial resolutions based on a two-dimensional (2-D) acousto-optical deflector (AOD) scanner and spatial light modulator (SLM). When a phase-only SLM is used to shape the near-infrared light from a mode-locked titanium:sapphire laser into a multifocus array including the 0-order beam, a 136 μm × 136 μm field of view is achieved with a 60× objective using a 2-D AOD scanner without any mechanical scan element. The two-photon fluorescence image of a neuronal network that was obtained using this system demonstrates that our microscopy permits observation of dynamic biological events in a large field with high-temporal and -spatial resolution.

  11. White-light diffraction phase microscopy at doubled space-bandwidth product.

    PubMed

    Shan, Mingguang; Kandel, Mikhail E; Majeed, Hassaan; Nastasa, Viorel; Popescu, Gabriel

    2016-12-12

    White light diffraction microscopy (wDPM) is a quantitative phase imaging method that benefits from both temporal and spatial phase sensitivity, granted, respectively, by the common-path geometry and white light illumination. However, like all off-axis quantitative phase imaging methods, wDPM is characterized by a reduced space-bandwidth product compared to phase shifting approaches. This happens essentially because the ultimate resolution of the image is governed by the period of the interferogram and not just the diffraction limit. As a result, off-axis techniques generates single-shot, i.e., high time-bandwidth, phase measurements, at the expense of either spatial resolution or field of view. Here, we show that combining phase-shifting and off-axis, the original space-bandwidth is preserved. Specifically, we developed phase-shifting diffraction phase microscopy with white light, in which we measure and combine two phase shifted interferograms. Due to the white light illumination, the phase images are characterized by low spatial noise, i.e., <1nm pathlength. We illustrate the operation of the instrument with test samples, blood cells, and unlabeled prostate tissue biopsy.

  12. Three-dimensional scene encryption and display based on computer-generated holograms.

    PubMed

    Kong, Dezhao; Cao, Liangcai; Jin, Guofan; Javidi, Bahram

    2016-10-10

    An optical encryption and display method for a three-dimensional (3D) scene is proposed based on computer-generated holograms (CGHs) using a single phase-only spatial light modulator. The 3D scene is encoded as one complex Fourier CGH. The Fourier CGH is then decomposed into two phase-only CGHs with random distributions by the vector stochastic decomposition algorithm. Two CGHs are interleaved as one final phase-only CGH for optical encryption and reconstruction. The proposed method can support high-level nonlinear optical 3D scene security and complex amplitude modulation of the optical field. The exclusive phase key offers strong resistances of decryption attacks. Experimental results demonstrate the validity of the novel method.

  13. Longitudinal spatial coherence gated high-resolution tomography and quantitative phase microscopy of biological cells and tissues with uniform illumination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mehta, Dalip Singh; Ahmad, Azeem; Dubey, Vishesh; Singh, Veena; Butola, Ankit; Mohanty, Tonmoy; Nandi, Sreyankar

    2018-02-01

    We report longitudinal spatial coherence (LSC) gated high-resolution tomography and quantitative phase microscopy of biological cells and tissues with uniform illumination using laser as a light source. To accomplish this a pseudo thermal light source was synthesized by passing laser beams through an optical system, which is basically a speckle reduction system with combined effect of spatial, temporal, angular and polarisation diversity. The longitudinal spatial coherence length of such light was significantly reduced by synthesizing a pseudo thermal source with the combined effect of spatial, angular and temporal diversity. This results in a low spatially coherent (i.e., broad angular frequency spectrum) light source with narrow temporal frequency spectrum. Light from such a pseudo thermal light source was passed through an interference microscope with varying magnification, such as, 10X and 50X. The interference microscope was used for full-field OCT imaging of multilayer objects and topography of industrial objects. Experimental results of optical sectioning of multilayer biological objects with high axial-resolution less than 10μm was achieved which is comparable to broadband white light source. The synthesized light source with reduced speckles having uniform illumination on the sample, which can be very useful for fluorescence microscopy as well as quantitative phase microscopy with less phase noise. The present system does not require any dispersion compensation optical system for biological samples as a highly monochromatic light source is used.

  14. Optimizing binary phase and amplitude filters for PCE, SNR, and discrimination

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Downie, John D.

    1992-01-01

    Binary phase-only filters (BPOFs) have generated much study because of their implementation on currently available spatial light modulator devices. On polarization-rotating devices such as the magneto-optic spatial light modulator (SLM), it is also possible to encode binary amplitude information into two SLM transmission states, in addition to the binary phase information. This is done by varying the rotation angle of the polarization analyzer following the SLM in the optical train. Through this parameter, a continuum of filters may be designed that span the space of binary phase and amplitude filters (BPAFs) between BPOFs and binary amplitude filters. In this study, we investigate the design of optimal BPAFs for the key correlation characteristics of peak sharpness (through the peak-to-correlation energy (PCE) metric), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and discrimination between in-class and out-of-class images. We present simulation results illustrating improvements obtained over conventional BPOFs, and trade-offs between the different performance criteria in terms of the filter design parameter.

  15. Active optics null test system based on a liquid crystal programmable spatial light modulator

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

    Ares, Miguel; Royo, Santiago; Sergievskaya, Irina

    2010-11-10

    We present an active null test system adapted to test lenses and wavefronts with complex shapes and strong local deformations. This system provides greater flexibility than conventional static null tests that match only a precisely positioned, individual wavefront. The system is based on a cylindrical Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor, a commercial liquid crystal programmable phase modulator (PPM), which acts as the active null corrector, enabling the compensation of large strokes with high fidelity in a single iteration, and a spatial filter to remove unmodulated light when steep phase changes are compensated. We have evaluated the PPM's phase response at 635 nmmore » and checked its performance by measuring its capability to generate different amounts of defocus aberration, finding root mean squared errors below {lambda}/18 for spherical wavefronts with peak-to-valley heights of up to 78.7{lambda}, which stands as the limit from which diffractive artifacts created by the PPM have been found to be critical under no spatial filtering. Results of a null test for a complex lens (an ophthalmic customized progressive addition lens) are presented and discussed.« less

  16. Generating structured light with phase helix and intensity helix using reflection-enhanced plasmonic metasurface at 2 μm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Yifan; Du, Jing; Zhang, Jinrun; Shen, Li; Wang, Jian

    2018-04-01

    Mid-infrared (2-20 μm) light has been attracting great attention in many areas of science and technology. Beyond the extended wavelength range from visible and near-infrared to mid-infrared, shaping spatial structures may add opportunities to grooming applications of mid-infrared photonics. Here, we design and fabricate a reflection-enhanced plasmonic metasurface and demonstrate efficient generation of structured light with the phase helix and intensity helix at 2 μm. This work includes two distinct aspects. First, structured light (phase helix, intensity helix) generation at 2 μm, which is far beyond the ability of conventional spatial light modulators, is enabled by the metasurface with sub-wavelength engineered structures. Second, the self-referenced intensity helix against environmental noise is generated without using a spatially separated light. The demonstrations may open up advanced perspectives to structured light applications at 2 μm, such as phase helix for communications and non-communications (imaging, sensing) and intensity helix for enhanced microscopy and advanced metrology.

  17. Generation of multifocal irradiance patterns by using complex Fresnel holograms.

    PubMed

    Mendoza-Yero, Omel; Carbonell-Leal, Miguel; Mínguez-Vega, Gladys; Lancis, Jesús

    2018-03-01

    We experimentally demonstrate Fresnel holograms able to produce multifocal irradiance patterns with micrometric spatial resolution. These holograms are assessed from the coherent sum of multiple Fresnel lenses. The utilized encoded technique guarantees full control over the reconstructed irradiance patterns due to an optimal codification of the amplitude and phase information of the resulting complex field. From a practical point of view, a phase-only spatial light modulator is used in a couple of experiments addressed to obtain two- and three-dimensional distributions of focal points to excite both linear and non-linear optical phenomena.

  18. High-speed single-shot optical focusing through dynamic scattering media with full-phase wavefront shaping.

    PubMed

    Hemphill, Ashton S; Shen, Yuecheng; Liu, Yan; Wang, Lihong V

    2017-11-27

    In biological applications, optical focusing is limited by the diffusion of light, which prevents focusing at depths greater than ∼1 mm in soft tissue. Wavefront shaping extends the depth by compensating for phase distortions induced by scattering and thus allows for focusing light through biological tissue beyond the optical diffusion limit by using constructive interference. However, due to physiological motion, light scattering in tissue is deterministic only within a brief speckle correlation time. In in vivo tissue, this speckle correlation time is on the order of milliseconds, and so the wavefront must be optimized within this brief period. The speed of digital wavefront shaping has typically been limited by the relatively long time required to measure and display the optimal phase pattern. This limitation stems from the low speeds of cameras, data transfer and processing, and spatial light modulators. While binary-phase modulation requiring only two images for the phase measurement has recently been reported, most techniques require at least three frames for the full-phase measurement. Here, we present a full-phase digital optical phase conjugation method based on off-axis holography for single-shot optical focusing through scattering media. By using off-axis holography in conjunction with graphics processing unit based processing, we take advantage of the single-shot full-phase measurement while using parallel computation to quickly reconstruct the phase map. With this system, we can focus light through scattering media with a system latency of approximately 9 ms, on the order of the in vivo speckle correlation time.

  19. High-speed single-shot optical focusing through dynamic scattering media with full-phase wavefront shaping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hemphill, Ashton S.; Shen, Yuecheng; Liu, Yan; Wang, Lihong V.

    2017-11-01

    In biological applications, optical focusing is limited by the diffusion of light, which prevents focusing at depths greater than ˜1 mm in soft tissue. Wavefront shaping extends the depth by compensating for phase distortions induced by scattering and thus allows for focusing light through biological tissue beyond the optical diffusion limit by using constructive interference. However, due to physiological motion, light scattering in tissue is deterministic only within a brief speckle correlation time. In in vivo tissue, this speckle correlation time is on the order of milliseconds, and so the wavefront must be optimized within this brief period. The speed of digital wavefront shaping has typically been limited by the relatively long time required to measure and display the optimal phase pattern. This limitation stems from the low speeds of cameras, data transfer and processing, and spatial light modulators. While binary-phase modulation requiring only two images for the phase measurement has recently been reported, most techniques require at least three frames for the full-phase measurement. Here, we present a full-phase digital optical phase conjugation method based on off-axis holography for single-shot optical focusing through scattering media. By using off-axis holography in conjunction with graphics processing unit based processing, we take advantage of the single-shot full-phase measurement while using parallel computation to quickly reconstruct the phase map. With this system, we can focus light through scattering media with a system latency of approximately 9 ms, on the order of the in vivo speckle correlation time.

  20. Modulating complex beams in amplitude and phase using fast tilt-micromirror arrays and phase masks.

    PubMed

    Roth, Matthias; Heber, Jörg; Janschek, Klaus

    2018-06-15

    The Letter proposes a system for the spatial modulation of light in amplitude and phase at kilohertz frame rates and high spatial resolution. The focus is fast spatial light modulators (SLMs) consisting of continuously tiltable micromirrors. We investigate the utilization of such SLMs in combination with a static phase mask in a 4f setup. The phase mask enables the complex beam modulation in a linear optical arrangement. Furthermore, adding so-called phase steps to the phase mask increases both the number of image pixels at constant SLM resolution and the optical efficiency. We illustrate our concept based on numerical simulations.

  1. Quantitative phase imaging of biological cells using spatially low and temporally high coherent light source.

    PubMed

    Ahmad, Azeem; Dubey, Vishesh; Singh, Gyanendra; Singh, Veena; Mehta, Dalip Singh

    2016-04-01

    In this Letter, we demonstrate quantitative phase imaging of biological samples, such as human red blood cells (RBCs) and onion cells using narrow temporal frequency and wide angular frequency spectrum light source. This type of light source was synthesized by the combined effect of spatial, angular, and temporal diversity of speckle reduction technique. The importance of using low spatial and high temporal coherence light source over the broad band and narrow band light source is that it does not require any dispersion compensation mechanism for biological samples. Further, it avoids the formation of speckle or spurious fringes which arises while using narrow band light source.

  2. Novel phase-locked electronic speckle pattern interferometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yue, Kaiduan; Zhang, Feng; Wang, Chuangshe; Tan, Yushan

    1997-03-01

    The theory, design, and characteristics of a Phase-locked Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) are described. The main principle of the Phase-lock system is to use the characteristics of spatial frequency of the object light to get the information of the phase of the objects' vibration and the disturbance of air. By using the information, we eliminate not only the influence of the objects' vibration, but also the influence of the disturbance of the air. So we can get more stable image of ESPI, and more reliable measurement result.

  3. Combined multi-plane phase retrieval and super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging for 4D cell microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Descloux, A.; Grußmayer, K. S.; Bostan, E.; Lukes, T.; Bouwens, A.; Sharipov, A.; Geissbuehler, S.; Mahul-Mellier, A.-L.; Lashuel, H. A.; Leutenegger, M.; Lasser, T.

    2018-03-01

    Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy provides unprecedented insight into cellular and subcellular structures. However, going `beyond the diffraction barrier' comes at a price, since most far-field super-resolution imaging techniques trade temporal for spatial super-resolution. We propose the combination of a novel label-free white light quantitative phase imaging with fluorescence to provide high-speed imaging and spatial super-resolution. The non-iterative phase retrieval relies on the acquisition of single images at each z-location and thus enables straightforward 3D phase imaging using a classical microscope. We realized multi-plane imaging using a customized prism for the simultaneous acquisition of eight planes. This allowed us to not only image live cells in 3D at up to 200 Hz, but also to integrate fluorescence super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging within the same optical instrument. The 4D microscope platform unifies the sensitivity and high temporal resolution of phase imaging with the specificity and high spatial resolution of fluorescence microscopy.

  4. Three-dimensional rearrangement of single atoms using actively controlled optical microtraps.

    PubMed

    Lee, Woojun; Kim, Hyosub; Ahn, Jaewook

    2016-05-02

    We propose and demonstrate three-dimensional rearrangements of single atoms. In experiments performed with single 87Rb atoms in optical microtraps actively controlled by a spatial light modulator, we demonstrate various dynamic rearrangements of up to N = 9 atoms including rotation, 2D vacancy filling, guiding, compactification, and 3D shuffling. With the capability of a phase-only Fourier mask to generate arbitrary shapes of the holographic microtraps, it was possible to place single atoms at arbitrary geometries of a few μm size and even continuously reconfigure them by conveying each atom. For this purpose, we loaded a series of computer-generated phase masks in the full frame rate of 60 Hz of the spatial light modulator, so the animation of phase mask transformed the holographic microtraps in real time, driving each atom along the assigned trajectory. Possible applications of this method of transformation of single atoms include preparation of scalable quantum platforms for quantum computation, quantum simulation, and quantum many-body physics.

  5. Shaping Laguerre-Gaussian laser modes with binary gratings using a digital micromirror device.

    PubMed

    Lerner, Vitaly; Shwa, David; Drori, Yehonathan; Katz, Nadav

    2012-12-01

    Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams are used in many research fields, including microscopy, laser cavity modes, and optical tweezing. We developed a holographic method to generate pure LG modes (amplitude and phase) with a binary amplitude-only digital micromirror device (DMD) as an alternative to the commonly used phase-only spatial light modulator. The advantages of such a DMD include very high frame rates, low cost, and high damage thresholds. We have shown that the propagating shaped beams are self-similar and their phase fronts are of helical shape as demanded. We estimate the purity of the resultant beams to be above 94%.

  6. Creation of Excitons Excited by Light with a Spatial Mode

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Syouji, Atsushi; Saito, Shingo; Otomo, Akira

    2017-12-01

    When light is absorbed into matter, its degrees of freedom (i.e., energy, polarization, and phase) are transferred to the matter and conserved. In this study, we demonstrate that elementary excitations in matter, which are one-photon-forbidden transition states, become allowed states because of the phase conservation across the entire cross section of excitation light. In particular, when 1S orthoexcitons of the yellow series in the semiconductor cuprous oxide (Cu2O) were resonantly excited by light with a spatial mode, an increase in the Γ 3 - -phonon-emission peak intensity of the excitons was detected depending on the spatial mode. Using group-theory-based analysis, we show that the irreducible representation of a one-photon-forbidden exciton, which is one of the orthoexcitons, can be transmuted to an allowed state by taking the direct product with the polar vector produced from the spatial mode of the light. Although the transition process of the exciton is locally characterized by the usual quadrupole interaction, the phase conservation at each position at which the sample is irradiated causes the exciton to be in the same spatial-mode state. That causes a change in the transition selection rule. The selection rule relaxation due to the spatial mode of the light was also applied for paraexciton creation.

  7. Extremely simple holographic projection of color images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Makowski, Michal; Ducin, Izabela; Kakarenko, Karol; Suszek, Jaroslaw; Kolodziejczyk, Andrzej; Sypek, Maciej

    2012-03-01

    A very simple scheme of holographic projection is presented with some experimental results showing good quality image projection without any imaging lens. This technique can be regarded as an alternative to classic projection methods. It is based on the reconstruction real images from three phase iterated Fourier holograms. The illumination is performed with three laser beams of primary colors. A divergent wavefront geometry is used to achieve an increased throw angle of the projection, compared to plane wave illumination. Light fibers are used as light guidance in order to keep the setup as simple as possible and to provide point-like sources of high quality divergent wave-fronts at optimized position against the light modulator. Absorbing spectral filters are implemented to multiplex three holograms on a single phase-only spatial light modulator. Hence color mixing occurs without any time-division methods, which cause rainbow effects and color flicker. The zero diffractive order with divergent illumination is practically invisible and speckle field is effectively suppressed with phase optimization and time averaging techniques. The main advantages of the proposed concept are: a very simple and highly miniaturizable configuration; lack of lens; a single LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) modulator; a strong resistance to imperfections and obstructions of the spatial light modulator like dead pixels, dust, mud, fingerprints etc.; simple calculations based on Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) easily processed in real time mode with GPU (Graphic Programming).

  8. Electronic holography using binary phase modulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matoba, Osamu

    2014-06-01

    A 3D display system by using a phase-only distribution is presented. Especially, binary phase distribution is used to reconstruct a 3D object for wide viewing zone angle. To obtain the phase distribution to be displayed on a phase-mode spatial light modulator, both of experimental and numerical processes are available. In this paper, we present a numerical process by using a computer graphics data. A random phase distribution is attached to all polygons of an input 3D object to reconstruct a 3D object well from the binary phase distribution. Numerical and experimental results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed system.

  9. Phase retrieval of singular scalar light fields using a two-dimensional directional wavelet transform and a spatial carrier.

    PubMed

    Federico, Alejandro; Kaufmann, Guillermo H

    2008-10-01

    We evaluate a method based on the two-dimensional directional wavelet transform and the introduction of a spatial carrier to retrieve optical phase distributions in singular scalar light fields. The performance of the proposed phase-retrieval method is compared with an approach based on Fourier transform. The advantages and limitations of the proposed method are discussed.

  10. Noise Analysis of Spatial Phase coding in analog Acoustooptic Processors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gary, Charles K.; Lum, Henry, Jr. (Technical Monitor)

    1994-01-01

    Optical beams can carry information in their amplitude and phase; however, optical analog numerical calculators such as an optical matrix processor use incoherent light to achieve linear operation. Thus, the phase information is lost and only the magnitude can be used. This limits such processors to the representation of positive real numbers. Many systems have been devised to overcome this deficit through the use of digital number representations, but they all operate at a greatly reduced efficiency in contrast to analog systems. The most widely accepted method to achieve sign coding in analog optical systems has been the use of an offset for the zero level. Unfortunately, this results in increased noise sensitivity for small numbers. In this paper, we examine the use of spatially coherent sign coding in acoustooptical processors, a method first developed for digital calculations by D. V. Tigin. This coding technique uses spatial coherence for the representation of signed numbers, while temporal incoherence allows for linear analog processing of the optical information. We show how spatial phase coding reduces noise sensitivity for signed analog calculations.

  11. Tracing the phase of focused broadband laser pulses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoff, Dominik; Krüger, Michael; Maisenbacher, Lothar; Sayler, A. M.; Paulus, Gerhard G.; Hommelhoff, Peter

    2017-10-01

    Precise knowledge of the behaviour of the phase of light in a focused beam is fundamental to understanding and controlling laser-driven processes. More than a hundred years ago, an axial phase anomaly for focused monochromatic light beams was discovered and is now commonly known as the Gouy phase. Recent theoretical work has brought into question the validity of applying this monochromatic phase formulation to the broadband pulses becoming ubiquitous today. Based on electron backscattering at sharp nanometre-scale metal tips, a method is available to measure light fields with sub-wavelength spatial resolution and sub-optical-cycle time resolution. Here we report such a direct, three-dimensional measurement of the spatial dependence of the optical phase of a focused, 4-fs, near-infrared pulsed laser beam. The observed optical phase deviates substantially from the monochromatic Gouy phase--exhibiting a much more complex spatial dependence, both along the propagation axis and in the radial direction. In our measurements, these significant deviations are the rule and not the exception for focused, broadband laser pulses. Therefore, we expect wide ramifications for all broadband laser-matter interactions, such as in high-harmonic and attosecond pulse generation, femtochemistry, ophthalmological optical coherence tomography and light-wave electronics.

  12. Soft x-ray coherent diffraction imaging on magnetic nanostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Xiaowen; Lee, James; Mishra, Shrawan; Parks, Daniel; Tyliszczak, Tolek; Shapiro, David; Roy, Sujoy; Kevan, Steve; Stxm Team At Als Collaboration; Soft X-Ray Microscopy Group At Als Collaboration; Soft X-ray scattering at ALS, LBL Team

    2014-03-01

    Coherent soft X-rays diffraction imaging enable coherent magnetic resonance scattering at transition metal L-edge to be probed so that magnetic domains could be imaged with very high spatial resolution with phase contrast, reaching sub-10nm. One of the overwhelming advantages of using coherent X-rays is the ability to resolve phase contrast images with linearly polarized light with both phase and absorption contrast comparing to real-space imaging, which can only be studied with circularly polarized light with absorption contrast only. Here we report our first results on high-resolution of magnetic domains imaging of CoPd multilayer thin film with coherent soft X-ray ptychography method. We are aiming to resolve and understand magnetic domain wall structures with the highest obtainable resolution here at Advanced Light Source. In principle types of magnetic domain walls could be studied so that Neel or Bloch walls can be distinguished by imaging. This work at LBNL was supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the US Department of Energy (contract no. DE-AC02- 05CH11231).

  13. One-shot synthetic aperture digital holographic microscopy with non-coplanar angular-multiplexing and coherence gating.

    PubMed

    Lin, Yu-Chih; Tu, Han-Yen; Wu, Xin-Ru; Lai, Xin-Ji; Cheng, Chau-Jern

    2018-05-14

    This paper proposes one-shot synthetic aperture digital holographic microscopy using a combination of angular-multiplexing and coherence gating. The proposed angular-multiplexing technique uses multiple noncoplanar incident beams into the synthetic aperture to create tight packed passbands so as to extend spatial frequency spectrum. Coherence gating is performed to prevent the self-interference among the multiple beams. Based on the design guideline proposed herein, a phase-only spatial light modulator is employed as an adjustable blazed grating to split multiple noncoplanar beams and perform angular-multiplexing, and then using coherence gating based on low-coherence-light, superresolution imaging is achieved after one-shot acquisition.

  14. Optics. Spatially structured photons that travel in free space slower than the speed of light.

    PubMed

    Giovannini, Daniel; Romero, Jacquiline; Potoček, Václav; Ferenczi, Gergely; Speirits, Fiona; Barnett, Stephen M; Faccio, Daniele; Padgett, Miles J

    2015-02-20

    That the speed of light in free space is constant is a cornerstone of modern physics. However, light beams have finite transverse size, which leads to a modification of their wave vectors resulting in a change to their phase and group velocities. We study the group velocity of single photons by measuring a change in their arrival time that results from changing the beam's transverse spatial structure. Using time-correlated photon pairs, we show a reduction in the group velocity of photons in both a Bessel beam and photons in a focused Gaussian beam. In both cases, the delay is several micrometers over a propagation distance of ~1 meter. Our work highlights that, even in free space, the invariance of the speed of light only applies to plane waves. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  15. Spatial Distribution of Phase Singularities in Optical Random Vector Waves.

    PubMed

    De Angelis, L; Alpeggiani, F; Di Falco, A; Kuipers, L

    2016-08-26

    Phase singularities are dislocations widely studied in optical fields as well as in other areas of physics. With experiment and theory we show that the vectorial nature of light affects the spatial distribution of phase singularities in random light fields. While in scalar random waves phase singularities exhibit spatial distributions reminiscent of particles in isotropic liquids, in vector fields their distribution for the different vector components becomes anisotropic due to the direct relation between propagation and field direction. By incorporating this relation in the theory for scalar fields by Berry and Dennis [Proc. R. Soc. A 456, 2059 (2000)], we quantitatively describe our experiments.

  16. Generation of atmospheric wavefronts using binary micromirror arrays.

    PubMed

    Anzuola, Esdras; Belmonte, Aniceto

    2016-04-10

    To simulate in the laboratory the influence that a turbulent atmosphere has on light beams, we introduce a practical method for generating atmospheric wavefront distortions that considers digital holographic reconstruction using a programmable binary micromirror array. We analyze the efficiency of the approach for different configurations of the micromirror array and experimentally demonstrate the benchtop technique. Though the mirrors on the digital array can only be positioned in one of two states, we show that the holographic technique can be used to devise a wide variety of atmospheric wavefront aberrations in a controllable and predictable way for a fraction of the cost of phase-only spatial light modulators.

  17. Perturbing laser field dependent high harmonic phase modulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Zhengyan; Kong, Fanqi; Brown, Graham; Hammond, TJ; Ko, Dong-Hyuk; Zhang, Chunmei; Corkum, P. B.

    2018-06-01

    A perturbing laser pulse modulates and controls the phase of the high harmonic radiation driven by an intense fundamental pulse. Thus, a structured wave front can impress a specific spatial phase onto the generated high harmonic wave front. This modulation procedure leads to all-optical spatial light modulators for VUV or XUV radiation created by high harmonic generation. Here, through theoretical analysis and experiment, we study the correlation between the high harmonic phase modulations and the perturbing laser field amplitude and phase, providing guidelines for practical high harmonic spatial light modulators. In addition, we show that the petahertz optical oscilloscope for measuring electric fields of a perturbing beam is most robust using low order harmonics, far from the cut-off.

  18. Phase-Sensitive Coherence and the Classical-Quantum Boundary in Ghost Imaging

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erkmen, Baris I.; Hardy, Nicholas D.; Venkatraman, Dheera; Wong, Franco N. C.; Shapiro, Jeffrey H.

    2011-01-01

    The theory of partial coherence has a long and storied history in classical statistical optics. the vast majority of this work addresses fields that are statistically stationary in time, hence their complex envelopes only have phase-insensitive correlations. The quantum optics of squeezed-state generation, however, depends on nonlinear interactions producing baseband field operators with phase-insensitive and phase-sensitive correlations. Utilizing quantum light to enhance imaging has been a topic of considerable current interest, much of it involving biphotons, i.e., streams of entangled-photon pairs. Biphotons have been employed for quantum versions of optical coherence tomography, ghost imaging, holography, and lithography. However, their seemingly quantum features have been mimicked with classical-sate light, questioning wherein lies the classical-quantum boundary. We have shown, for the case of Gaussian-state light, that this boundary is intimately connected to the theory of phase-sensitive partial coherence. Here we present that theory, contrasting it with the familiar case of phase-insensitive partial coherence, and use it to elucidate the classical-quantum boundary of ghost imaging. We show, both theoretically and experimentally, that classical phase-sensitive light produces ghost imaging most closely mimicking those obtained in biphotons, and we derived the spatial resolution, image contrast, and signal-to-noise ratio of a standoff-sensing ghost imager, taking into account target-induced speckle.

  19. Morphology effect on the light scattering and dynamic response of polymer network liquid crystal phase modulator.

    PubMed

    Xiangjie, Zhao; Cangli, Liu; Jiazhu, Duan; Jiancheng, Zeng; Dayong, Zhang; Yongquan, Luo

    2014-06-16

    Polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) was one of the most potential liquid crystal for submillisecond response phase modulation, which was possible to be applied in submillisecond response phase only spatial light modulator. But until now the light scattering when liquid crystal director was reoriented by external electric field limited its phase modulation application. Dynamic response of phase change when high voltage was applied was also not elucidated. The mechanism that determines the light scattering was studied by analyzing the polymer network morphology by SEM method. Samples were prepared by varying the polymerization temperature, UV curing intensity and polymerization time. The morphology effect on the dynamic response of phase change was studied, in which high voltage was usually applied and electro-striction effect was often induced. The experimental results indicate that the polymer network morphology was mainly characterized by cross linked single fibrils, cross linked fibril bundles or even both. Although the formation of fibril bundle usually induced large light scattering, such a polymer network could endure higher voltage. In contrast, although the formation of cross linked single fibrils induced small light scattering, such a polymer network cannot endure higher voltage. There is a tradeoff between the light scattering and high voltage endurance. The electro-optical properties such as threshold voltage and response time were taken to verify our conclusion. For future application, the monomer molecular structure, the liquid crystal solvent and the polymerization conditions should be optimized to generate optimal polymer network morphology.

  20. Correlation matching method for high-precision position detection of optical vortex using Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor.

    PubMed

    Huang, Chenxi; Huang, Hongxin; Toyoda, Haruyoshi; Inoue, Takashi; Liu, Huafeng

    2012-11-19

    We propose a new method for realizing high-spatial-resolution detection of singularity points in optical vortex beams. The method uses a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWS) to record a Hartmanngram. A map of evaluation values related to phase slope is then calculated from the Hartmanngram. The position of an optical vortex is determined by comparing the map with reference maps that are calculated from numerically created spiral phases having various positions. Optical experiments were carried out to verify the method. We displayed various spiral phase distribution patterns on a phase-only spatial light modulator and measured the resulting singularity point using the proposed method. The results showed good linearity in detecting the position of singularity points. The RMS error of the measured position of the singularity point was approximately 0.056, in units normalized to the lens size of the lenslet array used in the SHWS.

  1. Spatial resolution limitation of liquid crystal spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

    2004-10-01

    The effect of fringing electric fields in a liquid crystal (LC) Optical Phased Array (OPA), also referred to as a spatial light modulator (SLM), is a governing factor that determines the diffraction efficiency (DE) of the LC OPA for high resolution spatial phase modulation. In this article, the fringing field effect in a high resolution LC OPA is studied by accurate modeling the DE of the LC blazed gratings by LC director simulation and Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulation. Influence factors that contribute significantly to the DE are discussed. Such results provide fundamental understanding for high resolution LC devices.

  2. Dual-domain point diffraction interferometer

    DOEpatents

    Naulleau, Patrick P.; Goldberg, Kenneth Alan

    2000-01-01

    A hybrid spatial/temporal-domain point diffraction interferometer (referred to as the dual-domain PS/PDI) that is capable of suppressing the scattered-reference-light noise that hinders the conventional PS/PDI is provided. The dual-domain PS/PDI combines the separate noise-suppression capabilities of the widely-used phase-shifting and Fourier-transform fringe pattern analysis methods. The dual-domain PS/PDI relies on both a more restrictive implementation of the image plane PS/PDI mask and a new analysis method to be applied to the interferograms generated and recorded by the modified PS/PDI. The more restrictive PS/PDI mask guarantees the elimination of spatial-frequency crosstalk between the signal and the scattered-light noise arising from scattered-reference-light interfering with the test beam. The new dual-domain analysis method is then used to eliminate scattered-light noise arising from both the scattered-reference-light interfering with the test beam and the scattered-reference-light interfering with the "true" pinhole-diffracted reference light. The dual-domain analysis method has also been demonstrated to provide performance enhancement when using the non-optimized standard PS/PDI design. The dual-domain PS/PDI is essentially a three-tiered filtering system composed of lowpass spatial-filtering the test-beam electric field using the more restrictive PS/PDI mask, bandpass spatial-filtering the individual interferogram irradiance frames making up the phase-shifting series, and bandpass temporal-filtering the phase-shifting series as a whole.

  3. Characterization Of Improved Binary Phase-Only Filters In A Real-Time Coherent Optical Correlation System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flannery, D.; Keller, P.; Cartwright, S.; Loomis, J.

    1987-06-01

    Attractive correlation system performance potential is possible using magneto-optic spatial light modulators (SLM) to implement binary phase-only reference filters at high rates, provided the correlation performance of such reduced-information-content filters is adequate for the application. In the case studied here, the desired filter impulse response is a rectangular shape, which cannot be achieved with the usual binary phase-only filter formulation. The correlation application problem is described and techniques for synthesizing improved filter impulse response are considered. A compromise solution involves the cascading of a fixed amplitude-only weighting mask with the binary phase-only SLM. Based on simulations presented, this approach provides improved impulse responses and good correlation performance, while retaining the critical feature of real-time variations of the size, shape, and orientation of the rectangle by electronic programming of the phase pattern in the SLM. Simulations indicate that, for at least one very challenging input scene clutter situation, these filters provide higher correlation signal-to-noise than does "ideal" correlation, i.e. using a perfect rectangle filter response.

  4. Spatial Light Modulators with Arbitrary Quantum Wells Profiles

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-09-27

    phase change in the 1.152Pm wave propagating through the waveguide and appears as an optically bistable intensity signal normal to the control beam ...electrical bistability of a SEED was integrated with a phase modulator to produce optical bistability in an all- optical switch. A control wavelength of...received attention for its use in electrically-addressable spatial light intensity modulator arrays due to its potentially high contrast ratio, large

  5. 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.

  6. Fast spatial beam shaping by acousto-optic diffraction for 3D non-linear microscopy.

    PubMed

    Akemann, Walther; Léger, Jean-François; Ventalon, Cathie; Mathieu, Benjamin; Dieudonné, Stéphane; Bourdieu, Laurent

    2015-11-02

    Acousto-optic deflection (AOD) devices offer unprecedented fast control of the entire spatial structure of light beams, most notably their phase. AOD light modulation of ultra-short laser pulses, however, is not straightforward to implement because of intrinsic chromatic dispersion and non-stationarity of acousto-optic diffraction. While schemes exist to compensate chromatic dispersion, non-stationarity remains an obstacle. In this work we demonstrate an efficient AOD light modulator for stable phase modulation using time-locked generation of frequency-modulated acoustic waves at the full repetition rate of a high power laser pulse amplifier of 80 kHz. We establish the non-local relationship between the optical phase and the generating acoustic frequency function and verify the system for temporal stability, phase accuracy and generation of non-linear two-dimensional phase functions.

  7. Superpixel-based spatial amplitude and phase modulation using a digital micromirror device.

    PubMed

    Goorden, Sebastianus A; Bertolotti, Jacopo; Mosk, Allard P

    2014-07-28

    We present a superpixel method for full spatial phase and amplitude control of a light beam using a digital micromirror device (DMD) combined with a spatial filter. We combine square regions of nearby micromirrors into superpixels by low pass filtering in a Fourier plane of the DMD. At each superpixel we are able to independently modulate the phase and the amplitude of light, while retaining a high resolution and the very high speed of a DMD. The method achieves a measured fidelity F = 0.98 for a target field with fully independent phase and amplitude at a resolution of 8 × 8 pixels per diffraction limited spot. For the LG10 orbital angular momentum mode the calculated fidelity is F = 0.99993, using 768 × 768 DMD pixels. The superpixel method reduces the errors when compared to the state of the art Lee holography method for these test fields by 50% and 18%, with a comparable light efficiency of around 5%. Our control software is publicly available.

  8. Dissipative structure in the photo-induced phase under steady light irradiation in the spin crossover complex.

    PubMed

    Nishihara, Taishi; Bousseksou, Azzdine; Tanaka, Koichiro

    2013-12-16

    We report the spatial and temporal dynamics of the photo-induced phase in the iron (II) spin crossover complex Fe(ptz)(6)(BF(4))(2) studied by image measurement under steady light irradiation and transient absorption measurement. The dynamic factors are derived from the spatial and temporal fluctuation of the image in the steady state under light irradiation between 65 and 100 K. The dynamic factors clearly indicate that the fluctuation has a resonant frequency that strongly depends on the temperature, and is proportional to the relaxation rate of the photo-induced phase. This oscillation of the speckle pattern under steady light irradiation is ascribed to the nonlinear interaction between the spin state and the lattice volume at the surface.

  9. How to use a phase-only spatial light modulator as a color display.

    PubMed

    Harm, Walter; Jesacher, Alexander; Thalhammer, Gregor; Bernet, Stefan; Ritsch-Marte, Monika

    2015-02-15

    We demonstrate that a parallel aligned liquid crystal on silicon (PA-LCOS) spatial light modulator (SLM) without any attached color mask can be used as a full color display with white light illumination. The method is based on the wavelength dependence of the (voltage controlled) birefringence of the liquid crystal pixels. Modern SLMs offer a wide range over which the birefringence can be modulated, leading (in combination with a linear polarizer) to several intensity modulation periods of a reflected light wave as a function of the applied voltage. Because of dispersion, the oscillation period strongly depends on the wavelength. Thus each voltage applied to an SLM pixel corresponds to another reflected color spectrum. For SLMs with a sufficiently broad tuning range, one obtains a color palette (i.e., a "color lookup-table"), which allows one to display color images. An advantage over standard liquid crystal displays (LCDs), which use color masks in front of the individual pixels, is that the light efficiency and the display resolution are increased by a factor of three.

  10. Spatial Phase Coding for Incoherent Optical Processors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tigin, D. V.; Lavrentev, A. A.; Gary, C. K.

    1994-01-01

    In this paper we introduce spatial phase coding of incoherent optical signals for representing signed numbers in optical processors and present an experimental demonstration of this coding technique. If a diffraction grating, such as an acousto-optic cell, modulates a stream of light, the image of the grating can be recovered from the diffracted beam. The position of the grating image, or more precisely its phase, can be used to denote the sign of the number represented by the diffracted light. The intensity of the light represents the magnitude of the number. This technique is more economical than current methods in terms of the number of information channels required to represent a number and the amount of post processing required.

  11. Crystalline metamaterials for topological properties at subwavelength scales

    PubMed Central

    Yves, Simon; Fleury, Romain; Berthelot, Thomas; Fink, Mathias; Lemoult, Fabrice; Lerosey, Geoffroy

    2017-01-01

    The exciting discovery of topological condensed matter systems has lately triggered a search for their photonic analogues, motivated by the possibility of robust backscattering-immune light transport. However, topological photonic phases have so far only been observed in photonic crystals and waveguide arrays, which are inherently physically wavelength scaled, hindering their application in compact subwavelength systems. In this letter, we tackle this problem by patterning the deep subwavelength resonant elements of metamaterials onto specific lattices, and create crystalline metamaterials that can develop complex nonlocal properties due to multiple scattering, despite their very subwavelength spatial scale that usually implies to disregard their structure. These spatially dispersive systems can support subwavelength topological phases, as we demonstrate at microwaves by direct field mapping. Our approach gives a straightforward tabletop platform for the study of photonic topological phases, and allows to envision applications benefiting the compactness of metamaterials and the amazing potential of topological insulators. PMID:28719573

  12. Crystalline metamaterials for topological properties at subwavelength scales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yves, Simon; Fleury, Romain; Berthelot, Thomas; Fink, Mathias; Lemoult, Fabrice; Lerosey, Geoffroy

    2017-07-01

    The exciting discovery of topological condensed matter systems has lately triggered a search for their photonic analogues, motivated by the possibility of robust backscattering-immune light transport. However, topological photonic phases have so far only been observed in photonic crystals and waveguide arrays, which are inherently physically wavelength scaled, hindering their application in compact subwavelength systems. In this letter, we tackle this problem by patterning the deep subwavelength resonant elements of metamaterials onto specific lattices, and create crystalline metamaterials that can develop complex nonlocal properties due to multiple scattering, despite their very subwavelength spatial scale that usually implies to disregard their structure. These spatially dispersive systems can support subwavelength topological phases, as we demonstrate at microwaves by direct field mapping. Our approach gives a straightforward tabletop platform for the study of photonic topological phases, and allows to envision applications benefiting the compactness of metamaterials and the amazing potential of topological insulators.

  13. Modulating the amplitude and phase of the complex spectral degree of coherence with plasmonic interferometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Dongfang; Pacifici, Domenico

    The spectral degree of coherence describes the correlation of electromagnetic fields, which plays a key role in many applications, including free-space optical communications and speckle-free bioimaging. Recently, plasmonic interferometry, i.e. optical interferometry that employs surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), has enabled enhanced light transmission and high-sensitivity biosensing, among other applications. It offers new ways to characterize and engineer electromagnetic fields using nano-structured thin metal films. Here, we employ plasmonic interferometry to demonstrate full control of spatial coherence at length scales comparable to the wavelength of the incident light. Specifically, by measuring the diffraction pattern of several double-slit plasmonic structures etched on a metal film, the amplitude and phase of the degree of spatial coherence is determined as a function of slit-slit separation distance and incident wavelength. When the SPP contribution is turned on (i.e., by changing the polarization of the incident light from TE to TM illumination mode), strong modulation of both amplitude and phase of the spatial coherence is observed. These findings may help design compact modulators of optical spatial coherence and other optical elements to shape the light intensity in the far-field.

  14. Gradient polymer-disposed liquid crystal single layer of large nematic droplets for modulation of laser light.

    PubMed

    Hadjichristov, Georgi B; Marinov, Yordan G; Petrov, Alexander G

    2011-06-01

    The light modulating ability of gradient polymer-disposed liquid crystal (PDLC) single layer of large droplets formed by nematic E7 in UV-cured polymer NOA65 is studied. Operating at relatively low voltages, such PDLC film with a of thickness 10-25 μm and droplet size up to 50 μm exhibits a good contrast ratio and is capable of producing a large phase shift for the propagating coherent light. For a linearly polarized He-Ne laser (λ=633 nm), an electrically commanded phase shift as large as π/2 can be obtained by the large-droplet region of the film. The electrically produced phase shift and its spatial profile controlled by the thickness of the gradient PDLC single layers of large nematic droplets can be useful for tunable spatial light modulators and other devices for active control of laser light.

  15. Focusing light through scattering media by polarization modulation based generalized digital optical phase conjugation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Jiamiao; Shen, Yuecheng; Liu, Yan; Hemphill, Ashton S.; Wang, Lihong V.

    2017-11-01

    Optical scattering prevents light from being focused through thick biological tissue at depths greater than ˜1 mm. To break this optical diffusion limit, digital optical phase conjugation (DOPC) based wavefront shaping techniques are being actively developed. Previous DOPC systems employed spatial light modulators that modulated either the phase or the amplitude of the conjugate light field. Here, we achieve optical focusing through scattering media by using polarization modulation based generalized DOPC. First, we describe an algorithm to extract the polarization map from the measured scattered field. Then, we validate the algorithm through numerical simulations and find that the focusing contrast achieved by polarization modulation is similar to that achieved by phase modulation. Finally, we build a system using an inexpensive twisted nematic liquid crystal based spatial light modulator (SLM) and experimentally demonstrate light focusing through 3-mm thick chicken breast tissue. Since the polarization modulation based SLMs are widely used in displays and are having more and more pixel counts with the prevalence of 4 K displays, these SLMs are inexpensive and valuable devices for wavefront shaping.

  16. Symmetric Phase Only Filtering for Improved DPIV Data Processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wernet, Mark P.

    2006-01-01

    The standard approach in Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) data processing is to use Fast Fourier Transforms to obtain the cross-correlation of two single exposure subregions, where the location of the cross-correlation peak is representative of the most probable particle displacement across the subregion. This standard DPIV processing technique is analogous to Matched Spatial Filtering, a technique commonly used in optical correlators to perform the crosscorrelation operation. Phase only filtering is a well known variation of Matched Spatial Filtering, which when used to process DPIV image data yields correlation peaks which are narrower and up to an order of magnitude larger than those obtained using traditional DPIV processing. In addition to possessing desirable correlation plane features, phase only filters also provide superior performance in the presence of DC noise in the correlation subregion. When DPIV image subregions contaminated with surface flare light or high background noise levels are processed using phase only filters, the correlation peak pertaining only to the particle displacement is readily detected above any signal stemming from the DC objects. Tedious image masking or background image subtraction are not required. Both theoretical and experimental analyses of the signal-to-noise ratio performance of the filter functions are presented. In addition, a new Symmetric Phase Only Filtering (SPOF) technique, which is a variation on the traditional phase only filtering technique, is described and demonstrated. The SPOF technique exceeds the performance of the traditionally accepted phase only filtering techniques and is easily implemented in standard DPIV FFT based correlation processing with no significant computational performance penalty. An "Automatic" SPOF algorithm is presented which determines when the SPOF is able to provide better signal to noise results than traditional PIV processing. The SPOF based optical correlation processing approach is presented as a new paradigm for more robust cross-correlation processing of low signal-to-noise ratio DPIV image data."

  17. Spatial Light Modulators and Applications: Summaries of Papers Presented at the Spatial Light Modulators and Applications Topical Meeting Held on March 15-17, 1993 in Palm Springs, California

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-03-17

    modulator: Number of Elements 16 x 16 Pixel Size 1 mmxl mm Area Fill Factor > 90% Reflectance > 90% Phase Shift 900 Frame Rate > 1 kHz Operational Spectral...electro-optic constants. By using reflected light from the second interface a factor of two increase in phase shift is obtained for an applied voltage vs...wavelengths in general require thinner PLZT wafers. One of the objectives of the SLM design was to maximize pixel area fill factor and thereby the

  18. Adaptive beam shaping for improving the power coupling of a two-Cassegrain-telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Haotong; Hu, Haojun; Xie, Wenke; Zhao, Haichuan; Xu, Xiaojun; Chen, Jinbao

    2013-08-01

    We demonstrate the adaptive beam shaping for improving the power coupling of a two-Cassegrain-telescope based on the stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm and dual phase only liquid crystal spatial light modulators (LC-SLMs). Adaptive pre-compensation the wavefront of projected laser beam at the transmitter telescope is chosen to improve the power coupling efficiency. One phase only LC-SLM adaptively optimizes phase distribution of the projected laser beam and the other generates turbulence phase screen. The intensity distributions of the dark hollow beam after passing through the turbulent atmosphere with and without adaptive beam shaping are analyzed in detail. The influence of propagation distance and aperture size of the Cassegrain-telescope on coupling efficiency are investigated theoretically and experimentally. These studies show that the power coupling can be significantly improved by adaptive beam shaping. The technique can be used in optical communication, deep space optical communication and relay mirror.

  19. Self-assembly of Nano-rods in Photosensitive Phase Separation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Ya; Kuksenok, Olga; Maresov, Egor; Balazs, Anna

    2012-02-01

    Computer simulations reveal how photo-induced chemical reactions in polymeric mixtures can be exploited to create long-range order in materials whose features range from the sub-micron to the nanoscale. The process is initiated by shining a spatially uniform light on a photosensitive AB binary blend, which thereby undergoes both a reversible chemical reaction and phase separation. When a well-collimated, higher intensity light is rastered over the sample, the system forms defect-free, spatially periodic structures. We now build on this approach by introducing nanorods that have a preferential affinity for one the phases in a binary mixture. By rastering over the sample with the higher intensity light, we can create ordered arrays of rods within periodically ordered materials in essentially one processing step.

  20. Wide-field high spatial frequency domain imaging of tissue microstructure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Weihao; Zeng, Bixin; Cao, Zili; Zhu, Danfeng; Xu, M.

    2018-02-01

    Wide-field tissue imaging is usually not capable of resolving tissue microstructure. We present High Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging (HSFDI) - a noncontact imaging modality that spatially maps the tissue microscopic scattering structures over a large field of view. Based on an analytical reflectance model of sub-diffusive light from forward-peaked highly scattering media, HSFDI quantifies the spatially-resolved parameters of the light scattering phase function from the reflectance of structured light modulated at high spatial frequencies. We have demonstrated with ex vivo cancerous tissue to validate the robustness of HSFDI in significant contrast and differentiation of the microstructutral parameters between different types and disease states of tissue.

  1. Optical Correlation of Images With Signal-Dependent Noise Using Constrained-Modulation Filter Devices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Downie, John D.

    1995-01-01

    Images with signal-dependent noise present challenges beyond those of images with additive white or colored signal-independent noise in terms of designing the optimal 4-f correlation filter that maximizes correlation-peak signal-to-noise ratio, or combinations of correlation-peak metrics. Determining the proper design becomes more difficult when the filter is to be implemented on a constrained-modulation spatial light modulator device. The design issues involved for updatable optical filters for images with signal-dependent film-grain noise and speckle noise are examined. It is shown that although design of the optimal linear filter in the Fourier domain is impossible for images with signal-dependent noise, proper nonlinear preprocessing of the images allows the application of previously developed design rules for optimal filters to be implemented on constrained-modulation devices. Thus the nonlinear preprocessing becomes necessary for correlation in optical systems with current spatial light modulator technology. These results are illustrated with computer simulations of images with signal-dependent noise correlated with binary-phase-only filters and ternary-phase-amplitude filters.

  2. Electrical 2π phase control of infrared light in a 350-nm footprint using graphene plasmons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Woessner, Achim; Gao, Yuanda; Torre, Iacopo; Lundeberg, Mark B.; Tan, Cheng; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Hillenbrand, Rainer; Hone, James; Polini, Marco; Koppens, Frank H. L.

    2017-07-01

    Modulating the amplitude and phase of light is at the heart of many applications such as wavefront shaping, transformation optics, phased arrays, modulators and sensors. Performing this task with high efficiency and small footprint is a formidable challenge. Metasurfaces and plasmonics are promising, but metals exhibit weak electro-optic effects. Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, have shown great performance as modulators with small drive voltages. Here, we show a graphene plasmonic phase modulator that is capable of tuning the phase between 0 and 2π in situ. The device length of 350 nm is more than 30 times shorter than the 10.6 μm free-space wavelength. The modulation is achieved by spatially controlling the plasmon phase velocity in a device where the spatial carrier density profile is tunable. We provide a scattering theory for plasmons propagating through spatial density profiles. This work constitutes a first step towards two-dimensional transformation optics for ultracompact modulators and biosensing.

  3. Focusing light inside dynamic scattering media with millisecond digital optical phase conjugation

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Yan; Ma, Cheng; Shen, Yuecheng; Shi, Junhui; Wang, Lihong V.

    2017-01-01

    Wavefront shaping based on digital optical phase conjugation (DOPC) focuses light through or inside scattering media, but the low speed of DOPC prevents it from being applied to thick, living biological tissue. Although a fast DOPC approach was recently developed, the reported single-shot wavefront measurement method does not work when the goal is to focus light inside, instead of through, highly scattering media. Here, using a ferroelectric liquid crystal based spatial light modulator, we develop a simpler but faster DOPC system that focuses light not only through, but also inside scattering media. By controlling 2.6 × 105 optical degrees of freedom, our system focused light through 3 mm thick moving chicken tissue, with a system latency of 3.0 ms. Using ultrasound-guided DOPC, along with a binary wavefront measurement method, our system focused light inside a scattering medium comprising moving tissue with a latency of 6.0 ms, which is one to two orders of magnitude shorter than those of previous digital wavefront shaping systems. Since the demonstrated speed approaches tissue decorrelation rates, this work is an important step toward in vivo deep-tissue non-invasive optical imaging, manipulation, and therapy. PMID:28815194

  4. Light propagation with phase discontinuities: generalized laws of reflection and refraction.

    PubMed

    Yu, Nanfang; Genevet, Patrice; Kats, Mikhail A; Aieta, Francesco; Tetienne, Jean-Philippe; Capasso, Federico; Gaburro, Zeno

    2011-10-21

    Conventional optical components rely on gradual phase shifts accumulated during light propagation to shape light beams. New degrees of freedom are attained by introducing abrupt phase changes over the scale of the wavelength. A two-dimensional array of optical resonators with spatially varying phase response and subwavelength separation can imprint such phase discontinuities on propagating light as it traverses the interface between two media. Anomalous reflection and refraction phenomena are observed in this regime in optically thin arrays of metallic antennas on silicon with a linear phase variation along the interface, which are in excellent agreement with generalized laws derived from Fermat's principle. Phase discontinuities provide great flexibility in the design of light beams, as illustrated by the generation of optical vortices through use of planar designer metallic interfaces.

  5. Independent polarisation control of multiple optical traps

    PubMed Central

    Preece, Daryl; Keen, Stephen; Botvinick, Elliot; Bowman, Richard; Padgett, Miles; Leach, Jonathan

    2009-01-01

    We present a system which uses a single spatial light modulator to control the spin angular momentum of multiple optical traps. These traps may be independently controlled both in terms of spatial location and in terms of their spin angular momentum content. The system relies on a spatial light modulator used in a “split-screen” configuration to generate beams of orthogonal polarisation states which are subsequently combined at a polarising beam splitter. Defining the phase difference between the beams with the spatial light modulator enables control of the polarisation state of the light. We demonstrate the functionality of the system by controlling the rotation and orientation of birefringent vaterite crystals within holographic optical tweezers. PMID:18825226

  6. Programmable phase plate for tool modification in laser machining applications

    DOEpatents

    Thompson Jr., Charles A.; Kartz, Michael W.; Brase, James M.; Pennington, Deanna; Perry, Michael D.

    2004-04-06

    A system for laser machining includes a laser source for propagating a laser beam toward a target location, and a spatial light modulator having individual controllable elements capable of modifying a phase profile of the laser beam to produce a corresponding irradiance pattern on the target location. The system also includes a controller operably connected to the spatial light modulator for controlling the individual controllable elements. By controlling the individual controllable elements, the phase profile of the laser beam may be modified into a desired phase profile so as to produce a corresponding desired irradiance pattern on the target location capable of performing a machining operation on the target location.

  7. Effects of spatial coherence in diffraction phase microscopy.

    PubMed

    Edwards, Chris; Bhaduri, Basanta; Nguyen, Tan; Griffin, Benjamin G; Pham, Hoa; Kim, Taewoo; Popescu, Gabriel; Goddard, Lynford L

    2014-03-10

    Quantitative phase imaging systems using white light illumination can exhibit lower noise figures than laser-based systems. However, they can also suffer from object-dependent artifacts, such as halos, which prevent accurate reconstruction of the surface topography. In this work, we show that white light diffraction phase microscopy using a standard halogen lamp can produce accurate height maps of even the most challenging structures provided that there is proper spatial filtering at: 1) the condenser to ensure adequate spatial coherence and 2) the output Fourier plane to produce a uniform reference beam. We explain that these object-dependent artifacts are a high-pass filtering phenomenon, establish design guidelines to reduce the artifacts, and then apply these guidelines to eliminate the halo effect. Since a spatially incoherent source requires significant spatial filtering, the irradiance is lower and proportionally longer exposure times are needed. To circumvent this tradeoff, we demonstrate that a supercontinuum laser, due to its high radiance, can provide accurate measurements with reduced exposure times, allowing for fast dynamic measurements.

  8. Shaping complex microwave fields in reverberating media with binary tunable metasurfaces

    PubMed Central

    Kaina, Nadège; Dupré, Matthieu; Lerosey, Geoffroy; Fink, Mathias

    2014-01-01

    In this article we propose to use electronically tunable metasurfaces as spatial microwave modulators. We demonstrate that like spatial light modulators, which have been recently proved to be ideal tools for controlling light propagation through multiple scattering media, spatial microwave modulators can efficiently shape in a passive way complex existing microwave fields in reverberating environments with a non-coherent energy feedback. Unlike in free space, we establish that a binary-only phase state tunable metasurface allows a very good control over the waves, owing to the random nature of the electromagnetic fields in these complex media. We prove in an everyday reverberating medium, that is, a typical office room, that a small spatial microwave modulator placed on the walls can passively increase the wireless transmission between two antennas by an order of magnitude, or on the contrary completely cancel it. Interestingly and contrary to free space, we show that this results in an isotropic shaped microwave field around the receiving antenna, which we attribute again to the reverberant nature of the propagation medium. We expect that spatial microwave modulators will be interesting tools for fundamental physics and will have applications in the field of wireless communications. PMID:25331498

  9. Multiplexed phase-space imaging for 3D fluorescence microscopy.

    PubMed

    Liu, Hsiou-Yuan; Zhong, Jingshan; Waller, Laura

    2017-06-26

    Optical phase-space functions describe spatial and angular information simultaneously; examples of optical phase-space functions include light fields in ray optics and Wigner functions in wave optics. Measurement of phase-space enables digital refocusing, aberration removal and 3D reconstruction. High-resolution capture of 4D phase-space datasets is, however, challenging. Previous scanning approaches are slow, light inefficient and do not achieve diffraction-limited resolution. Here, we propose a multiplexed method that solves these problems. We use a spatial light modulator (SLM) in the pupil plane of a microscope in order to sequentially pattern multiplexed coded apertures while capturing images in real space. Then, we reconstruct the 3D fluorescence distribution of our sample by solving an inverse problem via regularized least squares with a proximal accelerated gradient descent solver. We experimentally reconstruct a 101 Megavoxel 3D volume (1010×510×500µm with NA 0.4), demonstrating improved acquisition time, light throughput and resolution compared to scanning aperture methods. Our flexible patterning scheme further allows sparsity in the sample to be exploited for reduced data capture.

  10. Off-axis phase-only holograms of 3D objects using accelerated point-based Fresnel diffraction algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeng, Zhenxiang; Zheng, Huadong; Yu, Yingjie; Asundi, Anand K.

    2017-06-01

    A method for calculating off-axis phase-only holograms of three-dimensional (3D) object using accelerated point-based Fresnel diffraction algorithm (PB-FDA) is proposed. The complex amplitude of the object points on the z-axis in hologram plane is calculated using Fresnel diffraction formula, called principal complex amplitudes (PCAs). The complex amplitudes of those off-axis object points of the same depth can be obtained by 2D shifting of PCAs. In order to improve the calculating speed of the PB-FDA, the convolution operation based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) is used to calculate the holograms rather than using the point-by-point spatial 2D shifting of the PCAs. The shortest recording distance of the PB-FDA is analyzed in order to remove the influence of multiple-order images in reconstructed images. The optimal recording distance of the PB-FDA is also analyzed to improve the quality of reconstructed images. Numerical reconstructions and optical reconstructions with a phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM) show that holographic 3D display is feasible with the proposed algorithm. The proposed PB-FDA can also avoid the influence of the zero-order image introduced by SLM in optical reconstructed images.

  11. Full complex spatial filtering with a phase mostly DMD. [Deformable Mirror Device

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Florence, James M.; Juday, Richard D.

    1991-01-01

    A new technique for implementing fully complex spatial filters with a phase mostly deformable mirror device (DMD) light modulator is described. The technique combines two or more phase-modulating flexure-beam mirror elements into a single macro-pixel. By manipulating the relative phases of the individual sub-pixels within the macro-pixel, the amplitude and the phase can be independently set for this filtering element. The combination of DMD sub-pixels into a macro-pixel is accomplished by adjusting the optical system resolution, thereby trading off system space bandwidth product for increased filtering flexibility. Volume in the larger dimensioned space, space bandwidth-complex axes count, is conserved. Experimental results are presented mapping out the coupled amplitude and phase characteristics of the individual flexure-beam DMD elements and demonstrating the independent control of amplitude and phase in a combined macro-pixel. This technique is generally applicable for implementation with any type of phase modulating light modulator.

  12. Ghost imaging of phase objects with classical incoherent light

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

    Shirai, Tomohiro; Setaelae, Tero; Friberg, Ari T.

    2011-10-15

    We describe an optical setup for performing spatial Fourier filtering in ghost imaging with classical incoherent light. This is achieved by a modification of the conventional geometry for lensless ghost imaging. It is shown on the basis of classical coherence theory that with this technique one can realize what we call phase-contrast ghost imaging to visualize pure phase objects.

  13. Quantitative phase imaging using a programmable wavefront sensor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soldevila, F.; Durán, V.; Clemente, P.; Lancis, J.; Tajahuerce, E.

    2018-02-01

    We perform phase imaging using a non-interferometric approach to measure the complex amplitude of a wavefront. We overcome the limitations in spatial resolution, optical efficiency, and dynamic range that are found in Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing. To do so, we sample the wavefront with a high-speed spatial light modulator. A single lens forms a time-dependent light distribution on its focal plane, where a position detector is placed. Our approach is lenslet-free and does not rely on any kind of iterative or unwrap algorithm. The validity of our technique is demonstrated by performing both aberration sensing and phase imaging of transparent samples.

  14. Single beam write and/or replay of spatial heterodyne holograms

    DOEpatents

    Thomas, Clarence E.; Hanson, Gregory R.

    2007-11-20

    A method of writing a spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes includes: passing a single write beam through a spatial light modulator that digitally modulates said single write beam; and focusing the single write beam at a focal plane of a lens to impose a holographic diffraction grating pattern on the photorefractive crystal, the holographic diffraction grating pattern including the spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes, wherein only said single write beam is incident on said photorefractive crystal without a reference beam. A method of replaying a spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes at a replay angle includes: illuminating a photorefractive crystal having a holographic diffraction grating with a beam from a laser at an illumination angle, the holographic diffraction grating pattern including the spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes, wherein a difference between said illumination angle and said replay angle defines a diffraction angle .alpha. that is a function of a plane wave mathematically added to original object wave phase and amplitude data of said spatially heterodyne hologram having spatially heterodyne fringes.

  15. MOSAIC - A space-multiplexing technique for optical processing of large images

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Athale, Ravindra A.; Astor, Michael E.; Yu, Jeffrey

    1993-01-01

    A technique for Fourier processing of images larger than the space-bandwidth products of conventional or smart spatial light modulators and two-dimensional detector arrays is described. The technique involves a spatial combination of subimages displayed on individual spatial light modulators to form a phase-coherent image, which is subsequently processed with Fourier optical techniques. Because of the technique's similarity with the mosaic technique used in art, the processor used is termed an optical MOSAIC processor. The phase accuracy requirements of this system were studied by computer simulation. It was found that phase errors of less than lambda/8 did not degrade the performance of the system and that the system was relatively insensitive to amplitude nonuniformities. Several schemes for implementing the subimage combination are described. Initial experimental results demonstrating the validity of the mosaic concept are also presented.

  16. Classical emergence of intrinsic spin-orbit interaction of light at the nanoscale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vázquez-Lozano, J. Enrique; Martínez, Alejandro

    2018-03-01

    Traditionally, in macroscopic geometrical optics intrinsic polarization and spatial degrees of freedom of light can be treated independently. However, at the subwavelength scale these properties appear to be coupled together, giving rise to the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) of light. In this work we address theoretically the classical emergence of the optical SOI at the nanoscale. By means of a full-vector analysis involving spherical vector waves we show that the spin-orbit factorizability condition, accounting for the mutual influence between the amplitude (spin) and phase (orbit), is fulfilled only in the far-field limit. On the other side, in the near-field region, an additional relative phase introduces an extra term that hinders the factorization and reveals an intricate dynamical behavior according to the SOI regime. As a result, we find a suitable theoretical framework able to capture analytically the main features of intrinsic SOI of light. Besides allowing for a better understanding into the mechanism leading to its classical emergence at the nanoscale, our approach may be useful to design experimental setups that enhance the response of SOI-based effects.

  17. A hybrid silicon membrane spatial light modulator for optical information processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pape, D. R.; Hornbeck, L. J.

    1984-01-01

    A new two dimensional, fast, analog, electrically addressable, silicon based membrane spatial light modulator (SLM) was developed for optical information processing applications. Coherent light reflected from the mirror elements is phase modulated producing an optical Fourier transform of an analog signal input to the device. The DMD architecture and operating parameters related to this application are presented. A model is developed that describes the optical Fourier transform properties of the DMD.

  18. Creation of vector beams from a polarization diffraction grating using a programmable liquid crystal spatial light modulator and a q-plate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Badham, Katherine Emily

    This thesis presents the ability of complete polarization control of light to create a polarization diffraction grating (PDG). This system has the ability to create diffracted light with each order having a separate high-order polarization state in one location on the optical axis. First, an external Excel program is used to create a grating phase profile from userspecified target diffraction orders. High-order vector beams in this PDG are created using a combination of two devices---a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) manufactured by Seiko Epson, and a tunable q -plate from Citizen Holdings Co. The transmissive SLM is positioned in an optical setup with a reflective architecture allowing control over both the horizontal and vertical components of the laser beam. The SLM has its LC director oriented vertically only affecting the vertically polarized state, however, the optical setup allows modulation of both vertical and horizontal components by the use of a quarter-wave plate (QWP) and a mirror to rotate the polarizations 90 degrees. Each half of the SLM is encoded with an anisotropic phase-only diffraction grating which are superimposed to create a select number of orders with the desired polarization states and equally distributed intensity. The technique of polarimetry is used to confirm the polarization state of each diffraction order. The q-plate is an inhomogeneous birefringent waveplate which has the ability to convert zero-order vector beams into first-order vector beams. The physical placement of this device into the system converts the orders with zero-order polarization states to first-order polarization states. The light vector patterns of each diffraction order confirm which first-order polarization state of is produced. A specially made PDG sextuplicator is encoded onto the SLM to generate six diffraction orders with separate states of polarization.

  19. Multilevel recording of complex amplitude data pages in a holographic data storage system using digital holography.

    PubMed

    Nobukawa, Teruyoshi; Nomura, Takanori

    2016-09-05

    A holographic data storage system using digital holography is proposed to record and retrieve multilevel complex amplitude data pages. Digital holographic techniques are capable of modulating and detecting complex amplitude distribution using current electronic devices. These techniques allow the development of a simple, compact, and stable holographic storage system that mainly consists of a single phase-only spatial light modulator and an image sensor. As a proof-of-principle experiment, complex amplitude data pages with binary amplitude and four-level phase are recorded and retrieved. Experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed holographic data storage system.

  20. Liquid-crystal projection image depixelization by spatial phase scrambling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Xiangyang; Jutamulia, Suganda; Li, Nan

    1996-08-01

    A technique that removes the pixel structure by scrambling the relative phases among multiple spatial spectra is described. Because of the pixel structure of the liquid-crystal-display (LCD) panel, multiple spectra are generated at the Fourier-spectrum plane (usually at the back focal plane of the imaging lens). A transparent phase mask is placed at the Fourier-spectrum plane such that each spectral order is modulated by one of the subareas of the phase mask, and the phase delay resulting from each pair of subareas is longer than the coherent length of the light source, which is approximately 1 m for the wideband white light sources used in most of LCD s. Such a phase-scrambling technique eliminates the coherence between different spectral orders; therefore, the reconstructed images from the multiple spectra will superimpose incoherently, and the pixel structure will not be observed in the projection image.

  1. Light-addressable measurements of cellular oxygen consumption rates in microwell arrays based on phase-based phosphorescence lifetime detection

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Shih-Hao; Hsu, Yu-Hsuan; Wu, Chih-Wei; Wu, Chang-Jer

    2012-01-01

    A digital light modulation system that utilizes a modified commercial digital micromirror device (DMD) projector, which is equipped with a UV light-emitting diode as a light modulation source, has been developed to spatially direct excited light toward a microwell array device to detect the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) of single cells via phase-based phosphorescence lifetime detection. The microwell array device is composed of a combination of two components: an array of glass microwells containing Pt(II) octaethylporphine (PtOEP) as the oxygen-sensitive luminescent layer and a microfluidic module with pneumatically actuated glass lids set above the microwells to controllably seal the microwells of interest. By controlling the illumination pattern on the DMD, the modulated excitation light can be spatially projected to only excite the sealed microwell for cellular OCR measurements. The OCR of baby hamster kidney-21 fibroblast cells cultivated on the PtOEP layer within a sealed microwell has been successfully measured at 104 ± 2.96 amol s−1 cell−1. Repeatable and consistent measurements indicate that the oxygen measurements did not adversely affect the physiological state of the measured cells. The OCR of the cells exhibited a good linear relationship with the diameter of the microwells, ranging from 400 to 1000 μm and containing approximately 480 to 1200 cells within a microwell. In addition, the OCR variation of single cells in situ infected by Dengue virus with a different multiplicity of infection was also successfully measured in real-time. This proposed platform provides the potential for a wide range of biological applications in cell-based biosensing, toxicology, and drug discovery. PMID:24348889

  2. Optical correlation based pose estimation using bipolar phase grayscale amplitude spatial light modulators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Outerbridge, Gregory John, II

    Pose estimation techniques have been developed on both optical and digital correlator platforms to aid in the autonomous rendezvous and docking of spacecraft. This research has focused on the optical architecture, which utilizes high-speed bipolar-phase grayscale-amplitude spatial light modulators as the image and correlation filter devices. The optical approach has the primary advantage of optical parallel processing: an extremely fast and efficient way of performing complex correlation calculations. However, the constraints imposed on optically implementable filters makes optical correlator based posed estimation technically incompatible with the popular weighted composite filter designs successfully used on the digital platform. This research employs a much simpler "bank of filters" approach to optical pose estimation that exploits the inherent efficiency of optical correlation devices. A novel logarithmically mapped optically implementable matched filter combined with a pose search algorithm resulted in sub-degree standard deviations in angular pose estimation error. These filters were extremely simple to generate, requiring no complicated training sets and resulted in excellent performance even in the presence of significant background noise. Common edge detection and scaling of the input image was the only image pre-processing necessary for accurate pose detection at all alignment distances of interest.

  3. SPECIAL ISSUE ON OPTICAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION: Optimal configuration of optical systems with spatial light modulators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fedorov, Yu V.

    1995-10-01

    A description is given of a novel optical system for optical information processing. An analysis is given of ways of increasing optoenergetic characteristics of optical information processing systems in which use is made of spatial light modulators with phase-relief (in thermoplastic materials) and polarisation (in crystalline structures of the DKDP type) information storage.

  4. Study on real-time images compounded using spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Jin; Chen, Zhebo; Ni, Xuxiang; Lu, Zukang

    2007-01-01

    Image compounded technology is often used on film and its facture. In common, image compounded use image processing arithmetic, get useful object, details, background or some other things from the images firstly, then compounding all these information into one image. When using this method, the film system needs a powerful processor, for the process function is very complex, we get the compounded image for a few time delay. In this paper, we introduce a new method of image real-time compounded, use this method, we can do image composite at the same time with movie shot. The whole system is made up of two camera-lens, spatial light modulator array and image sensor. In system, the spatial light modulator could be liquid crystal display (LCD), liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFTLCD), Deformable Micro-mirror Device (DMD), and so on. Firstly, one camera-lens images the object on the spatial light modulator's panel, we call this camera-lens as first image lens. Secondly, we output an image to the panel of spatial light modulator. Then, the image of the object and image that output by spatial light modulator will be spatial compounded on the panel of spatial light modulator. Thirdly, the other camera-lens images the compounded image to the image sensor, and we call this camera-lens as second image lens. After these three steps, we will gain the compound images by image sensor. For the spatial light modulator could output the image continuously, then the image will be compounding continuously too, and the compounding procedure is completed in real-time. When using this method to compounding image, if we will put real object into invented background, we can output the invented background scene on the spatial light modulator, and the real object will be imaged by first image lens. Then, we get the compounded images by image sensor in real time. The same way, if we will put real background to an invented object, we can output the invented object on the spatial light modulator and the real background will be imaged by first image lens. Then, we can also get the compounded images by image sensor real time. Commonly, most spatial light modulator only can do modulate light intensity, so we can only do compounding BW images if use only one panel which without color filter. If we will get colorful compounded image, we need use the system like three spatial light modulator panel projection. In the paper, the system's optical system framework we will give out. In all experiment, the spatial light modulator used liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS). At the end of the paper, some original pictures and compounded pictures will be given on it. Although the system has a few shortcomings, we can conclude that, using this system to compounding images has no delay to do mathematic compounding process, it is a really real time images compounding system.

  5. Autostereoscopic three-dimensional display by combining a single spatial light modulator and a zero-order nulled grating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Su, Yanfeng; Cai, Zhijian; Liu, Quan; Lu, Yifan; Guo, Peiliang; Shi, Lingyan; Wu, Jianhong

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, an autostereoscopic three-dimensional (3D) display system based on synthetic hologram reconstruction is proposed and implemented. The system uses a single phase-only spatial light modulator to load the synthetic hologram of the left and right stereo images, and the parallax angle between two reconstructed stereo images is enlarged by a grating to meet the split angle requirement of normal stereoscopic vision. To realize the crosstalk-free autostereoscopic 3D display with high light utilization efficiency, the groove parameters of the grating are specifically designed by the rigorous coupled-wave theory for suppressing the zero-order diffraction, and then the zero-order nulled grating is fabricated by the holographic lithography and the ion beam etching. Furthermore, the diffraction efficiency of the fabricated grating is measured under the illumination of a laser beam with a wavelength of 532 nm. Finally, the experimental verification system for the proposed autostereoscopic 3D display is presented. The experimental results prove that the proposed system is able to generate stereoscopic 3D images with good performances.

  6. Investigation of the thermal and optical performance of a spatial light modulator with high average power picosecond laser exposure for materials processing applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, G.; Whitehead, D.; Perrie, W.; Allegre, O. J.; Olle, V.; Li, Q.; Tang, Y.; Dawson, K.; Jin, Y.; Edwardson, S. P.; Li, L.; Dearden, G.

    2018-03-01

    Spatial light modulators (SLMs) addressed with computer generated holograms (CGHs) can create structured light fields on demand when an incident laser beam is diffracted by a phase CGH. The power handling limitations of these devices based on a liquid crystal layer has always been of some concern. With careful engineering of chip thermal management, we report the detailed optical phase and temperature response of a liquid cooled SLM exposed to picosecond laser powers up to 〈P〉  =  220 W at 1064 nm. This information is critical for determining device performance at high laser powers. SLM chip temperature rose linearly with incident laser exposure, increasing by only 5 °C at 〈P〉  =  220 W incident power, measured with a thermal imaging camera. Thermal response time with continuous exposure was 1-2 s. The optical phase response with incident power approaches 2π radians with average power up to 〈P〉  =  130 W, hence the operational limit, while above this power, liquid crystal thickness variations limit phase response to just over π radians. Modelling of the thermal and phase response with exposure is also presented, supporting experimental observations well. These remarkable performance characteristics show that liquid crystal based SLM technology is highly robust when efficiently cooled. High speed, multi-beam plasmonic surface micro-structuring at a rate R  =  8 cm2 s-1 is achieved on polished metal surfaces at 〈P〉  =  25 W exposure while diffractive, multi-beam surface ablation with average power 〈P〉  =100 W on stainless steel is demonstrated with ablation rate of ~4 mm3 min-1. However, above 130 W, first order diffraction efficiency drops significantly in accord with the observed operational limit. Continuous exposure for a period of 45 min at a laser power of 〈P〉  =  160 W did not result in any detectable drop in diffraction efficiency, confirmed afterwards by the efficient parallel beam processing at 〈P〉  =  100 W. Hence, no permanent changes in SLM phase response characteristics have been detected. This research work will help to accelerate the use of liquid crystal spatial light modulators for both scientific and ultra high throughput laser-materials micro-structuring applications.

  7. Optical information-processing systems and architectures II; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, July 9-13, 1990

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Javidi, Bahram

    The present conference discusses topics in the fields of neural networks, acoustooptic signal processing, pattern recognition, phase-only processing, nonlinear signal processing, image processing, optical computing, and optical information processing. Attention is given to the optical implementation of an inner-product neural associative memory, optoelectronic associative recall via motionless-head/parallel-readout optical disk, a compact real-time acoustooptic image correlator, a multidimensional synthetic estimation filter, and a light-efficient joint transform optical correlator. Also discussed are a high-resolution spatial light modulator, compact real-time interferometric Fourier-transform processors, a fast decorrelation algorithm for permutation arrays, the optical interconnection of optical modules, and carry-free optical binary adders.

  8. Optical reversible programmable Boolean logic unit.

    PubMed

    Chattopadhyay, Tanay

    2012-07-20

    Computing with reversibility is the only way to avoid dissipation of energy associated with bit erase. So, a reversible microprocessor is required for future computing. In this paper, a design of a simple all-optical reversible programmable processor is proposed using a polarizing beam splitter, liquid crystal-phase spatial light modulators, a half-wave plate, and plane mirrors. This circuit can perform 16 logical operations according to three programming inputs. Also, inputs can be easily recovered from the outputs. It is named the "reversible programmable Boolean logic unit (RPBLU)." The logic unit is the basic building block of many complex computational operations. Hence the design is important in sense. Two orthogonally polarized lights are defined here as two logical states, respectively.

  9. Formation of ring-shaped light fields with orbital angular momentum using a modal type liquid crystal spatial modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kotova, S. P.; Mayorova, A. M.; Samagin, S. A.

    2018-05-01

    Techniques for forming vortex light fields using a modal type liquid crystal spatial modulator were proposed. An orbital angular momentum of light passing through the modulator or reflecting from it appears as a result of the jump in the profile of phase delay by means of using special configurations of contact electrodes and predetermined values of applying voltages. The features of the generated vortex beams and capabilities for their control were simulated.

  10. The Design and Use of Planetary Science Video Games to Teach Content while Enhancing Spatial Reasoning Skills

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ziffer, Julie; Nadirli, Orkhan; Rudnick, Benjamin; Pinkham, Sunny; Montgomery, Benjamin

    2016-10-01

    Traditional teaching of Planetary Science requires students to possess well developed spatial reasoning skills (SRS). Recent research has demonstrated that SRS, long known to be crucial to math and science success, can be improved among students who lack these skills (Sorby et al., 2009). Teaching spatial reasoning is particularly valuable to women and minorities who, through societal pressure, often doubt their abilities (Hill et al., 2010). To address SRS deficiencies, our team is developing video games that embed SRS training into Planetary Science content. Our first game, on Moon Phases, addresses the two primary challenges faced by students trying to understand the Sun-Earth-Moon system: 1) visualizing the system (specifically the difference between the Sun-Earth orbital plane and the Earth-Moon orbital plane) and 2) comprehending the relationship between time and the position-phase of the Moon. In our second video game, the student varies an asteroid's rotational speed, shape, and orientation to the light source while observing how these changes effect the resulting light curve. To correctly pair objects to their light curves, students use spatial reasoning skills to imagine how light scattering off a three dimensional rotating object is imaged on a sensor plane and is then reduced to a series of points on a light curve plot. These two games represent the first of our developing suite of high-interest video games designed to teach content while increasing the student's competence in spatial reasoning.

  11. Tilt-effect of holograms and images displayed on a spatial light modulator.

    PubMed

    Harm, Walter; Roider, Clemens; Bernet, Stefan; Ritsch-Marte, Monika

    2015-11-16

    We show that a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LCOS-SLM) can be used to display amplitude images, or phase holograms, which change in a pre-determined way when the display is tilted, i.e. observed under different angles. This is similar to the tilt-effect (also called "latent image effect") known from various security elements ("kinegrams") on credit cards or bank notes. The effect is achieved without any specialized optical components, simply by using the large phase shifting capability of a "thick" SLM, which extends over several multiples of 2π, in combination with the angular dependence of the phase shift. For hologram projection one can use the fact that the phase of a monochromatic wave is only defined modulo 2π. Thus one can design a phase pattern extending over several multiples of 2π, which transforms at different readout angles into different 2π-wrapped phase structures, due to the angular dependence of the modulo 2π operation. These different beams then project different holograms at the respective readout angles. In amplitude modulation mode (with inserted polarizer) the intensity of each SLM pixel oscillates over several periods when tuning its control voltage. Since the oscillation period depends on the readout angle, it is possible to find a certain control voltage which produces two (or more) selectable gray levels at a corresponding number of pre-determined readout angles. This is done with all SLM pixels individually, thus constructing different images for the selected angles. We experimentally demonstrate the reconstruction of multiple (Fourier- and Fresnel-) holograms, and of different amplitude images, by readout of static diffractive patterns in a variable angular range between 0° and 60°.

  12. Relaxation method of compensation in an optical correlator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Juday, Richard D.; Daiuto, Brian J.

    1987-01-01

    An iterative method is proposed for the sharpening of programmable filters in a 4-f optical correlator. Continuously variable spatial light modulators (SLMs) permit the fine adjustment of optical processing filters so as to compensate for the departures from ideal behavior of a real optical system. Although motivated by the development of continuously variable phase-only SLMs, the proposed sharpening method is also applicable to amplitude modulators and, with appropriate adjustments, to binary modulators as well. A computer simulation is presented that illustrates the potential effectiveness of the method: an image is placed on the input to the correlator, and its corresponding phase-only filter is adjusted (allowed to relax) so as to produce a progressively brighter and more centralized peak in the correlation plane. The technique is highly robust against the form of the system's departure from ideal behavior.

  13. Spatial shaping for generating arbitrary optical dipole traps for ultracold degenerate gases

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

    Lee, Jeffrey G., E-mail: jglee@umd.edu; Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742; Hill, W. T., E-mail: wth@umd.edu

    2014-10-15

    We present two spatial-shaping approaches – phase and amplitude – for creating two-dimensional optical dipole potentials for ultracold neutral atoms. When combined with an attractive or repulsive Gaussian sheet formed by an astigmatically focused beam, atoms are trapped in three dimensions resulting in planar confinement with an arbitrary network of potentials – a free-space atom chip. The first approach utilizes an adaptation of the generalized phase-contrast technique to convert a phase structure embedded in a beam after traversing a phase mask, to an identical intensity profile in the image plane. Phase masks, and a requisite phase-contrast filter, can be chemicallymore » etched into optical material (e.g., fused silica) or implemented with spatial light modulators; etching provides the highest quality while spatial light modulators enable prototyping and realtime structure modification. This approach was demonstrated on an ensemble of thermal atoms. Amplitude shaping is possible when the potential structure is made as an opaque mask in the path of a dipole trap beam, followed by imaging the shadow onto the plane of the atoms. While much more lossy, this very simple and inexpensive approach can produce dipole potentials suitable for containing degenerate gases. High-quality amplitude masks can be produced with standard photolithography techniques. Amplitude shaping was demonstrated on a Bose-Einstein condensate.« less

  14. Manipulation of Micro Scale Particles in Optical Traps Using Programmable Spatial Light Modulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Seibel, Robin E.; Decker, Arthur J. (Technical Monitor)

    2003-01-01

    1064 nm light, from an Nd:YAG laser, was polarized and incident upon a programmable parallel aligned liquid crystal spatial light modulator (PAL-SLM), where it was phase modulated according to the program controlling the PAL-SLM. Light reflected from the PAL-SLM was injected into a microscope and focused. At the focus, multiple optical traps were formed in which 9.975 m spheres were captured. The traps and the spheres were moved by changing the program of the PAL-SLM. The motion of ordered groups of micro particles was clearly demonstrated.

  15. Two-phase SLIPI for instantaneous LIF and Mie imaging of transient fuel sprays.

    PubMed

    Storch, Michael; Mishra, Yogeshwar Nath; Koegl, Matthias; Kristensson, Elias; Will, Stefan; Zigan, Lars; Berrocal, Edouard

    2016-12-01

    We report in this Letter a two-phase structured laser illumination planar imaging [two-pulse SLIPI (2p-SLIPI)] optical setup where the "lines structure" is spatially shifted by exploiting the birefringence property of a calcite crystal. By using this optical component and two cross-polarized laser pulses, the shift of the modulated pattern is not "time-limited" anymore. Consequently, two sub-images with spatially mismatched phases can be recorded within a few hundred of nanoseconds only, freezing the motion of the illuminated transient flow. In comparison with previous setups for instantaneous imaging based on structured illumination, the current optical design presents the advantage of having a single optical path, greatly simplifying its complexity. Due to its virtue of suppressing the effects from multiple light scattering, the 2p-SLIPI technique is applied here in an optically dense multi-jet direct-injection spark-ignition (DISI) ethanol spray. The fast formation of polydispersed droplets and appearance of voids after fuel injection are investigated by simultaneous detection of Mie scattering and liquid laser-induced fluorescence. The results allow for significantly improved analysis of the spray structure.

  16. Low voltage polymer network liquid crystal for infrared spatial light modulators.

    PubMed

    Peng, Fenglin; Xu, Daming; Chen, Haiwei; Wu, Shin-Tson

    2015-02-09

    We report a low-voltage and fast-response polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) infrared phase modulator. To optimize device performance, we propose a physical model to understand the curing temperature effect on average domain size. Good agreement between model and experiment is obtained. By optimizing the UV curing temperature and employing a large dielectric anisotropy LC host, we have lowered the 2π phase change voltage to 22.8V at 1.55μm wavelength while keeping response time at about 1 ms. Widespread application of such a PNLC integrated into a high resolution liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS) for infrared spatial light modulator is foreseeable.

  17. High-speed spatial frequency domain imaging of rat cortex detects dynamic optical and physiological properties following cardiac arrest and resuscitation.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Robert H; Crouzet, Christian; Torabzadeh, Mohammad; Bazrafkan, Afsheen; Farahabadi, Maryam H; Jamasian, Babak; Donga, Dishant; Alcocer, Juan; Zaher, Shuhab M; Choi, Bernard; Akbari, Yama; Tromberg, Bruce J

    2017-10-01

    Quantifying rapidly varying perturbations in cerebral tissue absorption and scattering can potentially help to characterize changes in brain function caused by ischemic trauma. We have developed a platform for rapid intrinsic signal brain optical imaging using macroscopically structured light. The device performs fast, multispectral, spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI), detecting backscattered light from three-phase binary square-wave projected patterns, which have a much higher refresh rate than sinusoidal patterns used in conventional SFDI. Although not as fast as "single-snapshot" spatial frequency methods that do not require three-phase projection, square-wave patterns allow accurate image demodulation in applications such as small animal imaging where the limited field of view does not allow single-phase demodulation. By using 655, 730, and 850 nm light-emitting diodes, two spatial frequencies ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]), three spatial phases (120 deg, 240 deg, and 360 deg), and an overall camera acquisition rate of 167 Hz, we map changes in tissue absorption and reduced scattering parameters ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) and oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin concentration at [Formula: see text]. We apply this method to a rat model of cardiac arrest (CA) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to quantify hemodynamics and scattering on temporal scales ([Formula: see text]) ranging from tens of milliseconds to minutes. We observe rapid concurrent spatiotemporal changes in tissue oxygenation and scattering during CA and following CPR, even when the cerebral electrical signal is absent. We conclude that square-wave SFDI provides an effective technical strategy for assessing cortical optical and physiological properties by balancing competing performance demands for fast signal acquisition, small fields of view, and quantitative information content.

  18. Determination of the complex refractive index segments of turbid sample with multispectral spatially modulated structured light and models approximation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meitav, Omri; Shaul, Oren; Abookasis, David

    2017-09-01

    Spectral data enabling the derivation of a biological tissue sample's complex refractive index (CRI) can provide a range of valuable information in the clinical and research contexts. Specifically, changes in the CRI reflect alterations in tissue morphology and chemical composition, enabling its use as an optical marker during diagnosis and treatment. In the present work, we report a method for estimating the real and imaginary parts of the CRI of a biological sample using Kramers-Kronig (KK) relations in the spatial frequency domain. In this method, phase-shifted sinusoidal patterns at single high spatial frequency are serially projected onto the sample surface at different near-infrared wavelengths while a camera mounted normal to the sample surface acquires the reflected diffuse light. In the offline analysis pipeline, recorded images at each wavelength are converted to spatial phase maps using KK analysis and are then calibrated against phase-models derived from diffusion approximation. The amplitude of the reflected light, together with phase data, is then introduced into Fresnel equations to resolve both real and imaginary segments of the CRI at each wavelength. The technique was validated in tissue-mimicking phantoms with known optical parameters and in mouse models of ischemic injury and heat stress. Experimental data obtained indicate variations in the CRI among brain tissue suffering from injury. CRI fluctuations correlated with alterations in the scattering and absorption coefficients of the injured tissue are demonstrated. This technique for deriving dynamic changes in the CRI of tissue may be further developed as a clinical diagnostic tool and for biomedical research applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the estimation of the spectral CRI of a mouse head following injury obtained in the spatial frequency domain.

  19. Creation of diffraction-limited non-Airy multifocal arrays using a spatially shifted vortex beam

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Han; Gu, Min

    2013-02-01

    Diffraction-limited non-Airy multifocal arrays are created by focusing a phase-modulated vortex beam through a high numerical-aperture objective. The modulated phase at the back aperture of the objective resulting from the superposition of two concentric phase-modulated vortex beams allows for the generation of a multifocal array of cylindrically polarized non-Airy patterns. Furthermore, we shift the spatial positions of the phase vortices to manipulate the intensity distribution at each focal spot, leading to the creation of a multifocal array of split-ring patterns. Our method is experimentally validated by generating the predicted phase modulation through a spatial light modulator. Consequently, the spatially shifted circularly polarized vortex beam adopted in a dynamic laser direct writing system facilitates the fabrication of a split-ring microstructure array in a polymer material by a single exposure of a femtosecond laser beam.

  20. Optical image encryption scheme with multiple light paths based on compressive ghost imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Jinan; Yang, Xiulun; Meng, Xiangfeng; Wang, Yurong; Yin, Yongkai; Sun, Xiaowen; Dong, Guoyan

    2018-02-01

    An optical image encryption method with multiple light paths is proposed based on compressive ghost imaging. In the encryption process, M random phase-only masks (POMs) are generated by means of logistic map algorithm, and these masks are then uploaded to the spatial light modulator (SLM). The collimated laser light is divided into several beams by beam splitters as it passes through the SLM, and the light beams illuminate the secret images, which are converted into sparse images by discrete wavelet transform beforehand. Thus, the secret images are simultaneously encrypted into intensity vectors by ghost imaging. The distances between the SLM and secret images vary and can be used as the main keys with original POM and the logistic map algorithm coefficient in the decryption process. In the proposed method, the storage space can be significantly decreased and the security of the system can be improved. The feasibility, security and robustness of the method are further analysed through computer simulations.

  1. Cerebellar subjects show impaired adaptation of anticipatory EMG during catching.

    PubMed

    Lang, C E; Bastian, A J

    1999-11-01

    We evaluated the role of the cerebellum in adapting anticipatory muscle activity during a multijointed catching task. Individuals with and without cerebellar damage caught a series of balls of different weights dropped from above. In Experiment 1 (light-heavy-light), each subject was required to catch light balls (baseline phase), heavy balls (adaptation phase), and then light balls again (postadaptation phase). Subjects were not told when the balls would be switched, and they were required to keep their hand within a vertical spatial "window" during the catch. During the series of trials, we measured three-dimensional (3-D) position and electromyogram (EMG) from the catching arm. We modeled the adaptation process using an exponential decay function; this model allowed us to dissociate adaptation from performance variability. Results from the position data show that cerebellar subjects did not adapt or adapted very slowly to the changed ball weight when compared with the control subjects. The cerebellar group required an average of 30.9 +/- 8.7 trials (mean +/- SE) to progress approximately two-thirds of the way through the adaptation compared with 1.7 +/- 0.2 trials for the control group. Only control subjects showed a negative aftereffect indicating storage of the adaptation. No difference in performance variability existed between the two groups. EMG data show that control subjects increased their anticipatory muscle activity in the flexor muscles of the arm to control the momentum of the ball at impact. Cerebellar subjects were unable to differentially increase the anticipatory muscle activity across three joints to perform the task successfully. In Experiment 2 (heavy-light-heavy), we tested to see whether the rate of adaptation changed when adapting to a light ball versus a heavy ball. Subjects caught the heavy balls (baseline phase), the light balls (adaptation phase), and then heavy balls again (postadaptation phase). Comparison of rates of adaptation between Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 showed that the rate of adaptation was unchanged whether adapting to a light ball or a heavy ball. Given these findings, we conclude that the cerebellum is important in generating the appropriate anticipatory muscle activity across multiple muscles and modifying it in response to changing demands though trial-and-error practice.

  2. Concept for the fast modulation of light in amplitude and phase using analog tilt-mirror arrays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roth, Matthias; Heber, Jörg; Janschek, Klaus

    2017-02-01

    The full complex, spatial modulation of light at high frame rates is essential for a variety of applications. In particular, emerging techniques applied to scattering media, such as Digital Optical Phase Conjugation and Wavefront Shaping, request challenging performance parameters. They refer to imaging tasks inside biological media, whose characteristics concerning the transmission and reflection of scattered light may change over time within milliseconds. Thus, these methods call for frame rates in the kilohertz range. Existing solutions typically over frame rate capabilities below 100 Hz, since they rely on liquid crystal spatial light modulators (SLMs). We propose a diffractive MEMS optical system for this application range. It relies on an analog, tilt-type micro mirror array (MMA) based on an established SLM technology, where the standard application is grayscale amplitude control. The new MMA system design allows the phase manipulation at high-speed as well. The article studies properties of the appropriate optical setup by simulating the propagation of the light. Relevant test patterns and sensitivity parameters of the system will be analyzed. Our results illustrate the main opportunities of the concept with particular focus on the tilt mirror technology. They indicate a promising path to realize the complex light modulation at frame rates above 1 kHz and resolutions well beyond 10,000 complex pixels.

  3. Application of dot-matrix illumination of liquid crystal phase space light modulator in 3D imaging of APD array

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Shuai; Sun, Huayan; Guo, Huichao

    2018-01-01

    Aiming at the problem of beam scanning in low-resolution APD array in three-dimensional imaging, a method of beam scanning with liquid crystal phase-space optical modulator is proposed to realize high-resolution imaging by low-resolution APD array. First, a liquid crystal phase spatial light modulator is used to generate a beam array and then a beam array is scanned. Since the sub-beam divergence angle in the beam array is smaller than the field angle of a single pixel in the APD array, the APD's pixels respond only to the three-dimensional information of the beam illumination position. Through the scanning of the beam array, a single pixel is used to collect the target three-dimensional information multiple times, thereby improving the resolution of the APD detector. Finally, MATLAB is used to simulate the algorithm in this paper by using two-dimensional scalar diffraction theory, which realizes the splitting and scanning with a resolution of 5 x 5. The feasibility is verified theoretically.

  4. X-ray light curves of active galactic nuclei are phase incoherent

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krolik, Julian; Done, Chris; Madejski, Grzegorz

    1993-01-01

    We compute the Fourier phase spectra for the light curves of five low-luminosity active galactic nuclei observed by EXOSAT. There is no statistically significant phase coherence in any of them. This statement is equivalent, subject to a technical caveat, to a demonstration that their fluctuation statistics are Gaussian. Models in which the X-ray output is controlled wholly by a unitary process undergoing a nonlinear limit cycle are therefore ruled out, while models with either a large number of randomly excited independent oscillation modes or nonlinearly interacting spatially dependent oscillations are favored. We also demonstrate how the degree of phase coherence in light curve fluctuations influences the application of causality bounds on internal length scales.

  5. Topography and refractometry of nanostructures using spatial light interference microscopy.

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhuo; Chun, Ik Su; Li, Xiuling; Ong, Zhun-Yong; Pop, Eric; Millet, Larry; Gillette, Martha; Popescu, Gabriel

    2010-01-15

    Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) is a novel method developed in our laboratory that provides quantitative phase images of transparent structures with a 0.3 nm spatial and 0.03 nm temporal accuracy owing to the white light illumination and its common path interferometric geometry. We exploit these features and demonstrate SLIM's ability to perform topography at a single atomic layer in graphene. Further, using a decoupling procedure that we developed for cylindrical structures, we extract the axially averaged refractive index of semiconductor nanotubes and a neurite of a live hippocampal neuron in culture. We believe that this study will set the basis for novel high-throughput topography and refractometry of man-made and biological nanostructures.

  6. Application of spatially modulated near-infrared structured light to study changes in optical properties of mouse brain tissue during heatstress.

    PubMed

    Shaul, Oren; Fanrazi-Kahana, Michal; Meitav, Omri; Pinhasi, Gad A; Abookasis, David

    2017-11-10

    Heat stress (HS) is a medical emergency defined by abnormally elevated body temperature that causes biochemical, physiological, and hematological changes. The goal of the present research was to detect variations in optical properties (absorption, reduced scattering, and refractive index coefficients) of mouse brain tissue during HS by using near-infrared (NIR) spatial light modulation. NIR spatial patterns with different spatial phases were used to differentiate the effects of tissue scattering from those of absorption. Decoupling optical scattering from absorption enabled the quantification of a tissue's chemical constituents (related to light absorption) and structural properties (related to light scattering). Technically, structured light patterns at low and high spatial frequencies of six wavelengths ranging between 690 and 970 nm were projected onto the mouse scalp surface while diffuse reflected light was recorded by a CCD camera positioned perpendicular to the mouse scalp. Concurrently to pattern projection, brain temperature was measured with a thermal camera positioned slightly off angle from the mouse head while core body temperature was monitored by thermocouple probe. Data analysis demonstrated variations from baseline measurements in a battery of intrinsic brain properties following HS.

  7. Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Displays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Doane, J. William

    The following sections are included: * INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT * PDLC MATERIALS PREPARATION * Polymerization induced phase separation (PIPS) * Thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) * Solvent induced phase separation (SIPS) * Encapsulation (NCAP) * RESPONSE VOLTAGE * Dielectric and resistive effects * Radial configuration * Bipolar configuration * Other director configurations * RESPONSE TIME * DISPLAY CONTRAST * Light scattering and index matching * Incorporation of dyes * Contrast measurements * PDLC DISPLAY DEVICES AND INNOVATIONS * Reflective direct view displays * Large-scale, flexible displays * Switchable windows * Projection displays * High definition spatial light modulator * Haze-free PDLC shutters: wide angle view displays * ENVIRONMENTAL STABILITY * ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS * REFERENCES

  8. Spatial Reasoning Training Through Light Curves Of Model Asteroids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ziffer, Julie; Nakroshis, Paul A.; Rudnick, Benjamin T.; Brautigam, Maxwell J.; Nelson, Tyler W.

    2015-11-01

    Recent research has demonstrated that spatial reasoning skills, long known to be crucial to math and science success, are teachable. Even short stints of training can improve spatial reasoning skills among students who lack them (Sorby et al., 2006). Teaching spatial reasoning is particularly valuable to women and minorities who, through societal pressure, often doubt their spatial reasoning skill (Hill et al., 2010). We have designed a hands on asteroid rotation lab that provides practice in spatial reasoning tasks while building the student’s understanding of photometry. For our tool, we mount a model asteroid, with any shape of our choosing, on a slowly rotating motor shaft, whose speed is controlled by the experimenter. To mimic an asteroid light curve, we place the model asteroid in a dark box, shine a movable light source upon our asteroid, and record the light reflected onto a moveable camera. Students may then observe changes in the light curve that result from varying a) the speed of rotation, b) the model asteroid’s orientation with respect to the motor axis, c) the model asteroid’s shape or albedo, and d) the phase angle. After practicing with our tool, students are asked to pair new objects to their corresponding light curves. To correctly pair objects to their light curves, students must imagine how light scattering off of a three dimensional rotating object is imaged on a ccd sensor plane, and then reduced to a series of points on a light curve plot. Through the use of our model asteroid, the student develops confidence in spatial reasoning skills.

  9. Design of an Optical System for Phase Retrieval based on a Spatial Light Modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Falldorf, Claas; Agour, Mostafa; von Kopylow, Christoph; Bergmann, Ralf B.

    2010-04-01

    We present an optical configuration for phase retrieval from a sequence of intensity measurements. The setup is based on a 4f-configuration with a phase modulating spatial light modulator (SLM) located in the Fourier domain. The SLM is used to modulate the incoming light with the transfer function of propagation, thus a sequence of propagated representations of the subjected wave field can be captured across a common sensor plane. The main advantage of this technique is the greatly reduced measurement time, since no mechanical adjustment of the camera sensor is required throughout the measurement process. The treatise is focused on the analysis of the wave field in the sensor domain. From the discussion a set of parameters is derived in order to minimize disturbing effects arising from the discrete nature of the SLM. Finally, the big potential of this approach is demonstrated by means of experimental investigations with regard to wave field sensing.

  10. Adaptive restoration of a partially coherent blurred image using an all-optical feedback interferometer with a liquid-crystal device.

    PubMed

    Shirai, Tomohiro; Barnes, Thomas H

    2002-02-01

    A liquid-crystal adaptive optics system using all-optical feedback interferometry is applied to partially coherent imaging through a phase disturbance. A theoretical analysis based on the propagation of the cross-spectral density shows that the blurred image due to the phase disturbance can be restored, in principle, irrespective of the state of coherence of the light illuminating the object. Experimental verification of the theory has been performed for two cases when the object to be imaged is illuminated by spatially coherent light originating from a He-Ne laser and by spatially incoherent white light from a halogen lamp. We observed in both cases that images blurred by the phase disturbance were successfully restored, in agreement with the theory, immediately after the adaptive optics system was activated. The origin of the deviation of the experimental results from the theory, together with the effect of the feedback misalignment inherent in our optical arrangement, is also discussed.

  11. Computer Generated Holography with Intensity-Graded Patterns

    PubMed Central

    Conti, Rossella; Assayag, Osnath; de Sars, Vincent; Guillon, Marc; Emiliani, Valentina

    2016-01-01

    Computer Generated Holography achieves patterned illumination at the sample plane through phase modulation of the laser beam at the objective back aperture. This is obtained by using liquid crystal-based spatial light modulators (LC-SLMs), which modulate the spatial phase of the incident laser beam. A variety of algorithms is employed to calculate the phase modulation masks addressed to the LC-SLM. These algorithms range from simple gratings-and-lenses to generate multiple diffraction-limited spots, to iterative Fourier-transform algorithms capable of generating arbitrary illumination shapes perfectly tailored on the base of the target contour. Applications for holographic light patterning include multi-trap optical tweezers, patterned voltage imaging and optical control of neuronal excitation using uncaging or optogenetics. These past implementations of computer generated holography used binary input profile to generate binary light distribution at the sample plane. Here we demonstrate that using graded input sources, enables generating intensity graded light patterns and extend the range of application of holographic light illumination. At first, we use intensity-graded holograms to compensate for LC-SLM position dependent diffraction efficiency or sample fluorescence inhomogeneity. Finally we show that intensity-graded holography can be used to equalize photo evoked currents from cells expressing different levels of chanelrhodopsin2 (ChR2), one of the most commonly used optogenetics light gated channels, taking into account the non-linear dependence of channel opening on incident light. PMID:27799896

  12. A Multiple Scattering Polarized Radiative Transfer Model: Application to HD 189733b

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kopparla, Pushkar; Natraj, Vijay; Zhang, Xi; Swain, Mark R.; Wiktorowicz, Sloane J.; Yung, Yuk L.

    2016-01-01

    We present a multiple scattering vector radiative transfer model that produces disk integrated, full phase polarized light curves for reflected light from an exoplanetary atmosphere. We validate our model against results from published analytical and computational models and discuss a small number of cases relevant to the existing and possible near-future observations of the exoplanet HD 189733b. HD 189733b is arguably the most well observed exoplanet to date and the only exoplanet to be observed in polarized light, yet it is debated if the planet’s atmosphere is cloudy or clear. We model reflected light from clear atmospheres with Rayleigh scattering, and cloudy or hazy atmospheres with Mie and fractal aggregate particles. We show that clear and cloudy atmospheres have large differences in polarized light as compared to simple flux measurements, though existing observations are insufficient to make this distinction. Futhermore, we show that atmospheres that are spatially inhomogeneous, such as being partially covered by clouds or hazes, exhibit larger contrasts in polarized light when compared to clear atmospheres. This effect can potentially be used to identify patchy clouds in exoplanets. Given a set of full phase polarimetric measurements, this model can constrain the geometric albedo, properties of scattering particles in the atmosphere, and the longitude of the ascending node of the orbit. The model is used to interpret new polarimetric observations of HD 189733b in a companion paper.

  13. Phase elements by means of a photolithographic system employing a spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aubrecht, Ivo; Miler, Miroslav; Pala, Jan

    2003-07-01

    The system employs a spatial light modulator (SLM), between a pair of crossed polarizers, and an electronic shutter. Transmission of the SLM with the polarizers is controlled by graphical software that defines which pixels are fully transparent and which are fully opaque. While a particular binary graphics is on the SLM the electronic shutter allows light to pass for a certain time. The graphics is imaged, by an objective, onto a photoresist plate. A mercury lamp is used as a light source. The graphics changes after each exposition and the whole sequence of images determines the resultant surface-relief modulation.

  14. Automated aberration compensation in high numerical aperture systems for arbitrary laser modes (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hering, Julian; Waller, Erik H.; von Freymann, Georg

    2017-02-01

    Since a large number of optical systems and devices are based on differently shaped focal intensity distributions (point-spread-functions, PSF), the PSF's quality is crucial for the application's performance. E.g., optical tweezers, optical potentials for trapping of ultracold atoms as well as stimulated-emission-depletion (STED) based microscopy and lithography rely on precisely controlled intensity distributions. However, especially in high numerical aperture (NA) systems, such complex laser modes are easily distorted by aberrations leading to performance losses. Although different approaches addressing phase retrieval algorithms have been recently presented[1-3], fast and automated aberration compensation for a broad variety of complex shaped PSFs in high NA systems is still missing. Here, we report on a Gerchberg-Saxton[4] based algorithm (GSA) for automated aberration correction of arbitrary PSFs, especially for high NA systems. Deviations between the desired target intensity distribution and the three-dimensionally (3D) scanned experimental focal intensity distribution are used to calculate a correction phase pattern. The target phase distribution plus the correction pattern are displayed on a phase-only spatial-light-modulator (SLM). Focused by a high NA objective, experimental 3D scans of several intensity distributions allow for characterization of the algorithms performance: aberrations are reliably identified and compensated within less than 10 iterations. References 1. B. M. Hanser, M. G. L. Gustafsson, D. A. Agard, and J. W. Sedat, "Phase-retrieved pupil functions in wide-field fluorescence microscopy," J. of Microscopy 216(1), 32-48 (2004). 2. A. Jesacher, A. Schwaighofer, S. Frhapter, C. Maurer, S. Bernet, and M. Ritsch-Marte, "Wavefront correction of spatial light modulators using an optical vortex image," Opt. Express 15(9), 5801-5808 (2007). 3. A. Jesacher and M. J. Booth, "Parallel direct laser writing in three dimensions with spatially dependent aberration correction," Opt. Express 18(20), 21090-21099 (2010). 4. R. W. Gerchberg and W. O. Saxton, "A practical algorithm for the determination of the phase from image and diffraction plane pictures," Optik 35(2), 237-246 (1972).

  15. A spatial light modulator that uses scattering in a cholesteric liquid crystal

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

    Saito, Mitsunori, E-mail: msaito@rins.ryukoku.ac.jp; Uemi, Hiroto

    2016-03-15

    When a cholesteric liquid crystal (helical pitch: 5 μm) was sandwiched between two glass plates with no alignment coating (gap: 20 μm), a random-domain texture appeared and a strong light scattering took place. This translucent texture turned to a transparent homeotropic phase when an electric voltage of 20 V was applied to the liquid crystal layer. This phase transition was used for constructing a spatial light modulator that needed no polarizers. Indium-tin-oxide electrodes (0.8 mm square) were arranged on a glass substrate to create a 20 × 20 pixel array (20 mm square). The liquid crystal was injected into amore » gap (20 μm thickness) between this substrate and another glass plate with a uniform electrode (ground). The transmittance of the pixels was originally below 10% and decreased to 0% by 7 V application because of increase in the scattering loss. As the voltage was raised, the transmittance increased gradually in the 7–17 V range and then rapidly in the 17–20 V range, attaining 40% at 27 V. Various transmittance distributions or gray-scale images were attainable by applying a suitable voltage (7–27 V) to each pixel. The transmission range of this spatial light modulator extended from ultraviolet (350 nm) to infrared wavelengths (>800 nm). Owing to this wide transmission range as well as capability of the polarizer-free operation, this spatial light modulator is useful to control a lamp spectrum in spectroscopic measurements.« less

  16. Speckless head-up display on two spatial light modulators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Siemion, Andrzej; Ducin, Izabela; Kakarenko, Karol; Makowski, Michał; Siemion, Agnieszka; Suszek, Jarosław; Sypek, Maciej; Wojnowski, Dariusz; Jaroszewicz, Zbigniew; Kołodziejczyk, Andrzej

    2010-12-01

    There is a continuous demand for the computer generated holograms to give an almost perfect reconstruction with a reasonable cost of manufacturing. One method of improving the image quality is to illuminate a Fourier hologram with a quasi-random, but well known, light field phase distribution. It can be achieved with a lithographically produced phase mask. Up to date, the implementation of the lithographic technique is relatively complex and time and money consuming, which is why we have decided to use two Spatial Light Modulators (SLM). For the correctly adjusted light polarization a SLM acts as a pure phase modulator with 256 adjustable phase levels between 0 and 2π. The two modulators give us an opportunity to use the whole surface of the device and to reduce the size of the experimental system. The optical system with one SLM can also be used but it requires dividing the active surface into halves (one for the Fourier hologram and the second for the quasi-random diffuser), which implies a more complicated optical setup. A larger surface allows to display three Fourier holograms, each for one primary colour: red, green and blue. This allows to reconstruct almost noiseless colourful dynamic images. In this work we present the results of numerical simulations of image reconstructions with the use of two SLM displays.

  17. Spatially encoded phase-contrast MRI-3D MRI movies of 1D and 2D structures at millisecond resolution.

    PubMed

    Merboldt, Klaus-Dietmar; Uecker, Martin; Voit, Dirk; Frahm, Jens

    2011-10-01

    This work demonstrates that the principles underlying phase-contrast MRI may be used to encode spatial rather than flow information along a perpendicular dimension, if this dimension contains an MRI-visible object at only one spatial location. In particular, the situation applies to 3D mapping of curved 2D structures which requires only two projection images with different spatial phase-encoding gradients. These phase-contrast gradients define the field of view and mean spin-density positions of the object in the perpendicular dimension by respective phase differences. When combined with highly undersampled radial fast low angle shot (FLASH) and image reconstruction by regularized nonlinear inversion, spatial phase-contrast MRI allows for dynamic 3D mapping of 2D structures in real time. First examples include 3D MRI movies of the acting human hand at a temporal resolution of 50 ms. With an even simpler technique, 3D maps of curved 1D structures may be obtained from only three acquisitions of a frequency-encoded MRI signal with two perpendicular phase encodings. Here, 3D MRI movies of a rapidly rotating banana were obtained at 5 ms resolution or 200 frames per second. In conclusion, spatial phase-contrast 3D MRI of 2D or 1D structures is respective two or four orders of magnitude faster than conventional 3D MRI. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  18. A cortical edge-integration model of object-based lightness computation that explains effects of spatial context and individual differences

    PubMed Central

    Rudd, Michael E.

    2014-01-01

    Previous work has demonstrated that perceived surface reflectance (lightness) can be modeled in simple contexts in a quantitatively exact way by assuming that the visual system first extracts information about local, directed steps in log luminance, then spatially integrates these steps along paths through the image to compute lightness (Rudd and Zemach, 2004, 2005, 2007). This method of computing lightness is called edge integration. Recent evidence (Rudd, 2013) suggests that human vision employs a default strategy to integrate luminance steps only along paths from a common background region to the targets whose lightness is computed. This implies a role for gestalt grouping in edge-based lightness computation. Rudd (2010) further showed the perceptual weights applied to edges in lightness computation can be influenced by the observer's interpretation of luminance steps as resulting from either spatial variation in surface reflectance or illumination. This implies a role for top-down factors in any edge-based model of lightness (Rudd and Zemach, 2005). Here, I show how the separate influences of grouping and attention on lightness can be modeled in tandem by a cortical mechanism that first employs top-down signals to spatially select regions of interest for lightness computation. An object-based network computation, involving neurons that code for border-ownership, then automatically sets the neural gains applied to edge signals surviving the earlier spatial selection stage. Only the borders that survive both processing stages are spatially integrated to compute lightness. The model assumptions are consistent with those of the cortical lightness model presented earlier by Rudd (2010, 2013), and with neurophysiological data indicating extraction of local edge information in V1, network computations to establish figure-ground relations and border ownership in V2, and edge integration to encode lightness and darkness signals in V4. PMID:25202253

  19. A cortical edge-integration model of object-based lightness computation that explains effects of spatial context and individual differences.

    PubMed

    Rudd, Michael E

    2014-01-01

    Previous work has demonstrated that perceived surface reflectance (lightness) can be modeled in simple contexts in a quantitatively exact way by assuming that the visual system first extracts information about local, directed steps in log luminance, then spatially integrates these steps along paths through the image to compute lightness (Rudd and Zemach, 2004, 2005, 2007). This method of computing lightness is called edge integration. Recent evidence (Rudd, 2013) suggests that human vision employs a default strategy to integrate luminance steps only along paths from a common background region to the targets whose lightness is computed. This implies a role for gestalt grouping in edge-based lightness computation. Rudd (2010) further showed the perceptual weights applied to edges in lightness computation can be influenced by the observer's interpretation of luminance steps as resulting from either spatial variation in surface reflectance or illumination. This implies a role for top-down factors in any edge-based model of lightness (Rudd and Zemach, 2005). Here, I show how the separate influences of grouping and attention on lightness can be modeled in tandem by a cortical mechanism that first employs top-down signals to spatially select regions of interest for lightness computation. An object-based network computation, involving neurons that code for border-ownership, then automatically sets the neural gains applied to edge signals surviving the earlier spatial selection stage. Only the borders that survive both processing stages are spatially integrated to compute lightness. The model assumptions are consistent with those of the cortical lightness model presented earlier by Rudd (2010, 2013), and with neurophysiological data indicating extraction of local edge information in V1, network computations to establish figure-ground relations and border ownership in V2, and edge integration to encode lightness and darkness signals in V4.

  20. Superwide-angle coverage code-multiplexed optical scanner.

    PubMed

    Riza, Nabeel A; Arain, Muzammil A

    2004-05-01

    A superwide-angle coverage code-multiplexed optical scanner is presented that has the potential to provide 4 pi-sr coverage. As a proof-of-concept experiment, an angular scan range of 288 degrees for six randomly distributed beams is demonstrated. The proposed scanner achieves its superwide coverage by exploiting a combination of phase-encoded transmission and reflection holography within an in-line hologram recording-retrieval geometry. The basic scanner unit consists of one phase-only digital mode spatial light modulator for code entry (i.e., beam scan control) and a holographic material from which we obtained what we believe is the first-of-a-kind extremely wide coverage, low component count, high speed (e.g., microsecond domain), and large aperture (e.g., > 1-cm diameter) scanner.

  1. Topography and refractometry of sperm cells using spatial light interference microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Lina; Kandel, Mikhail E.; Rubessa, Marcello; Schreiber, Sierra; Wheeler, Mathew B.; Popescu, Gabriel

    2018-02-01

    Characterization of spermatozoon viability is a common test in treating infertility. Recently, it has been shown that label-free, phase-sensitive imaging can provide a valuable alternative for this type of assay. We employ spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) to perform high-accuracy single-cell phase imaging and decouple the average thickness and refractive index information for the population. This procedure was enabled by quantitative-phase imaging cells on media of two different refractive indices and using a numerical tool to remove the curvature from the cell tails. This way, we achieved ensemble averaging of topography and refractometry of 100 cells in each of the two groups. The results show that the thickness profile of the cell tail goes down to 150 nm and the refractive index can reach values of 1.6 close to the head.

  2. Partially coherent polarized atmospheric transmission characteristics and application technology research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Qiang; Gao, Duorui; Liu, Zhi; Chen, Chunyi; Lou, Yan; Jiang, Huilin

    2014-11-01

    Based on partially coherent polarized light transmission characteristics of the atmosphere, an intensity expression of completely coherent flashing light is derived from Andrews scale modulation method. According to the generalized Huygens-Fresnel principle and Rytov theory, the phase fluctuation structure function is obtained on condition that the refractive index profile in the atmosphere meet Von Karman spectrum, then get the arrival Angle fluctuation variance. Through the RMS beam width of gaussian beams in turbulent atmosphere, deviation angle formula of fully coherent gaussian beams in turbulence atmosphere is attained, then get the RMS beam width of partially coherent and derivation angle expression of GSM beam in turbulent atmosphere. Combined with transmission properties of radial polarized laser beam, cross spectral density matrix of partially coherent radially polarized light can be gained by using generalized huygens-fresnel principle. And light intensity and polarization after transmission can be known according to the unity of coherence and polarization theory. On the basis of the analysis model and numerical simulation, the simulation results show that: the light spot caused by atmospheric turbulence of partially coherent polarization will be superior to completely polarized light.Taking advantage of this feature, designed a new wireless suppression technology of atmospheric turbulence, that is the optimization criterion of initial degree of coherent light beam. The optimal initial degree of coherent light beam will change along with the change of atmospheric turbulence conditions,make control the beam's initial degree of coherence to realize the initial degree of coherence of light beam in real time and dynamic control. A spatial phase screen before emission aperture of fully coherent light is to generate the partially coherent light, liquid crystal spatial light modulator is is a preferable way to realize the dynamic random phase. Finally look future of the application research of partially coherent light.

  3. Nonlinear ring resonator: spatial pattern generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ivanov, Vladimir Y.; Lachinova, Svetlana L.; Irochnikov, Nikita G.

    2000-03-01

    We consider theoretically spatial pattern formation processes in a unidirectional ring cavity with thin layer of Kerr-type nonlinear medium. Our method is based on studying of two coupled equations. The first is a partial differential equation for temporal dynamics of phase modulation of light wave in the medium. It describes nonlinear interaction in the Kerr-type lice. The second is a free propagation equation for the intracavity field complex amplitude. It involves diffraction effects of light wave in the cavity.

  4. Phase-controllable spin wave generation in iron garnet by linearly polarized light pulses

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

    Yoshimine, Isao; Iida, Ryugo; Shimura, Tsutomu

    A phase-controlled spin wave was non-thermally generated in bismuth-doped rare-earth iron garnet by linearly polarized light pulses. We controlled the initial phase of the spin wave continuously within a range of 180° by changing the polarization azimuth of the excitation light. The azimuth dependences of the initial phase and amplitude of the spin wave were attributed to a combination of the inverse Cotton-Mouton effect and photoinduced magnetic anisotropy. Temporally and spatially resolved spin wave propagation was observed with a CCD camera, and the waveform was in good agreement with calculations. A nonlinear effect of the spin excitation was observed formore » excitation fluences higher than 100 mJ/cm{sup 2}.« less

  5. Note: Laser beam scanning using a ferroelectric liquid crystal spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Das, Abhijit; Boruah, Bosanta R.

    2014-04-01

    In this work we describe laser beam scanning using a ferroelectric liquid crystal spatial light modulator. Commercially available ferroelectric liquid crystal spatial light modulators are capable of displaying 85 colored images in 1 s using a time dithering technique. Each colored image, in fact, comprises 24 single bit (black and white) images displayed sequentially. We have used each single bit image to write a binary phase hologram. For a collimated laser beam incident on the hologram, one of the diffracted beams can be made to travel along a user defined direction. We have constructed a beam scanner employing the above arrangement and demonstrated its use to scan a single laser beam in a laser scanning optical sectioning microscope setup.

  6. Topography and refractometry of nanostructures using spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM)

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Zhuo; Chun, Ik Su; Li, Xiuling; Ong, Zhun-Yong; Pop, Eric; Millet, Larry; Gillette, Martha; Popescu, Gabriel

    2010-01-01

    Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (SLIM) is a novel method developed in our laboratory that provides quantitative phase images of transparent structures with 0.3 nm spatial and 0.03 nm temporal accuracy owing to the white light illumination and its common path interferometric geometry. We exploit these features and demonstrate SLIM's ability to perform topography at a single atomic layer in graphene. Further, using a decoupling procedure that we developed for cylindrical structures, we extract the axially-averaged refractive index of semiconductor nanotubes and a neurite of a live hippocampal neuron in culture. We believe that this study will set the basis for novel high-throughput topography and refractometry of man-made and biological nanostructures. PMID:20081970

  7. Manipulating femtosecond laser interactions in bulk glass and thin-film with spatial light modulation (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alimohammadian, Ehsan; Ho, Stephen; Ertorer, Erden; Gherghe, Sebastian; Li, Jianzhao; Herman, Peter R.

    2017-03-01

    Spatial Light Modulators (SLM) are emerging as a power tool for laser beam shaping whereby digitally addressed phase shifts can impose computer-generated hologram patterns on incoming laser light. SLM provide several additional advantages with ultrashort-pulsed lasers in controlling the shape of both surface and internal interactions with materials. Inside transparent materials, nonlinear optical effects can confine strong absorption only to the focal volume, extend dissipation over long filament tracks, or reach below diffraction-limited spot sizes. Hence, SLM beam shaping has been widely adopted for laser material processing applications that include parallel structuring, filamentation, fiber Bragg grating formation and optical aberration correction. This paper reports on a range of SLM applications we have studied in femtosecond processing of transparent glasses and thin films. Laser phase-fronts were tailored by the SLM to compensate for spherical surface aberration, and to further address the nonlinear interactions that interplay between Kerr-lens self-focusing and plasma defocusing effects over shallow and deep focusing inside the glass. Limits of strong and weak focusing were examined around the respective formation of low-loss optical waveguides and long uniform filament tracks. Further, we have employed the SLM for beam patterning inside thin film, exploring the limits of phase noise, resolution and fringe contrast during interferometric intra-film structuring. Femtosecond laser pulses of 200 fs pulse duration and 515 nm wavelength were shaped by a phase-only LCOS-SLM (Hamamatsu X10468-04). By imposing radial phase profiles, axicon, grating and beam splitting gratings, volume shape control of filament diameter, length, and uniformity as well as simultaneous formation of multiple filaments has been demonstrated. Similarly, competing effects of spherical surface aberration, self-focusing, and plasma de-focusing were studied and delineated to enable formation of low-loss optical waveguides over shallow and deep focusing conditions. Lastly, SLM beam shaping has been successfully extended to interferometric processing inside thin transparent film, enabling the arbitrary formation of uniform or non-uniform, symmetric or asymmetric patterns of flexible shape on nano-scale dimensions without phase-noise degradation by the SLM patterning. We present quantized structuring of thin films by a single laser pulse, demonstrating λ/2nfilm layer ejection control, blister formation, nano-cavities, and film colouring. Closed intra-film nanochannels with high aspect ratio (20:1) have been formed inside 3.5 um thick silica, opening new prospects for sub-cellular studies and lab-in-film concepts that integrate on CMOS silicon technologies.

  8. Proposal for automated transformations on single-photon multipath qudits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baldijão, R. D.; Borges, G. F.; Marques, B.; Solís-Prosser, M. A.; Neves, L.; Pádua, S.

    2017-09-01

    We propose a method for implementing automated state transformations on single-photon multipath qudits encoded in a one-dimensional transverse spatial domain. It relies on transferring the encoding from this domain to the orthogonal one by applying a spatial phase modulation with diffraction gratings, merging all the initial propagation paths by using a stable interferometric network, and filtering out the unwanted diffraction orders. The automation feature is attained by utilizing a programmable phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM) where properly designed diffraction gratings displayed on its screen will implement the desired transformations, including, among others, projections, permutations, and random operations. We discuss the losses in the process which is, in general, inherently nonunitary. Some examples of transformations are presented and, considering a realistic scenario, we analyze how they will be affected by the pixelated structure of the SLM screen. The method proposed here enables one to implement much more general transformations on multipath qudits than is possible with a SLM alone operating in the diagonal basis of which-path states. Therefore, it will extend the range of applicability for this encoding in high-dimensional quantum information and computing protocols as well as fundamental studies in quantum theory.

  9. Automated high resolution full-field spatial coherence tomography for quantitative phase imaging of human red blood cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singla, Neeru; Dubey, Kavita; Srivastava, Vishal; Ahmad, Azeem; Mehta, D. S.

    2018-02-01

    We developed an automated high-resolution full-field spatial coherence tomography (FF-SCT) microscope for quantitative phase imaging that is based on the spatial, rather than the temporal, coherence gating. The Red and Green color laser light was used for finding the quantitative phase images of unstained human red blood cells (RBCs). This study uses morphological parameters of unstained RBCs phase images to distinguish between normal and infected cells. We recorded the single interferogram by a FF-SCT microscope for red and green color wavelength and average the two phase images to further reduced the noise artifacts. In order to characterize anemia infected from normal cells different morphological features were extracted and these features were used to train machine learning ensemble model to classify RBCs with high accuracy.

  10. Nonlinear optical coupler using a doped optical waveguide

    DOEpatents

    Pantell, Richard H.; Sadowski, Robert W.; Digonnet, Michel J. F.; Shaw, Herbert J.

    1994-01-01

    An optical mode coupling apparatus includes an Erbium-doped optical waveguide in which an optical signal at a signal wavelength propagates in a first spatial propagation mode and a second spatial propagation mode of the waveguide. The optical signal propagating in the waveguide has a beat length. The coupling apparatus includes a pump source of perturbational light signal at a perturbational wavelength that propagates in the waveguide in the first spatial propagation mode. The perturbational signal has a sufficient intensity distribution in the waveguide that it causes a perturbation of the effective refractive index of the first spatial propagation mode of the waveguide in accordance with the optical Kerr effect. The perturbation of the effective refractive index of the first spatial propagation mode of the optical waveguide causes a change in the differential phase delay in the optical signal propagating in the first and second spatial propagation modes. The change in the differential phase delay is detected as a change in the intensity distribution between two lobes of the optical intensity distribution pattern of an output signal. The perturbational light signal can be selectively enabled and disabled to selectively change the intensity distribution in the two lobes of the optical intensity distribution pattern.

  11. Enhancing the performance of the light field microscope using wavefront coding

    PubMed Central

    Cohen, Noy; Yang, Samuel; Andalman, Aaron; Broxton, Michael; Grosenick, Logan; Deisseroth, Karl; Horowitz, Mark; Levoy, Marc

    2014-01-01

    Light field microscopy has been proposed as a new high-speed volumetric computational imaging method that enables reconstruction of 3-D volumes from captured projections of the 4-D light field. Recently, a detailed physical optics model of the light field microscope has been derived, which led to the development of a deconvolution algorithm that reconstructs 3-D volumes with high spatial resolution. However, the spatial resolution of the reconstructions has been shown to be non-uniform across depth, with some z planes showing high resolution and others, particularly at the center of the imaged volume, showing very low resolution. In this paper, we enhance the performance of the light field microscope using wavefront coding techniques. By including phase masks in the optical path of the microscope we are able to address this non-uniform resolution limitation. We have also found that superior control over the performance of the light field microscope can be achieved by using two phase masks rather than one, placed at the objective’s back focal plane and at the microscope’s native image plane. We present an extended optical model for our wavefront coded light field microscope and develop a performance metric based on Fisher information, which we use to choose adequate phase masks parameters. We validate our approach using both simulated data and experimental resolution measurements of a USAF 1951 resolution target; and demonstrate the utility for biological applications with in vivo volumetric calcium imaging of larval zebrafish brain. PMID:25322056

  12. Enhancing the performance of the light field microscope using wavefront coding.

    PubMed

    Cohen, Noy; Yang, Samuel; Andalman, Aaron; Broxton, Michael; Grosenick, Logan; Deisseroth, Karl; Horowitz, Mark; Levoy, Marc

    2014-10-06

    Light field microscopy has been proposed as a new high-speed volumetric computational imaging method that enables reconstruction of 3-D volumes from captured projections of the 4-D light field. Recently, a detailed physical optics model of the light field microscope has been derived, which led to the development of a deconvolution algorithm that reconstructs 3-D volumes with high spatial resolution. However, the spatial resolution of the reconstructions has been shown to be non-uniform across depth, with some z planes showing high resolution and others, particularly at the center of the imaged volume, showing very low resolution. In this paper, we enhance the performance of the light field microscope using wavefront coding techniques. By including phase masks in the optical path of the microscope we are able to address this non-uniform resolution limitation. We have also found that superior control over the performance of the light field microscope can be achieved by using two phase masks rather than one, placed at the objective's back focal plane and at the microscope's native image plane. We present an extended optical model for our wavefront coded light field microscope and develop a performance metric based on Fisher information, which we use to choose adequate phase masks parameters. We validate our approach using both simulated data and experimental resolution measurements of a USAF 1951 resolution target; and demonstrate the utility for biological applications with in vivo volumetric calcium imaging of larval zebrafish brain.

  13. Large holographic 3D display for real-time computer-generated holography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Häussler, R.; Leister, N.; Stolle, H.

    2017-06-01

    SeeReal's concept of real-time holography is based on Sub-Hologram encoding and tracked Viewing Windows. This solution leads to significant reduction of pixel count and computation effort compared to conventional holography concepts. Since the first presentation of the concept, improved full-color holographic displays were built with dedicated components. The hologram is encoded on a spatial light modulator that is a sandwich of a phase-modulating and an amplitude-modulating liquid-crystal display and that modulates amplitude and phase of light. Further components are based on holographic optical elements for light collimation and focusing which are exposed in photopolymer films. Camera photographs show that only the depth region on which the focus of the camera lens is set is in focus while the other depth regions are out of focus. These photographs demonstrate that the 3D scene is reconstructed in depth and that accommodation of the eye lenses is supported. Hence, the display is a solution to overcome the accommodationconvergence conflict that is inherent for stereoscopic 3D displays. The main components, progress and results of the holographic display with 300 mm x 200 mm active area are described. Furthermore, photographs of holographic reconstructed 3D scenes are shown.

  14. Topography and refractometry of sperm cells using spatial light interference microscopy.

    PubMed

    Liu, Lina; Kandel, Mikhail E; Rubessa, Marcello; Schreiber, Sierra; Wheeler, Mathew B; Popescu, Gabriel

    2018-02-01

    Characterization of spermatozoon viability is a common test in treating infertility. Recently, it has been shown that label-free, phase-sensitive imaging can provide a valuable alternative for this type of assay. We employ spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) to perform high-accuracy single-cell phase imaging and decouple the average thickness and refractive index information for the population. This procedure was enabled by quantitative-phase imaging cells on media of two different refractive indices and using a numerical tool to remove the curvature from the cell tails. This way, we achieved ensemble averaging of topography and refractometry of 100 cells in each of the two groups. The results show that the thickness profile of the cell tail goes down to 150 nm and the refractive index can reach values of 1.6 close to the head. (2018) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

  15. Optical calculation of correlation filters for a robotic vision system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knopp, Jerome

    1989-01-01

    A method is presented for designing optical correlation filters based on measuring three intensity patterns: the Fourier transform of a filter object, a reference wave and the interference pattern produced by the sum of the object transform and the reference. The method can produce a filter that is well matched to both the object, its transforming optical system and the spatial light modulator used in the correlator input plane. A computer simulation was presented to demonstrate the approach for the special case of a conventional binary phase-only filter. The simulation produced a workable filter with a sharp correlation peak.

  16. Focusing light through random photonic layers by four-element division algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fang, Longjie; Zhang, Xicheng; Zuo, Haoyi; Pang, Lin

    2018-02-01

    The propagation of waves in turbid media is a fundamental problem of optics with vast applications. Optical phase optimization approaches for focusing light through turbid media using phase control algorithm have been widely studied in recent years due to the rapid development of spatial light modulator. The existing approaches include element-based algorithms - stepwise sequential algorithm, continuous sequential algorithm and whole element optimization approaches - partitioning algorithm, transmission matrix approach and genetic algorithm. The advantage of element-based approaches is that the phase contribution of each element is very clear; however, because the intensity contribution of each element to the focal point is small especially for the case of large number of elements, the determination of the optimal phase for a single element would be difficult. In other words, the signal to noise ratio of the measurement is weak, leading to possibly local maximal during the optimization. As for whole element optimization approaches, all elements are employed for the optimization. Of course, signal to noise ratio during the optimization is improved. However, because more random processings are introduced into the processing, optimizations take more time to converge than the single element based approaches. Based on the advantages of both single element based approaches and whole element optimization approaches, we propose FEDA approach. Comparisons with the existing approaches show that FEDA only takes one third of measurement time to reach the optimization, which means that FEDA is promising in practical application such as for deep tissue imaging.

  17. Recent advances in patterned photostimulation for optogenetics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ronzitti, Emiliano; Ventalon, Cathie; Canepari, Marco; Forget, Benoît C.; Papagiakoumou, Eirini; Emiliani, Valentina

    2017-11-01

    An important technological revolution is underway in the field of neuroscience as we begin the 21st century. The combination of optical methods with genetically encoded photosensitive tools (optogenetics) offers the opportunity to quickly modulate and monitor a large number of neuronal events and the ability to recreate the physiological, spatial, and temporal patterns of brain activity. The use of light instead of electrical stimulation is less invasive, and permits superior spatial and temporal specificity and flexibility. This ongoing revolution has motivated the development of new optical methods for light stimulation. They can be grouped in two main categories: scanning and parallel photostimulation techniques, each with its advantages and limitations. In scanning approaches, a small light spot is displaced in targeted regions of interest (ROIs), using galvanometric mirrors or acousto-optic deflectors, whereas in parallel approaches, the light beam can be spatially shaped to simultaneously cover all ROIs by modulating either the light intensity or the phase of the illumination beam. With amplitude modulation, light patterns are created by selectively blocking light rays that illuminate regions of no interest, while with phase modulation, the wavefront of the light beam is locally modified so that light rays are directed onto the target, thus allowing for higher intensity efficiency. In this review, we will describe the principle of each of these photostimulation techniques and review the use of these approaches in optogenetics experiments by presenting their advantages and drawbacks. Finally, we will review the challenges that need to be faced when photostimulation methods are combined with two-photon imaging approaches to reach an all-optical brain control through optogenetics and functional reporters (Ca2+ and voltage indicators).

  18. Submillisecond-response polymer network liquid crystal phase modulators at 1.06-μm wavelength

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Jie; Xianyu, Haiqing; Chen, Yuan; Wu, Shin-Tson

    2011-07-01

    A fast-response and scattering-free polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) light modulator is demonstrated at λ = 1.06 μm wavelength. A decay time of 117 μs for 2π phase modulation is obtained at 70 °C, which is ˜ 650 × faster than that of the host nematic LCs. The major tradeoff is the increased operating voltage. Potential applications include spatial light modulators and adaptive optics.

  19. Swiftly moving focus points and forming shapes through the scattering media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tran, Vinh; Sahoo, Sujit Kumar; Tang, Dongliang; Dang, Cuong

    2018-02-01

    Propagation of light through scattering media such as ground glass or biological tissue limits the quality and intensity of focusing point. Wave front shaping technique which uses spatial light modulator (SLM) devices to reshape the field profile of incoming light, is considered as one of the most effective and convenient methods. Advanced biomedical or manufacturing applications require drawing various contours or shapes quickly and precisely. However, creating each shape behind the scattering medium needs different phase profiles, which are time consuming to optimize or measure. Here, we demonstrate a technique to draw various shapes or contours behind the scattering medium by swiftly moving the focus point without any mechanical movements. Our technique relies on the existence of speckle correlation property in scattering media, also known as optical memory effect. In our procedure, we first modulate the phase-only SLM to create the focus point on the other side of scattering medium. Then, we digitally shift the preoptimized phase profile on the SLM and ramp it to tilt the beam accordingly. Now, the incoming beam with identical phase profile shines on the same scattering region at a tilted angle to regenerate the focus point at the desired position due to memory effect. Moreover, with linear combination of different field patterns, we can generate a single phase profile on SLM to produce two, three or more focus points simultaneously on the other side of a turbid medium. Our method could provide a useful tool for prominent applications such as opto-genetic excitation, minimally invasive laser surgery and other related fields.

  20. First detection of equatorial dark dust lane in a protostellar disk at submillimeter wavelength

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Chin-Fei; Li, Zhi-Yun; Ho, Paul T. P.; Hirano, Naomi; Zhang, Qizhou; Shang, Hsien

    2017-01-01

    In the earliest (so-called “Class 0”) phase of Sun-like (low-mass) star formation, circumstellar disks are expected to form, feeding the protostars. However, these disks are difficult to resolve spatially because of their small sizes. Moreover, there are theoretical difficulties in producing these disks in the earliest phase because of the retarding effects of magnetic fields on the rotating, collapsing material (so-called “magnetic braking”). With the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), it becomes possible to uncover these disks and study them in detail. HH 212 is a very young protostellar system. With ALMA, we not only detect but also spatially resolve its disk in dust emission at submillimeter wavelength. The disk is nearly edge-on and has a radius of ~60 astronomical unit. It shows a prominent equatorial dark lane sandwiched between two brighter features due to relatively low temperature and high optical depth near the disk midplane. For the first time, this dark lane is seen at submillimeter wavelength, producing a “hamburger”-shaped appearance that is reminiscent of the scattered-light image of an edge-on disk in optical and near infrared light. Our observations open up an exciting possibility of directly detecting and characterizing small disks around the youngest protostars through high-resolution imaging with ALMA, which provides strong constraints on theories of disk formation. PMID:28439561

  1. Predictive capability of average Stokes polarimetry for simulation of phase multilevel elements onto LCoS devices.

    PubMed

    Martínez, Francisco J; Márquez, Andrés; Gallego, Sergi; Ortuño, Manuel; Francés, Jorge; Pascual, Inmaculada; Beléndez, Augusto

    2015-02-20

    Parallel-aligned (PA) liquid-crystal on silicon (LCoS) microdisplays are especially appealing in a wide range of spatial light modulation applications since they enable phase-only operation. Recently we proposed a novel polarimetric method, based on Stokes polarimetry, enabling the characterization of their linear retardance and the magnitude of their associated phase fluctuations or flicker, exhibited by many LCoS devices. In this work we apply the calibrated values obtained with this technique to show their capability to predict the performance of spatially varying phase multilevel elements displayed onto the PA-LCoS device. Specifically we address a series of multilevel phase blazed gratings. We analyze both their average diffraction efficiency ("static" analysis) and its associated time fluctuation ("dynamic" analysis). Two different electrical configuration files with different degrees of flicker are applied in order to evaluate the actual influence of flicker on the expected performance of the diffractive optical elements addressed. We obtain a good agreement between simulation and experiment, thus demonstrating the predictive capability of the calibration provided by the average Stokes polarimetric technique. Additionally, it is obtained that for electrical configurations with less than 30° amplitude for the flicker retardance, they may not influence the performance of the blazed gratings. In general, we demonstrate that the influence of flicker greatly diminishes when the number of quantization levels in the optical element increases.

  2. An active coronagraph using a liquid crystal array for exoplanet imaging: principle and testing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Xi; Ren, De-Qing; Zhu, Yong-Tian; Dou, Jiang-Pei

    2012-05-01

    High-contrast imaging coronagraphs, used for the detection of exoplanets, have always adopted passive coronagraph optical components. It is therefore impossible to actively optimize the coronagraphs to achieve their best performance. To solve this problem, we propose a novel high-contrast imaging coronagraph which combines a liquid crystal array (LCA) for active pupil apodization and a deformable mirror (DM) for phase correction. The LCA we use is an amplitude-only spatial light modulator. The LCA is well calibrated and compensates for its amplitude non-uniformity and nonlinear intensity responsivity. We measured the imaging contrasts of the coronagraph system with the LCA only and without the DM deployed. Imaging contrasts of 10-4 and 10-5 can be reached at an inner working angular distance of 2.5 and 5λ/D, respectively. A simulation shows that the phase errors on the coronagraph pupil limit the contrast performance. The contrast could be further improved if a DM is deployed to correct the phase errors induced by the LCA and coronagraph optics.

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

    Zeylikovich, I.; Xu, M., E-mail: mxu@fairfield.edu

    The phase of multiply scattered light has recently attracted considerable interest. Coherent backscattering is a striking phenomenon of multiple scattered light in which the coherence of light survives multiple scattering in a random medium and is observable in the direction space as an enhancement of the intensity of backscattered light within a cone around the retroreflection direction. Reciprocity also leads to enhancement of backscattering light in the spatial space. The random medium behaves as a reciprocity mirror which robustly converts a diverging incident beam into a converging backscattering one focusing at a conjugate spot in space. Here we first analyzemore » theoretically this coherent backscattering mirror (CBM) phenomenon and then demonstrate the capability of CBM compensating and correcting both static and dynamic phase distortions occurring along the optical path. CBM may offer novel approaches for high speed dynamic phase corrections in optical systems and find applications in sensing and navigation.« less

  4. Dynamic coherent backscattering mirror

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeylikovich, I.; Xu, M.

    2016-02-01

    The phase of multiply scattered light has recently attracted considerable interest. Coherent backscattering is a striking phenomenon of multiple scattered light in which the coherence of light survives multiple scattering in a random medium and is observable in the direction space as an enhancement of the intensity of backscattered light within a cone around the retroreflection direction. Reciprocity also leads to enhancement of backscattering light in the spatial space. The random medium behaves as a reciprocity mirror which robustly converts a diverging incident beam into a converging backscattering one focusing at a conjugate spot in space. Here we first analyze theoretically this coherent backscattering mirror (CBM) phenomenon and then demonstrate the capability of CBM compensating and correcting both static and dynamic phase distortions occurring along the optical path. CBM may offer novel approaches for high speed dynamic phase corrections in optical systems and find applications in sensing and navigation.

  5. The spatial behavior of nonclassical light

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kolobov, Mikhail I.

    1999-10-01

    Nonclassical effects such as squeezing, antibunching, and sub-Poissonian statistics of photons have been attracting attention in quantum optics over the last decade. Up to now most theoretical and experimental investigations have been carried out exclusively in the time domain while neglecting the spatial aspects by considering only one spatial mode of the electromagnetic field. In many situations such an approximation is well justified. There are, however, problems that do not allow in principle a single-mode consideration. This is the case when one wants to investigate the quantum fluctuations of light at different spatial points in the plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the light beam. Such an investigation requires a complete description of quantum fluctuations of light in both time and space and cannot be done within a single-mode theory. This space-time description brings about a natural generalization into the spatial domain of such notions as the standard quantum limit, squeezing, antibunching, etc. It predicts, for example, the possibility of generating a light beam with sub-Poissonian statistics of photons not only in time but also in the beam's transverse plane. Of particular relevance to the applications is a situation in which the cross section of the light beam contains several nonoverlapping areas with sub-Poissonian statistics of photons in each. Photodetection of such a beam produces several sub-shot-noise photocurrents depending on the number of independent areas with sub-Poissonian statistics. This is in marked contrast to the case of a single-mode sub-Poissonian light beam in which any attempt to collect light from only a part of the beam deteriorates the degree of shot-noise reduction. This property of multimode squeezed light opens a range of interesting new applications in optical imaging, optical parallel processing of information, parallel computing, and many other areas in which it is desirable to have a light beam with regular photon statistics across its transverse area. The aim of this review is to describe the recent development in this branch of quantum optics.

  6. Zeroth-order phase-contrast technique.

    PubMed

    Pizolato, José Carlos; Cirino, Giuseppe Antonio; Gonçalves, Cristhiane; Neto, Luiz Gonçalves

    2007-11-01

    What we believe to be a new phase-contrast technique is proposed to recover intensity distributions from phase distributions modulated by spatial light modulators (SLMs) and binary diffractive optical elements (DOEs). The phase distribution is directly transformed into intensity distributions using a 4f optical correlator and an iris centered in the frequency plane as a spatial filter. No phase-changing plates or phase dielectric dots are used as a filter. This method allows the use of twisted nematic liquid-crystal televisions (LCTVs) operating in the real-time phase-mostly regime mode between 0 and p to generate high-intensity multiple beams for optical trap applications. It is also possible to use these LCTVs as input SLMs for optical correlators to obtain high-intensity Fourier transform distributions of input amplitude objects.

  7. Non-Mechanical Beam Steering in Free-Space Optical Communication Transceivers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shortt, Kevin

    Free-space optical communications systems are a rapidly growing field as they carry many of the advantages of traditional fibre-based communications systems without the added investment of installing complex infrastructure. Moreover, these systems are finding key niches in mobile platforms in order to take advantage of the increased bandwidth over traditional RF systems. Of course, the inevitable problem of tracking arises when dealing with mobile stations. To compound the problem in the case of communications to low Earth or geosynchronous orbits, FSOC systems typically operate with tightly confined beams over great distances often requiring pointing accuracies on the order of micro-radians or smaller. Mechanisms such as gimbal mounts and fine-steering mirrors are the usual candidates for platform stabilization, however, these clearly have substantial power requirements and inflate the mass of the system. Spatial light modulators (also known as optical phased arrays), on the other hand, offer a suitable alternative for beam-pointing stabilization. Some of the advantages of spatial light modulators over fine-steering mirrors include programmable multiple simultaneous beams, dynamic focus/defocus and moderate to excellent optical power handling capability. This thesis serves as an investigation into the implementation of spatial light modulators as a replacement for traditional fine-steering mirrors in the fine-pointing subsystem. In particular, pointing accuracy and scanning ability will be highlighted as performance metrics in the context of a variety of communication scenarios. Keywords: Free-space optical communications, beam steering, fine-steering mirror, spatial light modulator, optical phased array.

  8. Illusion optics in chaotic light

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

    Zhang Suheng; Gan Shu; Xiong Jun

    2010-08-15

    The time-reversal process provides the possibility to counteract the time evolution of a physical system. Recent research has shown that such a process can occur in the first-order field correlation of chaotic light and result in the spatial interference and phase-reversal diffraction in an unbalanced interferometer. Here we report experimental investigations on the invisibility cloak and illusion phenomena in chaotic light. In an unbalanced interferometer illuminated by thermal light, we have observed the cloak effect and the optical transformation of one object into another object. The experimental results can be understood by the phase-reversal diffraction, and they demonstrate the theoreticalmore » proposal of similar effects in complementary media.« less

  9. Controllable light diffraction in woodpile photonic crystals filled with liquid crystal

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

    Ho, Chih-Hua; Zeng, Hao; Wiersma, Diederik S.

    2015-01-12

    An approach to switching between different patterns of light beams transmitted through the woodpile photonic crystals filled with liquid crystals is proposed. The phase transition between the nematic and isotropic liquid crystal states leads to an observable variation of the spatial pattern transmitted through the photonic structure. The transmission profiles in the nematic phase also show polarization sensibility due to refractive index dependence on the field polarization. The experimental results are consistent with a numerical calculation by Finite Difference Time Domain method.

  10. All-optical photochromic spatial light modulators based on photoinduced electron transfer in rigid matrices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beratan, David N. (Inventor); Perry, Joseph W. (Inventor)

    1991-01-01

    A single material (not a multi-element structure) spatial light modulator may be written to, as well as read out from, using light. The device has tailorable rise and hold times dependent on the composition and concentration of the molecular species used as the active components. The spatial resolution of this device is limited only by light diffraction as in volume holograms. The device may function as a two-dimensional mask (transmission or reflection) or as a three-dimensional volume holographic medium. This device, based on optically-induced electron transfer, is able to perform incoherent to coherent image conversion or wavelength conversion over a wide spectral range (ultraviolet, visible, or near-infrared regions).

  11. On-axis programmable microscope using liquid crystal spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    García-Martínez, Pascuala; Martínez, José Luís.; Moreno, Ignacio

    2017-06-01

    Spatial light modulators (SLM) are currently used in many applications in optical microscopy and imaging. One of the most promising methods is the use of liquid crystal displays (LCD) as programmable phase diffractive optical elements (DOE) placed in the Fourier plane giving access to the spatial frequencies which can be phased shifted individually, allowing to emulate a wealth of contrast enhancing methods for both amplitude and phase samples. We use phase and polarization modulation of LCD to implement an on-axis microscope optical system. The LCD used are Hamamatsu liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) SLM free of flicker, thus showing a full profit of the SLM space bandwidth, as opposed to optical systems in the literature forced to work off-axis due to the strong zero-order component. Taking benefits of the phase modulation of the LCOS we have implemented different microscopic imaging operations, such as high-pass and low-pass filtering in parallel using programmable blazed gratings. Moreover, we are able to control polarization modulation to display two orthogonal linear state of polarization images than can be subtracted or added by changing the period of the blazed grating. In that sense, Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) microscopy can be easily done by generating two images exploiting the polarization splitting properties when a blazed grating is displayed in the SLM. Biological microscopy samples are also used.

  12. Frequency conversion of structured light.

    PubMed

    Steinlechner, Fabian; Hermosa, Nathaniel; Pruneri, Valerio; Torres, Juan P

    2016-02-15

    Coherent frequency conversion of structured light, i.e. the ability to manipulate the carrier frequency of a wave front without distorting its spatial phase and intensity profile, provides the opportunity for numerous novel applications in photonic technology and fundamental science. In particular, frequency conversion of spatial modes carrying orbital angular momentum can be exploited in sub-wavelength resolution nano-optics and coherent imaging at a wavelength different from that used to illuminate an object. Moreover, coherent frequency conversion will be crucial for interfacing information stored in the high-dimensional spatial structure of single and entangled photons with various constituents of quantum networks. In this work, we demonstrate frequency conversion of structured light from the near infrared (803 nm) to the visible (527 nm). The conversion scheme is based on sum-frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal pumped with a 1540-nm Gaussian beam. We observe frequency-converted fields that exhibit a high degree of similarity with the input field and verify the coherence of the frequency-conversion process via mode projection measurements with a phase mask and a single-mode fiber. Our results demonstrate the suitability of exploiting the technique for applications in quantum information processing and coherent imaging.

  13. Real-time computer-generated hologram by means of liquid-crystal television spatial light modulator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mok, Fai; Psaltis, Demetri; Diep, Joseph; Liu, Hua-Kuang

    1986-01-01

    The usefulness of an inexpensive liquid-crystal television) (LCTV) as a spatial light modulator for coherent-optical processing in the writing and reconstruction of a single computer-generated hologram has been demonstrated. The thickness nonuniformities of the LCTV screen were examined in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and the phase distortions were successfully removed using a technique in which the LCTV screen was submerged in a liquid gate filled with an index-matching nonconductive mineral oil with refractive index of about 1.45.

  14. Sub-μrad laser beam tracking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buske, Ivo; Riede, Wolfgang

    2006-09-01

    We compare active optical elements based on different technologies to accomplish the requirements of a 2-dim. fine tracking control system. A cascaded optically and electrically addressable spatial light modulator (OASLM) based on liquid crystals (LC) is used for refractive beam steering. Spatial light modulators provide a controllable phase wedge to generate a beam deflection. Additionally, a tip/tilt mirror approach operating with piezo-electric actuators is investigated. A digital PID controller is implemented for closed-loop control. Beam tracking with a root-mean-squared accuracy of Δα=30 nrad has been laboratory-confirmed.

  15. Shapes, spectra and new methods in nonlinear spatial optics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Can

    For a myriad of optical applications, the quality of the light source is poor and the beam is inherently spatially partially-coherent. For this broad class of systems, wave dynamics depends not only on the wave intensity, but also on its distribution of spatial frequencies. Unfortunately, this entire spectrum of problems has often been overlooked - for reasons of theoretical ease or experimental difficulties. Here, we remedy this by demonstrating a novel experimental setup which, for the first time, allows arbitrarily modulation of the spatial spectra of light to obtain any distribution of interest. Using modulation instability as an example, we isolate the effect of different spectral shapes and observe distinct beam dynamics. Next, we turn to a thermodynamic description of the long-term evolution of statistical fields. For quantum systems, a major consequence is Bose-Einstein Condensation. However, recent theoretical studies have suggested that quantum mechanics is not necessary for the condensation process: classical waves with random phases can also self-organize into a coherent state. Starting from a random ensemble, nonlinear interactions can lead to a turbulent energy cascade towards longer spatial scales. In complete analogy with the kinetics of a gas system, there is a statistical dynamics of waves in which particle velocities map to wavepacket k-vectors while collisions are mimicked by four-wave mixing. As with collisions, each wave interaction is formally reversible, yet entropy principles mandate that the ensemble evolves towards an equilibrium state of maximum disorder. The result is an equipartition of energy, in the form of a Rayleigh-Jeans spectrum, with information about the condensation process recorded in small-scale fluctuations. Here, we give the first experimental observation of the condensation of classical waves in any media. Using classical light in a self-defocusing photorefractive, we observe all aspects of the condensation process, including the population of a coherent state, spectral redistribution towards the Rayleigh-Jeans spectrum, and formal reversibility of the interactions. The latter is proved experimentally by introducing a digital "Maxwell's Demon" to reverse (phase-conjugate) the momentum of each wavepacket and recover the original "thermal cloud". The results integrate digital and physical methods of nonlinear processing, confirm fundamental ideas in wave turbulence, and greatly extend the range of Bose-Einstein theory.

  16. Day and night: diurnal phase influences the response to chronic mild stress

    PubMed Central

    Aslani, Shilan; Harb, Mazen R.; Costa, Patricio S.; Almeida, Osborne F. X.; Sousa, Nuno; Palha, Joana A.

    2014-01-01

    Chronic mild stress (CMS) protocols are widely used to create animal models of depression. Despite this, the inconsistencies in the reported effects may be indicative of crucial differences in methodology. Here, we considered the time of the diurnal cycle in which stressors are applied as a possible relevant temporal variable underlying the association between stress and behavior. Most laboratories test behavior during the light phase of the diurnal cycle, which corresponds to the animal's resting period. Here, rats stressed either in their resting (light phase) or active (dark phase) periods were behaviorally characterized in the light phase. When exposure to CMS occurred during the light phase of the day cycle, rats displayed signs of depressive and anxiety-related behaviors. This phenotype was not observed when CMS was applied during the dark (active) period. Interestingly, although no differences in spatial and reference memory were detected (Morris water maze) in animals in either stress period, those stressed in the light phase showed marked impairments in the probe test. These animals also showed significant dendritic atrophy in the hippocampal dentate granule neurons, with a decrease in the number of spines. Taken together, the observations reported demonstrate that the time in which stress is applied has differential effects on behavioral and neurostructural phenotypes. PMID:24672446

  17. Electrically and spatially controllable PDLC phase gratings for diffraction and modulation of laser beams

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

    Hadjichristov, Georgi B., E-mail: georgibh@issp.bas.bg; Marinov, Yordan G.; Petrov, Alexander G.

    2016-03-25

    We present a study on electrically- and spatially-controllable laser beam diffraction, electrooptic (EO) phase modulation, as well as amplitude-frequency EO modulation by single-layer microscale polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) phase gratings (PDLC SLPGs) of interest for device applications. PDLC SLPGs were produced from nematic liquid crystal (LC) E7 in photo-curable NOA65 polymer. The wedge-formed PDLC SLPGs have a continuously variable thickness (2–25 µm). They contain LC droplets of diameters twice as the layer thickness, with a linear-gradient size distribution along the wedge. By applying alternating-current (AC) electric field, the PDLC SLPGs produce efficient: (i) diffraction splitting of transmitted laser beams; (ii)more » spatial redistribution of diffracted light intensity; (iii) optical phase modulation; (iv) amplitude-frequency modulation, all controllable by the driven AC field and the droplet size gradient.« less

  18. Limitation of Liquid Crystal on Silicon Spatial Light Modular for Holographic Three-dimensional Displays

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Xinghua; Wang, Bin; Bos, Philip J.; Anderson, James E.; Kujawinska, Malgorzata; Pouch, John; Miranda, Feliz

    2004-01-01

    In a 3-D display system based on an opto-electronic reconstruction of a digitally recorded hologram, the field of view of such a system is limited by the spatial resolution of the liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) spatial light modular (SLM) used to perform the opto-electronic reconstruction. In this article, the special resolution limitation of LCOS SLM associated with the fringe field effect and interpixel coupling is determined by the liquid crystal detector simulation and the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulation. The diffraction efficiency loss associated with the imperfection in the phase profile is studied with an example of opto-electronic reconstruction of an amplitude object. A high spatial resolution LCOS SLM with a wide reconstruction angle is proposed.

  19. Cross-Phase Modulation: A New Technique for Controlling the Spectral, Temporal, and Spatial Properties of Ultrashort Pulses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baldeck, P. L.; Ho, P. P.; Alfano, Robert R.

    Self-phase modulation (SPM) is the principal mechanism responsible for the generation of picosecond and femtosecond white-light supercontinua. When an intense ultrashort pulse progagates through a medium, it distorts the atomic configuration of the material, which changes the refractive index. The pulse phase is time modulated, which causes the generation of new frequencies. This phase modulation originates from the pulse itself (self-phase modulation). It can also be generated by a copropagating pulse (cross-phase modulation).

  20. The formation of quantum images and their transformation and super-resolution reading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balakin, D. A.; Belinsky, A. V.

    2016-05-01

    Images formed by light with suppressed photon fluctuations are interesting objects for studies with the aim of increasing their limiting information capacity and quality. This light in the sub-Poisson state can be prepared in a resonator filled with a medium with Kerr nonlinearity, in which self-phase modulation takes place. Spatially and temporally multimode light beams are studied and the production of spatial frequency spectra of suppressed photon fluctuations is described. The efficient operation regimes of the system are found. A particular schematic solution is described, which allows one to realize the potential possibilities laid in the formation of the squeezed states of light to a maximum degree during self-phase modulation in a resonator for the maximal suppression of amplitude quantum noises upon two-dimensional imaging. The efficiency of using light with suppressed quantum fluctuations for computer image processing is studied. An algorithm is described for interpreting measurements for increasing the resolution with respect to the geometrical resolution. A mathematical model that characterizes the measurement scheme is constructed and the problem of the image reconstruction is solved. The algorithm for the interpretation of images is verified. Conditions are found for the efficient application of sub-Poisson light for super-resolution imaging. It is found that the image should have a low contrast and be maximally transparent.

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

    Balakin, D. A.; Belinsky, A. V., E-mail: belinsky@inbox.ru

    Images formed by light with suppressed photon fluctuations are interesting objects for studies with the aim of increasing their limiting information capacity and quality. This light in the sub-Poisson state can be prepared in a resonator filled with a medium with Kerr nonlinearity, in which self-phase modulation takes place. Spatially and temporally multimode light beams are studied and the production of spatial frequency spectra of suppressed photon fluctuations is described. The efficient operation regimes of the system are found. A particular schematic solution is described, which allows one to realize the potential possibilities laid in the formation of the squeezedmore » states of light to a maximum degree during self-phase modulation in a resonator for the maximal suppression of amplitude quantum noises upon two-dimensional imaging. The efficiency of using light with suppressed quantum fluctuations for computer image processing is studied. An algorithm is described for interpreting measurements for increasing the resolution with respect to the geometrical resolution. A mathematical model that characterizes the measurement scheme is constructed and the problem of the image reconstruction is solved. The algorithm for the interpretation of images is verified. Conditions are found for the efficient application of sub-Poisson light for super-resolution imaging. It is found that the image should have a low contrast and be maximally transparent.« less

  2. Digital micromirror device as amplitude diffuser for multiple-plane phase retrieval

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abregana, Timothy Joseph T.; Hermosa, Nathaniel P.; Almoro, Percival F.

    2017-06-01

    Previous implementations of the phase diffuser used in the multiple-plane phase retrieval method included a diffuser glass plate with fixed optical properties or a programmable yet expensive spatial light modulator. Here a model for phase retrieval based on a digital micromirror device as amplitude diffuser is presented. The technique offers programmable, convenient and low-cost amplitude diffuser for a non-stagnating iterative phase retrieval. The technique is demonstrated in the reconstructions of smooth object wavefronts.

  3. Adaptive spatial filtering using photochromic glass

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Potton, R. J.

    1999-12-01

    Commercially available photochromic glasses exhibit a wide range of spectral sensitivities and darkening response times. Short wavelengths are more effective than long ones for causing darkening but at least one type of glass is effectively darkened by red light (icons/Journals/Common/lambda" ALT="lambda" ALIGN="TOP"/> = 633 nm) with an intensity of about 1 kW m-2. Used as adaptive spatial filters, these glasses attenuate a wavefront by an amount that depends on their recent exposure to light. One type of optical processing that can be performed with such filters is drift nulling in an interferometer excited by light of a wavelength within the sensitivity spectrum of the photochrome. This form of processing has been demonstrated by dithering the speckle pattern in a single-fibre multimode interferometer. The dither allows phase-sensitive detection techniques to be used in the detection of signal-induced phase variations in a frequency band extending from the inverse response time of the photochrome to the dither frequency.

  4. Optical beam forming techniques for phased array antennas

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, Te-Kao; Chandler, C.

    1993-01-01

    Conventional phased array antennas using waveguide or coax for signal distribution are impractical for large scale implementation on satellites or spacecraft because they exhibit prohibitively large system size, heavy weight, high attenuation loss, limited bandwidth, sensitivity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) temperature drifts and phase instability. However, optical beam forming systems are smaller, lighter, and more flexible. Three optical beam forming techniques are identified as applicable to large spaceborne phased array antennas. They are (1) the optical fiber replacement of conventional RF phased array distribution and control components, (2) spatial beam forming, and (3) optical beam splitting with integrated quasi-optical components. The optical fiber replacement and the spatial beam forming approaches were pursued by many organizations. Two new optical beam forming architectures are presented. Both architectures involve monolithic integration of the antenna radiating elements with quasi-optical grid detector arrays. The advantages of the grid detector array in the optical process are the higher power handling capability and the dynamic range. One architecture involves a modified version of the original spatial beam forming approach. The basic difference is the spatial light modulator (SLM) device for controlling the aperture field distribution. The original liquid crystal light valve SLM is replaced by an optical shuffling SLM, which was demonstrated for the 'smart pixel' technology. The advantages are the capability of generating the agile beams of a phased array antenna and to provide simultaneous transmit and receive functions. The second architecture considered is the optical beam splitting approach. This architecture involves an alternative amplitude control for each antenna element with an optical beam power divider comprised of mirrors and beam splitters. It also implements the quasi-optical grid phase shifter for phase control and grid amplifier for RF power. The advantages are no SLM is required for this approach, and the complete antenna system is capable of full monolithic integration.

  5. Efficient image projection by Fourier electroholography.

    PubMed

    Makowski, Michał; Ducin, Izabela; Kakarenko, Karol; Kolodziejczyk, Andrzej; Siemion, Agnieszka; Siemion, Andrzej; Suszek, Jaroslaw; Sypek, Maciej; Wojnowski, Dariusz

    2011-08-15

    An improved efficient projection of color images is presented. It uses a phase spatial light modulator with three iteratively optimized Fourier holograms displayed simultaneously--each for one primary color. This spatial division instead of time division provides stable images. A pixelated structure of the modulator and fluctuations of liquid crystal molecules cause a zeroth-order peak, eliminated by additional wavelength-dependent phase factors shifting it before the image plane, where it is blocked with a matched filter. Speckles are suppressed by time integration of variable speckle patterns generated by additional randomizations of an initial phase and minor changes of the signal. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  6. Measurements of cross-sectional instantaneous phase distribution in gas-liquid pipe flow

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

    Roitberg, E.; Shemer, L.; Barnea, D.

    Two novel complementing methods that enable experimental study of gas and liquid phases distribution in two-phase pipe flow are considered. The first measuring technique uses a wire-mesh sensor that, in addition to providing data on instantaneous phase distribution in the pipe cross-section, also allows measuring instantaneous propagation velocities of the phase interface. A novel algorithm for processing the wire-mesh sensor data is suggested to determine the instantaneous boundaries of gas-liquid interface. The second method applied here takes advantage of the existence of sharp visible boundaries between the two phases. This optical instrument is based on a borescope that is connectedmore » to a digital video camera. Laser light sheet illumination makes it possible to obtain images in the illuminated pipe cross-section only. It is demonstrated that the wire-mesh-derived results based on application of the new algorithm improve the effective spatial resolution of the instrument and are in agreement with those obtained using the borescope. Advantages and limitations of both measuring techniques for the investigations of cross-sectional instantaneous phase distribution in two-phase pipe flows are discussed. (author)« less

  7. Digital polarization holography advancing geometrical phase optics.

    PubMed

    De Sio, Luciano; Roberts, David E; Liao, Zhi; Nersisyan, Sarik; Uskova, Olena; Wickboldt, Lloyd; Tabiryan, Nelson; Steeves, Diane M; Kimball, Brian R

    2016-08-08

    Geometrical phase or the fourth generation (4G) optics enables realization of optical components (lenses, prisms, gratings, spiral phase plates, etc.) by patterning the optical axis orientation in the plane of thin anisotropic films. Such components exhibit near 100% diffraction efficiency over a broadband of wavelengths. The films are obtained by coating liquid crystalline (LC) materials over substrates with patterned alignment conditions. Photo-anisotropic materials are used for producing desired alignment conditions at the substrate surface. We present and discuss here an opportunity of producing the widest variety of "free-form" 4G optical components with arbitrary spatial patterns of the optical anisotropy axis orientation with the aid of a digital spatial light polarization converter (DSLPC). The DSLPC is based on a reflective, high resolution spatial light modulator (SLM) combined with an "ad hoc" optical setup. The most attractive feature of the use of a DSLPC for photoalignment of nanometer thin photo-anisotropic coatings is that the orientation of the alignment layer, and therefore of the fabricated LC or LC polymer (LCP) components can be specified on a pixel-by-pixel basis with high spatial resolution. By varying the optical magnification or de-magnification the spatial resolution of the photoaligned layer can be adjusted to an optimum for each application. With a simple "click" it is possible to record different optical components as well as arbitrary patterns ranging from lenses to invisible labels and other transparent labels that reveal different images depending on the side from which they are viewed.

  8. Probing metamaterials with structured light

    DOE PAGES

    Xu, Yun; Sun, Jingbo; Walasik, Wiktor; ...

    2016-11-03

    Photonic metamaterials and metasurfaces are nanostructured optical materials engineered to enable properties that have not been found in nature. Optical characterization of these structures is a challenging task. We report a reliable technique that is particularly useful for characterization of phase properties introduced by small and spatially inhomogeneous samples of metamaterials and metasurfaces. The proposed structured light, or vortex based interferometric method is used to directly visualize phase changes introduced by subwavelength-thick nanostructures. In order to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed technique, we designed and fabricated several metasurface samples consisting of metal nano-antennas introducing different phase shifts and experimentallymore » measured phase shifts of the transmitted light. The experimental results are in good agreement with numerical simulations and with the designed properties of the antenna arrays. Finally, due to the presence of the singularity in the vortex beam, one of the potential applications of the proposed approach based on structured light is step-by-step probing of small fractions of the micro-scale samples or images.« less

  9. A coronagraph based on two spatial light modulators for active amplitude apodizing and phase corrections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dou, Jiangpei; Ren, Deqing; Zhang, Xi; Zhu, Yongtian; Zhao, Gang; Wu, Zhen; Chen, Rui; Liu, Chengchao; Yang, Feng; Yang, Chao

    2014-08-01

    Almost all high-contrast imaging coronagraphs proposed until now are based on passive coronagraph optical components. Recently, Ren and Zhu proposed for the first time a coronagraph that integrates a liquid crystal array (LCA) for the active pupil apodizing and a deformable mirror (DM) for the phase corrections. Here, for demonstration purpose, we present the initial test result of a coronagraphic system that is based on two liquid crystal spatial light modulators (SLM). In the system, one SLM is served as active pupil apodizing and amplitude correction to suppress the diffraction light; another SLM is used to correct the speckle noise that is caused by the wave-front distortions. In this way, both amplitude and phase error can be actively and efficiently compensated. In the test, we use the stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm to control two SLMs, which is based on the point spread function (PSF) sensing and evaluation and optimized for a maximum contrast in the discovery area. Finally, it has demonstrated a contrast of 10-6 at an inner working angular distance of ~6.2 λ/D, which is a promising technique to be used for the direct imaging of young exoplanets on ground-based telescopes.

  10. High-accuracy 3D measurement system based on multi-view and structured light

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Mingyue; Weng, Dongdong; Li, Yufeng; Zhang, Longbin; Zhou, Haiyun

    2013-12-01

    3D surface reconstruction is one of the most important topics in Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR). Using structured light is a simple and rapid method to reconstruct the objects. In order to improve the precision of 3D reconstruction, we present a high-accuracy multi-view 3D measurement system based on Gray-code and Phase-shift. We use a camera and a light projector that casts structured light patterns on the objects. In this system, we use only one camera to take photos on the left and right sides of the object respectively. In addition, we use VisualSFM to process the relationships between each perspective, so the camera calibration can be omitted and the positions to place the camera are no longer limited. We also set appropriate exposure time to make the scenes covered by gray-code patterns more recognizable. All of the points above make the reconstruction more precise. We took experiments on different kinds of objects, and a large number of experimental results verify the feasibility and high accuracy of the system.

  11. Canceling the momentum in a phase-shifting algorithm to eliminate spatially uniform errors.

    PubMed

    Hibino, Kenichi; Kim, Yangjin

    2016-08-10

    In phase-shifting interferometry, phase modulation nonlinearity causes both spatially uniform and nonuniform errors in the measured phase. Conventional linear-detuning error-compensating algorithms only eliminate the spatially variable error component. The uniform error is proportional to the inertial momentum of the data-sampling weight of a phase-shifting algorithm. This paper proposes a design approach to cancel the momentum by using characteristic polynomials in the Z-transform space and shows that an arbitrary M-frame algorithm can be modified to a new (M+2)-frame algorithm that acquires new symmetry to eliminate the uniform error.

  12. Projecting light beams with 3D waveguide arrays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crespi, Andrea; Bragheri, Francesca

    2017-01-01

    Free-space light beams with complex intensity patterns, or non-trivial phase structure, are demanded in diverse fields, ranging from classical and quantum optical communications, to manipulation and imaging of microparticles and cells. Static or dynamic spatial light modulators, acting on the phase or intensity of an incoming light wave, are the conventional choices to produce beams with such non-trivial characteristics. However, interfacing these devices with optical fibers or integrated optical circuits often requires difficult alignment or cumbersome optical setups. Here we explore theoretically and with numerical simulations the potentialities of directly using the output of engineered three-dimensional waveguide arrays, illuminated with linearly polarized light, to project light beams with peculiar structures. We investigate through a collection of illustrative configurations the far field distribution, showing the possibility to achieve orbital angular momentum, or to produce elaborate intensity or phase patterns with several singularity points. We also simulate the propagation of the projected beam, showing the possibility to concentrate light. We note that these devices should be at reach of current technology, thus perspectives are open for the generation of complex free-space optical beams from integrated waveguide circuits.

  13. System for obtaining smooth laser beams where intensity variations are reduced by spectral dispersion of the laser light (SSD)

    DOEpatents

    Skupsky, S.; Kessler, T.J.; Short, R.W.; Craxton, S.; Letzring, S.A.; Soures, J.

    1991-09-10

    In an SSD (smoothing by spectral dispersion) system which reduces the time-averaged spatial variations in intensity of the laser light to provide uniform illumination of a laser fusion target, an electro-optic phase modulator through which a laser beam passes produces a broadband output beam by imposing a frequency modulated bandwidth on the laser beam. A grating provides spatial and angular spectral dispersion of the beam. Due to the phase modulation, the frequencies (''colors'') cycle across the beam. The dispersed beam may be amplified and frequency converted (e.g., tripled) in a plurality of beam lines. A distributed phase plate (DPP) in each line is irradiated by the spectrally dispersed beam and the beam is focused on the target where a smooth (uniform intensity) pattern is produced. The color cycling enhances smoothing and the use of a frequency modulated laser pulse prevents the formation of high intensity spikes which could damage the laser medium in the power amplifiers. 8 figures.

  14. System for obtaining smooth laser beams where intensity variations are reduced by spectral dispersion of the laser light (SSD)

    DOEpatents

    Skupsky, Stanley; Kessler, Terrance J.; Short, Robert W.; Craxton, Stephen; Letzring, Samuel A.; Soures, John

    1991-01-01

    In an SSD (smoothing by spectral dispersion) system which reduces the time-averaged spatial variations in intensity of the laser light to provide uniform illumination of a laser fusion target, an electro-optic phase modulator through which a laser beam passes produces a broadband output beam by imposing a frequency modulated bandwidth on the laser beam. A grating provides spatial and angular spectral dispersion of the beam. Due to the phase modulation, the frequencies ("colors") cycle across the beam. The dispersed beam may be amplified and frequency converted (e.g., tripled) in a plurality of beam lines. A distributed phase plate (DPP) in each line is irradiated by the spectrally dispersed beam and the beam is focused on the target where a smooth (uniform intensity) pattern is produced. The color cycling enhances smoothing and the use of a frequency modulated laser pulse prevents the formation of high intensity spikes which could damage the laser medium in the power amplifiers.

  15. Rats fed only during the light period are resistant to stress-induced weight loss.

    PubMed

    Harris, Ruth B S; Zhou, Jun; Mitchell, Tiffany; Hebert, Sadie; Ryan, Donna H

    2002-08-01

    Repeated restraint stress (3 h/day for 3 days) causes a chronic down-regulation of body weight in rats. This study determined whether weight loss was influenced by the time of day that rats had access to food or that stress was applied. Groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a 40% kcal fat diet with food given ad libitum, only during the light phase or only during the dark phase. After 2 weeks of adaptation, rats within each feeding treatment were divided into four groups. One was exposed to repeated restraint at the start of the light phase, another was restrained at the start of the dark phase and the remaining groups were nonstressed controls for restrained rats. Body weight was significantly reduced in ad libitum- and dark-fed restrained rats, compared with nonstressed controls, from Day 2 of restraint, regardless of the time of day that they were stressed. There was no significant effect of restraint on weight change of light-fed rats. Food intake was inhibited by stress in ad libitum- and dark-fed rats, but it was not changed in light-fed rats. Serum corticosterone was increased by restraint in all rats irrespective of feeding schedule. This study demonstrates that stress-induced weight loss only occurs when rats have food available during their normal feeding period (dark phase) and is not determined by increased corticosterone release.

  16. Wavefront sensor-driven variable-geometry pupil for ground-based aperture synthesis imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tyler, David W.

    2000-07-01

    I describe a variable-geometry pupil (VGP) to increase image resolution for ground-based near-IR and optical imaging. In this scheme, a curvature-type wavefront sensor provides an estimate of the wavefront curvature to the controller of a high-resolution spatial light modulator (SLM) or micro- electromechanical (MEM) mirror, positioned at an image of the telescope pupil. This optical element, the VGP, passes or reflects the incident beam only where the wavefront phase is sufficiently smooth, viz., where the curvature is sufficiently low. Using a computer simulation, I show the VGP can sharpen and smooth the long-exposure PSF and increase the OTF SNR for tilt-only and low-order AO systems, allowing higher resolution and more stable deconvolution with dimmer AO guidestars.

  17. Spin-orbit optical cross-phase-modulation

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

    Brasselet, Etienne

    2010-12-15

    We show experimentally that optical phase singularities (PSs) can be written and erased, locally and in a controllable manner, into a light beam using the giant Kerr optical nonlinearities of liquid crystals. The method relies on the nonlinear optical spin-orbit coupling experienced by a collimated probe beam when a collinear focused pump beam imprints a radial birefringent pattern into a nematic film. In addition, experimental data are quantitatively described, accounting for the elastic anisotropy of the material and its nonlocal spatial response to the pump light field. Since we show that the optical intensity of a light beam (the 'pump')more » controls the phase of another beam (the 'probe') in a singular fashion (i.e., with the generation of a screw PS) via their interaction in a nonlinear medium that involves spin-orbit coupling, we dubbed such a nonlinear optical process as spin-orbit optical cross-phase-modulation.« less

  18. Three-dimensional spatiotemporal focusing of holographic patterns

    PubMed Central

    Hernandez, Oscar; Papagiakoumou, Eirini; Tanese, Dimitrii; Fidelin, Kevin; Wyart, Claire; Emiliani, Valentina

    2016-01-01

    Two-photon excitation with temporally focused pulses can be combined with phase-modulation approaches, such as computer-generated holography and generalized phase contrast, to efficiently distribute light into two-dimensional, axially confined, user-defined shapes. Adding lens-phase modulations to 2D-phase holograms enables remote axial pattern displacement as well as simultaneous pattern generation in multiple distinct planes. However, the axial confinement linearly degrades with lateral shape area in previous reports where axially shifted holographic shapes were not temporally focused. Here we report an optical system using two spatial light modulators to independently control transverse- and axial-target light distribution. This approach enables simultaneous axial translation of single or multiple spatiotemporally focused patterns across the sample volume while achieving the axial confinement of temporal focusing. We use the system's capability to photoconvert tens of Kaede-expressing neurons with single-cell resolution in live zebrafish larvae. PMID:27306044

  19. Pattern recognition of electronic bit-sequences using a semiconductor mode-locked laser and spatial light modulators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhooplapur, Sharad; Akbulut, Mehmetkan; Quinlan, Franklyn; Delfyett, Peter J.

    2010-04-01

    A novel scheme for recognition of electronic bit-sequences is demonstrated. Two electronic bit-sequences that are to be compared are each mapped to a unique code from a set of Walsh-Hadamard codes. The codes are then encoded in parallel on the spectral phase of the frequency comb lines from a frequency-stabilized mode-locked semiconductor laser. Phase encoding is achieved by using two independent spatial light modulators based on liquid crystal arrays. Encoded pulses are compared using interferometric pulse detection and differential balanced photodetection. Orthogonal codes eight bits long are compared, and matched codes are successfully distinguished from mismatched codes with very low error rates, of around 10-18. This technique has potential for high-speed, high accuracy recognition of bit-sequences, with applications in keyword searches and internet protocol packet routing.

  20. Effects of pointing compared with naming and observing during encoding on item and source memory in young and older adults.

    PubMed

    Ouwehand, Kim; van Gog, Tamara; Paas, Fred

    2016-10-01

    Research showed that source memory functioning declines with ageing. Evidence suggests that encoding visual stimuli with manual pointing in addition to visual observation can have a positive effect on spatial memory compared with visual observation only. The present study investigated whether pointing at picture locations during encoding would lead to better spatial source memory than naming (Experiment 1) and visual observation only (Experiment 2) in young and older adults. Experiment 3 investigated whether response modality during the test phase would influence spatial source memory performance. Experiments 1 and 2 supported the hypothesis that pointing during encoding led to better source memory for picture locations than naming or observation only. Young adults outperformed older adults on the source memory but not the item memory task in both Experiments 1 and 2. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants manually responded in the test phase. Experiment 3 showed that if participants had to verbally respond in the test phase, the positive effect of pointing compared with naming during encoding disappeared. The results suggest that pointing at picture locations during encoding can enhance spatial source memory in both young and older adults, but only if the response modality is congruent in the test phase.

  1. Interleaved segment correction achieves higher improvement factors in using genetic algorithm to optimize light focusing through scattering media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Runze; Peng, Tong; Liang, Yansheng; Yang, Yanlong; Yao, Baoli; Yu, Xianghua; Min, Junwei; Lei, Ming; Yan, Shaohui; Zhang, Chunmin; Ye, Tong

    2017-10-01

    Focusing and imaging through scattering media has been proved possible with high resolution wavefront shaping. A completely scrambled scattering field can be corrected by applying a correction phase mask on a phase only spatial light modulator (SLM) and thereby the focusing quality can be improved. The correction phase is often found by global searching algorithms, among which Genetic Algorithm (GA) stands out for its parallel optimization process and high performance in noisy environment. However, the convergence of GA slows down gradually with the progression of optimization, causing the improvement factor of optimization to reach a plateau eventually. In this report, we propose an interleaved segment correction (ISC) method that can significantly boost the improvement factor with the same number of iterations comparing with the conventional all segment correction method. In the ISC method, all the phase segments are divided into a number of interleaved groups; GA optimization procedures are performed individually and sequentially among each group of segments. The final correction phase mask is formed by applying correction phases of all interleaved groups together on the SLM. The ISC method has been proved significantly useful in practice because of its ability to achieve better improvement factors when noise is present in the system. We have also demonstrated that the imaging quality is improved as better correction phases are found and applied on the SLM. Additionally, the ISC method lowers the demand of dynamic ranges of detection devices. The proposed method holds potential in applications, such as high-resolution imaging in deep tissue.

  2. Diffractive optics for combined spatial- and mode- division demultiplexing of optical vortices: design, fabrication and optical characterization.

    PubMed

    Ruffato, Gianluca; Massari, Michele; Romanato, Filippo

    2016-04-20

    During the last decade, the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light has attracted growing interest as a new degree of freedom for signal channel multiplexing in order to increase the information transmission capacity in today's optical networks. Here we present the design, fabrication and characterization of phase-only diffractive optical elements (DOE) performing mode-division (de)multiplexing (MDM) and spatial-division (de)multiplexing (SDM) at the same time. Samples have been fabricated with high-resolution electron-beam lithography patterning a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) resist layer spun over a glass substrate. Different DOE designs are presented for the sorting of optical vortices differing in either OAM content or beam size in the optical regime, with different steering geometries in far-field. These novel DOE designs appear promising for telecom applications both in free-space and in multi-core fibers propagation.

  3. Defect Engineering and Phase Junction Architecture of Wide-Bandgap ZnS for Conflicting Visible Light Activity in Photocatalytic H₂ Evolution.

    PubMed

    Fang, Zhibin; Weng, Sunxian; Ye, Xinxin; Feng, Wenhui; Zheng, Zuyang; Lu, Meiliang; Lin, Sen; Fu, Xianzhi; Liu, Ping

    2015-07-01

    ZnS is among the superior photocatalysts for H2 evolution, whereas the wide bandgap restricts its performance to only UV region. Herein, defect engineering and phase junction architecture from a controllable phase transformation enable ZnS to achieve the conflicting visible-light-driven activities for H2 evolution. On the basis of first-principle density functional theory calculations, electron spin resonance and photoluminescence results, etc., it is initially proposed that the regulated sulfur vacancies in wurtzite phase of ZnS play the key role of photosensitization units for charge generation in visible light and active sites for effective electron utilization. The symbiotic sphalerite-wurtzite phase junctions that dominate the charge-transfer kinetics for photoexciton separation are the indispensable configuration in the present systems. Neither ZnS samples without phase junction nor those without enough sulfur vacancies conduct visible-light photocatalytic H2 evolution, while the one with optimized phase junctions and maximum sulfur vacancies shows considerable photocatalytic activity. This work will not only contribute to the realization of visible light photocatalysis for wide-bandgap semiconductors but also broaden the vision on the design of highly efficient transition metal sulfide photocatalysts.

  4. Signature of phase singularities in diffusive regimes in disordered waveguide lattices: interplay and qualitative analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghosh, Somnath

    2018-05-01

    Co-existence and interplay between mesoscopic light dynamics with singular optics in spatially random but temporally coherent disordered waveguide lattices is reported. Two CW light beams of 1.55 micron operating wavelength are launched as inputs to 1D waveguide lattices with controllable weak disorder in refractive index profile. Direct observation of phase singularities in the speckle pattern along the length is numerically demonstrated. Quantitative analysis of onset of such singular behavior and diffusive wave propagation is analyzed for the first time.

  5. PHYSICAL EFFECTS OCCURRING DURING GENERATION AND AMPLIFICATION OF LASER RADIATION: Spatial phase fluctuations of the fundamental laser mode caused by spontaneous emission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belinskiĭ, A. V.; Chirkin, Anatolii S.

    1989-02-01

    A calculation is reported of the degree of spatial coherence of the fundamental radiation mode subject to phase fluctuations in space. It is shown that the degree of spatial coherence (within the beam width) is perturbed only slightly by these fluctuations, compared with subthreshold excitation of higher transverse modes.

  6. The Interior Analysis and 3-D Reconstruction of Internally-Mixed Light-Absorbing Atmospheric Particles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Conny, J. M.; Collins, S. M.; Anderson, I.; Herzing, A.

    2010-12-01

    Carbon-containing atmospheric particles may either absorb solar or outgoing long-wave radiation or scatter solar radiation, and thus, affect Earth’s radiative balance in multiple ways. Light-absorbing carbon that is common in urban air particles such as industrial coke dust, road dust, and diesel soot, often exists in the same particle with other phases that contain, for example, aluminum, calcium, iron, and sulfur. While the optical properties of atmospheric particles in general depend on overall particle size and shape, the inhomogeneity of chemical phases within internally-mixed particles may also greatly affect particle optical properties. In this study, a series of microscopic approaches were used to identify individual light-absorbing coarse-mode particles and to assess their interior structure and composition. Particle samples were collected in 2004 from one of the U.S. EPA’s Los Angeles Particulate Matter Supersites, and were likely affected substantially by road dust and construction dust. First, bright-field and dark-field light microscopy and computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to distinguish predominantly light-absorbing carbonaceous particles from other particle types such as mineral dust, sea salt, and brake wear. Second, high-resolution SEM-EDX elemental mapping of individual carbonaceous particles was used to select particles with additional elemental phases that exhibited spatial inhomogeneity. Third, focused ion-beam SEM (FIB-SEM) with EDX was used to slice through selected particles to expose interior surfaces and to determine the spatial distribution of element phases throughout the particles. Fourth, study of the interior phases of a particle was augmented by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of a thin section of the particle prepared by FIB-SEM. Here, electron energy loss spectroscopy with TEM was used to study chemical bonding in the carbonaceous phase. Finally, automated serial slicing and imaging in the FIB-SEM generated a stack of secondary electron images of the particles’ interior surfaces that allowed for the 3-D reconstruction of the particles, a process known as FIB tomography. Interior surface of light-absorbing carbonaceous particle from FIB-SEM analysis.

  7. Analytical treatment of self-phase-modulation beyond the slowly varying envelope approximation

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

    Syrchin, M.S.; Zheltikov, A.M.; International Laser Center, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119899 Moscow

    Analytical treatment of the self-phase-modulation of an ultrashort light pulse is extended beyond the slowly varying envelope approximation. The resulting wave equation is modified to include corrections to self-phase-modulation due to higher-order spatial and temporal derivatives. Analytical solutions are found in the limiting regimes of high nonlinearities and very short pulses. Our results reveal features that can significantly impact both pulse shape and the evolution of the phase.

  8. A polarization-independent liquid crystal phase modulation using polymer-network liquid crystals in a 90° twisted cell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Yi-Hsin; Chen, Ming-Syuan; Lin, Wei-Chih; Tsou, Yu-Shih

    2012-07-01

    A polarization-independent liquid crystal phase modulation using polymer-network liquid crystals in a 90° twisted cell (T-PNLC) is demonstrated. T-PNLC consists of three layers. Liquid crystal (LC) directors in the two layers near glass substrates are orthogonal to each other and those two layers modulate two eigen-polarizations of an incident light. As a result, two eigen-polarizations of an incident light experience the same phase shift. In the middle layer, LC directors are perpendicular to the glass substrate and contribute no phase shift. The phase shift of T-PNLC is electrically tunable and polarization-independent. T-PNLC does not require any bias voltage for operation. The phase shift is 0.28 π rad for the voltage of 30 Vrms. By measuring and analyzing the optical phase shift of T-PNLC at the oblique incidence of transverse magnetic wave, the pretilt angle of LC directors and the effective thickness of three layers are obtained and discussed. The potential applications are spatial light modulators, laser beam steering, and micro-lens arrays.

  9. PHASE QUANTIZATION STUDY OF SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR FOR EXTREME HIGH-CONTRAST IMAGING

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

    Dou, Jiangpei; Ren, Deqing, E-mail: jpdou@niaot.ac.cn, E-mail: jiangpeidou@gmail.com

    2016-11-20

    Direct imaging of exoplanets by reflected starlight is extremely challenging due to the large luminosity ratio to the primary star. Wave-front control is a critical technique to attenuate the speckle noise in order to achieve an extremely high contrast. We present a phase quantization study of a spatial light modulator (SLM) for wave-front control to meet the contrast requirement of detection of a terrestrial planet in the habitable zone of a solar-type star. We perform the numerical simulation by employing the SLM with different phase accuracy and actuator numbers, which are related to the achievable contrast. We use an optimizationmore » algorithm to solve the quantization problems that is matched to the controllable phase step of the SLM. Two optical configurations are discussed with the SLM located before and after the coronagraph focal plane mask. The simulation result has constrained the specification for SLM phase accuracy in the above two optical configurations, which gives us a phase accuracy of 0.4/1000 and 1/1000 waves to achieve a contrast of 10{sup -10}. Finally, we have demonstrated that an SLM with more actuators can deliver a competitive contrast performance on the order of 10{sup -10} in comparison to that by using a deformable mirror.« less

  10. Phase Quantization Study of Spatial Light Modulator for Extreme High-contrast Imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dou, Jiangpei; Ren, Deqing

    2016-11-01

    Direct imaging of exoplanets by reflected starlight is extremely challenging due to the large luminosity ratio to the primary star. Wave-front control is a critical technique to attenuate the speckle noise in order to achieve an extremely high contrast. We present a phase quantization study of a spatial light modulator (SLM) for wave-front control to meet the contrast requirement of detection of a terrestrial planet in the habitable zone of a solar-type star. We perform the numerical simulation by employing the SLM with different phase accuracy and actuator numbers, which are related to the achievable contrast. We use an optimization algorithm to solve the quantization problems that is matched to the controllable phase step of the SLM. Two optical configurations are discussed with the SLM located before and after the coronagraph focal plane mask. The simulation result has constrained the specification for SLM phase accuracy in the above two optical configurations, which gives us a phase accuracy of 0.4/1000 and 1/1000 waves to achieve a contrast of 10-10. Finally, we have demonstrated that an SLM with more actuators can deliver a competitive contrast performance on the order of 10-10 in comparison to that by using a deformable mirror.

  11. Quantum spatial propagation of squeezed light in a degenerate parametric amplifier

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Deutsch, Ivan H.; Garrison, John C.

    1992-01-01

    Differential equations which describe the steady state spatial evolution of nonclassical light are established using standard quantum field theoretic techniques. A Schroedinger equation for the state vector of the optical field is derived using the quantum analog of the slowly varying envelope approximation (SVEA). The steady state solutions are those that satisfy the time independent Schroedinger equation. The resulting eigenvalue problem then leads to the spatial propagation equations. For the degenerate parametric amplifier this method shows that the squeezing parameter obey nonlinear differential equations coupled by the amplifier gain and phase mismatch. The solution to these differential equations is equivalent to one obtained from the classical three wave mixing steady state solution to the parametric amplifier with a nondepleted pump.

  12. Experimental observation of spatial quantum noise reduction below the standard quantum limit with bright twin beams of light

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Ashok; Nunley, Hayden; Marino, Alberto

    2016-05-01

    Quantum noise reduction (QNR) below the standard quantum limit (SQL) has been a subject of interest for the past two to three decades due to its wide range of applications in quantum metrology and quantum information processing. To date, most of the attention has focused on the study of QNR in the temporal domain. However, many areas in quantum optics, specifically in quantum imaging, could benefit from QNR not only in the temporal domain but also in the spatial domain. With the use of a high quantum efficiency electron multiplier charge coupled device (EMCCD) camera, we have observed spatial QNR below the SQL in bright narrowband twin light beams generated through a four-wave mixing (FWM) process in hot rubidium atoms. Owing to momentum conservation in this process, the twin beams are momentum correlated. This leads to spatial quantum correlations and spatial QNR. Our preliminary results show a spatial QNR of over 2 dB with respect to the SQL. Unlike previous results on spatial QNR with faint and broadband photon pairs from parametric down conversion (PDC), we demonstrate spatial QNR with spectrally and spatially narrowband bright light beams. The results obtained will be useful for atom light interaction based quantum protocols and quantum imaging. Work supported by the W.M. Keck Foundation.

  13. Phase separation in artificial vesicles driven by light and curvature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rinaldin, Melissa; Pomp, Wim; Schmidt, Thomas; Giomi, Luca; Kraft, Daniela; Physics of Life Processes Team; Soft; Bio Mechanics Collaboration; Self-Assembly in Soft Matter Systems Collaboration

    The role of phase-demixing in living cells, leading to the lipid-raft hypothesis, has been extensively studied. Lipid domains of higher lipid chain order are proposed to regulate protein spatial organization. Giant Unilamellar Vesicles provide an artificial model to study phase separation. So far temperature was used to initiate the process. Here we introduce a new methodology based on the induction of phase separation by light. To this aim, the composition of the lipid membrane is varied by photo-oxidation of lipids. The control of the process gained by using light allowed us to observe vesicle shape fluctuations during phase-demixing. The presence of fluctuations near the critical mixing point resembles features of a critical process. We quantitatively analyze these fluctuations using a 2d elastic model, from which we can estimate the material parameters such as bending rigidity and surface tension, demonstrating the non-equilibrium critical behaviour. Finally, I will describe recent attempts toward tuning the membrane composition by controlling the vesicle curvature.

  14. Optimal control of the population dynamics of the ground vibrational state of a polyatomic molecule

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Clercq, Ludwig E.; Botha, Lourens R.; Rohwer, Erich G.; Uys, Hermann; Du Plessis, Anton

    2011-03-01

    Simulating coherent control with femtosecond pulses on a polyatomic molecule with anharmonic splitting was demonstrated. The simulation mimicked pulse shaping of a Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) and the interaction was described with the Von Neumann equation. A transform limited pulse with a fluence of 600 J/m2 produced 18% of the population in an arbitrarily chosen upper vibrational state, n =2. Phase only and amplitude only shaped pulse produced optimum values of 60% and 40% respectively, of the population in the vibrational state, n=2, after interaction with the ultra short pulse. The combination of phase and amplitude shaping produced the best results, 80% of the population was in the targeted vibrational state, n=2, after interaction. These simulations were carried out with all the population initially in the ground vibrational level. It was found that even at room temperatures (300 Kelvin) that the population in the selected level is comparable with the case where all population is initially in the ground vibrational state. With a 10% noise added to the amplitude and phase masks, selective excitation of the targeted vibrational state is still possible.

  15. Enhanced photoelastic modulation in silica phononic crystal cavities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Ingi; Iwamoto, Satoshi; Arakawa, Yasuhiko

    2018-04-01

    The enhanced photoelastic modulation in quasi-one-dimensional (1D) phononic crystal (PnC) cavities made of fused silica is experimentally demonstrated. A confined acoustic wave in the cavity can induce a large birefringence through the photoelastic effect and enable larger optical modulation amplitude at the same acoustic power. We observe a phase retardation of ∼26 mrad of light passing through the cavity when the exciting acoustic frequency is tuned to the cavity mode resonance of ∼500 kHz at 2.5 V. In the present experiment, a 16-fold enhancement of retardation in the PnC cavity is demonstrated compared with that in a bar-shaped silica structure. Spatially resolved optical retardation measurement reveals that the large retardation is realized only around the cavity reflecting the localized nature of the acoustic cavity mode. The enhanced interactions between acoustic waves and light can be utilized to improve the performance of acousto-optic devices such as photoelastic modulators.

  16. Structured light generation by magnetic metamaterial half-wave plates at visible wavelength

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

    2017-12-01

    Metamaterial or metasurface unit cells functioning as half-wave plates play an essential role for realizing ideal Pancharatnam-Berry phase optical elements capable of tailoring light phase and polarization as desired. Complex light beam manipulation through these metamaterials or metasurfaces unveils new dimensions of light-matter interactions for many advances in diffraction engineering, beam shaping, structuring light, and holography. However, the realization of metamaterial or metasurface half-wave plates in visible spectrum range is still challenging mainly due to its specific requirements of strong phase anisotropy with amplitude isotropy in subwavelength scale. Here, we propose magnetic metamaterial structures which can simultaneously exploit the electric field and magnetic field of light for achieving the nanoscale half-wave plates at visible wavelength. We design and demonstrate the magnetic metamaterial half-wave plates in linear grating patterns with high polarization conversion purity in a deep subwavelength thickness. Then, we characterize the equivalent magnetic metamaterial half-wave plates in cylindrical coordinate as concentric-ring grating patterns, which act like an azimuthal half-wave plate and accordingly exhibit spatially inhomogeneous polarization and phase manipulations including spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion and vector beam generation. Our results show potentials for realizing on-chip beam converters, compact holograms, and many other metamaterial devices for structured light beam generation, polarization control, and wavefront manipulation.

  17. Aerial projection of three-dimensional motion pictures by electro-holography and parabolic mirrors.

    PubMed

    Kakue, Takashi; Nishitsuji, Takashi; Kawashima, Tetsuya; Suzuki, Keisuke; Shimobaba, Tomoyoshi; Ito, Tomoyoshi

    2015-07-08

    We demonstrate an aerial projection system for reconstructing 3D motion pictures based on holography. The system consists of an optical source, a spatial light modulator corresponding to a display and two parabolic mirrors. The spatial light modulator displays holograms calculated by computer and can reconstruct holographic motion pictures near the surface of the modulator. The two parabolic mirrors can project floating 3D images of the motion pictures formed by the spatial light modulator without mechanical scanning or rotating. In this demonstration, we used a phase-modulation-type spatial light modulator. The number of pixels and the pixel pitch of the modulator were 1,080 × 1,920 and 8.0 μm × 8.0 μm, respectively. The diameter, the height and the focal length of each parabolic mirror were 288 mm, 55 mm and 100 mm, respectively. We succeeded in aerially projecting 3D motion pictures of size ~2.5 mm(3) by this system constructed by the modulator and mirrors. In addition, by applying a fast computational algorithm for holograms, we achieved hologram calculations at ~12 ms per hologram with 4 CPU cores.

  18. Aerial projection of three-dimensional motion pictures by electro-holography and parabolic mirrors

    PubMed Central

    Kakue, Takashi; Nishitsuji, Takashi; Kawashima, Tetsuya; Suzuki, Keisuke; Shimobaba, Tomoyoshi; Ito, Tomoyoshi

    2015-01-01

    We demonstrate an aerial projection system for reconstructing 3D motion pictures based on holography. The system consists of an optical source, a spatial light modulator corresponding to a display and two parabolic mirrors. The spatial light modulator displays holograms calculated by computer and can reconstruct holographic motion pictures near the surface of the modulator. The two parabolic mirrors can project floating 3D images of the motion pictures formed by the spatial light modulator without mechanical scanning or rotating. In this demonstration, we used a phase-modulation-type spatial light modulator. The number of pixels and the pixel pitch of the modulator were 1,080 × 1,920 and 8.0 μm × 8.0 μm, respectively. The diameter, the height and the focal length of each parabolic mirror were 288 mm, 55 mm and 100 mm, respectively. We succeeded in aerially projecting 3D motion pictures of size ~2.5 mm3 by this system constructed by the modulator and mirrors. In addition, by applying a fast computational algorithm for holograms, we achieved hologram calculations at ~12 ms per hologram with 4 CPU cores. PMID:26152453

  19. Interferometric phase measurement techniques for coherent beam combining

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Antier, Marie; Bourderionnet, Jérôme; Larat, Christian; Lallier, Eric; Primot, Jérôme; Brignon, Arnaud

    2015-03-01

    Coherent beam combining of fiber amplifiers provides an attractive mean of reaching high power laser. In an interferometric phase measurement the beams issued for each fiber combined are imaged onto a sensor and interfere with a reference plane wave. This registration of interference patterns on a camera allows the measurement of the exact phase error of each fiber beam in a single shot. Therefore, this method is a promising candidate toward very large number of combined fibers. Based on this technique, several architectures can be proposed to coherently combine a high number of fibers. The first one based on digital holography transfers directly the image of the camera to spatial light modulator (SLM). The generated hologram is used to compensate the phase errors induced by the amplifiers. This architecture has therefore a collective phase measurement and correction. Unlike previous digital holography technique, the probe beams measuring the phase errors between the fibers are co-propagating with the phase-locked signal beams. This architecture is compatible with the use of multi-stage isolated amplifying fibers. In that case, only 20 pixels per fiber on the SLM are needed to obtain a residual phase shift error below λ/10rms. The second proposed architecture calculates the correction applied to each fiber channel by tracking the relative position of the interference finges. In this case, a phase modulator is placed on each channel. In that configuration, only 8 pixels per fiber on the camera is required for a stable close loop operation with a residual phase error of λ/20rms, which demonstrates the scalability of this concept.

  20. Experimental verification of multilevel spatial pattern generation from binary data page with four-step phase pattern (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barada, Daisuke; Yatagai, Toyohiko

    2016-09-01

    Holographic memory is expected for cold storage because of the features of huge data capacity, high data transfer rate, and long life time. In holographic memory, a signal beam is modulated by a spatial light modulator according to data pages. The recording density is dependent on information amount per pixel in a data page. However, a binary spatial light modulator is used to realize high data transfer rate in general. In our previous study, an optical conversion method from binary data to multilevel data has been proposed. In this paper, the principle of the method is experimentally verified. In the proposed method, a data page consists of symbols with 2x2 pixels and a four-step phase mask is used. Then, the complex amplitudes of four pixels in a symbol become positive real, positive imaginary, negative real, and negative imaginary values, respectively. A square pixel pattern is spread by spatial frequency filtering with a square aperture in a Fourier plane. When the aperture size is too small, the complex amplitude of four pixels in a symbol is superposed and a symbol is regarded as a pixel with a complex number. In this work, a data page pattern with a four-step phase pattern was generated by using a computer-generated circular polarization hologram (CGCPH). The CGCPH was prepared by electron beam lithography. The page data pattern is Fourier transformed by a lens and spatially filtered by a variable rectangular aperture. The complex amplitude of the spatial filtered data page pattern was measured by digital holography and the principle was experimentally verified.

  1. Distributed optical fiber vibration sensing using phase-generated carrier demodulation algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Zhihua; Zhang, Qi; Zhang, Mingyu; Dai, Haolong; Zhang, Jingjing; Liu, Li; Zhang, Lijun; Jin, Xing; Wang, Gaifang; Qi, Guang

    2018-05-01

    A novel optical fiber-distributed vibration-sensing system is proposed, which is based on self-interference of Rayleigh backscattering with phase-generated carrier (PGC) demodulation algorithm. Pulsed lights are sent into the sensing fiber and the Rayleigh backscattering light from a certain position along the sensing fiber would interfere through an unbalanced Michelson interferometry to generate the interference light. An improved PGC demodulation algorithm is carried out to recover the phase information of the interference signal, which carries the sensing information. Three vibration events were applied simultaneously to different positions over 2000 m sensing fiber and demodulated correctly. The spatial resolution is 10 m, and the noise level of the Φ-OTDR system we proposed is about 10-3 rad/\\surd {Hz}, and the signal-to-noise ratio is about 30.34 dB.

  2. Symmetric Phase-Only Filtering in Particle-Image Velocimetry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wemet, Mark P.

    2008-01-01

    Symmetrical phase-only filtering (SPOF) can be exploited to obtain substantial improvements in the results of data processing in particle-image velocimetry (PIV). In comparison with traditional PIV data processing, SPOF PIV data processing yields narrower and larger amplitude correlation peaks, thereby providing more-accurate velocity estimates. The higher signal-to-noise ratios associated with the higher amplitude correlation peaks afford greater robustness and reliability of processing. SPOF also affords superior performance in the presence of surface flare light and/or background light. SPOF algorithms can readily be incorporated into pre-existing algorithms used to process digitized image data in PIV, without significantly increasing processing times. A summary of PIV and traditional PIV data processing is prerequisite to a meaningful description of SPOF PIV processing. In PIV, a pulsed laser is used to illuminate a substantially planar region of a flowing fluid in which particles are entrained. An electronic camera records digital images of the particles at two instants of time. The components of velocity of the fluid in the illuminated plane can be obtained by determining the displacements of particles between the two illumination pulses. The objective in PIV data processing is to compute the particle displacements from the digital image data. In traditional PIV data processing, to which the present innovation applies, the two images are divided into a grid of subregions and the displacements determined from cross-correlations between the corresponding sub-regions in the first and second images. The cross-correlation process begins with the calculation of the Fourier transforms (or fast Fourier transforms) of the subregion portions of the images. The Fourier transforms from the corresponding subregions are multiplied, and this product is inverse Fourier transformed, yielding the cross-correlation intensity distribution. The average displacement of the particles across a subregion results in a displacement of the correlation peak from the center of the correlation plane. The velocity is then computed from the displacement of the correlation peak and the time between the recording of the two images. The process as described thus far is performed for all the subregions. The resulting set of velocities in grid cells amounts to a velocity vector map of the flow field recorded on the image plane. In traditional PIV processing, surface flare light and bright background light give rise to a large, broad correlation peak, at the center of the correlation plane, that can overwhelm the true particle- displacement correlation peak. This has made it necessary to resort to tedious image-masking and background-subtraction procedures to recover the relatively small amplitude particle-displacement correlation peak. SPOF is a variant of phase-only filtering (POF), which, in turn, is a variant of matched spatial filtering (MSF). In MSF, one projects a first image (denoted the input image) onto a second image (denoted the filter) as part of a computation to determine how much and what part of the filter is present in the input image. MSF is equivalent to cross-correlation. In POF, the frequency-domain content of the MSF filter is modified to produce a unitamplitude (phase-only) object. POF is implemented by normalizing the Fourier transform of the filter by its magnitude. The advantage of POFs is that they yield correlation peaks that are sharper and have higher signal-to-noise ratios than those obtained through traditional MSF. In the SPOF, these benefits of POF can be extended to PIV data processing. The SPOF yields even better performance than the POF approach, which is uniquely applicable to PIV type image data. In SPOF as now applied to PIV data processing, a subregion of the first image is treated as the input image and the corresponding subregion of the second image is treated as the filter. The Fourier transforms from both the firs and second- image subregions are normalized by the square roots of their respective magnitudes. This scheme yields optimal performance because the amounts of normalization applied to the spatial-frequency contents of the input and filter scenes are just enough to enhance their high-spatial-frequency contents while reducing their spurious low-spatial-frequency content. As a result, in SPOF PIV processing, particle-displacement correlation peaks can readily be detected above spurious background peaks, without need for masking or background subtraction.

  3. White light phase shifting interferometry and color fringe analysis for the detection of contaminants in water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubey, Vishesh; Singh, Veena; Ahmad, Azeem; Singh, Gyanendra; Mehta, Dalip Singh

    2016-03-01

    We report white light phase shifting interferometry in conjunction with color fringe analysis for the detection of contaminants in water such as Escherichia coli (E.coli), Campylobacter coli and Bacillus cereus. The experimental setup is based on a common path interferometer using Mirau interferometric objective lens. White light interferograms are recorded using a 3-chip color CCD camera based on prism technology. The 3-chip color camera have lesser color cross talk and better spatial resolution in comparison to single chip CCD camera. A piezo-electric transducer (PZT) phase shifter is fixed with the Mirau objective and they are attached with a conventional microscope. Five phase shifted white light interferograms are recorded by the 3-chip color CCD camera and each phase shifted interferogram is decomposed into the red, green and blue constituent colors, thus making three sets of five phase shifted intererograms for three different colors from a single set of white light interferogram. This makes the system less time consuming and have lesser effect due to surrounding environment. Initially 3D phase maps of the bacteria are reconstructed for red, green and blue wavelengths from these interferograms using MATLAB, from these phase maps we determines the refractive index (RI) of the bacteria. Experimental results of 3D shape measurement and RI at multiple wavelengths will be presented. These results might find applications for detection of contaminants in water without using any chemical processing and fluorescent dyes.

  4. Structure function monitor

    DOEpatents

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

    2012-01-24

    Methods and apparatus for a structure function monitor provide for generation of parameters characterizing a refractive medium. In an embodiment, a structure function monitor acquires images of a pupil plane and an image plane and, from these images, retrieves the phase over an aperture, unwraps the retrieved phase, and analyzes the unwrapped retrieved phase. In an embodiment, analysis yields atmospheric parameters measured at spatial scales from zero to the diameter of a telescope used to collect light from a source.

  5. Focal-plane electric field sensing with pupil-plane holograms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Por, Emiel H.; Keller, Christoph U.

    2016-07-01

    The direct detection and spectral characterization of exoplanets requires a coronagraph to suppress the diffracted star light. Amplitude and phase aberrations in the optical train fill the dark zone of the coronagraph with quasi-static speckles that limit the achievable contrast. Focal-plane electric field sensing, such as phase diversity introduced by a deformable mirror (DM), is a powerful tool to minimize this residual star light. The residual electric field can be estimated by sequentially applying phase probes on the DM to inject star light with a well-known amplitude and phase into the dark zone and analyzing the resulting intensity images. The DM can then be used to add light with the same amplitude but opposite phase to destructively interfere with this residual star light. Using a static phase-only pupil-plane element we create holographic copies of the point spread function (PSF), each superimposed with a certain pupil-plane phase probe. We therefore obtain all intensity images simultaneously while still retaining a central, unaltered science PSF. The electric field sensing method only makes use of the holographic copies, allowing for correction of the residual electric field while retaining the central PSF for uninterrupted science data collection. In this paper we demonstrate the feasibility of this method with numerical simulations.

  6. Pattern masking: the importance of remote spatial frequencies and their phase alignment.

    PubMed

    Huang, Pi-Chun; Maehara, Goro; May, Keith A; Hess, Robert F

    2012-02-16

    To assess the effects of spatial frequency and phase alignment of mask components in pattern masking, target threshold vs. mask contrast (TvC) functions for a sine-wave grating (S) target were measured for five types of mask: a sine-wave grating (S), a square-wave grating (Q), a missing fundamental square-wave grating (M), harmonic complexes consisting of phase-scrambled harmonics of a square wave (Qp), and harmonic complexes consisting of phase-scrambled harmonics of a missing fundamental square wave (Mp). Target and masks had the same fundamental frequency (0.46 cpd) and the target was added in phase with the fundamental frequency component of the mask. Under monocular viewing conditions, the strength of masking depends on phase relationships among mask spatial frequencies far removed from that of the target, at least 3 times the target frequency, only when there are common target and mask spatial frequencies. Under dichoptic viewing conditions, S and Q masks produced similar masking to each other and the phase-scrambled masks (Qp and Mp) produced less masking. The results suggest that pattern masking is spatial frequency broadband in nature and sensitive to the phase alignments of spatial components.

  7. Quantum Simulation of Spin Models on an Arbitrary Lattice with Trapped Ions (Open Access, Publisher’s Version)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-27

    onto a 2D array of N 2 micromirrors [33] that are each individually phase modulated at a single frequency (and phase) [34] and are finally focused on...beams that strike an N × N array of micromirrors each independently modulated, or a spatial light modulator. overhead to the design and fabrication of

  8. Multi-frequency metasurface carpet cloaks.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chan; Yang, Yihao; Liu, Qianghu; Liang, Dachuan; Zheng, Bin; Chen, Hongsheng; Xu, Zhiwei; Wang, Huaping

    2018-05-28

    Metasurfaces provide an alternative way to design three-dimensional arbitrary-shaped carpet cloaks with ultrathin thicknesses. Nevertheless, the previous metasurface carpet cloaks work only at a single frequency. To overcome this challenge, we here propose a macroscopic metasurface carpet cloak. The cloak is designed with a metasurface of a few layers that exhibit a special spatial distribution of the conductance and inductance in the unit cell; therefore, it can fully control the reflection phases at several independent frequencies simultaneously. Because of this, the present metasurface cloak can work at dual frequencies based on multi-resonance principle. The proposed design methodology will be very useful in future broadband macroscopic cloaks design with low profiles, light weights, and easy access.

  9. Signature of phase singularities in diffusive regimes in disordered waveguide lattices: interplay and qualitative analysis.

    PubMed

    Ghosh, Somnath

    2018-05-10

    Coexistence and interplay between mesoscopic light dynamics with singular optics in spatially disordered waveguide lattices are reported. Two CW light beams of a 1.55 μm operating wavelength are launched as inputs to 1D waveguide lattices with controllable weak disorder in a complex refractive index profile. Direct observation of phase singularities in the speckle pattern along the length is numerically demonstrated. Quantitative analysis of the onset of such singular behavior and diffusive wave propagation is analyzed for the first time, to the best of our knowledge.

  10. A novel algorithm for fast and efficient multifocus wavefront shaping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fayyaz, Zahra; Nasiriavanaki, Mohammadreza

    2018-02-01

    Wavefront shaping using spatial light modulator (SLM) is a popular method for focusing light through a turbid media, such as biological tissues. Usually, in iterative optimization methods, due to the very large number of pixels in SLM, larger pixels are formed, bins, and the phase value of the bins are changed to obtain an optimum phase map, hence a focus. In this study an efficient optimization algorithm is proposed to obtain an arbitrary map of focus utilizing all the SLM pixels or small bin sizes. The application of such methodology in dermatology, hair removal in particular, is explored and discussed

  11. Comparison of vision through surface modulated and spatial light modulated multifocal optics.

    PubMed

    Vinas, Maria; Dorronsoro, Carlos; Radhakrishnan, Aiswaryah; Benedi-Garcia, Clara; LaVilla, Edward Anthony; Schwiegerling, Jim; Marcos, Susana

    2017-04-01

    Spatial-light-modulators (SLM) are increasingly used as active elements in adaptive optics (AO) systems to simulate optical corrections, in particular multifocal presbyopic corrections. In this study, we compared vision with lathe-manufactured multi-zone (2-4) multifocal, angularly and radially, segmented surfaces and through the same corrections simulated with a SLM in a custom-developed two-active-element AO visual simulator. We found that perceived visual quality measured through real manufactured surfaces and SLM-simulated phase maps corresponded highly. Optical simulations predicted differences in perceived visual quality across different designs at Far distance, but showed some discrepancies at intermediate and near.

  12. Comparison of vision through surface modulated and spatial light modulated multifocal optics

    PubMed Central

    Vinas, Maria; Dorronsoro, Carlos; Radhakrishnan, Aiswaryah; Benedi-Garcia, Clara; LaVilla, Edward Anthony; Schwiegerling, Jim; Marcos, Susana

    2017-01-01

    Spatial-light-modulators (SLM) are increasingly used as active elements in adaptive optics (AO) systems to simulate optical corrections, in particular multifocal presbyopic corrections. In this study, we compared vision with lathe-manufactured multi-zone (2-4) multifocal, angularly and radially, segmented surfaces and through the same corrections simulated with a SLM in a custom-developed two-active-element AO visual simulator. We found that perceived visual quality measured through real manufactured surfaces and SLM-simulated phase maps corresponded highly. Optical simulations predicted differences in perceived visual quality across different designs at Far distance, but showed some discrepancies at intermediate and near. PMID:28736655

  13. Cooperative single-photon subradiant states in a three-dimensional atomic array

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

    Jen, H.H., E-mail: sappyjen@gmail.com

    2016-11-15

    We propose a complete superradiant and subradiant states that can be manipulated and prepared in a three-dimensional atomic array. These subradiant states can be realized by absorbing a single photon and imprinting the spatially-dependent phases on the atomic system. We find that the collective decay rates and associated cooperative Lamb shifts are highly dependent on the phases we manage to imprint, and the subradiant state of long lifetime can be found for various lattice spacings and atom numbers. We also investigate both optically thin and thick atomic arrays, which can serve for systematic studies of super- and sub-radiance. Our proposal offers an alternative schememore » for quantum memory of light in a three-dimensional array of two-level atoms, which is applicable and potentially advantageous in quantum information processing. - Highlights: • Cooperative single-photon subradiant states in a three-dimensional atomic array. • Subradiant state manipulation via spatially-increasing phase imprinting. • Quantum storage of light in the subradiant state in two-level atoms.« less

  14. Dynamic light scattering microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dzakpasu, Rhonda

    An optical microscope technique, dynamic light scattering microscopy (DLSM) that images dynamically scattered light fluctuation decay rates is introduced. Using physical optics we show theoretically that within the optical resolution of the microscope, relative motions between scattering centers are sufficient to produce significant phase variations resulting in interference intensity fluctuations in the image plane. The time scale for these intensity fluctuations is predicted. The spatial coherence distance defining the average distance between constructive and destructive interference in the image plane is calculated and compared with the pixel size. We experimentally tested DLSM on polystyrene latex nanospheres and living macrophage cells. In order to record these rapid fluctuations, on a slow progressive scan CCD camera, we used a thin laser line of illumination on the sample such that only a single column of pixels in the CCD camera is illuminated. This allowed the use of the rate of the column-by-column readout transfer process as the acquisition rate of the camera. This manipulation increased the data acquisition rate by at least an order of magnitude in comparison to conventional CCD cameras rates defined by frames/s. Analysis of the observed fluctuations provides information regarding the rates of motion of the scattering centers. These rates, acquired from each position on the sample are used to create a spatial map of the fluctuation decay rates. Our experiments show that with this technique, we are able to achieve a good signal-to-noise ratio and can monitor fast intensity fluctuations, on the order of milliseconds. DLSM appears to provide dynamic information about fast motions within cells at a sub-optical resolution scale and provides a new kind of spatial contrast.

  15. Spatial-frequency spectrum of patterns changes the visibility of spatial-phase differences

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lawton, T. B.

    1985-01-01

    It is shown that spatial-frequency components over a 4-octave range affected the visibility of spatial-phase differences. Contrast thresholds were measured for discrimination between two (+45- and -45-deg) spatial phases of a sinusoidal test grating added to a background grating. The background could contain one or several sinusoidal components, all in 0-deg phase. Phase differences between the test and the background were visible at lower contrasts when test and background frequencies were harmonically related than when they were not, when test and background frequencies were within 1 octave than when they were farther apart, when the fundamental frequency of the background was low than when it was high, and for some discriminations more than for others, after practice. The visibility of phase differences was not affected by additional components in the background if the fundamental and difference frequencies of the background remained unchanged. Observers' reports of their strategies gave information about the types of attentive processing that were used to discriminate phase differences. Attentive processing facilitated phase discrimination for multifrequency gratings spanning a much wider range of spatial frequencies than would be possible by using only local preattentive processing. These results were consistent with the visibility of phase differences being processed by some combination of even- and odd-symmetric simple cells tuned to a wide range of different spatial frequencies.

  16. Improvement of spectral and axial resolutions in modified coded aperture correlation holography (COACH) imaging system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vijayakumar, A.; Rosen, Joseph

    2017-05-01

    Coded aperture correlation holography (COACH) is a recently developed incoherent digital holographic technique. In COACH, two holograms are recorded: the object hologram for the object under study and another hologram for a point object called PSF hologram. The holograms are recorded by interfering two beams, both diffracted from the same object point, but only one of them passes through a random-like coded phase mask (CPM). The same CPM is used for recording the object as well as the PSF holograms. The image is reconstructed by correlating the object hologram with a processed version of the PSF hologram. The COACH holographic technique exhibits the same transverse and axial resolution of the regular imaging, but with the unique capability of storing 3D information. The basic COACH configuration consists of a single spatial light modulator (SLM) used for displaying the CPM. In this study, the basic COACH configuration has been advanced by employing two spatial light modulators (SLMs) in the setup. The refractive lens used in the basic COACH setup for collecting and collimating the light diffracted by the object is replaced by an SLM on which an equivalent diffractive lens is displayed. Unlike a refractive lens, the diffractive lens displayed on the first SLM focuses light with different wavelengths to different axial planes, which are separated by distances larger than the axial correlation lengths of the CPM for any visible wavelength. This characteristic extends the boundaries of COACH from three-dimensional to four-dimensional imaging with the wavelength as its fourth dimension.

  17. Kilohertz binary phase modulator for pulsed laser sources using a digital micromirror device.

    PubMed

    Hoffmann, Maximilian; Papadopoulos, Ioannis N; Judkewitz, Benjamin

    2018-01-01

    The controlled modulation of an optical wavefront is required for aberration correction, digital phase conjugation, or patterned photostimulation. For most of these applications, it is desirable to control the wavefront modulation at the highest rates possible. The digital micromirror device (DMD) presents a cost-effective solution to achieve high-speed modulation and often exceeds the speed of the more conventional liquid crystal spatial light modulator but is inherently an amplitude modulator. Furthermore, spatial dispersion caused by DMD diffraction complicates its use with pulsed laser sources, such as those used in nonlinear microscopy. Here we introduce a DMD-based optical design that overcomes these limitations and achieves dispersion-free high-speed binary phase modulation. We show that this phase modulation can be used to switch through binary phase patterns at the rate of 20 kHz in two-photon excitation fluorescence applications.

  18. Kilohertz binary phase modulator for pulsed laser sources using a digital micromirror device

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoffmann, Maximilian; Papadopoulos, Ioannis N.; Judkewitz, Benjamin

    2018-01-01

    The controlled modulation of an optical wavefront is required for aberration correction, digital phase conjugation or patterned photostimulation. For most of these applications it is desirable to control the wavefront modulation at the highest rates possible. The digital micromirror device (DMD) presents a cost-effective solution to achieve high-speed modulation and often exceeds the speed of the more conventional liquid crystal spatial light modulator, but is inherently an amplitude modulator. Furthermore, spatial dispersion caused by DMD diffraction complicates its use with pulsed laser sources, such as those used in nonlinear microscopy. Here we introduce a DMD-based optical design that overcomes these limitations and achieves dispersion-free high-speed binary phase modulation. We show that this phase modulation can be used to switch through binary phase patterns at the rate of 20 kHz in two-photon excitation fluorescence applications.

  19. A line scanned light-sheet microscope with phase shaped self-reconstructing beams.

    PubMed

    Fahrbach, Florian O; Rohrbach, Alexander

    2010-11-08

    We recently demonstrated that Microscopy with Self-Reconstructing Beams (MISERB) increases both image quality and penetration depth of illumination beams in strongly scattering media. Based on the concept of line scanned light-sheet microscopy, we present an add-on module to a standard inverted microscope using a scanned beam that is shaped in phase and amplitude by a spatial light modulator. We explain technical details of the setup as well as of the holograms for the creation, positioning and scaling of static light-sheets, Gaussian beams and Bessel beams. The comparison of images from identical sample areas illuminated by different beams allows a precise assessment of the interconnection between beam shape and image quality. The superior propagation ability of Bessel beams through inhomogeneous media is demonstrated by measurements on various scattering media.

  20. Imaging the Gouy phase shift in photonic jets with a wavefront sensor.

    PubMed

    Bon, Pierre; Rolly, Brice; Bonod, Nicolas; Wenger, Jérôme; Stout, Brian; Monneret, Serge; Rigneault, Hervé

    2012-09-01

    A wavefront sensor is used as a direct observation tool to image the Gouy phase shift in photonic nanojets created by micrometer-sized dielectric spheres. The amplitude and phase distributions of light are found in good agreement with a rigorous electromagnetic computation. Interestingly the observed phase shift when travelling through the photonic jet is a combination of the awaited π Gouy shift and a phase shift induced by the bead refraction. Such direct spatial phase shift observation using wavefront sensors would find applications in microscopy, diffractive optics, optical trapping, and point spread function engineering.

  1. A novel, cost-effective, multi-point Thomson scattering system on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment (invited)

    DOE PAGES

    Schlossberg, David J.; Bodner, Grant M.; Bongard, Michael W.; ...

    2016-09-16

    Here, a novel, cost-effective, multi-point Thomson scattering system has been designed, implemented, and operated on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment. Leveraging advances in Nd:YAG lasers, high-efficiency volume phase holographic transmission gratings, and increased quantum-efficiency Generation 3 image-intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) cameras, the system provides Thomson spectra at eight spatial locations for a single grating/camera pair. The on-board digitization of the ICCD camera enables easy modular expansion, evidenced by recent extension from 4 to 12 plasma/background spatial location pairs. Stray light is rejected using time-of-flight methods suited to gated ICCDs, and background light is blocked during detector readout by a fastmore » shutter. This –10 3 reduction in background light enables further expansion to up to 24 spatial locations. The implementation now provides single-shot T e(R) for n e > 5 × 10 18 m –3.« less

  2. Solar-light photocatalytic disinfection using crystalline/amorphous low energy bandgap reduced TiO2

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Youngmin; Hwang, Hee Min; Wang, Luyang; Kim, Ikjoon; Yoon, Yeoheung; Lee, Hyoyoung

    2016-01-01

    A generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from TiO2 under solar light has been long sought since the ROS can disinfect organic pollutants. We found that newly developed crystalline/amorphous reduced TiO2 (rTiO2) that has low energy bandgap can effectively generate ROS under solar light and successfully remove a bloom of algae. The preparation of rTiO2 is a one-pot and mass productive solution-process reduction using lithium-ethylene diamine (Li-EDA) at room temperature. Interestingly only the rutile phase of TiO2 crystal was reduced, while the anatase phase even in case of both anatase/rutile phased TiO2 was not reduced. Only reduced TiO2 materials can generate ROS under solar light, which was confirmed by electron spin resonance. Among the three different types of Li-EDA treated TiO2 (anatase, rutile and both phased TiO2), the both phased rTiO2 showed the best performance to produce ROS. The generated ROS effectively removed the common green algae Chlamydomonas. This is the first report on algae degradation under solar light, proving the feasibility of commercially available products for disinfection. PMID:27121120

  3. Spectral refractive index assessment of turbid samples by combining spatial frequency near-infrared spectroscopy with Kramers-Kronig analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meitav, Omri; Shaul, Oren; Abookasis, David

    2018-03-01

    A practical algorithm for estimating the wavelength-dependent refractive index (RI) of a turbid sample in the spatial frequency domain with the aid of Kramers-Kronig (KK) relations is presented. In it, phase-shifted sinusoidal patterns (structured illumination) are serially projected at a high spatial frequency onto the sample surface (mouse scalp) at different near-infrared wavelengths while a camera mounted normally to the sample surface captures the reflected diffuse light. In the offline analysis pipeline, recorded images at each wavelength are converted to spatial absorption maps by logarithmic function, and once the absorption coefficient information is obtained, the imaginary part (k) of the complex RI (CRI), based on Maxell's equations, can be calculated. Using the data represented by k, the real part of the CRI (n) is then resolved by KK analysis. The wavelength dependence of n ( λ ) is then fitted separately using four standard dispersion models: Cornu, Cauchy, Conrady, and Sellmeier. In addition, three-dimensional surface-profile distribution of n is provided based on phase profilometry principles and a phase-unwrapping-based phase-derivative-variance algorithm. Experimental results demonstrate the capability of the proposed idea for sample's determination of a biological sample's RI value.

  4. Exploiting Photo-induced Reactions in Polymer Blends to Create Hierarchically Ordered, Defect-free Materials

    ScienceCinema

    Balazs, Anna [University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

    2017-12-09

    Computer simulations reveal how photo-induced chemical reactions can be exploited to create long-range order in binary and ternary polymeric materials. The process is initiated by shining a spatially uniform light over a photosensitive AB binary blend, which undergoes both a reversible chemical reaction and phase separation. We then introduce a well-collimated, higher-intensity light source. Rastering this secondary light over the sample locally increases the reaction rate and causes formation of defect-free, spatially periodic structures. These binary structures resemble either the lamellar or hexagonal phases of microphase-separated di-block copolymers. We measure the regularity of the ordered structures as a function of the relative reaction rates for different values of the rastering speed and determine the optimal conditions for creating defect-free structures in the binary systems. We then add a non-reactive homo-polymer C, which is immiscible with both A and B. We show that this component migrates to regions that are illuminated by the secondary, higher-intensity light, allowing us to effectively write a pattern of C onto the AB film. Rastering over the ternary blend with this collimated light now leads to hierarchically ordered patterns of A, B, and C. The findings point to a facile, non-intrusive process for manufacturing high-quality polymeric devices in a low-cost, efficient manner.

  5. FIBER AND INTEGRATED OPTICS: Efficiency of nonstationary transformation of the spatial coherence of pulsed laser radiation in a multimode optical fibre upon self-phase modulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kitsak, M. A.; Kitsak, A. I.

    2007-08-01

    The model scheme of the nonlinear mechanism of transformation (decreasing) of the spatial coherence of a pulsed laser field in an extended multimode optical fibre upon nonstationary interaction with the fibre core is theoretically analysed. The case is considered when the spatial statistics of input radiation is caused by phase fluctuations. The analytic expression is obtained which relates the number of spatially coherent radiation modes with the spatially energy parameters on the initial radiation and fibre parameters. The efficiency of decorrelation of radiation upon excitation of the thermal and electrostriction nonlinearities in the fibre is estimated. Experimental studies are performed which revealed the basic properties of the transformation of the spatial coherence of a laser beam in a multimode fibre. The experimental results are compared with the predictions of the model of radiation transfer proposed in the paper. It is found that the spatial decorrelation of a light beam in a silica multimode fibre is mainly restricted by stimulated Raman scattering.

  6. Recent advances in IR liquid crystal spatial light modulators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Fenglin; Twieg, Robert J.; Wu, Shin-Tson

    2015-09-01

    Liquid crystal (LC) is an amazing class of electro-optic media; its applications span from visible to infrared, millimeter wave, and terahertz regions. In the visible and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) regions, most LCs are highly transparent. However, to extend the electro-optic application of LCs into MWIR and LWIR, several key technical challenges have to be overcome: (1) low absorption loss, (2) high birefringence, (3) low operation voltage, and (4) fast response time. In the MWIR and LWIR regions, several fundamental molecular vibration bands and overtones exist, which contribute to high absorption loss. The absorbed light turns to heat and then alters the birefringence locally, which in turns causes spatially non-uniform phase modulation. To suppress the optical loss, several approaches have been investigated: (1) Employing thin cell gap by choosing a high birefringence LC mixture; (2) Shifting the absorption bands outside the spectral region of interest by deuteration, fluorination, or chlorination; (3) Reducing the overtone absorption by using a short alkyl chain. In this paper, we report some recently developed chlorinated LC compounds and mixtures with low absorption loss in the SWIR and MWIR regions. To achieve fast response time, we demonstrated a polymer network liquid crystal with 2π phase change at MWIR and response time less than 5 ms. Approaches to extend such a liquid crystal spatial light modulator to long-wavelength infrared will be discussed.

  7. Berry phase in controlled light propagation and storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raczyński, Andrzej; Zaremba, Jarosław; Zielińska-Raczyńska, Sylwia

    2018-04-01

    It is shown that during light storage in an atomic medium in the Λ configuration, with not only the amplitude of the control field but also its phase changing adiabatically, a photon gains a Berry (geometric) phase. In the case of the tripod configuration with two probe fields the Berry phase is replaced by a 2 ×2 matrix. The probe fields are shown to be superpositions of two modes, each of them being characterized not only by its own velocity but also by its own Berry phase. If after light storage photons are released backwards, the contributions of the two modes interfere and the distribution of the outgoing photons can be steered by changing the difference between the Berry phases of the modes, due to the choice of the control field at the storage and release stages. In particular, one can turn a single photon of one of the probe fields into a photon of the other field or essentially modify coherent states of the incoming pulses.

  8. Simultaneous imaging of neural activity in three dimensions

    PubMed Central

    Quirin, Sean; Jackson, Jesse; Peterka, Darcy S.; Yuste, Rafael

    2014-01-01

    We introduce a scanless optical method to image neuronal activity in three dimensions simultaneously. Using a spatial light modulator and a custom-designed phase mask, we illuminate and collect light simultaneously from different focal planes and perform calcium imaging of neuronal activity in vitro and in vivo. This method, combining structured illumination with volume projection imaging, could be used as a technological platform for brain activity mapping. PMID:24772066

  9. Optical encryption interface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jackson, Deborah J. (Inventor)

    1998-01-01

    An analog optical encryption system based on phase scrambling of two-dimensional optical images and holographic transformation for achieving large encryption keys and high encryption speed. An enciphering interface uses a spatial light modulator for converting a digital data stream into a two dimensional optical image. The optical image is further transformed into a hologram with a random phase distribution. The hologram is converted into digital form for transmission over a shared information channel. A respective deciphering interface at a receiver reverses the encrypting process by using a phase conjugate reconstruction of the phase scrambled hologram.

  10. Phase Misalignment between Suprachiasmatic Neuronal Oscillators Impairs Photic Behavioral Phase Shifts but not Photic Induction of Gene Expression

    PubMed Central

    Schwartz, Michael D.; Congdon, Seth; de la Iglesia, Horacio O.

    2010-01-01

    The ability of the circadian pacemaker within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) to respond to light stimulation in a phase-specific manner constitutes the basis for photic entrainment of circadian rhythms. The neural basis for this phase-specificity is unclear. We asked whether a lack of synchrony between SCN neurons, as reflected in phase misalignment between dorsomedial (dmSCN) and ventrolateral (vlSCN) neuronal oscillators in the rat, would impact the pacemaker’s ability to respond to phase-resetting light pulses. Light pulses delivered at maximal phase-misalignment between the vl-and dmSCN oscillators increased expression of Per1 mRNA, irrespective of the circadian phase of the dmSCN. However, phase shifts of locomotor activity were only observed when the vl-and dmSCN were phase-aligned at the time of stimulation. Our results fit a model in which a vlSCN oscillator phase-gates its own response to light and in turn relays light information to a dmSCN oscillator. This model predicts that the phase misalignment that results from circadian internal desynchronization could preserve the ability of light to induce gene expression within the master circadian clock but impair its ability to induce behavioral phase shifts. PMID:20881133

  11. A REMOTE SENSING AND GIS-ENABLED HIGHWAY ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PHASE 2

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2018-02-02

    The objective of this project is to validate the use of commercial remote sensing and spatial information (CRS&SI) technologies, including emerging 3D line laser imaging technology, mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR), image processing algorit...

  12. Universal holonomic single quantum gates over a geometric spin with phase-modulated polarized light.

    PubMed

    Ishida, Naoki; Nakamura, Takaaki; Tanaka, Touta; Mishima, Shota; Kano, Hiroki; Kuroiwa, Ryota; Sekiguchi, Yuhei; Kosaka, Hideo

    2018-05-15

    We demonstrate universal non-adiabatic non-abelian holonomic single quantum gates over a geometric electron spin with phase-modulated polarized light and 93% average fidelity. This allows purely geometric rotation around an arbitrary axis by any angle defined by light polarization and phase using a degenerate three-level Λ-type system in a negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond. Since the control light is completely resonant to the ancillary excited state, the demonstrated holonomic gate not only is fast with low power, but also is precise without the dynamical phase being subject to control error and environmental noise. It thus allows pulse shaping for further fidelity.

  13. Structured Light in Structured Media: From Classical to Quantum Optics Incubator, OSA Workshop, Washington, DC 28 September-1 October 2013. Abstracts

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-09-29

    recent works on optical metasurfaces consisting of an array of plasmonic rods with spatially varying orientations, where the local phase profile is...the concept of interfacial phase discontinuity for circularly polarizations on a metasurface to the design of a novel type of helicity dependent SPP...realization of three dimensional (3D) holography by using metasurfaces . As the phase can be controlled locally at each subwavelength unit cell by the

  14. Dark goggles and bright light improve circadian rhythm adaptation to night-shift work.

    PubMed

    Eastman, C I; Stewart, K T; Mahoney, M P; Liu, L; Fogg, L F

    1994-09-01

    We compared the contributions of bright light during the night shift and dark goggles during daylight for phase shifting the circadian rhythm of temperature to realign with a 12-hour shift of sleep. After 10 baseline days there were 8 night-work/day-sleep days. Temperature was continuously recorded from 50 subjects. There were four groups in a 2 x 2 design: light (bright, dim), goggles (yes, no). Subjects were exposed to bright light (about 5,000 lux) for 6 hours on the first 2 night shifts. Dim light was < 500 lux. Both bright light and goggles were significant factors for producing circadian rhythm phase shifts. The combination of bright light plus goggles was the most effective, whereas the combination of dim light and no goggles was the least effective. The temperature rhythm either phase advanced or phase delayed when it aligned with daytime sleep. However, when subjects did not have goggles only phase advances occurred. Goggles were necessary for producing phase delays. The most likely explanation is that daylight during the travel-home window after a night shift inhibits phase-delay shifts, and goggles can prevent this inhibition. Larger temperature-rhythm phase shifts were associated with better subjective daytime sleep, less subjective fatigue and better mood.

  15. Late time cosmological phase transitions 1: Particle physics models and cosmic evolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frieman, Joshua A.; Hill, Christopher T.; Watkins, Richard

    1991-01-01

    We described a natural particle physics basis for late-time phase transitions in the universe. Such a transition can seed the formation of large-scale structure while leaving a minimal imprint upon the microwave background anisotropy. The key ingredient is an ultra-light pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson with an astronomically large (O(kpc-Mpc)) Compton wavelength. We analyze the cosmological signatures of and constraints upon a wide class of scenarios which do not involve domain walls. In addition to seeding structure, coherent ultra-light bosons may also provide unclustered dark matter in a spatially flat universe, omega sub phi approx. = 1.

  16. Advanced SLMs for microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Linnenberger, A.

    2018-02-01

    Wavefront shaping devices such as deformable mirrors, liquid crystal spatial light modulators (SLMs), and active lenses are of considerable interest in microscopy for aberration correction, volumetric imaging, and programmable excitation. Liquid crystal SLMs are high resolution phase modulators capable of creating complex phase profiles to reshape, or redirect light within a three-dimensional (3D) volume. Recent advances in Meadowlark Optics (MLO) SLMs reduce losses by increasing fill factor from 83.4% to 96%, and improving resolution from 512 x 512 pixels to 1920 x 1152 pixels while maintaining a liquid crystal response time of 300 Hz at 1064 nm. This paper summarizes new SLM capabilities, and benefits for microscopy.

  17. Dielectric metasurfaces solve differential and integro-differential equations.

    PubMed

    Abdollahramezani, Sajjad; Chizari, Ata; Dorche, Ali Eshaghian; Jamali, Mohammad Vahid; Salehi, Jawad A

    2017-04-01

    Leveraging subwavelength resonant nanostructures, plasmonic metasurfaces have recently attracted much attention as a breakthrough concept for engineering optical waves both spatially and spectrally. However, inherent ohmic losses concomitant with low coupling efficiencies pose fundamental impediments over their practical applications. Not only can all-dielectric metasurfaces tackle such substantial drawbacks, but also their CMOS-compatible configurations support both Mie resonances that are invariant to the incident angle. Here, we report on a transmittive metasurface comprising arrayed silicon nanodisks embedded in a homogeneous dielectric medium to manipulate phase and amplitude of incident light locally and almost independently. By taking advantage of the interplay between the electric/magnetic resonances and employing general concepts of spatial Fourier transformation, a highly efficient metadevice is proposed to perform mathematical operations including solution of ordinary differential and integro-differential equations with constant coefficients. Our findings further substantiate dielectric metasurfaces as promising candidates for miniaturized, two-dimensional, and planar optical analog computing systems that are much thinner than their conventional lens-based counterparts.

  18. A parity-breaking electronic nematic phase transition in the spin-orbit coupled metal Cd 2Re 2O 7

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

    Harter, J. W.; Zhao, Z. Y.; Yan, J. -Q.

    Strong electron interactions can drive metallic systems toward a variety of well-known symmetry-broken phases, but the instabilities of correlated metals with strong spin-orbit coupling have only recently begun to be explored. We uncovered a multipolar nematic phase of matter in the metallic pyrochlore Cd 2Re 2O 7 using spatially resolved second-harmonic optical anisotropy measurements. Like previously discovered electronic nematic phases, this multipolar phase spontaneously breaks rotational symmetry while preserving translational invariance. However, it has the distinguishing property of being odd under spatial inversion, which is allowed only in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. By examining the critical behavior of themore » multipolar nematic order parameter, we show that it drives the thermal phase transition near 200 kelvin in Cd 2Re 2O 7 and induces a parity-breaking lattice distortion as a secondary order.« less

  19. A parity-breaking electronic nematic phase transition in the spin-orbit coupled metal Cd2Re2O7

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harter, J. W.; Zhao, Z. Y.; Yan, J.-Q.; Mandrus, D. G.; Hsieh, D.

    2017-04-01

    Strong electron interactions can drive metallic systems toward a variety of well-known symmetry-broken phases, but the instabilities of correlated metals with strong spin-orbit coupling have only recently begun to be explored. We uncovered a multipolar nematic phase of matter in the metallic pyrochlore Cd2Re2O7 using spatially resolved second-harmonic optical anisotropy measurements. Like previously discovered electronic nematic phases, this multipolar phase spontaneously breaks rotational symmetry while preserving translational invariance. However, it has the distinguishing property of being odd under spatial inversion, which is allowed only in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. By examining the critical behavior of the multipolar nematic order parameter, we show that it drives the thermal phase transition near 200 kelvin in Cd2Re2O7 and induces a parity-breaking lattice distortion as a secondary order.

  20. Release from proactive interference in rat spatial working memory.

    PubMed

    Roberts, William A; MacDonald, Hayden; Brown, Lyn; Macpherson, Krista

    2017-09-01

    A three-phase procedure was used to produce proactive interference (PI) in one trial on an eight-arm radial maze. Rats were forced to enter four arms for reward on an initial interference phase, to then enter the four remaining arms on a target phase, and to then choose among all eight arms on a retention test, with only the arms not visited in the target phase containing reward. Control trials involved only the target phase and the retention test. Lower accuracy was found on PI trials than on control trials, but performance on PI trials significantly exceeded chance, showing some retention of target memories. Changes in temporal and reward variables between the interference, target, and retention test phases showed release from PI, but changes in context and pattern of arm entry did not. It is suggested that the release from PI paradigm can be used to understand spatial memory encoding in rats and other species.

  1. A parity-breaking electronic nematic phase transition in the spin-orbit coupled metal Cd 2Re 2O 7

    DOE PAGES

    Harter, J. W.; Zhao, Z. Y.; Yan, J. -Q.; ...

    2017-04-21

    Strong electron interactions can drive metallic systems toward a variety of well-known symmetry-broken phases, but the instabilities of correlated metals with strong spin-orbit coupling have only recently begun to be explored. We uncovered a multipolar nematic phase of matter in the metallic pyrochlore Cd 2Re 2O 7 using spatially resolved second-harmonic optical anisotropy measurements. Like previously discovered electronic nematic phases, this multipolar phase spontaneously breaks rotational symmetry while preserving translational invariance. However, it has the distinguishing property of being odd under spatial inversion, which is allowed only in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. By examining the critical behavior of themore » multipolar nematic order parameter, we show that it drives the thermal phase transition near 200 kelvin in Cd 2Re 2O 7 and induces a parity-breaking lattice distortion as a secondary order.« less

  2. Beam shaping with vortex beam generated by liquid crystal spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Yue; Liu, Ke; Sun, Zeng-yu; Guo, Lei; Gan, Yu

    2015-02-01

    An optical vortex is a beam of light with phase varying in a corkscrew-like manner along its direction of propagation and so has a helical wavefront. When such a vectorial vortex beam and the Gaussian beam with orthogonal polarization are focused by low NA lens, the Gaussian component causes a focal intensity distribution with a solid center and the vortex component causes a donut distribution with hollow dark center. The shape of the focus can be continuously varied by continuously adjusting the relative weight of the two components. Flat top focusing can be obtained under appropriate conditions. It is demonstrated through experiments with a liquid crystal spatial light modulator in such a beam, that flattop focus can be obtained by vectorial vortex beams with topological charge of +1 to achieve beam shaping vortex.

  3. Single-beam, dark toroidal optical traps for cold atoms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fatemi, Fredrik K.; Olson, Spencer E.; Bashkansky, Mark; Dutton, Zachary; Terraciano, Matthew

    2007-02-01

    We demonstrate the generation of single-beam dark toroidal optical intensity distributions, which are of interest for neutral atom storage and atom interferometry. We demonstrate experimentally and numerically optical potentials that contain a ring-shaped intensity minimum, bounded in all directions by higher intensity. We use a spatial light modulator to alter the phase of an incident laser beam, and analyze the resulting optical propagation characteristics. For small toroidal traps (< 50 μm diameter), we find an optimal superposition of Laguerre-Gaussian modes that allows the formation of single-beam toroidal traps. We generate larger toroidal bottle traps by focusing hollow beams with toroidal lenses imprinted onto the spatial light modulator.

  4. Apodization of two-dimensional pupils with aberrations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reddy, Andra Naresh Kumar; Hashemi, Mahdieh; Khonina, Svetlana Nikolaevna

    2018-06-01

    The technique proposed to enhance the resolution of the point spread function (PSF) of an optical system underneath defocussing and spherical aberrations. The method of approach is based on the amplitude and phase masking in a ring aperture for modifying the light intensity distribution in the Gaussian focal plane (YD = 0) and in the defocussed planes (YD= π and YD= 2π ). The width of the annulus modifies the distribution of the light intensity in the side lobes of the resultant PSF. In the presence of an asymmetry in the phase of the annulus, the Hanning amplitude apodizer [cos(π β ρ )] employed in the pupil function can modify the spatial distribution of light in the maximum defocussed plane ({Y}D = 2π ), results in PSF with improved resolution.

  5. Ordered polymer nanofibers enhance output brightness in bilayer light-emitting field-effect transistors.

    PubMed

    Hsu, Ben B Y; Seifter, Jason; Takacs, Christopher J; Zhong, Chengmei; Tseng, Hsin-Rong; Samuel, Ifor D W; Namdas, Ebinazar B; Bazan, Guillermo C; Huang, Fei; Cao, Yong; Heeger, Alan J

    2013-03-26

    Polymer light emitting field effect transistors are a class of light emitting devices that reveal interesting device physics. Device performance can be directly correlated to the most fundamental polymer science. Control over surface properties of the transistor dielectric can dramatically change the polymer morphology, introducing ordered phase. Electronic properties such as carrier mobility and injection efficiency on the interface can be promoted by ordered nanofibers in the polymer. Moreover, by controlling space charge in the polymer interface, the recombination zone can be spatially extended and thereby enhance the optical output.

  6. A simple method for correcting spatially resolved solar intensity oscillation observations for variations in scattered light

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jefferies, S. M.; Duvall, T. L., Jr.

    1991-01-01

    A measurement of the intensity distribution in an image of the solar disk will be corrupted by a spatial redistribution of the light that is caused by the earth's atmosphere and the observing instrument. A simple correction method is introduced here that is applicable for solar p-mode intensity observations obtained over a period of time in which there is a significant change in the scattering component of the point spread function. The method circumvents the problems incurred with an accurate determination of the spatial point spread function and its subsequent deconvolution from the observations. The method only corrects the spherical harmonic coefficients that represent the spatial frequencies present in the image and does not correct the image itself.

  7. Highly noise-tolerant hybrid algorithm for phase retrieval from a single-shot spatial carrier fringe pattern

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, Zhichao; Cheng, Haobo

    2018-01-01

    A highly noise-tolerant hybrid algorithm (NTHA) is proposed in this study for phase retrieval from a single-shot spatial carrier fringe pattern (SCFP), which effectively combines the merits of spatial carrier phase shift method and two dimensional continuous wavelet transform (2D-CWT). NTHA firstly extracts three phase-shifted fringe patterns from the SCFP with one pixel malposition; then calculates phase gradients by subtracting the reference phase from the other two target phases, which are retrieved respectively from three phase-shifted fringe patterns by 2D-CWT; finally, reconstructs the phase map by a least square gradient integration method. Its typical characters include but not limited to: (1) doesn't require the spatial carrier to be constant; (2) the subtraction mitigates edge errors of 2D-CWT; (3) highly noise-tolerant, because not only 2D-CWT is noise-insensitive, but also the noise in the fringe pattern doesn't directly take part in the phase reconstruction as in previous hybrid algorithm. Its feasibility and performances are validated extensively by simulations and contrastive experiments to temporal phase shift method, Fourier transform and 2D-CWT methods.

  8. Characterization of depolarizing fringing fields of a liquid crystal spatial light modulator for laser beam steering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haellstig, Emil J.; Martin, Torleif; Stigwall, Johan; Sjoqvist, Lars; Lindgren, Mikael

    2004-02-01

    A commercial linear one-dimensional, 1x4096 pixels, zero-twist nematic liquid crystal spatial light modulator (SLM), giving more than 2π phase modulation at λ = 850 nm, was evaluated for beam steering applications. The large ratio (7:1) between the liquid crystal layer thickness and pixel width gives rise to voltage leakage and fringing fields between pixels. Due to the fringing fields the ideal calculated phase patterns cannot be perfectly realized by the device. Losses in high frequency components in the phase patterns were found to limit the maximum deflection angle. The inhomogeneous optical anisotropy of the SLM was determined by modelling of the liquid crystal director distribution within the electrode-pixel structure. The effects of the fringing fields on the amplitude and phase modulation were studied by full vector finite-difference time-domain simulations. It was found that the fringing fields also resulted in coupling into an unwanted polarization mode. Measurements of how this mode coupling affects the beam steering quality were carried out and the results compared with calculated results. A method to compensate for the fringing field effects is discussed and it is shown how the usable steering range of the SLM can be extended to +/- 2 degrees.

  9. High-Resolution Adaptive Optics Test-Bed for Vision Science

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

    Wilks, S C; Thomspon, C A; Olivier, S S

    2001-09-27

    We discuss the design and implementation of a low-cost, high-resolution adaptive optics test-bed for vision research. It is well known that high-order aberrations in the human eye reduce optical resolution and limit visual acuity. However, the effects of aberration-free eyesight on vision are only now beginning to be studied using adaptive optics to sense and correct the aberrations in the eye. We are developing a high-resolution adaptive optics system for this purpose using a Hamamatsu Parallel Aligned Nematic Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator. Phase-wrapping is used to extend the effective stroke of the device, and the wavefront sensing and wavefrontmore » correction are done at different wavelengths. Issues associated with these techniques will be discussed.« less

  10. Current observations with a decaying cosmological constant allow for chaotic cyclic cosmology

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

    Ellis, George F.R.; Platts, Emma; Weltman, Amanda

    2016-04-01

    We use the phase plane analysis technique of Madsen and Ellis [1] to consider a universe with a true cosmological constant as well as a cosmological 'constant' that is decaying. Time symmetric dynamics for the inflationary era allows eternally bouncing models to occur. Allowing for scalar field dynamic evolution, we find that if dark energy decays in the future, chaotic cyclic universes exist provided the spatial curvature is positive. This is particularly interesting in light of current observations which do not yet rule out either closed universes or possible evolution of the cosmological constant. We present only a proof ofmore » principle, with no definite claim on the physical mechanism required for the present dark energy to decay.« less

  11. Three-dimensional weight-accumulation algorithm for generating multiple excitation spots in fast optical stimulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takiguchi, Yu; Toyoda, Haruyoshi

    2017-11-01

    We report here an algorithm for calculating a hologram to be employed in a high-access speed microscope for observing sensory-driven synaptic activity across all inputs to single living neurons in an intact cerebral cortex. The system is based on holographic multi-beam generation using a two-dimensional phase-only spatial light modulator to excite multiple locations in three dimensions with a single hologram. The hologram was calculated with a three-dimensional weighted iterative Fourier transform method using the Ewald sphere restriction to increase the calculation speed. Our algorithm achieved good uniformity of three dimensionally generated excitation spots; the standard deviation of the spot intensities was reduced by a factor of two compared with a conventional algorithm.

  12. Three-dimensional weight-accumulation algorithm for generating multiple excitation spots in fast optical stimulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takiguchi, Yu; Toyoda, Haruyoshi

    2018-06-01

    We report here an algorithm for calculating a hologram to be employed in a high-access speed microscope for observing sensory-driven synaptic activity across all inputs to single living neurons in an intact cerebral cortex. The system is based on holographic multi-beam generation using a two-dimensional phase-only spatial light modulator to excite multiple locations in three dimensions with a single hologram. The hologram was calculated with a three-dimensional weighted iterative Fourier transform method using the Ewald sphere restriction to increase the calculation speed. Our algorithm achieved good uniformity of three dimensionally generated excitation spots; the standard deviation of the spot intensities was reduced by a factor of two compared with a conventional algorithm.

  13. Enhanced dual-frequency pattern scheme based on spatial-temporal fringes method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Minmin; Zhou, Canlin; Si, Shuchun; Lei, Zhenkun; Li, Xiaolei; Li, Hui; Li, YanJie

    2018-07-01

    One of the major challenges of employing a dual-frequency phase-shifting algorithm for phase retrieval is its sensitivity to noise. Yun et al proposed a dual-frequency method based on the Fourier transform profilometry, yet the low-frequency lobes are close to each other for accurate band-pass filtering. In the light of this problem, a novel dual-frequency pattern based on the spatial-temporal fringes (STF) method is developed in this paper. Three fringe patterns with two different frequencies are required. The low-frequency phase is obtained from two low-frequency fringe patterns by the STF method, so the signal lobes can be extracted accurately as they are far away from each other. The high-frequency phase is retrieved from another fringe pattern without the impact of the DC component. Simulations and experiments are conducted to demonstrate the excellent precision of the proposed method.

  14. Human phase response curve to a 1 h pulse of bright white light

    PubMed Central

    St Hilaire, Melissa A; Gooley, Joshua J; Khalsa, Sat Bir S; Kronauer, Richard E; Czeisler, Charles A; Lockley, Steven W

    2012-01-01

    The phase resetting response of the human circadian pacemaker to light depends on the timing of exposure and is described by a phase response curve (PRC). The current study aimed to construct a PRC for a 1 h exposure to bright white light (∼8000 lux) and to compare this PRC to a <3 lux dim background light PRC. These data were also compared to a previously completed 6.7 h bright white light PRC and a <15 lux dim background light PRC constructed under similar conditions. Participants were randomized for exposure to 1 h of either bright white light (n= 18) or <3 lux dim background light (n= 18) scheduled at 1 of 18 circadian phases. Participants completed constant routine (CR) procedures in dim light (<3 lux) before and after the light exposure to assess circadian phase. Phase shifts were calculated as the difference in timing of dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) during pre- and post-stimulus CRs. Exposure to 1 h of bright white light induced a Type 1 PRC with a fitted peak-to-trough amplitude of 2.20 h. No discernible PRC was observed in the <3 lux dim background light PRC. The fitted peak-to-trough amplitude of the 1 h bright light PRC was ∼40% of that for the 6.7 h PRC despite representing only 15% of the light exposure duration, consistent with previous studies showing a non-linear duration–response function for the effects of light on circadian resetting. PMID:22547633

  15. Human phase response curve to a 1 h pulse of bright white light.

    PubMed

    St Hilaire, Melissa A; Gooley, Joshua J; Khalsa, Sat Bir S; Kronauer, Richard E; Czeisler, Charles A; Lockley, Steven W

    2012-07-01

    The phase resetting response of the human circadian pacemaker to light depends on the timing of exposure and is described by a phase response curve (PRC). The current study aimed to construct a PRC for a 1 h exposure to bright white light (∼8000 lux) and to compare this PRC to a <3 lux dim background light PRC. These data were also compared to a previously completed 6.7 h bright white light PRC and a <15 lux dim background light PRC constructed under similar conditions. Participants were randomized for exposure to 1 h of either bright white light (n=18) or <3 lux dim background light (n=18) scheduled at 1 of 18 circadian phases. Participants completed constant routine (CR) procedures in dim light (<3 lux) before and after the light exposure to assess circadian phase. Phase shifts were calculated as the difference in timing of dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) during pre- and post-stimulus CRs. Exposure to 1 h of bright white light induced a Type 1 PRC with a fitted peak-to-trough amplitude of 2.20 h. No discernible PRC was observed in the <3 lux dim background light PRC. The fitted peak-to-trough amplitude of the 1 h bright light PRC was ∼40% of that for the 6.7 h PRC despite representing only 15% of the light exposure duration, consistent with previous studies showing a non-linear duration–response function for the effects of light on circadian resetting.

  16. Measurement of replication structures at the nanometer scale using super-resolution light microscopy

    PubMed Central

    Baddeley, D.; Chagin, V. O.; Schermelleh, L.; Martin, S.; Pombo, A.; Carlton, P. M.; Gahl, A.; Domaing, P.; Birk, U.; Leonhardt, H.; Cremer, C.; Cardoso, M. C.

    2010-01-01

    DNA replication, similar to other cellular processes, occurs within dynamic macromolecular structures. Any comprehensive understanding ultimately requires quantitative data to establish and test models of genome duplication. We used two different super-resolution light microscopy techniques to directly measure and compare the size and numbers of replication foci in mammalian cells. This analysis showed that replication foci vary in size from 210 nm down to 40 nm. Remarkably, spatially modulated illumination (SMI) and 3D-structured illumination microscopy (3D-SIM) both showed an average size of 125 nm that was conserved throughout S-phase and independent of the labeling method, suggesting a basic unit of genome duplication. Interestingly, the improved optical 3D resolution identified 3- to 5-fold more distinct replication foci than previously reported. These results show that optical nanoscopy techniques enable accurate measurements of cellular structures at a level previously achieved only by electron microscopy and highlight the possibility of high-throughput, multispectral 3D analyses. PMID:19864256

  17. Integrated large view angle hologram system with multi-slm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, ChengWei; Liu, Juan

    2017-10-01

    Recently holographic display has attracted much attention for its ability to generate real-time 3D reconstructed image. CGH provides an effective way to produce hologram, and spacial light modulator (SLM) is used to reconstruct the image. However the reconstructing system is usually very heavy and complex, and the view-angle is limited by the pixel size and spatial bandwidth product (SBP) of the SLM. In this paper a light portable holographic display system is proposed by integrating the optical elements and host computer units.Which significantly reduces the space taken in horizontal direction. CGH is produced based on the Fresnel diffraction and point source method. To reduce the memory usage and image distortion, we use an optimized accurate compressed look up table method (AC-LUT) to compute the hologram. In the system, six SLMs are concatenated to a curved plane, each one loading the phase-only hologram in a different angle of the object, the horizontal view-angle of the reconstructed image can be expanded to about 21.8°.

  18. Phase in Optical Image Processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naughton, Thomas J.

    2010-04-01

    The use of phase has a long standing history in optical image processing, with early milestones being in the field of pattern recognition, such as VanderLugt's practical construction technique for matched filters, and (implicitly) Goodman's joint Fourier transform correlator. In recent years, the flexibility afforded by phase-only spatial light modulators and digital holography, for example, has enabled many processing techniques based on the explicit encoding and decoding of phase. One application area concerns efficient numerical computations. Pushing phase measurement to its physical limits, designs employing the physical properties of phase have ranged from the sensible to the wonderful, in some cases making computationally easy problems easier to solve and in other cases addressing mathematics' most challenging computationally hard problems. Another application area is optical image encryption, in which, typically, a phase mask modulates the fractional Fourier transformed coefficients of a perturbed input image, and the phase of the inverse transform is then sensed as the encrypted image. The inherent linearity that makes the system so elegant mitigates against its use as an effective encryption technique, but we show how a combination of optical and digital techniques can restore confidence in that security. We conclude with the concept of digital hologram image processing, and applications of same that are uniquely suited to optical implementation, where the processing, recognition, or encryption step operates on full field information, such as that emanating from a coherently illuminated real-world three-dimensional object.

  19. Achromatic vector vortex beams from a glass cone

    PubMed Central

    Radwell, N.; Hawley, R. D.; Götte, J. B.; Franke-Arnold, S.

    2016-01-01

    The reflection of light is governed by the laws first described by Augustin-Jean Fresnel: on internal reflection, light acquires a phase shift, which depends on its polarization direction with respect to the plane of incidence. For a conical reflector, the cylindrical symmetry is echoed in an angular variation of this phase shift, allowing us to create light modes with phase and polarization singularities. Here we observe the phase and polarization profiles of light that is back reflected from a solid glass cone and, in the case of circular input light, discover that not only does the beam contain orbital angular momentum but can trivially be converted to a radially polarized beam. Importantly, the Fresnel coefficients are reasonably stable across the visible spectrum, which we demonstrate by measuring white light polarization profiles. This discovery provides a highly cost-effective technique for the generation of broadband orbital angular momentum and radially polarized beams. PMID:26861191

  20. Achromatic vector vortex beams from a glass cone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Radwell, N.; Hawley, R. D.; Götte, J. B.; Franke-Arnold, S.

    2016-02-01

    The reflection of light is governed by the laws first described by Augustin-Jean Fresnel: on internal reflection, light acquires a phase shift, which depends on its polarization direction with respect to the plane of incidence. For a conical reflector, the cylindrical symmetry is echoed in an angular variation of this phase shift, allowing us to create light modes with phase and polarization singularities. Here we observe the phase and polarization profiles of light that is back reflected from a solid glass cone and, in the case of circular input light, discover that not only does the beam contain orbital angular momentum but can trivially be converted to a radially polarized beam. Importantly, the Fresnel coefficients are reasonably stable across the visible spectrum, which we demonstrate by measuring white light polarization profiles. This discovery provides a highly cost-effective technique for the generation of broadband orbital angular momentum and radially polarized beams.

  1. Diffraction Efficiency of Thin Film Holographic Beam Steering Devices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Titus, Charles M.; Pouch, John; Nguyen, Hung; Miranda, Felix; Bos, Philip J.

    2003-01-01

    Dynamic holography has been demonstrated as a method for correcting aberrations in space deployable optics, and can also be used to achieve high-resolution beam steering in the same environment. In this paper, we consider some of the factors affecting the efficiency of these devices. Specifically, the effect on the efficiency of a highly collimated beam from the number of discrete phase steps per period is considered for a blazed thin film beam steering grating. The effect of the number of discrete phase steps per period on steering resolution is also considered. We also present some result of Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) calculations of light propagating through liquid crystal "blazed" gratings. Liquid crystal gratings are shown to spatially modulate both the phase and amplitude of the propagating light.

  2. Planar optics with patterned chiral liquid crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kobashi, Junji; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Ozaki, Masanori

    2016-06-01

    Reflective metasurfaces based on metallic and dielectric nanoscatterers have attracted interest owing to their ability to control the phase of light. However, because such nanoscatterers require subwavelength features, the fabrication of elements that operate in the visible range is challenging. Here, we show that chiral liquid crystals with a self-organized helical structure enable metasurface-like, non-specular reflection in the visible region. The phase of light that is Bragg-reflected off the helical structure can be controlled over 0-2π depending on the spatial phase of the helical structure; thus planar elements with arbitrary reflected wavefronts can be created via orientation control. The circular polarization selectivity and external field tunability of Bragg reflection open a wide variety of potential applications for this family of functional devices, from optical isolators to wearable displays.

  3. Accelerated wavefront determination technique for optical imaging through scattering medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Hexiang; Wong, Kam Sing

    2016-03-01

    Wavefront shaping applied on scattering light is a promising optical imaging method in biological systems. Normally, optimized modulation can be obtained by a Liquid-Crystal Spatial Light Modulator (LC-SLM) and CCD hardware iteration. Here we introduce an improved method for this optimization process. The core of the proposed method is to firstly detect the disturbed wavefront, and then to calculate the modulation phase pattern by computer simulation. In particular, phase retrieval method together with phase conjugation is most effective. In this way, the LC-SLM based system can complete the wavefront optimization and imaging restoration within several seconds which is two orders of magnitude faster than the conventional technique. The experimental results show good imaging quality and may contribute to real time imaging recovery in scattering medium.

  4. Universal sensitivity of speckle intensity correlations to wavefront change in light diffusers

    PubMed Central

    Kim, KyungDuk; Yu, Hyeonseung; Lee, KyeoReh; Park, YongKeun

    2017-01-01

    Here, we present a concept based on the realization that a complex medium can be used as a simple interferometer. Changes in the wavefront of an incident coherent beam can be retrieved by analyzing changes in speckle patterns when the beam passes through a light diffuser. We demonstrate that the spatial intensity correlations of the speckle patterns are independent of the light diffusers, and are solely determined by the phase changes of an incident beam. With numerical simulations using the random matrix theory, and an experimental pressure-driven wavefront-deforming setup using a microfluidic channel, we theoretically and experimentally confirm the universal sensitivity of speckle intensity correlations, which is attributed to the conservation of optical field correlation despite multiple light scattering. This work demonstrates that a light diffuser works as a simple interferometer, and presents opportunities to retrieve phase information of optical fields with a compact scattering layer in various applications in metrology, analytical chemistry, and biomedicine. PMID:28322268

  5. Parallel Information Processing (Image Transmission Via Fiber Bundle and Multimode Fiber

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kukhtarev, Nicholai

    2003-01-01

    Growing demand for visual, user-friendly representation of information inspires search for the new methods of image transmission. Currently used in-series (sequential) methods of information processing are inherently slow and are designed mainly for transmission of one or two dimensional arrays of data. Conventional transmission of data by fibers requires many fibers with array of laser diodes and photodetectors. In practice, fiber bundles are also used for transmission of images. Image is formed on the fiber-optic bundle entrance surface and each fiber transmits the incident image to the exit surface. Since the fibers do not preserve phase, only 2D intensity distribution can be transmitted in this way. Each single mode fiber transmit only one pixel of an image. Multimode fibers may be also used, so that each mode represent different pixel element. Direct transmission of image through multimode fiber is hindered by the mode scrambling and phase randomization. To overcome these obstacles wavelength and time-division multiplexing have been used, with each pixel transmitted on a separate wavelength or time interval. Phase-conjugate techniques also was tested in, but only in the unpractical scheme when reconstructed image return back to the fiber input end. Another method of three-dimensional imaging over single mode fibers was demonstrated in, using laser light of reduced spatial coherence. Coherence encoding, needed for a transmission of images by this methods, was realized with grating interferometer or with the help of an acousto-optic deflector. We suggest simple practical holographic method of image transmission over single multimode fiber or over fiber bundle with coherent light using filtering by holographic optical elements. Originally this method was successfully tested for the single multimode fiber. In this research we have modified holographic method for transmission of laser illuminated images over commercially available fiber bundle (fiber endoscope, or fiberscope).

  6. Characterization of submillisecond response optical addressing phase modulator based on low light scattering polymer network liquid crystal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiangjie, Zhao; Cangli, Liu; Jiazhu, Duan; Dayong, Zhang; Yongquan, Luo

    2015-01-01

    Optically addressed conventional nematic liquid crystal spatial light modulator has attracted wide research interests. But the slow response speed limited its further application. In this paper, polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) was proposed to replace the conventional nematic liquid crystal to enhance the response time to the order of submillisecond. The maximum light scattering of the employed PNLC was suppressed to be less than 2% at 1.064 μm by optimizing polymerization conditions and selecting large viscosity liquid crystal as solvent. The occurrence of phase ripple phenomenon due to electron diffusion and drift in photoconductor was found to deteriorate the phase modulation effect of the optical addressed PNLC phase modulator. The wavelength effect and AC voltage frequency effect on the on state dynamic response of phase change was investigated by experimental methods. These effects were interpreted by electron diffusion and drift theory based on the assumption that free electron was inhomogeneously distributed in accordance with the writing beam intensity distribution along the incident direction. The experimental results indicated that the phase ripple could be suppressed by optimizing the wavelength of the writing beam and the driving AC voltage frequency when varying the writing beam intensity to generate phase change in 2π range. The modulation transfer function was also measured.

  7. A Phenomenological Two-Ribbon Model for Spatially Unresolved Observations of Stellar Flares

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kowalski, Adam

    2018-06-01

    Solar flares and flares that occur in much more magnetically active stars share some striking properties, such as the observed Neupert effect. However, stellar flares with the most impressive multi-wavelength data sets are typically much more energetic than solar flares, thus making robust connections difficult to establish. Whereas solar data have the advantage of high spatial resolution providing critical information about the development of flare ribbons, the major advantage of stellar flare data is the readily available broad-wavelength coverage of the white-light radiation and the Balmer jump spectral region. Due to the lack of direct spatial resolution for stellar flares and rarely coverage of the Balmer jump region for solar flares, it is not clear how to make a direct comparison. I will present a new method for modeling stellar flares based on high spatial resolution information of solar flare two-ribbon development for comparisons of the physics of their observed phenomena, such as the red-wing asymmetries in chromospheric lines and the white-light continuum radiation. The new modeling method combines aspects of "multi-thread" modeling and 1D radiative-hydrodynamic modeling. Our algorithm is important for interpreting the impulsive phase of superflares in young G dwarfs in Kepler and understanding how hour-long decay timescales are attained in the gradual phase of some very energetic stellar flares.

  8. Every factor helps: Rapid Ptychographic Reconstruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nashed, Youssef

    2015-03-01

    Recent advances in microscopy, specifically higher spatial resolution and data acquisition rates, require faster and more robust phase retrieval reconstruction methods. Ptychography is a phase retrieval technique for reconstructing the complex transmission function of a specimen from a sequence of diffraction patterns in visible light, X-ray, and electron microscopes. As technical advances allow larger fields to be imaged, computational challenges arise for reconstructing the correspondingly larger data volumes. Waiting to postprocess datasets offline results in missed opportunities. Here we present a parallel method for real-time ptychographic phase retrieval. It uses a hybrid parallel strategy to divide the computation between multiple graphics processing units (GPUs). A final specimen reconstruction is then achieved by different techniques to merge sub-dataset results into a single complex phase and amplitude image. Results are shown on a simulated specimen and real datasets from X-ray experiments conducted at a synchrotron light source.

  9. Fabrication of Fiber-Optic Tilted Bragg Grating Filter in 40 nm Range with A Single Phase Mask

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grant, Joseph; Wang, Y.; Sharma, A.; Burdine, Robert V. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Fiber-optic Bragg grating filters are fabricated with a range of Bragg wavelength between 1296 and 1336 nm, using a single phase mask. 30 mW of continuous-wave light at 244 nm is used from a frequency-doubled argon-ion laser having an intracavity etalon. Gratings are fabricated by tilting the photosensitive fiber with respect to the phase mask up to an angle of 15 degrees. The variation of Bragg wavelength with the fiber-tilt is explained with a simple formula. High spatial coherence of 244 nm light makes it possible to displace the fiber as much as 6 mm in front of the phase mask and tilt the fiber by as much as 15 degrees. This results in nearly constant band-width and near 100% reflectively for all gratings throughout the 40 nm range.

  10. Holographic near-eye display system based on double-convergence light Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm.

    PubMed

    Sun, Peng; Chang, Shengqian; Liu, Siqi; Tao, Xiao; Wang, Chang; Zheng, Zhenrong

    2018-04-16

    In this paper, a method is proposed to implement noises reduced three-dimensional (3D) holographic near-eye display by phase-only computer-generated hologram (CGH). The CGH is calculated from a double-convergence light Gerchberg-Saxton (GS) algorithm, in which the phases of two virtual convergence lights are introduced into GS algorithm simultaneously. The first phase of convergence light is a replacement of random phase as the iterative initial value and the second phase of convergence light will modulate the phase distribution calculated by GS algorithm. Both simulations and experiments are carried out to verify the feasibility of the proposed method. The results indicate that this method can effectively reduce the noises in the reconstruction. Field of view (FOV) of the reconstructed image reaches 40 degrees and experimental light path in the 4-f system is shortened. As for 3D experiments, the results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can present 3D images with 180cm zooming range and continuous depth cues. This method may provide a promising solution in future 3D augmented reality (AR) realization.

  11. Simulation-Based Evaluation of Light Posts and Street Signs as 3-D Geolocation Targets in SAR Images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Auer, S.; Balss, U.

    2017-05-01

    The assignment of phase center positions (in 2D or 3D) derived from SAR data to physical object is challenging for many man-made structures such as buildings or bridges. In contrast, light poles and traffic signs are promising targets for tasks based on 3-D geolocation as they often show a prominent and spatially isolated appearance. For a detailed understanding of the nature of both targets, this paper presents results of a dedicated simulation case study, which is based on ray tracing methods (simulator RaySAR). For the first time, the appearance of the targets is analyzed in 2D (image plane) and 3D space (world coordinates of scene model) and reflecting surfaces are identified for related dominant image pixels. The case studies confirms the crucial impact of spatial resolution in the context of light poles and traffic signs and the appropriateness of light poles as target for 3-D geolocation in case of horizontal ground surfaces beneath.

  12. 3D quantitative phase imaging of neural networks using WDT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Taewoo; Liu, S. C.; Iyer, Raj; Gillette, Martha U.; Popescu, Gabriel

    2015-03-01

    White-light diffraction tomography (WDT) is a recently developed 3D imaging technique based on a quantitative phase imaging system called spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM). The technique has achieved a sub-micron resolution in all three directions with high sensitivity granted by the low-coherence of a white-light source. Demonstrations of the technique on single cell imaging have been presented previously; however, imaging on any larger sample, including a cluster of cells, has not been demonstrated using the technique. Neurons in an animal body form a highly complex and spatially organized 3D structure, which can be characterized by neuronal networks or circuits. Currently, the most common method of studying the 3D structure of neuron networks is by using a confocal fluorescence microscope, which requires fluorescence tagging with either transient membrane dyes or after fixation of the cells. Therefore, studies on neurons are often limited to samples that are chemically treated and/or dead. WDT presents a solution for imaging live neuron networks with a high spatial and temporal resolution, because it is a 3D imaging method that is label-free and non-invasive. Using this method, a mouse or rat hippocampal neuron culture and a mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron culture have been imaged in order to see the extension of processes between the cells in 3D. Furthermore, the tomogram is compared with a confocal fluorescence image in order to investigate the 3D structure at synapses.

  13. Enhanced spatial near-infrared modulation of graphene-loaded perfect absorbers using plasmonic nanoslits.

    PubMed

    Cai, Yijun; Zhu, Jinfeng; Liu, Qing Huo; Lin, Timothy; Zhou, Jianyang; Ye, Longfang; Cai, Zhiping

    2015-12-14

    Modulating spatial near-infrared light for ultra-compact electro-optic devices is a critical issue in optical communication and imaging applications. To date, spatial near-infrared modulators based on graphene have been reported, but they showed limited modulation effects due to the relatively weak light-graphene interaction. In combination with graphene and metallic nanoslits, we design a kind of ultrathin near-infrared perfect absorber with enhanced spatial modulation effects and independence on a wide range of incident angles. The modulated spectral shift of central wavelength is up to 258.2 nm in the near-infrared range, which is more promising in applications than state-of-the-art devices. The modulation enhancement is attributed to the plasmonic nanoslit mode, in which the optical electric field is highly concentrated in the deep subwavelength scale and the light-graphene interaction is significantly strengthened. The physical insight is deeply revealed by a combination of equivalent circuit and electromagnetic field analysis. The design principles are not only crucial for spatial near-infrared modulators, but also provide a key guide for developing active near-infrared patch nanoantennas based on graphene.

  14. Spin voltage generation through optical excitation of complementary spin populations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bottegoni, Federico; Celebrano, Michele; Bollani, Monica; Biagioni, Paolo; Isella, Giovanni; Ciccacci, Franco; Finazzi, Marco

    2014-08-01

    By exploiting the spin degree of freedom of carriers inside electronic devices, spintronics has a huge potential for quantum computation and dissipationless interconnects. Pure spin currents in spintronic devices should be driven by a spin voltage generator, able to drive the spin distribution out of equilibrium without inducing charge currents. Ideally, such a generator should operate at room temperature, be highly integrable with existing semiconductor technology, and not interfere with other spintronic building blocks that make use of ferromagnetic materials. Here we demonstrate a device that matches these requirements by realizing the spintronic equivalent of a photovoltaic generator. Whereas a photovoltaic generator spatially separates photoexcited electrons and holes, our device exploits circularly polarized light to produce two spatially well-defined electron populations with opposite in-plane spin projections. This is achieved by modulating the phase and amplitude of the light wavefronts entering a semiconductor (germanium) with a patterned metal overlayer (platinum). The resulting light diffraction pattern features a spatially modulated chirality inside the semiconductor, which locally excites spin-polarized electrons thanks to electric dipole selection rules.

  15. Experimental demonstration of a phased-array antenna optically controlled with phase and time delays.

    PubMed

    Dolfi, D; Joffre, P; Antoine, J; Huignard, J P; Philippet, D; Granger, P

    1996-09-10

    The experimental demonstration and the far-field pattern characterization of an optically controlled phased-array antenna are described. It operates between 2.5 and 3.5 GHz and is made of 16 radiating elements. The optical control uses a two-dimensional architecture based on free-space propagation and on polarization switching by N spatial light modulators of p × p pixels. It provides 2(N-1) time-delay values and an analog control of the 0 to 2π phase for each of the p × p signals feeding the antenna (N = 5, p = 4).

  16. Optical π phase shift created with a single-photon pulse.

    PubMed

    Tiarks, Daniel; Schmidt, Steffen; Rempe, Gerhard; Dürr, Stephan

    2016-04-01

    A deterministic photon-photon quantum logic gate is a long-standing goal. Building such a gate becomes possible if a light pulse containing only one photon imprints a phase shift of π onto another light field. We experimentally demonstrate the generation of such a π phase shift with a single-photon pulse. A first light pulse containing less than one photon on average is stored in an atomic gas. Rydberg blockade combined with electromagnetically induced transparency creates a phase shift for a second light pulse, which propagates through the medium. We measure the π phase shift of the second pulse when we postselect the data upon the detection of a retrieved photon from the first pulse. This demonstrates a crucial step toward a photon-photon gate and offers a variety of applications in the field of quantum information processing.

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

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Yulan; Li, Xun

    2017-08-01

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

  18. Phase-and-amplitude recovery from a single phase-contrast image using partially spatially coherent x-ray radiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beltran, Mario A.; Paganin, David M.; Pelliccia, Daniele

    2018-05-01

    A simple method of phase-and-amplitude extraction is derived that corrects for image blurring induced by partially spatially coherent incident illumination using only a single intensity image as input. The method is based on Fresnel diffraction theory for the case of high Fresnel number, merged with the space-frequency description formalism used to quantify partially coherent fields and assumes the object under study is composed of a single-material. A priori knowledge of the object’s complex refractive index and information obtained by characterizing the spatial coherence of the source is required. The algorithm was applied to propagation-based phase-contrast data measured with a laboratory-based micro-focus x-ray source. The blurring due to the finite spatial extent of the source is embedded within the algorithm as a simple correction term to the so-called Paganin algorithm and is also numerically stable in the presence of noise.

  19. Simultaneous multiview capture and fusion improves spatial resolution in wide-field and light-sheet microscopy

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Yicong; Chandris, Panagiotis; Winter, Peter W.; Kim, Edward Y.; Jaumouillé, Valentin; Kumar, Abhishek; Guo, Min; Leung, Jacqueline M.; Smith, Corey; Rey-Suarez, Ivan; Liu, Huafeng; Waterman, Clare M.; Ramamurthi, Kumaran S.; La Riviere, Patrick J.; Shroff, Hari

    2016-01-01

    Most fluorescence microscopes are inefficient, collecting only a small fraction of the emitted light at any instant. Besides wasting valuable signal, this inefficiency also reduces spatial resolution and causes imaging volumes to exhibit significant resolution anisotropy. We describe microscopic and computational techniques that address these problems by simultaneously capturing and subsequently fusing and deconvolving multiple specimen views. Unlike previous methods that serially capture multiple views, our approach improves spatial resolution without introducing any additional illumination dose or compromising temporal resolution relative to conventional imaging. When applying our methods to single-view wide-field or dual-view light-sheet microscopy, we achieve a twofold improvement in volumetric resolution (~235 nm × 235 nm × 340 nm) as demonstrated on a variety of samples including microtubules in Toxoplasma gondii, SpoVM in sporulating Bacillus subtilis, and multiple protein distributions and organelles in eukaryotic cells. In every case, spatial resolution is improved with no drawback by harnessing previously unused fluorescence. PMID:27761486

  20. Instruments for Optical Spectroscopy and Imaging of Correlated Spin-Orbit Phases

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-10-20

    2014. "A Spatially Resolved Optical Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) Study of the Perovskite Iridate Sr2IrO4 with Bulk Sensitivity". (oral) 6...The scattering plane ( light blue) is defined by the incident (red arrow) and radiated (dark blue arrow) beams. S(P)-polarization denotes an...5d transition metal oxides, with particular emphasis on the iridate family. In a conventional SHG-RA experiment, light of frequency  is impinged

  1. Compact three-dimensional super-resolution system based on fluorescence emission difference microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Dazhao; Chen, Youhua; Fang, Yue; Hussain, Anwar; Kuang, Cuifang; Zhou, Xiaoxu; Xu, Yingke; Liu, Xu

    2017-12-01

    A compact microscope system for three-dimensional (3-D) super-resolution imaging is presented. The super-resolution capability of the system is based on a size-reduced effective 3-D point spread function generated through the fluorescence emission difference (FED) method. The appropriate polarization direction distribution and manipulation allows the panel active area of the spatial light modulator to be fully utilized. This allows simultaneous modulation of the incident light by two kinds of phase masks to be performed with a single spatial light modulator in order to generate a 3-D negative spot. The system is more compact than standard 3-D FED systems while maintaining all the advantages of 3-D FED microscopy. The experimental results demonstrated the improvement in 3-D resolution by nearly 1.7 times and 1.6 times compared to the classic confocal resolution in the lateral and axial directions, respectively.

  2. Detection of surface impurity phases in high T.sub.C superconductors using thermally stimulated luminescence

    DOEpatents

    Cooke, D. Wayne; Jahan, Muhammad S.

    1989-01-01

    Detection of surface impurity phases in high-temperature superconducting materials. Thermally stimulated luminescence has been found to occur in insulating impurity phases which commonly exist in high-temperature superconducting materials. The present invention is sensitive to impurity phases occurring at a level of less than 1% with a probe depth of about 1 .mu.m which is the region of interest for many superconductivity applications. Spectroscopic and spatial resolution of the emitted light from a sample permits identification and location of the impurity species. Absence of luminescence, and thus of insulating phases, can be correlated with low values of rf surface resistance.

  3. Light-Induced resetting of the circadian pacemaker: quantitative analysis of transient versus steady-state phase shifts.

    PubMed

    Watanabe, K; Deboer, T; Meijer, J H

    2001-12-01

    The suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus contain the major circadian pacemaker in mammals, driving circadian rhythms in behavioral and physiological functions. This circadian pacemaker's responsiveness to light allows synchronization to the light-dark cycle. Phase shifting by light often involves several transient cycles in which the behavioral activity rhythm gradually shifts to its steady-state position. In this article, the authors investigate in Syrian hamsters whether a phase-advancing light pulse results in immediate shifts of the PRC at the next circadian cycle. In a first series of experiments, the authors aimed a light pulse at CT 19 to induce a phase advance. It appeared that the steady-state phase advances were highly correlated with activity onset in the first and second transient cycle. This enabled them to make a reliable estimate of the steady-state phase shift induced by a phase-advancing light pulse on the basis of activity onset in the first transient cycle. In the next series of experiments, they presented a light pulse at CT 19, which was followed by a second light pulse aimed at the delay zone of the PRC on the next circadian cycle. The immediate and steady-state phase delays induced by the second light pulse were compared with data from a third experiment in which animals received a phase-delaying light pulse only. The authors observed that the waveform of the phase-delay part of the PRC (CT 12-16) obtained in Experiment 2 was virtually identical to the phase-delay part of the PRC for a single light pulse (obtained in Experiment 3). This finding allowed for a quantitative assessment of the data. The analysis indicates that the delay part of the PRC-between CT 12 and CT 16-is rapidly reset following a light pulse at CT 19. These findings complement earlier findings in the hamster showing that after a light pulse at CT 19, the phase-advancing part of the PRC is immediately shifted. Together, the data indicate that the basis for phase advancing involves rapid resetting of both advance and delay components of the PRC.

  4. Single-Layer Metasurface with Controllable Multiwavelength Functions.

    PubMed

    Shi, Zhujun; Khorasaninejad, Mohammadreza; Huang, Yao-Wei; Roques-Carmes, Charles; Zhu, Alexander Y; Chen, Wei Ting; Sanjeev, Vyshakh; Ding, Zhao-Wei; Tamagnone, Michele; Chaudhary, Kundan; Devlin, Robert C; Qiu, Cheng-Wei; Capasso, Federico

    2018-04-11

    In this paper, we report dispersion-engineered metasurfaces with distinct functionalities controlled by wavelength. Unlike previous approaches based on spatial multiplexing or vertical stacking of metasurfaces, we utilize a single phase profile with wavelength dependence encoded in the phase shifters' dispersion. We designed and fabricated a multiwavelength achromatic metalens (MAM) with achromatic focusing for blue (B), green (G), yellow (Y), and red (R) light and two wavelength-controlled beam generators (WCBG): one focuses light with orbital angular momentum (OAM) states ( l = 0,1,2) corresponding to three primary colors; the other produces ordinary focal spots ( l = 0) for red and green light, while generating a vortex beam ( l = 1) in the blue. A full color (RGB) hologram is also demonstrated in simulation. Our approach opens a path to applications ranging from near-eye displays and holography to compact multiwavelength beam generation.

  5. Optimal spiral phase modulation in Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm for wavefront reconstruction and correction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baránek, M.; Běhal, J.; Bouchal, Z.

    2018-01-01

    In the phase retrieval applications, the Gerchberg-Saxton (GS) algorithm is widely used for the simplicity of implementation. This iterative process can advantageously be deployed in the combination with a spatial light modulator (SLM) enabling simultaneous correction of optical aberrations. As recently demonstrated, the accuracy and efficiency of the aberration correction using the GS algorithm can be significantly enhanced by a vortex image spot used as the target intensity pattern in the iterative process. Here we present an optimization of the spiral phase modulation incorporated into the GS algorithm.

  6. Computerized lateral-shear interferometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasegan, Sorin A.; Jianu, Angela; Vlad, Valentin I.

    1998-07-01

    A lateral-shear interferometer, coupled with a computer for laser wavefront analysis, is described. A CCD camera is used to transfer the fringe images through a frame-grabber into a PC. 3D phase maps are obtained by fringe pattern processing using a new algorithm for direct spatial reconstruction of the optical phase. The program describes phase maps by Zernike polynomials yielding an analytical description of the wavefront aberration. A compact lateral-shear interferometer has been built using a laser diode as light source, a CCD camera and a rechargeable battery supply, which allows measurements in-situ, if necessary.

  7. Index mismatch aberration correction over long working distances using spatial light modulation.

    PubMed

    Gjonaj, Bergin; Johnson, Patrick; Bonn, Mischa; Domke, Katrin F

    2012-11-20

    For many microscopy applications, millimeters-long free working distances (LWD) are required. However, the high resolution and contrast of LWD objectives operated in air are lost when introducing glass and/or liquid with the sample. We propose to use spatial light modulation to correct for such beam aberrations caused by refractive index mismatches. Focusing a monochromatic laser beam with a 10 mm working distance air objective (50×, 0.5 NA) through air, glass, and water, we manage to restore a sharp, intense focus (FWHM<2λ) by adaptive beam phase shaping. Our approach offers a practical and cost-effective route to high resolution and contrast microscopy using LWD air objectives, extending their usage beyond applications in air.

  8. Interferometer Control of Optical Tweezers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Decker, Arthur J.

    2002-01-01

    This paper discusses progress in using spatial light modulators and interferometry to control the beam profile of an optical tweezers. The approach being developed is to use a spatial light modulator (SLM) to control the phase profile of the tweezers beam and to use a combination of the SLM and interferometry to control the intensity profile. The objective is to perform fine and calculable control of the moments and forces on a tip or tool to be used to manipulate and interrogate nanostructures. The performance of the SLM in generating multiple and independently controllable tweezers beams is also reported. Concurrent supporting research projects are mentioned and include tweezers beam scattering and neural-net processing of the interference patterns for control of the tweezers beams.

  9. Visualising Berry phase and diabolical points in a quantum exciton-polariton billiard

    PubMed Central

    Estrecho, E.; Gao, T.; Brodbeck, S.; Kamp, M.; Schneider, C.; Höfling, S.; Truscott, A. G.; Ostrovskaya, E. A.

    2016-01-01

    Diabolical points (spectral degeneracies) can naturally occur in spectra of two-dimensional quantum systems and classical wave resonators due to simple symmetries. Geometric Berry phase is associated with these spectral degeneracies. Here, we demonstrate a diabolical point and the corresponding Berry phase in the spectrum of hybrid light-matter quasiparticles—exciton-polaritons in semiconductor microcavities. It is well known that sufficiently strong optical pumping can drive exciton-polaritons to quantum degeneracy, whereby they form a macroscopically populated quantum coherent state similar to a Bose-Einstein condensate. By pumping a microcavity with a spatially structured light beam, we create a two-dimensional quantum billiard for the exciton-polariton condensate and demonstrate a diabolical point in the spectrum of the billiard eigenstates. The fully reconfigurable geometry of the potential walls controlled by the optical pump enables a striking experimental visualization of the Berry phase associated with the diabolical point. The Berry phase is observed and measured by direct imaging of the macroscopic exciton-polariton probability densities. PMID:27886222

  10. Geometric phase topology in weak measurement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Samlan, C. T.; Viswanathan, Nirmal K.

    2017-12-01

    The geometric phase visualization proposed by Bhandari (R Bhandari 1997 Phys. Rep. 281 1-64) in the ellipticity-ellipse orientation basis of the polarization ellipse of light is implemented to understand the geometric aspects of weak measurement. The weak interaction of a pre-selected state, acheived via spin-Hall effect of light (SHEL), results in a spread in the polarization ellipticity (η) or ellipse orientation (χ) depending on the resulting spatial or angular shift, respectively. The post-selection leads to the projection of the η spread in the complementary χ basis results in the appearance of a geometric phase with helical phase topology in the η - χ parameter space. By representing the weak measurement on the Poincaré sphere and using Jones calculus, the complex weak value and the geometric phase topology are obtained. This deeper understanding of the weak measurement process enabled us to explore the techniques’ capabilities maximally, as demonstrated via SHEL in two examples—external reflection at glass-air interface and transmission through a tilted half-wave plate.

  11. Portable (handheld) clinical device for quantitative spectroscopy of skin, utilizing spatial frequency domain reflectance techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saager, Rolf B.; Dang, An N.; Huang, Samantha S.; Kelly, Kristen M.; Durkin, Anthony J.

    2017-09-01

    Spatial Frequency Domain Spectroscopy (SFDS) is a technique for quantifying in-vivo tissue optical properties. SFDS employs structured light patterns that are projected onto tissues using a spatial light modulator, such as a digital micromirror device. In combination with appropriate models of light propagation, this technique can be used to quantify tissue optical properties (absorption, μa, and scattering, μs', coefficients) and chromophore concentrations. Here we present a handheld implementation of an SFDS device that employs line (one dimensional) imaging. This instrument can measure 1088 spatial locations that span a 3 cm line as opposed to our original benchtop SFDS system that only collects a single 1 mm diameter spot. This imager, however, retains the spectral resolution (˜1 nm) and range (450-1000 nm) of our original benchtop SFDS device. In the context of homogeneous turbid media, we demonstrate that this new system matches the spectral response of our original system to within 1% across a typical range of spatial frequencies (0-0.35 mm-1). With the new form factor, the device has tremendously improved mobility and portability, allowing for greater ease of use in a clinical setting. A smaller size also enables access to different tissue locations, which increases the flexibility of the device. The design of this portable system not only enables SFDS to be used in clinical settings but also enables visualization of properties of layered tissues such as skin.

  12. Single-photon three-qubit quantum logic using spatial light modulators.

    PubMed

    Kagalwala, Kumel H; Di Giuseppe, Giovanni; Abouraddy, Ayman F; Saleh, Bahaa E A

    2017-09-29

    The information-carrying capacity of a single photon can be vastly expanded by exploiting its multiple degrees of freedom: spatial, temporal, and polarization. Although multiple qubits can be encoded per photon, to date only two-qubit single-photon quantum operations have been realized. Here, we report an experimental demonstration of three-qubit single-photon, linear, deterministic quantum gates that exploit photon polarization and the two-dimensional spatial-parity-symmetry of the transverse single-photon field. These gates are implemented using a polarization-sensitive spatial light modulator that provides a robust, non-interferometric, versatile platform for implementing controlled unitary gates. Polarization here represents the control qubit for either separable or entangling unitary operations on the two spatial-parity target qubits. Such gates help generate maximally entangled three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and W states, which is confirmed by tomographical reconstruction of single-photon density matrices. This strategy provides access to a wide range of three-qubit states and operations for use in few-qubit quantum information processing protocols.Photons are essential for quantum information processing, but to date only two-qubit single-photon operations have been realized. Here the authors demonstrate experimentally a three-qubit single-photon linear deterministic quantum gate by exploiting polarization along with spatial-parity symmetry.

  13. Producing superfluid circulation states using phase imprinting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Avinash; Dubessy, Romain; Badr, Thomas; De Rossi, Camilla; de Goër de Herve, Mathieu; Longchambon, Laurent; Perrin, Hélène

    2018-04-01

    We propose a method to prepare states of given quantized circulation in annular Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) confined in a ring trap using the method of phase imprinting without relying on a two-photon angular momentum transfer. The desired phase profile is imprinted on the atomic wave function using a short light pulse with a tailored intensity pattern generated with a spatial light modulator. We demonstrate the realization of "helicoidal" intensity profiles suitable for this purpose. Due to the diffraction limit, the theoretical steplike intensity profile is not achievable in practice. We investigate the effect of imprinting an intensity profile smoothed by a finite optical resolution onto the annular BEC with a numerical simulation of the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation. This allows us to optimize the intensity pattern for a given target circulation to compensate for the limited resolution.

  14. Dome diagnostics system of optical parameters and characteristics of LEDs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peretyagin, Vladimir S.; Pavlenko, Nikita A.

    2017-09-01

    Scientific and technological progress of recent years in the production of the light emitting diodes (LEDs) has led to the expansion of areas of their application from the simplest systems to high precision lighting devices used in various fields of human activity. However, development and production (especially mass production) of LED lighting devices are impossible without a thorough analysis of its parameters and characteristics. There are many ways and devices for analysis the spatial, energy and colorimetric parameters of LEDs. The most methods are intended for definition only one parameter (for example, luminous flux) or one characteristic (for example, the angular distribution of energy or the spectral characteristics). Besides, devices used these methods are intended for measuring parameters in only one point or plane. This problem can be solved by using a dome diagnostics system of optical parameters and characteristics of LEDs, developed by specialists of the department OEDS chair of ITMO University in Russia. The paper presents the theoretical aspects of the analysis of LED's spatial (angular), energy and color parameters by using mentioned of diagnostics system. The article also presents the results of spatial), energy and color parameters measurements of some LEDs brands.

  15. Image Reconstruction from Data Collected with an Imaging Interferometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    DeSantis, Z. J.; Thurman, S. T.; Hix, T. T.; Ogden, C. E.

    The intensity distribution of an incoherent source and the spatial coherence function at some distance away are related by a Fourier transform, via the Van Cittert-Zernike theorem. Imaging interferometers measure the spatial coherence of light propagated from the incoherently illuminated object by combining light from spatially separated points to measure interference fringes. The contrast and phase of the fringe are the amplitude and phase of a Fourier component of the source’s intensity distribution. The Fiber-Coupled Interferometer (FCI) testbed is a visible light, lab-based imaging interferometer designed to test aspects of an envisioned ground-based interferometer for imaging geosynchronous satellites. The front half of the FCI testbed consists of the scene projection optics, which includes an incoherently backlit scene, located at the focus of a 1 m aperture f/100 telescope. The projected light was collected by the back half of the FCI testbed. The collection optics consisted of three 11 mm aperture fiber-coupled telescopes. Light in the fibers was combined pairwise and dispersed onto a sensor to measure the interference fringe as a function of wavelength, which produces a radial spoke of measurements in the Fourier domain. The visibility function was sampled throughout the Fourier domain by recording fringe data at many different scene rotations and collection telescope separations. Our image reconstruction algorithm successfully produced images for the three scenes we tested: asymmetric pair of pinholes, U.S. Air Force resolution bar target, and satellite scene. The bar target reconstruction shows detail and resolution near the predicted resolution limit. This research was developed with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The views, opinions and/or findings expressed are those of the author(s) and should not be interpreted as reflecting the official views or policies of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.

  16. Neuronal connectome of a sensory-motor circuit for visual navigation

    PubMed Central

    Randel, Nadine; Asadulina, Albina; Bezares-Calderón, Luis A; Verasztó, Csaba; Williams, Elizabeth A; Conzelmann, Markus; Shahidi, Réza; Jékely, Gáspár

    2014-01-01

    Animals use spatial differences in environmental light levels for visual navigation; however, how light inputs are translated into coordinated motor outputs remains poorly understood. Here we reconstruct the neuronal connectome of a four-eye visual circuit in the larva of the annelid Platynereis using serial-section transmission electron microscopy. In this 71-neuron circuit, photoreceptors connect via three layers of interneurons to motorneurons, which innervate trunk muscles. By combining eye ablations with behavioral experiments, we show that the circuit compares light on either side of the body and stimulates body bending upon left-right light imbalance during visual phototaxis. We also identified an interneuron motif that enhances sensitivity to different light intensity contrasts. The Platynereis eye circuit has the hallmarks of a visual system, including spatial light detection and contrast modulation, illustrating how image-forming eyes may have evolved via intermediate stages contrasting only a light and a dark field during a simple visual task. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02730.001 PMID:24867217

  17. Fast method of cross-talk effect reduction in biomedical imaging (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nowakowski, Maciej; Kolenderska, Sylwia M.; Borycki, Dawid; Wojtkowski, Maciej

    2016-03-01

    Optical imaging of biological samples or living tissue structures requires light delivery to a region of interest and then collection of scattered light or fluorescent light in order to reconstruct an image of the object. When the coherent illumination light enters bulky biological object, each of scattering center (single molecule, group of molecules or other sample feature) acts as a secondary light source. As a result, scattered spherical waves from these secondary sources interact with each other, generating cross-talk noise between optical channels (eigenmodes). The cross-talk effect have serious impact on the performance of the imaging systems. In particular it reduces an ability of optical system to transfer high spatial frequencies thereby reducing its resolution. In this work we present a fast method to eliminate all unwanted waves combination, that overlap at image plane, suppressing recovery of high spatial frequencies by using the spatio-temporal optical coherence manipulation (STOC, [1]). In this method a number of phase mask is introduced to illuminating beam by spatial light modulator in a time of single image acquisition. We use a digital mirror device (DMD) in order to rapid cross-talk noise reduction (up to 22kHz modulation frequency) when imaging living biological cells in vivo by using full-field microscopy setup with double pass arrangement. This, to our best knowledge, has never been shown before. [1] D. Borycki, M. Nowakowski, and M. Wojtkowski, Opt. Lett. 38, 4817 (2013).

  18. Aspects of Clock Resetting in Flowering of Xanthium 1

    PubMed Central

    Papenfuss, Herbert D.; Salisbury, Frank B.

    1967-01-01

    Flowering is induced in Xanthium strumarium by a single dark period exceeding about 8.3 hours in length (the critical night). To study the mechanism which measures this dark period, plants were placed in growth chambers for about 2 days under constant light and temperature, given a phasing dark period terminated by an intervening light period (1 min to several hrs in duration), and finally a test dark period long enough normally to induce flowering. In some experiments, light interruptions during the test dark period were given to establish the time of maximum sensitivity. If the phasing dark period was less than 5 hours long, its termination by a light flash only broadened the subsequent time of maximum sensitivity to a light flash, but the critical night was delayed. In causing the delay, the end of the intervening light period was acting like the dusk signal which initiated time measurement at the beginning of the phasing dark period. If the phasing dark period was 6 hours or longer, time of maximum sensitivity during the subsequent test dark period was shifted by as much as 10 to 14 hours. In this case the light terminating the phasing dark period acted as a rephaser or a dawn signal. Following a 7.5-hour phasing dark period, intervening light periods of 1 minute to 5 hours did not shift the subsequent time of maximum sensitivity, but with intervening light periods longer than 5 hours, termination of the light acts clearly like a dusk signal. The clock appears to be suspended during intervening light periods longer than 5 to 15 hours. It is restarted by a dusk signal. There is an anomaly with intervening light periods of 10 to 13 hours, following which time of maximum sensitivity is actually less than the usual 8 hours after dusk. Ability of the clock in Xanthium to be rephased, suspended, restarted, or delayed, depending always upon conditions of the experiment, is characteristic of an oscillating timer and may confer upon this plant its ability to respond to a single inductive cycle. It is suggested that phytochrome may influence only the phase of the clock and not other aspects of flowering such as synthesis of flowering hormone. PMID:16656693

  19. Spatial Light Modulators and Applications. 1988 Technical Digest Series, Volume 8

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-06-01

    presence of an applied field but without run- ning gratings; then the fringes are allowed to move, with a velocity that optimizes self- in which F0...Laboratories. The optimization of an MQW modulator for both phase and amplitude modulation is reported, along with preliminary structural N.J design for a...Canyon Road Malibu, California 90265 ABSTRACT The optimization of an MOW modulator for both phase and amplitude modulation is reported,along with

  20. 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).

  1. Influence of environmental enrichment vs. time-of-day on behavioral repertoire of male albino Swiss mice.

    PubMed

    Loss, Cássio Morais; Binder, Luisa Bandeira; Muccini, Eduarda; Martins, Wagner Carbolin; de Oliveira, Paulo Alexandre; Vandresen-Filho, Samuel; Prediger, Rui Daniel; Tasca, Carla Inês; Zimmer, Eduardo R; Costa-Schmidt, Luiz Ernesto; de Oliveira, Diogo Losch; Viola, Giordano Gubert

    2015-11-01

    Environmental enrichment (EE) is a non-pharmacological manipulation that promotes diverse forms of benefits in the central nervous system of captive animals. It is thought that EE influences animal behavior in a specie-(strain)-specific manner. Since rodents in general present different behaviors during distinct periods of the day, in this study we aimed to investigate the influence of time-of-day on behavioral repertoire of Swiss mice that reared in EE. Forty male Swiss mice (21days old) were housed in standard (SC) or enriched conditions (EC) for 60days. Behavioral assessments were conducted during the light phase (in presence of light) or dark phase (in absence of light) in the following tasks: open field, object recognition and elevated plus maze. First, we observed that the locomotor and exploratory activities are distinct between SC and EC groups only during the light phase. Second, we observed that "self-protective behaviors" were increased in EC group only when mice were tested during the light phase. However, "less defensive behaviors" were not affected by both housing conditions and time-of-day. Third, we showed that the performance of EE animals in object recognition task was improved in both light and dark conditions. Our findings highlight that EE-induced alterations in exploratory and emotional behaviors are just evident during light conditions. However, EE-induced cognitive benefits are remarkable even during dark conditions, when exploratory and emotional behaviors were similar between groups. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. New spatial diversity equalizer based on PLL

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rao, Wei

    2011-10-01

    A new Spatial Diversity Equalizer (SDE) based on phase-locked loop (PLL) is proposed to overcome the inter-symbol interference (ISI) and phase rotations simultaneously in the digital communication system. The proposed SDE consists of equal gain combining technique based on a famous blind equalization algorithm constant modulus algorithm (CMA) and a PLL. Compared with conventional SDE, the proposed SDE has not only faster convergence rate and lower residual error but also the ability to recover carrier phase rotation. The efficiency of the method is proved by computer simulation.

  3. Recend advances of using VIIRS DNB for surface PM2.5 and fire monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, J.; Polivka, T. N.; Hyer, E. J.; Xu, X.; Ichoku, I.

    2017-12-01

    The launch of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partner- ship (S-NPP) satellite on 28 October 2011 has opened up unprecedented capabilities with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument. With a heritage extending back over 40 years to the Defense Meteorological Satel- lite Program (DMSP) Sensor Aerospace Vehicle Electronics Package (SAP), first launched in 1970, Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR, first launched 1978), and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS, first launched in 1999), VIIRS boasts improved spatial resolution and a higher signal-to-noise ratio than these legacy sensors. In particular, at the spatial resolution of 750 m, the VIIRS' day-and-night band (DNB) can monitor the visible light reflected by the Earth and atmsophere in all conditions, from strong reflection of sun light by cloud to weak reflection of moon light by desert at night. While several studies have looked into the potential use of DNB for mapping city lights and for retrieving aerosol optical depth at night, there are still lots of learn about DNB. Here, we will present our recent work of using DNB together with other VIIRS data to improve detection of smaller and cooler fires, to characterize the smoldering vs. flamming phase of fires , and to derive surface PM2.5 at night. Quantiitve understanding of visible light trasnfer from surface to the top of atmospehre will be presented, along with the study to undertand the radiation of fires from visible to infrared spectrum. Varous case studies will be shown in which 30% more fire pixels were detected as comapred to tradiational infrared-mehod only. Cross validation of DNB-based regression model shows that the estimated surface PM2.5 concentration has nearly no bias and a linear correlation coefficient (R) of 0.67 with respect to the corresponding hourly observed surface PM2.5 concentration.

  4. Phases of kinky holographic nuclear matter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elliot-Ripley, Matthew; Sutcliffe, Paul; Zamaklar, Marija

    2016-10-01

    Holographic QCD at finite baryon number density and zero temperature is studied within the five-dimensional Sakai-Sugimoto model. We introduce a new approximation that models a smeared crystal of solitonic baryons by assuming spatial homogeneity to obtain an effective kink theory in the holographic direction. The kink theory correctly reproduces a first order phase transition to lightly bound nuclear matter. As the density is further increased the kink splits into a pair of half-kink constituents, providing a concrete realization of the previously suggested dyonic salt phase, where the bulk soliton splits into constituents at high density. The kink model also captures the phenomenon of baryonic popcorn, in which a first order phase transition generates an additional soliton layer in the holographic direction. We find that this popcorn transition takes place at a density below the dyonic salt phase, making the latter energetically unfavourable. However, the kink model predicts only one pop, rather than the sequence of pops suggested by previous approximations. In the kink model the two layers produced by the single pop form the surface of a soliton bag that increases in size as the baryon chemical potential is increased. The interior of the bag is filled with abelian electric potential and the instanton charge density is localized on the surface of the bag. The soliton bag may provide a holographic description of a quarkyonic phase.

  5. Speckle-field digital holographic microscopy.

    PubMed

    Park, YongKeun; Choi, Wonshik; Yaqoob, Zahid; Dasari, Ramachandra; Badizadegan, Kamran; Feld, Michael S

    2009-07-20

    The use of coherent light in conventional holographic phase microscopy (HPM) poses three major drawbacks: poor spatial resolution, weak depth sectioning, and fixed pattern noise due to unwanted diffraction. Here, we report a technique which can overcome these drawbacks, but maintains the advantage of phase microscopy - high contrast live cell imaging and 3D imaging. A speckle beam of a complex spatial pattern is used for illumination to reduce fixed pattern noise and to improve optical sectioning capability. By recording of the electric field of speckle, we demonstrate high contrast 3D live cell imaging without the need for axial scanning - neither objective lens nor sample stage. This technique has great potential in studying biological samples with improved sensitivity, resolution and optical sectioning capability.

  6. Characterization of submillisecond response optical addressing phase modulator based on low light scattering polymer network liquid crystal

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

    Xiangjie, Zhao, E-mail: zxjdouble@163.com, E-mail: zxjdouble@gmail.com; Cangli, Liu; Jiazhu, Duan

    Optically addressed conventional nematic liquid crystal spatial light modulator has attracted wide research interests. But the slow response speed limited its further application. In this paper, polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) was proposed to replace the conventional nematic liquid crystal to enhance the response time to the order of submillisecond. The maximum light scattering of the employed PNLC was suppressed to be less than 2% at 1.064 μm by optimizing polymerization conditions and selecting large viscosity liquid crystal as solvent. The occurrence of phase ripple phenomenon due to electron diffusion and drift in photoconductor was found to deteriorate the phase modulationmore » effect of the optical addressed PNLC phase modulator. The wavelength effect and AC voltage frequency effect on the on state dynamic response of phase change was investigated by experimental methods. These effects were interpreted by electron diffusion and drift theory based on the assumption that free electron was inhomogeneously distributed in accordance with the writing beam intensity distribution along the incident direction. The experimental results indicated that the phase ripple could be suppressed by optimizing the wavelength of the writing beam and the driving AC voltage frequency when varying the writing beam intensity to generate phase change in 2π range. The modulation transfer function was also measured.« less

  7. Security authentication using phase-encoded nanoparticle structures and polarized light.

    PubMed

    Carnicer, Artur; Hassanfiroozi, Amir; Latorre-Carmona, Pedro; Huang, Yi-Pai; Javidi, Bahram

    2015-01-15

    Phase-encoded nanostructures such as quick response (QR) codes made of metallic nanoparticles are suggested to be used in security and authentication applications. We present a polarimetric optical method able to authenticate random phase-encoded QR codes. The system is illuminated using polarized light, and the QR code is encoded using a phase-only random mask. Using classification algorithms, it is possible to validate the QR code from the examination of the polarimetric signature of the speckle pattern. We used Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical test and Support Vector Machine algorithms to authenticate the phase-encoded QR codes using polarimetric signatures.

  8. Controlling Energy Radiations of Electromagnetic Waves via Frequency Coding Metamaterials.

    PubMed

    Wu, Haotian; Liu, Shuo; Wan, Xiang; Zhang, Lei; Wang, Dan; Li, Lianlin; Cui, Tie Jun

    2017-09-01

    Metamaterials are artificial structures composed of subwavelength unit cells to control electromagnetic (EM) waves. The spatial coding representation of metamaterial has the ability to describe the material in a digital way. The spatial coding metamaterials are typically constructed by unit cells that have similar shapes with fixed functionality. Here, the concept of frequency coding metamaterial is proposed, which achieves different controls of EM energy radiations with a fixed spatial coding pattern when the frequency changes. In this case, not only different phase responses of the unit cells are considered, but also different phase sensitivities are also required. Due to different frequency sensitivities of unit cells, two units with the same phase response at the initial frequency may have different phase responses at higher frequency. To describe the frequency coding property of unit cell, digitalized frequency sensitivity is proposed, in which the units are encoded with digits "0" and "1" to represent the low and high phase sensitivities, respectively. By this merit, two degrees of freedom, spatial coding and frequency coding, are obtained to control the EM energy radiations by a new class of frequency-spatial coding metamaterials. The above concepts and physical phenomena are confirmed by numerical simulations and experiments.

  9. LCoS-SLM technology based on Digital Electro-optics Platform and using in dynamic optics for application development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsai, Chun-Wei; Wang, Chen; Lyu, Bo-Han; Chu, Chen-Hsien

    2017-08-01

    Digital Electro-optics Platform is the main concept of Jasper Display Corp. (JDC) to develop various applications. These applications are based on our X-on-Silicon technologies, for example, X-on-Silicon technologies could be used on Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS), Micro Light-Emitting Diode on Silicon (μLEDoS), Organic Light-Emitting Diode on Silicon (OLEDoS), and Cell on Silicon (CELLoS), etc. LCoS technology is applied to Spatial Light Modulator (SLM), Dynamic Optics, Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS), Holographic Display, Microscopy, Bio-tech, 3D Printing and Adaptive Optics, etc. In addition, μLEDoS technology is applied to Augmented Reality (AR), Head Up Display (HUD), Head-mounted Display (HMD), and Wearable Devices. Liquid Crystal on Silicon - Spatial Light Modulator (LCoSSLM) based on JDC's On-Silicon technology for both amplitude and phase modulation, have an expanding role in several optical areas where light control on a pixel-by-pixel basis is critical for optimum system performance. Combination of the advantage of hardware and software, we can establish a "dynamic optics" for the above applications or more. Moreover, through the software operation, we can control the light more flexible and easily as programmable light processor.

  10. Spatial intensity distribution of controlled-NOT gate carrying orbital angular momentum via photonic band gap structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yan; Wang, Xiaorui; Zhe Zhang, Yun

    2018-07-01

    By employing the different topological charges of a Laguerre–Gaussian beam as a qubit, we experimentally demonstrate a controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate with light beams carrying orbital angular momentum via a photonic band gap structure in a hot atomic ensemble. Through a degenerate four-wave mixing process, the spatial distribution of the CNOT gate including splitting and spatial shift can be affected by the Kerr nonlinear effect in multilevel atomic systems. Moreover, the intensity variations of the CNOT gate can be controlled by the relative phase modulation. This research can be useful for applications in quantum information processing.

  11. Designing scattering-free isotropic index profiles using phase-amplitude equations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    King, C. G.; Horsley, S. A. R.; Philbin, T. G.

    2018-05-01

    The Helmholtz equation can be written as coupled equations for the amplitude and phase. By considering spatial phase distributions corresponding to reflectionless wave propagation in the plane and solving for the amplitude in terms of this phase, we designed two-dimensional graded-index media which do not scatter light. We give two illustrative examples, the first of which is a periodic grating for which diffraction is completely suppressed at a single frequency at normal incidence to the periodicity. The second example is a medium which behaves as a "beam shifter" at a single frequency; acting to laterally shift a plane wave, or sufficiently wide beam, without reflection.

  12. SU(1,1)-type light-atom-correlated interferometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Hongmei; Li, Dong; Yuan, Chun-Hua; Chen, L. Q.; Ou, Z. Y.; Zhang, Weiping

    2015-08-01

    The quantum correlation of light and atomic collective excitation can be used to compose an SU(1,1)-type hybrid light-atom interferometer, where one arm in the optical SU(1,1) interferometer is replaced by the atomic collective excitation. The phase-sensing probes include not only the photon field but also the atomic collective excitation inside the interferometer. For a coherent squeezed state as the phase-sensing field, the phase sensitivity can approach the Heisenberg limit under the optimal conditions. We also study the effects of the loss of light field and the dephasing of atomic excitation on the phase sensitivity. This kind of active SU(1,1) interferometer can also be realized in other systems, such as circuit quantum electrodynamics in microwave systems, which provides a different method for basic measurement using the hybrid interferometers.

  13. Non-Contact Surface Roughness Measurement by Implementation of a Spatial Light Modulator

    PubMed Central

    Aulbach, Laura; Salazar Bloise, Félix; Lu, Min; Koch, Alexander W.

    2017-01-01

    The surface structure, especially the roughness, has a significant influence on numerous parameters, such as friction and wear, and therefore estimates the quality of technical systems. In the last decades, a broad variety of surface roughness measurement methods were developed. A destructive measurement procedure or the lack of feasibility of online monitoring are the crucial drawbacks of most of these methods. This article proposes a new non-contact method for measuring the surface roughness that is straightforward to implement and easy to extend to online monitoring processes. The key element is a liquid-crystal-based spatial light modulator, integrated in an interferometric setup. By varying the imprinted phase of the modulator, a correlation between the imprinted phase and the fringe visibility of an interferogram is measured, and the surface roughness can be derived. This paper presents the theoretical approach of the method and first simulation and experimental results for a set of surface roughnesses. The experimental results are compared with values obtained by an atomic force microscope and a stylus profiler. PMID:28294990

  14. Topological Quantum Phase Transition and Local Topological Order in a Strongly Interacting Light-Matter System.

    PubMed

    Sarkar, Sujit

    2017-05-12

    An attempt is made to understand the topological quantum phase transition, emergence of relativistic modes and local topological order of light in a strongly interacting light-matter system. We study this system, in a one dimensional array of nonlinear cavities. Topological quantum phase transition occurs with massless excitation only for the finite detuning process. We present a few results based on the exact analytical calculations along with the physical explanations. We observe the emergence of massive Majorana fermion mode at the topological state, massless Majorana-Weyl fermion mode during the topological quantum phase transition and Dirac fermion mode for the non-topological state. Finally, we study the quantized Berry phase (topological order) and its connection to the topological number (winding number).

  15. A multi-modal stereo microscope based on a spatial light modulator.

    PubMed

    Lee, M P; Gibson, G M; Bowman, R; Bernet, S; Ritsch-Marte, M; Phillips, D B; Padgett, M J

    2013-07-15

    Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) can emulate the classic microscopy techniques, including differential interference (DIC) contrast and (spiral) phase contrast. Their programmability entails the benefit of flexibility or the option to multiplex images, for single-shot quantitative imaging or for simultaneous multi-plane imaging (depth-of-field multiplexing). We report the development of a microscope sharing many of the previously demonstrated capabilities, within a holographic implementation of a stereo microscope. Furthermore, we use the SLM to combine stereo microscopy with a refocusing filter and with a darkfield filter. The instrument is built around a custom inverted microscope and equipped with an SLM which gives various imaging modes laterally displaced on the same camera chip. In addition, there is a wide angle camera for visualisation of a larger region of the sample.

  16. Improved Phase-Mask Fabrication of Fiber Bragg Gratings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grant, Joseph; Wang, Ying; Sharma, Anup

    2004-01-01

    An improved method of fabrication of Bragg gratings in optical fibers combines the best features of two prior methods: one that involves the use of a phase mask and one that involves interference between the two coherent laser beams. The improved method affords flexibility for tailoring Bragg wavelengths and bandwidths over wide ranges. A Bragg grating in an optical fiber is a periodic longitudinal variation in the index of refraction of the fiber core. The spatial period (Bragg wavelength) is chosen to obtain enhanced reflection of light of a given wavelength that would otherwise propagate relatively unimpeded along the core. Optionally, the spatial period of the index modulation can be made to vary gradually along the grating (such a grating is said to be chirped ) in order to obtain enhanced reflection across a wavelength band, the width of which is determined by the difference between the maximum and minimum Bragg wavelengths. In the present method as in both prior methods, a Bragg grating is formed by exposing an optical fiber to an ultraviolet-light interference field. The Bragg grating coincides with the pattern of exposure of the fiber core to ultraviolet light; in other words, the Bragg grating coincides with the interference fringes. Hence, the problem of tailoring the Bragg wavelength and bandwidth is largely one of tailoring the interference pattern and the placement of the fiber in the interference pattern. In the prior two-beam interferometric method, a single laser beam is split into two beams, which are subsequently recombined to produce an interference pattern at the location of an optical fiber. In the prior phase-mask method, a phase mask is used to diffract a laser beam mainly into two first orders, the interference between which creates the pattern to which an optical fiber is exposed. The prior two-beam interferometric method offers the advantage that the period of the interference pattern can be adjusted to produce gratings over a wide range of Bragg wavelengths, but offers the disadvantage that success depends on precise alignment and high mechanical stability. The prior phase-mask method affords the advantages of compactness of equipment and relative insensitivity to both misalignment and vibration, but does not afford adjustability of the Bragg wavelength. The present method affords both the flexibility of the prior two-beam interferometric method and the compactness and stability of the prior phase-mask method. In this method (see figure), a laser beam propagating along the x axis is normally incident on a phase mask that lies in the (y,z) plane. The phase of light propagating through the mask is modulated with a spatial periodicity, p, along the y axis chosen to diffract the laser light primarily to first order at the angle . (The zero-order laser light propagating along the x axis can be used for alignment and thereafter suppressed during exposure of the fiber.) The diffracted light passes through a concave cylindrical lens, which converts the flat diffracted wave fronts to cylindrical ones, as though the light emanated from a line source. Then two parallel flat mirrors recombine the diffracted beams to form an interference field equivalent to that of two coherent line sources at positions A and B (virtual sources). The interference pattern is a known function of the parameters of the apparatus and of position (x,y) in the interference field. Hence, the tilt, wavelength, and chirp of the Bragg grating can be chosen through suitable adjustments of the apparatus and/or of the position and orientation of the optical fiber. In particular, the Bragg wavelength can be adjusted by moving the fiber along the x axis, and the bandwidth can be modified over a wide range by changing the fiber tilt angle or by moving the phase mask and/or the fiber. Alignment is easy because the zero-order beam defines the x axis. The interference is relatively stable and insensitive to the mechanical vibration because of the gh symmetry and compactness of the apparatus, the fixed positions of the mirrors and lens, and the consequent fixed positions of the two virtual line sources, which are independent of the translations of the phase mask and the laser relative to the lens.

  17. Dispersion-relation phase spectroscopy of neuron transport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ru; Wang, Zhuo; Millet, Larry; Gillette, Martha; Leigh, Joseph Robert; Sobh, Nahil; Levine, Alex; Popescu, Gabreil

    2012-02-01

    Molecular motors move materials along prescribed biopolymer tracks. This sort of active transport is required to rapidly move products over large distances within the cell, where passive diffusion is too slow. We examine intracellular traffic patterns using a new application of spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) and measure the dispersion relation, i.e. decay rate vs. spatial mode, associated with mass transport in live cells. This approach applies equally well to both discrete and continuous mass distributions without the need for particle tracking. From the quadratic experimental curve specific to diffusion, we extracted the diffusion coefficient as the only fitting parameter. The linear portion of the dispersion relation reveals the deterministic component of the intracellular transport. Our data show a universal behavior where the intracellular transport is diffusive at small scales and deterministic at large scales. We further applied this method to studying transport in neurons and are able to use SLIM to map the changes in index of refraction across the neuron and its extended processes. We found that in dendrites and axons, the transport is mostly active, i.e., diffusion is subdominant.

  18. Toward endoscopes with no distal optics: video-rate scanning microscopy through a fiber bundle.

    PubMed

    Andresen, Esben Ravn; Bouwmans, Géraud; Monneret, Serge; Rigneault, Hervé

    2013-03-01

    We report a step toward scanning endomicroscopy without distal optics. The focusing of the beam at the distal end of a fiber bundle is achieved by imposing a parabolic phase profile across the exit face with the aid of a spatial light modulator. We achieve video-rate images by galvanometric scanning of the phase tilt at the proximal end. The approach is made possible by the bundle, designed to have very low coupling between cores.

  19. Amplitude and phase measurements based on low-coherence interferometry with acousto-optic spectral image filtration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Machikhin, Alexander; Burmak, Ludmila; Pozhar, Vitold

    2018-04-01

    The manuscript addresses the advantages and possible applications of acousto-optic image spectral filtration in lowcoherence interferometry. In particular, an effective operation of acousto-optical tunable filters in combination with Michelson-type interferometers is shown. The results of original experiments are presented. It is demonstrated that amplitude and phase spatial distributions of light waves reflected from or transmitted through the object can be fast determined in contactless manner for any spectral intervals with use of the presented techniques.

  20. Fiber Grating Coupled Light Source Capable of Tunable, Single Frequency Operation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krainak, Michael A. (Inventor); Duerksen, Gary L. (Inventor)

    2001-01-01

    Fiber Bragg grating coupled light sources can achieve tunable single-frequency (single axial and lateral spatial mode) operation by correcting for a quadratic phase variation in the lateral dimension using an aperture stop. The output of a quasi-monochromatic light source such as a Fabry Perot laser diode is astigmatic. As a consequence of the astigmatism, coupling geometries that accommodate the transverse numerical aperture of the laser are defocused in the lateral dimension, even for apsherical optics. The mismatch produces the quadratic phase variation in the feedback along the lateral axis at the facet of the laser that excites lateral modes of higher order than the TM(sub 00). Because the instability entails excitation of higher order lateral submodes, single frequency operation also is accomplished by using fiber Bragg gratings whose bandwidth is narrower than the submode spacing. This technique is particularly pertinent to the use of lensed fiber gratings in lieu of discrete coupling optics. Stable device operation requires overall phase match between the fed-back signal and the laser output. The fiber Bragg grating acts as a phase-preserving mirror when the Bragg condition is met precisely. The phase-match condition is maintained throughout the fiber tuning range by matching the Fabry-Perot axial mode wavelength to the passband center wavelength of the Bragg grating.

  1. Contrast sensitivity to spatial gratings in moderate and dim light conditions in patients with diabetes in the absence of diabetic retinopathy.

    PubMed

    Safi, Sare; Rahimi, Anoushiravan; Raeesi, Afsaneh; Safi, Hamid; Aghazadeh Amiri, Mohammad; Malek, Mojtaba; Yaseri, Mehdi; Haeri, Mohammad; Middleton, Frank A; Solessio, Eduardo; Ahmadieh, Hamid

    2017-01-01

    To evaluate the ability of contrast sensitivity (CS) to discriminate loss of visual function in diabetic subjects with no clinical signs of retinopathy relative to that of normal subjects. In this prospective cross-sectional study, we measured CS in 46 diabetic subjects with a mean age of 48±6 years, a best-corrected visual acuity of 20/20 and no signs of diabetic retinopathy. The CS in these subjects was compared with CS measurements in 46 normal control subjects at four spatial frequencies (3, 6, 12, 18 cycles per degree) under moderate (500 lux) and dim (less than 2 lux) background light conditions. CS was approximately 0.16 log units lower in patients with diabetes relative to controls both in moderate and in dim background light conditions. Logistic regression classification and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that CS analysis using two light conditions was more accurate (0.78) overall compared with CS analysis using only a single illumination condition (accuracy values were 0.67 and 0.70 in moderate and dim light conditions, respectively). Our results showed that patients with diabetes without clinical signs of retinopathy exhibit a uniform loss in CS at all spatial frequencies tested. Measuring the loss in CS at two spatial frequencies (3 and 6 cycles per degree) and two light conditions (moderate and dim) is sufficiently robust to classify diabetic subjects with no retinopathy versus control subjects.

  2. Ultra-high resolution coded wavefront sensor.

    PubMed

    Wang, Congli; Dun, Xiong; Fu, Qiang; Heidrich, Wolfgang

    2017-06-12

    Wavefront sensors and more general phase retrieval methods have recently attracted a lot of attention in a host of application domains, ranging from astronomy to scientific imaging and microscopy. In this paper, we introduce a new class of sensor, the Coded Wavefront Sensor, which provides high spatio-temporal resolution using a simple masked sensor under white light illumination. Specifically, we demonstrate megapixel spatial resolution and phase accuracy better than 0.1 wavelengths at reconstruction rates of 50 Hz or more, thus opening up many new applications from high-resolution adaptive optics to real-time phase retrieval in microscopy.

  3. Focusing light inside dynamic scattering media with millisecond digital optical phase conjugation (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Yan; Ma, Cheng; Shen, Yuecheng; Wang, Lihong V.

    2017-02-01

    Optical phase conjugation based wavefront shaping techniques are being actively developed to focus light through or inside scattering media such as biological tissue, and they promise to revolutionize optical imaging, manipulation, and therapy. The speed of digital optical phase conjugation (DOPC) has been limited by the low speeds of cameras and spatial light modulators (SLMs), preventing DOPC from being applied to thick living tissue. Recently, a fast DOPC system was developed based on a single-shot wavefront measurement method, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) for data processing, and a digital micromirror device (DMD) for fast modulation. However, this system has the following limitations. First, the reported single-shot wavefront measurement method does not work when our goal is to focus light inside, instead of through, scattering media. Second, the DMD performed binary amplitude modulation, which resulted in a lower focusing contrast compared with that of phase modulations. Third, the optical fluence threshold causing DMDs to malfunction under pulsed laser illumination is lower than that of liquid crystal based SLMs, and the system alignment is significantly complicated by the oblique reflection angle of the DMD. Here, we developed a simple but high-speed DOPC system using a ferroelectric liquid crystal based SLM (512 × 512 pixels), and focused light through three diffusers within 4.7 ms. Using focused-ultrasound-guided DOPC along with a double exposure scheme, we focused light inside a scattering medium containing two diffusers within 7.7 ms, thus achieving the fastest digital time-reversed ultrasonically encoded (TRUE) optical focusing to date.

  4. Analysis of multiple internal reflections in a parallel aligned liquid crystal on silicon SLM.

    PubMed

    Martínez, José Luis; Moreno, Ignacio; del Mar Sánchez-López, María; Vargas, Asticio; García-Martínez, Pascuala

    2014-10-20

    Multiple internal reflection effects on the optical modulation of a commercial reflective parallel-aligned liquid-crystal on silicon (PAL-LCoS) spatial light modulator (SLM) are analyzed. The display is illuminated with different wavelengths and different angles of incidence. Non-negligible Fabry-Perot (FP) effect is observed due to the sandwiched LC layer structure. A simplified physical model that quantitatively accounts for the observed phenomena is proposed. It is shown how the expected pure phase modulation response is substantially modified in the following aspects: 1) a coupled amplitude modulation, 2) a non-linear behavior of the phase modulation, 3) some amount of unmodulated light, and 4) a reduction of the effective phase modulation as the angle of incidence increases. Finally, it is shown that multiple reflections can be useful since the effect of a displayed diffraction grating is doubled on a beam that is reflected twice through the LC layer, thus rendering gratings with doubled phase modulation depth.

  5. Plane wave analysis of coherent holographic image reconstruction by phase transfer (CHIRPT).

    PubMed

    Field, Jeffrey J; Winters, David G; Bartels, Randy A

    2015-11-01

    Fluorescent imaging plays a critical role in a myriad of scientific endeavors, particularly in the biological sciences. Three-dimensional imaging of fluorescent intensity often requires serial data acquisition, that is, voxel-by-voxel collection of fluorescent light emitted throughout the specimen with a nonimaging single-element detector. While nonimaging fluorescence detection offers some measure of scattering robustness, the rate at which dynamic specimens can be imaged is severely limited. Other fluorescent imaging techniques utilize imaging detection to enhance collection rates. A notable example is light-sheet fluorescence microscopy, also known as selective-plane illumination microscopy, which illuminates a large region within the specimen and collects emitted fluorescent light at an angle either perpendicular or oblique to the illumination light sheet. Unfortunately, scattering of the emitted fluorescent light can cause blurring of the collected images in highly turbid biological media. We recently introduced an imaging technique called coherent holographic image reconstruction by phase transfer (CHIRPT) that combines light-sheet-like illumination with nonimaging fluorescent light detection. By combining the speed of light-sheet illumination with the scattering robustness of nonimaging detection, CHIRPT is poised to have a dramatic impact on biological imaging, particularly for in vivo preparations. Here we present the mathematical formalism for CHIRPT imaging under spatially coherent illumination and present experimental data that verifies the theoretical model.

  6. Spatial distribution of vehicle emission inventories in the Federal District, Brazil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Réquia, Weeberb João; Koutrakis, Petros; Roig, Henrique Llacer

    2015-07-01

    Air pollution poses an important public health risk, especially in large urban areas. Information about the spatial distribution of air pollutants can be used as a tool for developing public policies to reduce source emissions. Air pollution monitoring networks provide information about pollutant concentrations; however, they are not available in every urban area. Among the 5570 cities in Brazil, for example, only 1.7% of them have air pollution monitoring networks. In this study we assess vehicle emissions for main traffic routes of the Federal District (state of Brazil) and characterize their spatial patterns. Toward this end, we used a bottom-up method to predict emissions and to characterize their spatial patterns using Global Moran's (Spatial autocorrelation analysis) and Getis-Ord General G (High/Low cluster analysis). Our findings suggested that light duty vehicles are primarily responsible for the vehicular emissions of CO (68.9%), CH4 (93.6%), and CO2 (57.9%), whereas heavy duty vehicles are primarily responsible for the vehicular emissions of NMHC (92.9%), NOx (90.7%), and PM (97.4%). Furthermore, CO2 is the pollutant with the highest emissions, over 30 million tons/year. In the spatial autocorrelation analysis was identified cluster (p < 0.01) for all types of vehicles and for all pollutants. However, we identified high cluster only for the light vehicles.

  7. Dynamic measurement of local displacements within curing resin-based dental composite using optical coherence elastography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tomlins, Peter H.; Rahman, Mohammed Wahidur; Donnan, Robert S.

    2016-04-01

    This study aimed to determine the feasibility of using optical coherence elastography to measure internal displacements during the curing phase of a light-activated, resin-based composite material. Displacement vectors were spatially mapped over time within a commercial dental composite. Measurements revealed that the orientation of cure-induced displacement vectors varied spatially in a complex manner; however, each vector showed a systematic evolution with time. Precision of individual displacements was estimated to be ˜1 to 2 μm, enabling submicrometer time-varying displacements to be detected.

  8. Radiometric assessment method for diffraction effects in hyperspectral imagers applied to the earth explorer #8 mission candidate flex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berlich, R.; Harnisch, B.

    2017-11-01

    An accurate stray light analysis represents a crucial part in the early design phase of hyperspectral imaging systems, since scattering effects can severely limit the radiometric accuracy performance. In addition to conventional contributors including ghost images and surface scattering, i.e. caused by a residual surface micro-roughness and particle contamination, diffraction effects can result in significant radiometric errors in the spatial and spectral domain of pushbroom scanners. In this paper, we present a mathematical approach that efficiently evaluates these diffraction effects based on a Fourier analysis. It is shown that considering the conventional diffraction at the systems entrance pupil only, significantly overestimates the stray light contribution. In fact, a correct assessment necessitates taking into account the joint influence of the entrance pupil, the spectrometer slit as well as the dispersion element. We quantitatively investigate the corresponding impact on the Instrument Spectral Response Function (ISRF) of the Earth Explorer #8 Mission Candidate FLEX and analyse the expected radiometric error distribution for a typical earth observation scenario requirement.

  9. Coherence transfer of subhertz-linewidth laser light via an 82-km fiber link

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Chaoqun; Wu, Lifei; Jiang, Yanyi; Yu, Hongfu; Bi, Zhiyi; Ma, Longsheng

    2015-12-01

    We demonstrate optical coherence transfer of subhertz-linewidth laser light through fiber links by actively compensating random fiber phase noise induced by environmental perturbations. The relative linewidth of laser light after transferring through a 32-km urban fiber link is suppressed within 1 mHz (resolution bandwidth limited), and the absolute linewidth of the transferred laser light is less than 0.36 Hz. For an 82-km fiber link, a repeater station is constructed between a 32-km urban fiber and a 50-km spooled fiber to recover the spectral purity. A relative linewidth of 1 mHz is also demonstrated for light transferring through the 82-km cascaded fiber. Such an optical signal distribution network based on repeater stations allows optical coherence and synchronization available over spatially separated places.

  10. Experimental study of the spatially-modulated light detector

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coppée, Daniël; Pan, Wei; Stiens, Johan; Vounckx, Roger; Kuijk, Maarten

    1999-03-01

    Usually, integrated detectors in CMOS exhibit long recovery times, limiting the detector bandwidth to only a few MHz. This is due to the long absorption length and the slow diffusion speed of photo-generated carriers. Different approaches have been proposed to solve these problems hereby taxing the compatibility with standard CMOS fabrication processing. We present a novel detector for high-speed light detection in standard CMOS. To solve the problem of slow CMOS-detector recovery, the incident light is spatially modulated and the spatially modulated component of the photo-generated carrier distribution is measured. Though only a single light input signal is required, from the detector on, analog signal processing can be achieved fully differentially. Subsequently, expected good PSRR (Power supply rejection ratio) allows integration with digital circuits. Avoiding hybridization eliminates the conventional problems caused by bonding-pad capacitance, bonding-wire inductance. This reduces the associated signal degradation. In addition, the very low detector capacitance, due to the low effectively used detector area and the low area capacitance of the n-well junction, yields high voltage readout of the detector. This facilitates further amplification and conversion to digital signal levels. The detector will be applicable in arrays due to expected low cross talk. The expected fields of operation involve: serial and parallel optical communication receivers (e.g. for WDM), DVD-reading heads with integrated amplifier, etc. First measurements show 200 Mbit/s operation with a detector-responsivity of 0.05 A/W at λ=860 nm and 0.132 A/W at λ=635 nm. The detector has inherently a low capacitance, in this case only 50 fF (for an effective detector area of 70×70 μm 2).

  11. Quantitative phase imaging of biological cells and tissues using singleshot white light interference microscopy and phase subtraction method for extended range of measurement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mehta, Dalip Singh; Sharma, Anuradha; Dubey, Vishesh; Singh, Veena; Ahmad, Azeem

    2016-03-01

    We present a single-shot white light interference microscopy for the quantitative phase imaging (QPI) of biological cells and tissues. A common path white light interference microscope is developed and colorful white light interferogram is recorded by three-chip color CCD camera. The recorded white light interferogram is decomposed into the red, green and blue color wavelength component interferograms and processed it to find out the RI for different color wavelengths. The decomposed interferograms are analyzed using local model fitting (LMF)" algorithm developed for reconstructing the phase map from single interferogram. LMF is slightly off-axis interferometric QPI method which is a single-shot method that employs only a single image, so it is fast and accurate. The present method is very useful for dynamic process where path-length changes at millisecond level. From the single interferogram a wavelength-dependent quantitative phase imaging of human red blood cells (RBCs) are reconstructed and refractive index is determined. The LMF algorithm is simple to implement and is efficient in computation. The results are compared with the conventional phase shifting interferometry and Hilbert transform techniques.

  12. Speckle-free and halo-free low coherent Mach-Zehnder quantitative-phase-imaging module as a replacement of objective lens in conventional inverted microscopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamauchi, Toyohiko; Yamada, Hidenao; Matsui, Hisayuki; Yasuhiko, Osamu; Ueda, Yukio

    2018-02-01

    We developed a compact Mach-Zehnder interferometer module to be used as a replacement of the objective lens in a conventional inverted microscope (Nikon, TS100-F) in order to make them quantitative phase microscopes. The module has a 90-degree-flipped U-shape; the dimensions of the module are 160 mm by 120 mm by 40 mm and the weight is 380 grams. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer equipped with the separate reference and sample arms was implemented in this U-shaped housing and the path-length difference between the two arms was manually adjustable. The sample under test was put on the stage of the microscope and a sample light went through it. Both arms had identical achromatic lenses for image formation and the lateral positions of them were also manually adjustable. Therefore, temporally and spatially low coherent illumination was applicable because the users were able to balance precisely the path length of the two arms and to overlap the two wavefronts. In the experiment, spectrally filtered LED light for illumination (wavelength = 633 nm and bandwidth = 3 nm) was input to the interferometer module via a 50 micrometer core optical fiber. We have successfully captured full-field interference images by a camera put on the trinocular tube of the microscope and constructed quantitative phase images of the cultured cells by means of the quarter-wavelength phase shifting algorithm. The resultant quantitative phase images were speckle-free and halo-free due to spectrally and spatially low coherent illumination.

  13. Signatures of Steady Heating in Time Lag Analysis of Coronal Emission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Viall, Nicholeen M.; Klimchuk, James A.

    2016-01-01

    Among the multitude of methods used to investigate coronal heating, the time lag method of Viall Klimchuk is becoming increasingly prevalent as an analysis technique that is complementary to those that are traditionally used.The time lag method cross correlates light curves at a given spatial location obtained in spectral bands that sample different temperature plasmas. It has been used most extensively with data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on the Solar Dynamics Observatory. We have previously applied the time lag method to entire active regions and surrounding the quiet Sun and created maps of the results. We find that the majority of time lags are consistent with the cooling of coronal plasma that has been impulsively heated. Additionally, a significant fraction of the map area has a time lag of zero. This does not indicate a lack of variability. Rather, strong variability must be present, and it must occur in phase between the different channels. We have previously shown that these zero time lags are consistent with the transition region response to coronal nanoflares, although other explanations are possible. A common misconception is that the zero time lag indicates steady emission resulting from steady heating. Using simulated and observed light curves, we demonstrate here that highly correlated light curves at zero time lag are not compatible with equilibrium solutions. Such light curves can only be created by evolution

  14. Pulsing blue light through closed eyelids: effects on acute melatonin suppression and phase shifting of dim light melatonin onset.

    PubMed

    Figueiro, Mariana G; Plitnick, Barbara; Rea, Mark S

    2014-01-01

    Circadian rhythm disturbances parallel the increased prevalence of sleep disorders in older adults. Light therapies that specifically target regulation of the circadian system in principle could be used to treat sleep disorders in this population. Current recommendations for light treatment require the patients to sit in front of a bright light box for at least 1 hour daily, perhaps limiting their willingness to comply. Light applied through closed eyelids during sleep might not only be efficacious for changing circadian phase but also lead to better compliance because patients would receive light treatment while sleeping. Reported here are the results of two studies investigating the impact of a train of 480 nm (blue) light pulses presented to the retina through closed eyelids on melatonin suppression (laboratory study) and on delaying circadian phase (field study). Both studies employed a sleep mask that provided narrowband blue light pulses of 2-second duration every 30 seconds from arrays of light-emitting diodes. The results of the laboratory study demonstrated that the blue light pulses significantly suppressed melatonin by an amount similar to that previously shown in the same protocol at half the frequency (ie, one 2-second pulse every minute for 1 hour). The results of the field study demonstrated that blue light pulses given early in the sleep episode significantly delayed circadian phase in older adults; these results are the first to demonstrate the efficacy and practicality of light treatment by a sleep mask aimed at adjusting circadian phase in a home setting.

  15. Three-Dimensional Model of Holographic Formation of Inhomogeneous PPLC Diffraction Structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Semkin, A. O.; Sharangovich, S. N.

    2018-05-01

    A three-dimensional theoretical model of holographic formation of inhomogeneous diffraction structures in composite photopolymer - liquid crystal materials is presented considering both the nonlinearity of recording and the amplitude-phase inhomogeneity of the recording light field. Based on the results of numerical simulation, the kinematics of formations of such structures and their spatial profile are investigated.

  16. Higgs mechanism in higher-rank symmetric U(1) gauge theories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bulmash, Daniel; Barkeshli, Maissam

    2018-06-01

    We use the Higgs mechanism to investigate connections between higher-rank symmetric U(1 ) gauge theories and gapped fracton phases. We define two classes of rank-2 symmetric U(1 ) gauge theories: the (m ,n ) scalar and vector charge theories, for integer m and n , which respect the symmetry of the square (cubic) lattice in two (three) spatial dimensions. We further provide local lattice rotor models whose low-energy dynamics are described by these theories. We then describe in detail the Higgs phases obtained when the U(1 ) gauge symmetry is spontaneously broken to a discrete subgroup. A subset of the scalar charge theories indeed have X-cube fracton order as their Higgs phase, although we find that this can only occur if the continuum higher-rank gauge theory breaks continuous spatial rotational symmetry. However, not all higher-rank gauge theories have fractonic Higgs phases; other Higgs phases possess conventional topological order. Nevertheless, they yield interesting novel exactly solvable models of conventional topological order, somewhat reminiscent of the color code models in both two and three spatial dimensions. We also investigate phase transitions in these models and find a possible direct phase transition between four copies of Z2 gauge theory in three spatial dimensions and X-cube fracton order.

  17. White-Light Phase-Conjugate Mirrors as Distortion Correctors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frazier, Donald; Smith, W. Scott; Abdeldayem, Hossin; Banerjee, Partha

    2010-01-01

    White-light phase-conjugate mirrors would be incorporated into some optical systems, according to a proposal, as means of correcting for wavefront distortions caused by imperfections in large optical components. The proposal was given impetus by a recent demonstration that white, incoherent light can be made to undergo phase conjugation, whereas previously, only coherent light was known to undergo phase conjugation. This proposal, which is potentially applicable to almost any optical system, was motivated by a need to correct optical aberrations of the primary mirror of the Hubble Space telescope. It is difficult to fabricate large optical components like the Hubble primary mirror and to ensure the high precision typically required of such components. In most cases, despite best efforts, the components as fabricated have small imperfections that introduce optical aberrations that adversely affect imaging quality. Correcting for such aberrations is difficult and costly. The proposed use of white-light phase conjugate mirrors offers a relatively simple and inexpensive solution of the aberration-correction problem. Indeed, it should be possible to simplify the entire approach to making large optical components because there would be no need to fabricate those components with extremely high precision in the first place: A white-light phase-conjugate mirror could correct for all the distortions and aberrations in an optical system. The use of white-light phase-conjugate mirrors would be essential for ensuring high performance in optical systems containing lightweight membrane mirrors, which are highly deformable. As used here, "phase-conjugate mirror" signifies, more specifically, an optical component in which incident light undergoes time-reversal phase conjugation. In practice, a phase-conjugate mirror would typically be implemented by use of a suitably positioned and oriented photorefractive crystal. In the case of a telescope comprising a primary and secondary mirror (see figure) white light from a distant source would not be brought to initial focus on one or more imaging scientific instrument(s) as in customary practice. Instead, the light would be brought to initial focus on a phase-conjugate mirror. The phase-conjugate mirror would send a phase-conjugate image back, along the path of the incoming light, to the primary mirror. A transparent, highly efficient diffractive thin film deposited on the primary mirror would direct the phase-conjugate image to the imaging instrument(s).

  18. [Correction of light refraction and reflection in medical transmission optical tomography].

    PubMed

    Tereshchenko, S A; Potapov, D A

    2002-01-01

    The effects of light refraction and reflection on the quality of image reconstruction in medical transmission optical tomography of high-scattering media are considered. It has been first noted that light refraction not only distorts the geometric scheme of measurements, but may lead to the appearance of object areas that cannot be scanned. Some ways of decreasing the effect of refraction on the reconstruction of spatial distribution of the extinction coefficient are stated.

  19. Effect of spatial coherence of light on the photoregulation processes in cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Budagovsky, A. V.; Solovykh, N. V.; Yankovskaya, M. B.; Maslova, M. V.; Budagovskaya, O. N.; Budagovsky, I. A.

    2016-07-01

    The effect of the statistical properties of light on the value of the photoinduced reaction of the biological objects, which differ in the morphological and physiological characteristics, the optical properties, and the size of cells, was studied. The fruit of apple trees, the pollen of cherries, the microcuttings of blackberries in vitro, and the spores and the mycelium of fungi were irradiated by quasimonochromatic light fluxes with identical energy parameters but different values of coherence length and radius of correlation. In all cases, the greatest stimulation effect occurred when the cells completely fit in the volume of the coherence of the field, while both temporal and spatial coherence have a significant and mathematically certain impact on the physiological activity of cells. It was concluded that not only the spectral, but also the statistical (coherent) properties of the acting light play an important role in the photoregulation process.

  20. Phase and period responses of the circadian system of mice (Mus musculus) to light stimuli of different duration.

    PubMed

    Comas, M; Beersma, D G M; Spoelstra, K; Daan, S

    2006-10-01

    To understand entrainment of circadian systems to different photoperiods in nature, it is important to know the effects of single light pulses of different durations on the free-running system. The authors studied the phase and period responses of laboratory mice (C57BL6J//OlaHsd) to single light pulses of 7 different durations (1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, and 18 h) given once per 11 days in otherwise constant darkness. Light-pulse duration affected both amplitude and shape of the phase response curve. Nine-hour light pulses yielded the maximal amplitude PRC. As in other systems, the circadian period slightly lengthened following delays and shortened following advances. The authors aimed to understand how different parts of the light signal contribute to the eventual phase shift. When PRCs were plotted using the onset, midpoint, and end of the pulse as a phase reference, they corresponded best with each other when using the mid-pulse. Using a simple phase-only model, the authors explored the possibility that light affects oscillator velocity strongly in the 1st hour and at reduced strength in later hours of the pulse due to photoreceptor adaptation. They fitted models based on the 1-h PRC to the data for all light pulses. The best overall correspondence between PRCs was obtained when the effect of light during all hours after the first was reduced by a factor of 0.22 relative to the 1st hour. For the predicted PRCs, the light action centered on average at 38% of the light pulse. This is close to the reference phase yielding best correspondence at 36% of the pulses. The result is thus compatible with an initial major contribution of the onset of the light pulse followed by a reduced effect of light responsible for the differences between PRCs for different duration pulses. The authors suggest that the mid-pulse is a better phase reference than lights-on to plot and compare PRCs of different light-pulse durations.

  1. Noncollinear wave mixing of attosecond XUV and few-cycle optical laser pulses in gas-phase atoms: Toward multidimensional spectroscopy involving XUV excitations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Wei; Warrick, Erika R.; Fidler, Ashley; Neumark, Daniel M.; Leone, Stephen R.

    2016-11-01

    Ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopy, which records transient wave-mixing signals in a medium, is a powerful tool to access microscopic information using light sources in the radio-frequency and optical regimes. The extension of this technique towards the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) or even x-ray regimes holds the promise to uncover rich structural or dynamical information with even higher spatial or temporal resolution. Here, we demonstrate noncollinear wave mixing between weak XUV attosecond pulses and a strong near-infrared (NIR) few-cycle laser pulse in gas phase atoms (one photon of XUV and two photons of NIR). In the noncollinear geometry the attosecond and either one or two NIR pulses interact with argon atoms. Nonlinear XUV signals are generated in a spatially resolved fashion as required by phase matching. Different transition pathways can be identified from these background-free nonlinear signals according to the specific phase-matching conditions. Time-resolved measurements of the spatially gated XUV signals reveal electronic coherences of Rydberg wave packets prepared by a single XUV photon or XUV-NIR two-photon excitation, depending on the applied pulse sequences. These measurements open possible applications of tabletop multidimensional spectroscopy to the study of dynamics associated with valence or core excitation with XUV photons.

  2. Controlling Energy Radiations of Electromagnetic Waves via Frequency Coding Metamaterials

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Haotian; Liu, Shuo; Wan, Xiang; Zhang, Lei; Wang, Dan; Li, Lianlin

    2017-01-01

    Metamaterials are artificial structures composed of subwavelength unit cells to control electromagnetic (EM) waves. The spatial coding representation of metamaterial has the ability to describe the material in a digital way. The spatial coding metamaterials are typically constructed by unit cells that have similar shapes with fixed functionality. Here, the concept of frequency coding metamaterial is proposed, which achieves different controls of EM energy radiations with a fixed spatial coding pattern when the frequency changes. In this case, not only different phase responses of the unit cells are considered, but also different phase sensitivities are also required. Due to different frequency sensitivities of unit cells, two units with the same phase response at the initial frequency may have different phase responses at higher frequency. To describe the frequency coding property of unit cell, digitalized frequency sensitivity is proposed, in which the units are encoded with digits “0” and “1” to represent the low and high phase sensitivities, respectively. By this merit, two degrees of freedom, spatial coding and frequency coding, are obtained to control the EM energy radiations by a new class of frequency‐spatial coding metamaterials. The above concepts and physical phenomena are confirmed by numerical simulations and experiments. PMID:28932671

  3. Evaluation of expansion algorithm of measurement range suited for 3D shape measurement using two pitches of projected grating with light source-stepping method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sakaguchi, Toshimasa; Fujigaki, Motoharu; Murata, Yorinobu

    2015-03-01

    Accurate and wide-range shape measurement method is required in industrial field. The same technique is possible to be used for a shape measurement of a human body for the garment industry. Compact 3D shape measurement equipment is also required for embedding in the inspection system. A shape measurement by a phase shifting method can measure the shape with high spatial resolution because the coordinates can be obtained pixel by pixel. A key-device to develop compact equipment is a grating projector. Authors developed a linear LED projector and proposed a light source stepping method (LSSM) using the linear LED projector. The shape measurement euipment can be produced with low-cost and compact without any phase-shifting mechanical systems by using this method. Also it enables us to measure 3D shape in very short time by switching the light sources quickly. A phase unwrapping method is necessary to widen the measurement range with constant accuracy for phase shifting method. A general phase unwrapping method with difference grating pitches is often used. It is one of a simple phase unwrapping method. It is, however, difficult to apply the conventional phase unwrapping algorithm to the LSSM. Authors, therefore, developed an expansion unwrapping algorithm for the LSSM. In this paper, an expansion algorithm of measurement range suited for 3D shape measurement using two pitches of projected grating with the LSSM was evaluated.

  4. Correcting spherical aberrations induced by an unknown medium through determination of its refractive index and thickness.

    PubMed

    Iwaniuk, Daniel; Rastogi, Pramod; Hack, Erwin

    2011-09-26

    In imaging and focusing applications, spherical aberration induces axial broadening of the point spread function (PSF). A transparent medium between lens and object of interest induces spherical aberration. We propose a method that first obtains both the physical thickness and the refractive index of the aberration inducing medium in situ by measuring the induced focal shifts for paraxial and large angle rays. Then, the fourth order angle dependence of the optical path difference inside the medium is used to correct the spherical aberration using a phase-only spatial light modulator. The obtained measurement accuracy of 3% is sufficient for a complete compensation as demonstrated in a model microscope with NA 0.3 with glass plate induced axial broadening of the PSF by a factor of 5. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  5. TEMPORAL EVOLUTION AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF WHITE-LIGHT FLARE KERNELS IN A SOLAR FLARE

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

    Kawate, T.; Ishii, T. T.; Nakatani, Y.

    2016-12-10

    On 2011 September 6, we observed an X2.1-class flare in continuum and H α with a frame rate of about 30 Hz. After processing images of the event by using a speckle-masking image reconstruction, we identified white-light (WL) flare ribbons on opposite sides of the magnetic neutral line. We derive the light curve decay times of the WL flare kernels at each resolution element by assuming that the kernels consist of one or two components that decay exponentially, starting from the peak time. As a result, 42% of the pixels have two decay-time components with average decay times of 15.6 andmore » 587 s, whereas the average decay time is 254 s for WL kernels with only one decay-time component. The peak intensities of the shorter decay-time component exhibit good spatial correlation with the WL intensity, whereas the peak intensities of the long decay-time components tend to be larger in the early phase of the flare at the inner part of the flare ribbons, close to the magnetic neutral line. The average intensity of the longer decay-time components is 1.78 times higher than that of the shorter decay-time components. If the shorter decay time is determined by either the chromospheric cooling time or the nonthermal ionization timescale and the longer decay time is attributed to the coronal cooling time, this result suggests that WL sources from both regions appear in 42% of the WL kernels and that WL emission of the coronal origin is sometimes stronger than that of chromospheric origin.« less

  6. A novel smart lighting clinical testbed.

    PubMed

    Gleason, Joseph D; Oishi, Meeko; Simkulet, Michelle; Tuzikas, Arunas; Brown, Lee K; Brueck, S R J; Karlicek, Robert F

    2017-07-01

    A real-time, feedback-capable, variable spectrum lighting system was recently installed at the University of New Mexico Hospital to facilitate biomedical research on the health impacts of lighting. The system consists of variable spectrum troffers, color sensors, occupancy sensors, and computing and communication infrastructure, and is the only such clinical facility in the US. The clinical environment posed special challenges for installation as well as for ongoing maintenance and operations. Pilot studies are currently underway to evaluate the effectiveness of the system to regulate circadian phase in subjects with delayed sleep-wake phase disorder.

  7. An ultrathin invisibility skin cloak for visible light.

    PubMed

    Ni, Xingjie; Wong, Zi Jing; Mrejen, Michael; Wang, Yuan; Zhang, Xiang

    2015-09-18

    Metamaterial-based optical cloaks have thus far used volumetric distribution of the material properties to gradually bend light and thereby obscure the cloaked region. Hence, they are bulky and hard to scale up and, more critically, typical carpet cloaks introduce unnecessary phase shifts in the reflected light, making the cloaks detectable. Here, we demonstrate experimentally an ultrathin invisibility skin cloak wrapped over an object. This skin cloak conceals a three-dimensional arbitrarily shaped object by complete restoration of the phase of the reflected light at 730-nanometer wavelength. The skin cloak comprises a metasurface with distributed phase shifts rerouting light and rendering the object invisible. In contrast to bulky cloaks with volumetric index variation, our device is only 80 nanometer (about one-ninth of the wavelength) thick and potentially scalable for hiding macroscopic objects. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  8. Design, fabrication and characterization of Computer Generated Holograms for anti-counterfeiting applications using OAM beams as light decoders.

    PubMed

    Ruffato, Gianluca; Rossi, Roberto; Massari, Michele; Mafakheri, Erfan; Capaldo, Pietro; Romanato, Filippo

    2017-12-21

    In this paper, we present the design, fabrication and optical characterization of computer-generated holograms (CGH) encoding information for light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM). Through the use of a numerical code, based on an iterative Fourier transform algorithm, a phase-only diffractive optical element (PO-DOE) specifically designed for OAM illumination has been computed, fabricated and tested. In order to shape the incident beam into a helicoidal phase profile and generate light carrying phase singularities, a method based on transmission through high-order spiral phase plates (SPPs) has been used. The phase pattern of the designed holographic DOEs has been fabricated using high-resolution Electron-Beam Lithography (EBL) over glass substrates coated with a positive photoresist layer (polymethylmethacrylate). To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first attempt, in a comprehensive work, to design, fabricate and characterize computer-generated holograms encoding information for structured light carrying OAM and phase singularities. These optical devices appear promising as high-security optical elements for anti-counterfeiting applications.

  9. Ultrafast Beam Filamentation: Spatio-Temporal Characterization and Control

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-11-01

    measurement of spectral phase[7]. The output of the laser passes through a BK7 plate set at a Brewster angle to clean up the polarization of the beam...at the focus of a lens . In this configuration, the pulse focuses temporally and spatially at the same time. We developed a theory for understanding...focus by shaping only the spatial phase of the starting beam. Finally, we showed for the first time that Kerr- lens modelocking can be achieved in a Ti

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

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

    2004-01-01

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

  11. Patterns of intraocular pressure elevation after aqueous humor outflow obstruction in rats.

    PubMed

    Jia, L; Cepurna, W O; Johnson, E C; Morrison, J C

    2000-05-01

    To determine the diural intraocular pressure (IOP) response of Brown Norway rat eyes after sclerosis of the aqueous humor outflow pathways and its relationship to optic nerve damage. Hypertonic saline was injected into a single episcleral vein in 17 animals and awake IOP measured in both the light and dark phases of the circadian cycle for 34 days. Mean IOP for light and dark phases during the experimental period were compared with the respective pressures of the uninjected fellow eyes. Optic nerve cross sections from each nerve were graded for injury by five independent masked observers. For fellow eyes, mean light- and dark-phase IOP was 21 +/- 1 and 31 +/- 1 mm Hg, respectively. For four experimental eyes, mean IOPs for both phases were not altered. Six eyes demonstrated significant mean IOP elevations only during the dark phase. Of these, five showed persistent, large circadian oscillations, and four had partial optic nerve lesions. The remaining seven eyes experienced significant IOP elevations during both phases, and all had extensive optic nerve damage. Episcleral vein injection of hypertonic saline is more likely to increase IOP during the dark phase than the light. This is consistent with aqueous outflow obstruction superimposed on a circadian rhythm of aqueous humor production. Because these periodic IOP elevations produced optic nerve lesions, both light- and dark-phase IOP determinations are necessary for accurate correlation of IOP history to optic nerve damage in animals housed in a light- dark environment.

  12. Space-and-time current spectroscopy of nanostructured selenium in the chrysotile asbestos matrix

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bryushinin, M. A.; Kulikov, V. V.; Kumzerov, Yu. A.; Mokrushina, E. V.; Petrov, A. A.; Sokolov, I. A.

    2014-08-01

    The non-steady-state photoelectromotive force effect was experimentally studied in a semiconductor nanowire array, i.e., in a composite representing selenium in a chrysotile asbestos matrix. The sample was exposed to an oscillating interference pattern, and the material response was measured as an alternating electric current. The experiments were performed for two geometries in which the excited photocurrent was parallel or perpendicular to nanowires. The dependences of the signal amplitude on the phase modulation frequency, spatial frequency, light polarization, and temperature were obtained. The photoelectric parameters of the material were determined for the light wavelength λ = 633 nm. The effect was theoretically analyzed for the semiconductor model with shallow traps, which allowed the explanation of the observed increase in the signal amplitude in the presence of additional phase modulation.

  13. Compact OAM microscope for edge enhancement of biomedical and object samples

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gozali, Richard; Nguyen, Thien-An; Bendau, Ethan; Alfano, Robert R.

    2017-09-01

    The production of orbital angular momentum (OAM) by using a q-plate, which functions as an electrically tunable spatial frequency filter, provides a simple and efficient method of edge contrast in biological and medical sample imaging for histological evaluation of tissue, smears, and PAP smears. An instrument producing OAM, such as a q-plate, situated at the Fourier plane of a 4f lens system, similar to the use of a high-pass spatial filter, allows the passage of high spatial frequencies and enables the production of an image with highly illuminated edges contrasted against a dark background for both opaque and transparent objects. Compared with ordinary spiral phase plates and spatial light modulators, the q-plate has the added advantage of electric control and tunability.

  14. Optical phase aberration generation using a Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilcox, Christopher C.

    In this dissertation, a Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator is used to simulate optical aberrations in an optical system. Any optical aberration can be simulated through the use of software developed for this project. A new method of simulating atmospheric turbulence is also presented. The Earth's atmosphere is a large, non-linear, non-homogeneous medium that is constantly flowing in a random fashion that affects light as it propagates through it. The Kolmogorov model for atmospheric turbulence is a description of the nature of the wavefront perturbations introduced by the atmosphere and it is one of the most accepted models. It is supported by a variety of experimental measurements and research and is quite widely used in simulations for atmospheric imaging. This model provides a statistical description of how random fluctuations in humidity and temperature affect the refractive index of the atmosphere for imaging through atmospheric turbulence. These refractive index fluctuations in turn affect the propagation of light through the atmosphere. An adaptive optical system can be developed to correct these wavefront perturbations for an optical system. However, prior to deployment, an adaptive optical system requires calibration and full characterization in the laboratory. Creating realistic atmospheric simulations is often expensive and computationally intensive using common techniques. To combat some of these issues often the temporal properties in the simulation are neglected. This dissertation outlines a new method developed for generating atmospheric turbulence and a testbed that simulates its aberrations far more inexpensively and with greater fidelity using a Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator. This system allows the simulation of atmospheric seeing conditions ranging from very poor to very good and different algorithms may be easily employed on the device for comparison. These simulations can be dynamically generated and modified very quickly and easily. Using a Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator to induce aberrations in an imaging system is not limited to simulating atmospheric turbulence. Any turbulence model can be used either statically or dynamically for multiple applications.

  15. Contrast sensitivity to spatial gratings in moderate and dim light conditions in patients with diabetes in the absence of diabetic retinopathy

    PubMed Central

    Safi, Sare; Rahimi, Anoushiravan; Raeesi, Afsaneh; Safi, Hamid; Aghazadeh Amiri, Mohammad; Malek, Mojtaba; Yaseri, Mehdi; Haeri, Mohammad; Middleton, Frank A; Solessio, Eduardo; Ahmadieh, Hamid

    2017-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the ability of contrast sensitivity (CS) to discriminate loss of visual function in diabetic subjects with no clinical signs of retinopathy relative to that of normal subjects. Research design and methods In this prospective cross-sectional study, we measured CS in 46 diabetic subjects with a mean age of 48±6 years, a best-corrected visual acuity of 20/20 and no signs of diabetic retinopathy. The CS in these subjects was compared with CS measurements in 46 normal control subjects at four spatial frequencies (3, 6, 12, 18 cycles per degree) under moderate (500 lux) and dim (less than 2 lux) background light conditions. Results CS was approximately 0.16 log units lower in patients with diabetes relative to controls both in moderate and in dim background light conditions. Logistic regression classification and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that CS analysis using two light conditions was more accurate (0.78) overall compared with CS analysis using only a single illumination condition (accuracy values were 0.67 and 0.70 in moderate and dim light conditions, respectively). Conclusions Our results showed that patients with diabetes without clinical signs of retinopathy exhibit a uniform loss in CS at all spatial frequencies tested. Measuring the loss in CS at two spatial frequencies (3 and 6 cycles per degree) and two light conditions (moderate and dim) is sufficiently robust to classify diabetic subjects with no retinopathy versus control subjects. PMID:28878937

  16. Visible light high-resolution imaging system for large aperture telescope by liquid crystal adaptive optics with phase diversity technique.

    PubMed

    Xu, Zihao; Yang, Chengliang; Zhang, Peiguang; Zhang, Xingyun; Cao, Zhaoliang; Mu, Quanquan; Sun, Qiang; Xuan, Li

    2017-08-30

    There are more than eight large aperture telescopes (larger than eight meters) equipped with adaptive optics system in the world until now. Due to the limitations such as the difficulties of increasing actuator number of deformable mirror, most of them work in the infrared waveband. A novel two-step high-resolution optical imaging approach is proposed by applying phase diversity (PD) technique to the open-loop liquid crystal adaptive optics system (LC AOS) for visible light high-resolution adaptive imaging. Considering the traditional PD is not suitable for LC AOS, the novel PD strategy is proposed which can reduce the wavefront estimating error caused by non-modulated light generated by liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC SLM) and make the residual distortions after open-loop correction to be smaller. Moreover, the LC SLM can introduce any aberration which realizes the free selection of phase diversity. The estimating errors are greatly reduced in both simulations and experiments. The resolution of the reconstructed image is greatly improved on both subjective visual effect and the highest discernible space resolution. Such technique can be widely used in large aperture telescopes for astronomical observations such as terrestrial planets, quasars and also can be used in other applications related to wavefront correction.

  17. Full-Color Plasmonic Metasurface Holograms.

    PubMed

    Wan, Weiwei; Gao, Jie; Yang, Xiaodong

    2016-12-27

    Holography is one of the most attractive approaches for reconstructing optical images, due to its capability of recording both the amplitude and phase information on light scattered from objects. Recently, optical metasurfaces for manipulating the wavefront of light with well-controlled amplitude, phase, and polarization have been utilized to reproduce computer-generated holograms. However, the currently available metasurface holograms have only been designed to achieve limited colors and record either amplitude or phase information. This fact significantly limits the performance of metasurface holograms to reconstruct full-color images with low noise and high quality. Here, we report the design and realization of ultrathin plasmonic metasurface holograms made of subwavelength nanoslits for reconstructing both two- and three-dimensional full-color holographic images. The wavelength-multiplexed metasurface holograms with both amplitude and phase modulations at subwavelength scale can faithfully produce not only three primary colors but also their secondary colors. Our results will advance various holographic applications.

  18. Broadband metasurface holograms: toward complete phase and amplitude engineering

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Qiu; Zhang, Xueqian; Xu, Yuehong; Gu, Jianqiang; Li, Yanfeng; Tian, Zhen; Singh, Ranjan; Zhang, Shuang; Han, Jiaguang; Zhang, Weili

    2016-01-01

    As a revolutionary three-dimensional imaging technique, holography has attracted wide attention for its ability to photographically record a light field. However, traditional phase-only or amplitude-only modulation holograms have limited image quality and resolution to reappear both amplitude and phase information required of the objects. Recent advances in metasurfaces have shown tremendous opportunities for using a planar design of artificial meta-atoms to shape the wave front of light by optimal control of both its phase and amplitude. Inspired by the concept of designer metasurfaces, we demonstrate a novel amplitude-phase modulation hologram with simultaneous five-level amplitude modulation and eight-level phase modulation. Such a design approach seeks to turn the perceived disadvantages of the traditional phase or amplitude holograms, and thus enable enhanced performance in resolution, homogeneity of amplitude distribution, precision, and signal-to-noise ratio. In particular, the unique holographic approach exhibits broadband characteristics. The method introduced here delivers more degrees of freedom, and allows for encoding highly complex information into designer metasurfaces, thus having the potential to drive next-generation technological breakthroughs in holography. PMID:27615519

  19. Broadband metasurface holograms: toward complete phase and amplitude engineering.

    PubMed

    Wang, Qiu; Zhang, Xueqian; Xu, Yuehong; Gu, Jianqiang; Li, Yanfeng; Tian, Zhen; Singh, Ranjan; Zhang, Shuang; Han, Jiaguang; Zhang, Weili

    2016-09-12

    As a revolutionary three-dimensional imaging technique, holography has attracted wide attention for its ability to photographically record a light field. However, traditional phase-only or amplitude-only modulation holograms have limited image quality and resolution to reappear both amplitude and phase information required of the objects. Recent advances in metasurfaces have shown tremendous opportunities for using a planar design of artificial meta-atoms to shape the wave front of light by optimal control of both its phase and amplitude. Inspired by the concept of designer metasurfaces, we demonstrate a novel amplitude-phase modulation hologram with simultaneous five-level amplitude modulation and eight-level phase modulation. Such a design approach seeks to turn the perceived disadvantages of the traditional phase or amplitude holograms, and thus enable enhanced performance in resolution, homogeneity of amplitude distribution, precision, and signal-to-noise ratio. In particular, the unique holographic approach exhibits broadband characteristics. The method introduced here delivers more degrees of freedom, and allows for encoding highly complex information into designer metasurfaces, thus having the potential to drive next-generation technological breakthroughs in holography.

  20. Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy with low-repetition-rate pulsed light source through phase-domain sampling

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Haomin; Wang, Le; Xu, Xiaoji G.

    2016-01-01

    Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) allows spectroscopic imaging with spatial resolution below the diffraction limit. With suitable light sources, s-SNOM is instrumental in numerous discoveries at the nanoscale. So far, the light sources have been limited to continuous wave or high-repetition-rate pulsed lasers. Low-repetition-rate pulsed sources cannot be used, due to the limitation of the lock-in detection mechanism that is required for current s-SNOM techniques. Here, we report a near-field signal extraction method that enables low-repetition-rate pulsed light sources. The method correlates scattering signals from pulses with the mechanical phases of the oscillating s-SNOM probe to obtain near-field signal, by-passing the apparent restriction imposed by the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem on the repetition rate. The method shall enable s-SNOM with low-repetition-rate pulses with high-peak-powers, such as femtosecond laser amplifiers, to facilitate investigations of strong light–matter interactions and nonlinear processes at the nanoscale. PMID:27748360

  1. Orbit-induced localized spin angular momentum in strong focusing of optical vectorial vortex beams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Manman; Cai, Yanan; Yan, Shaohui; Liang, Yansheng; Zhang, Peng; Yao, Baoli

    2018-05-01

    Light beams may carry optical spin or orbital angular momentum, or both. The spin and orbital parts manifest themselves by the ellipticity of the state of polarization and the vortex structure of phase of light beams, separately. Optical spin and orbit interaction, arising from the interaction between the polarization and the spatial structure of light beams, has attracted enormous interest recently. The optical spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion under strong focusing is well known, while the converse process, orbital-to-spin conversion, has not been reported so far. In this paper, we predict in theory that the orbital angular momentum can induce a localized spin angular momentum in strong focusing of a spin-free azimuthal polarization vortex beam. This localized longitudinal spin of the focused field can drive the trapped particle to spin around its own axis. This investigation provides a new degree of freedom for spinning particles by using a vortex phase, which may have considerable potentials in optical spin and orbit interaction, light-beam shaping, or optical manipulation.

  2. Bootstrap percolation on spatial networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Jian; Zhou, Tao; Hu, Yanqing

    2015-10-01

    Bootstrap percolation is a general representation of some networked activation process, which has found applications in explaining many important social phenomena, such as the propagation of information. Inspired by some recent findings on spatial structure of online social networks, here we study bootstrap percolation on undirected spatial networks, with the probability density function of long-range links’ lengths being a power law with tunable exponent. Setting the size of the giant active component as the order parameter, we find a parameter-dependent critical value for the power-law exponent, above which there is a double phase transition, mixed of a second-order phase transition and a hybrid phase transition with two varying critical points, otherwise there is only a second-order phase transition. We further find a parameter-independent critical value around -1, about which the two critical points for the double phase transition are almost constant. To our surprise, this critical value -1 is just equal or very close to the values of many real online social networks, including LiveJournal, HP Labs email network, Belgian mobile phone network, etc. This work helps us in better understanding the self-organization of spatial structure of online social networks, in terms of the effective function for information spreading.

  3. Paintings, photographs, and computer graphics are calculated appearances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCann, John

    2012-03-01

    Painters reproduce the appearances they see, or visualize. The entire human visual system is the first part of that process, providing extensive spatial processing. Painters have used spatial techniques since the Renaissance to render HDR scenes. Silver halide photography responds to the light falling on single film pixels. Film can only mimic the retinal response of the cones at the start of the visual process. Film cannot mimic the spatial processing in humans. Digital image processing can. This talk studies three dramatic visual illusions and uses the spatial mechanisms found in human vision to interpret their appearances.

  4. The phase-contrast imaging instrument at the matter in extreme conditions endstation at LCLS

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

    Nagler, Bob; Schropp, Andreas; Galtier, Eric C.

    2016-10-07

    Here, we describe the phase-contrast imaging instrument at the Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) endstation of the Linac Coherent Light Source. The instrument can image phenomena with a spatial resolution of a few hundreds of nanometers and at the same time reveal the atomic structure through X-ray diffraction, with a temporal resolution better than 100 fs. It was specifically designed for studies relevant to high-energy-density science and can monitor, e.g., shock fronts, phase transitions, or void collapses. This versatile instrument was commissioned last year and is now available to the MEC user community.

  5. Digital spiral-slit for bi-photon imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McLaren, Melanie; Forbes, Andrew

    2017-04-01

    Quantum ghost imaging using entangled photon pairs has become a popular field of investigation, highlighting the quantum correlation between the photon pairs. We introduce a technique using spatial light modulators encoded with digital holograms to recover both the amplitude and the phase of the digital object. Down-converted photon pairs are entangled in the orbital angular momentum basis, and are commonly measured using spiral phase holograms. Consequently, by encoding a spiral ring-slit hologram into the idler arm, and varying it radially we can simultaneously recover the phase and amplitude of the object in question. We demonstrate that a good correlation between the encoded field function and the reconstructed images exists.

  6. Remote interferometry by digital holography for shape control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baumbach, Torsten; Osten, Wolfgang; Falldorf, Claas; Jueptner, Werner P. O.

    2002-06-01

    Modern production requires more and more effective methods for the inspection and quality control at the production place. Outsourcing and globalization result in possible large distances between co-operating partners. This may cause serious problems with respect to the just-in-time exchange of information and the response to possible violations of quality standards. Consequently new challenges arise for optical measurement techniques especially in the field of industrial shape control. A possible solution for these problems can be delivered by a technique that stores optically the full 3D information of the objects to be compared and where the data can be transported over large distances. In this paper we describe the progress in implementing a new technique for the direct comparison of the shape and deformation of two objects with different microstructure where it is not necessary that both samples are located at the same place. This is done by creating a coherent mask for the illumination of the sample object. The coherent mask is created by Digital Holography to enable the instant access to the complete optical information of the master object at any wanted place. The transmission of the digital master holograms to this place can be done via digital telecommunication networks. The comparison can be done in a digital or analogue way. Both methods result in a disappearance of the object shape and the appearance of the shape or deformation difference between the two objects only. The analogue reconstruction of the holograms with a liquid crystal spatial light modulator can be done by using the light modulator as an intensity modulator or as an phase modulator. The reconstruction technique and the space bandwidth of the light modulator will influence the quality of the result. Therefore the paper describes the progress in applying modern spatial light modulators and digital cameras for the effective storage and optical reconstruction of coherent masks.

  7. Evolution of singularities in a partially coherent vortex beam.

    PubMed

    van Dijk, Thomas; Visser, Taco D

    2009-04-01

    We study the evolution of phase singularities and coherence singularities in a Laguerre-Gauss beam that is rendered partially coherent by letting it pass through a spatial light modulator. The original beam has an on-axis minumum of intensity--a phase singularity--that transforms into a maximum of the far-field intensity. In contrast, although the original beam has no coherence singularities, such singularities are found to develop as the beam propagates. This disappearance of one kind of singularity and the gradual appearance of another is illustrated with numerical examples.

  8. Controlling the near-field excitation of nano-antennas with phase-change materials.

    PubMed

    Kao, Tsung Sheng; Chen, Yi Guo; Hong, Ming Hui

    2013-01-01

    By utilizing the strongly induced plasmon coupling between discrete nano-antennas and quantitatively controlling the crystalline proportions of an underlying Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) phase-change thin layer, we show that nanoscale light localizations in the immediate proximity of plasmonic nano-antennas can be spatially positioned. Isolated energy hot-spots at a subwavelength scale can be created and adjusted across the landscape of the plasmonic system at a step resolution of λ/20. These findings introduce a new approach for nano-circuitry, bio-assay addressing and imaging applications.

  9. Highly Efficient, All-Dielectric Huygens Metasurfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ollanik, Adam; Farrar-Foley, Nick; Smith, Jake; Escarra, Matthew

    Demonstration of the control of light by the introduction of abrupt phase discontinuities across a subwavelength scale has opened the doors to a new level of wavefront control. All-dielectric Huygens metasurfaces hold significant promise due to their dramatically improved efficiency over plasmonic approaches. We present the successful design, computational modeling, and experimental realization of all-dielectric transmissive Huygens metasurfaces capable of deflection efficiency >90%. Dielectric Huygens sources, taking advantage of spectrally aligned electric and magnetic dipole resonances, are capable of tunable phase delay for transmitted light with near unity efficiency of forward scattering. Using ellipsoidal cylinder nanoantennas, we are able to manipulate the phase response and engineer a metasurface with a spatially gradient phase profile. Through careful design and optimization we mitigate the effects of inter-antenna coupling. We have designed and modeled metasurfaces demonstrating anomalous refraction with very high efficiency (>80%) for wavelength bands from the UV to the near-IR. These surfaces were designed using three distinct nanoantenna materials, Si, TiO2, and GaP, to demonstrate the flexibility of the technique. Experimentally, Si nanoantennas are fabricated using a combination of electron beam lithography and ICP/RIE-etching. Metasurfaces are characterized using a goniospectrometer capable of mapping light intensity on a cylindrical shell surrounding the metasurface.

  10. Demonstration of a large-size horizontal light-field display based on the LED panel and the micro-pinhole unit array

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Le; Sang, Xinzhu; Yu, Xunbo; Liu, Boyang; Liu, Li; Yang, Shenwu; Yan, Binbin; Du, Jingyan; Gao, Chao

    2018-05-01

    A 54-inch horizontal-parallax only light-field display based on the light-emitting diode (LED) panel and the micro-pinhole unit array (MPUA) is demonstrated. Normally, the perceived 3D effect of the three-dimensional (3D) display with smooth motion parallax and abundant light-field information can be enhanced with increasing the density of viewpoints. However, the density of viewpoints is inversely proportional to the spatial display resolution for the conventional integral imaging. Here, a special MPUA is designed and fabricated, and the displayed 3D scene constructed by the proposed horizontal light-field display is presented. Compared with the conventional integral imaging, both the density of horizontal viewpoints and the spatial display resolution are significantly improved. In the experiment, A 54-inch horizontal light-field display with 42.8° viewing angle based on the LED panel with the resolution of 1280 × 720 and the MPUA is realized, which can provide natural 3D visual effect to observers with high quality.

  11. Spatial and Angular Resolution Enhancement of Light Fields Using Convolutional Neural Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gul, M. Shahzeb Khan; Gunturk, Bahadir K.

    2018-05-01

    Light field imaging extends the traditional photography by capturing both spatial and angular distribution of light, which enables new capabilities, including post-capture refocusing, post-capture aperture control, and depth estimation from a single shot. Micro-lens array (MLA) based light field cameras offer a cost-effective approach to capture light field. A major drawback of MLA based light field cameras is low spatial resolution, which is due to the fact that a single image sensor is shared to capture both spatial and angular information. In this paper, we present a learning based light field enhancement approach. Both spatial and angular resolution of captured light field is enhanced using convolutional neural networks. The proposed method is tested with real light field data captured with a Lytro light field camera, clearly demonstrating spatial and angular resolution improvement.

  12. Spatial and Angular Resolution Enhancement of Light Fields Using Convolutional Neural Networks.

    PubMed

    Gul, M Shahzeb Khan; Gunturk, Bahadir K

    2018-05-01

    Light field imaging extends the traditional photography by capturing both spatial and angular distribution of light, which enables new capabilities, including post-capture refocusing, post-capture aperture control, and depth estimation from a single shot. Micro-lens array (MLA) based light field cameras offer a cost-effective approach to capture light field. A major drawback of MLA based light field cameras is low spatial resolution, which is due to the fact that a single image sensor is shared to capture both spatial and angular information. In this paper, we present a learning based light field enhancement approach. Both spatial and angular resolution of captured light field is enhanced using convolutional neural networks. The proposed method is tested with real light field data captured with a Lytro light field camera, clearly demonstrating spatial and angular resolution improvement.

  13. Design and implementation of a scene-dependent dynamically selfadaptable wavefront coding imaging system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carles, Guillem; Ferran, Carme; Carnicer, Artur; Bosch, Salvador

    2012-01-01

    A computational imaging system based on wavefront coding is presented. Wavefront coding provides an extension of the depth-of-field at the expense of a slight reduction of image quality. This trade-off results from the amount of coding used. By using spatial light modulators, a flexible coding is achieved which permits it to be increased or decreased as needed. In this paper a computational method is proposed for evaluating the output of a wavefront coding imaging system equipped with a spatial light modulator, with the aim of thus making it possible to implement the most suitable coding strength for a given scene. This is achieved in an unsupervised manner, thus the whole system acts as a dynamically selfadaptable imaging system. The program presented here controls the spatial light modulator and the camera, and also processes the images in a synchronised way in order to implement the dynamic system in real time. A prototype of the system was implemented in the laboratory and illustrative examples of the performance are reported in this paper. Program summaryProgram title: DynWFC (Dynamic WaveFront Coding) Catalogue identifier: AEKC_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEKC_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 10 483 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 2 437 713 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Labview 8.5 and NI Vision and MinGW C Compiler Computer: Tested on PC Intel ® Pentium ® Operating system: Tested on Windows XP Classification: 18 Nature of problem: The program implements an enhanced wavefront coding imaging system able to adapt the degree of coding to the requirements of a specific scene. The program controls the acquisition by a camera, the display of a spatial light modulator and the image processing operations synchronously. The spatial light modulator is used to implement the phase mask with flexibility given the trade-off between depth-of-field extension and image quality achieved. The action of the program is to evaluate the depth-of-field requirements of the specific scene and subsequently control the coding established by the spatial light modulator, in real time.

  14. Fly-by-light flight control system technology development plan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chakravarty, A.; Berwick, J. W.; Griffith, D. M.; Marston, S. E.; Norton, R. L.

    1990-01-01

    The results of a four-month, phased effort to develop a Fly-by-Light Technology Development Plan are documented. The technical shortfalls for each phase were identified and a development plan to bridge the technical gap was developed. The production configuration was defined for a 757-type airplane, but it is suggested that the demonstration flight be conducted on the NASA Transport Systems Research Vehicle. The modifications required and verification and validation issues are delineated in this report. A detailed schedule for the phased introduction of fly-by-light system components has been generated. It is concluded that a fiber-optics program would contribute significantly toward developing the required state of readiness that will make a fly-by-light control system not only cost effective but reliable without mitigating the weight and high-energy radio frequency related benefits.

  15. Breast cancer diagnosis using spatial light interference microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Majeed, Hassaan; Kandel, Mikhail E.; Han, Kevin; Luo, Zelun; Macias, Virgilia; Tangella, Krishnarao; Balla, Andre; Popescu, Gabriel

    2015-11-01

    The standard practice in histopathology of breast cancers is to examine a hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained tissue biopsy under a microscope to diagnose whether a lesion is benign or malignant. This determination is made based on a manual, qualitative inspection, making it subject to investigator bias and resulting in low throughput. Hence, a quantitative, label-free, and high-throughput diagnosis method is highly desirable. We present here preliminary results showing the potential of quantitative phase imaging for breast cancer screening and help with differential diagnosis. We generated phase maps of unstained breast tissue biopsies using spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM). As a first step toward quantitative diagnosis based on SLIM, we carried out a qualitative evaluation of our label-free images. These images were shown to two pathologists who classified each case as either benign or malignant. This diagnosis was then compared against the diagnosis of the two pathologists on corresponding H&E stained tissue images and the number of agreements were counted. The agreement between SLIM and H&E based diagnosis was 88% for the first pathologist and 87% for the second. Our results demonstrate the potential and promise of SLIM for quantitative, label-free, and high-throughput diagnosis.

  16. Retrieving the axial position of fluorescent light emitting spots by shearing interferometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schindler, Johannes; Schau, Philipp; Brodhag, Nicole; Frenner, Karsten; Osten, Wolfgang

    2016-12-01

    A method for the depth-resolved detection of fluorescent radiation based on imaging of an interference pattern of two intersecting beams and shearing interferometry is presented. The illumination setup provides the local addressing of the excitation of fluorescence and a coarse confinement of the excitation volume in axial and lateral directions. The reconstruction of the depth relies on the measurement of the phase of the fluorescent wave fronts. Their curvature is directly related to the distance of a source to the focus of the imaging system. Access to the phase information is enabled by a lateral shearing interferometer based on a Michelson setup. This allows the evaluation of interference signals even for spatially and temporally incoherent light such as emitted by fluorophors. An analytical signal model is presented and the relations for obtaining the depth information are derived. Measurements of reference samples with different concentrations and spatial distributions of fluorophors and scatterers prove the experimental feasibility of the method. In a setup optimized for flexibility and operating in the visible range, sufficiently large interference signals are recorded for scatterers placed in depths in the range of hundred micrometers below the surface in a material with scattering properties comparable to dental enamel.

  17. Retrieving the axial position of fluorescent light emitting spots by shearing interferometry.

    PubMed

    Schindler, Johannes; Schau, Philipp; Brodhag, Nicole; Frenner, Karsten; Osten, Wolfgang

    2016-12-01

    A method for the depth-resolved detection of fluorescent radiation based on imaging of an interference pattern of two intersecting beams and shearing interferometry is presented. The illumination setup provides the local addressing of the excitation of fluorescence and a coarse confinement of the excitation volume in axial and lateral directions. The reconstruction of the depth relies on the measurement of the phase of the fluorescent wave fronts. Their curvature is directly related to the distance of a source to the focus of the imaging system. Access to the phase information is enabled by a lateral shearing interferometer based on a Michelson setup. This allows the evaluation of interference signals even for spatially and temporally incoherent light such as emitted by fluorophors. An analytical signal model is presented and the relations for obtaining the depth information are derived. Measurements of reference samples with different concentrations and spatial distributions of fluorophors and scatterers prove the experimental feasibility of the method. In a setup optimized for flexibility and operating in the visible range, sufficiently large interference signals are recorded for scatterers placed in depths in the range of hundred micrometers below the surface in a material with scattering properties comparable to dental enamel.

  18. Selective self-assembly and light emission tuning of layered hybrid perovskites on patterned graphene.

    PubMed

    Guerra, Valentino L P; Kovaříček, Petr; Valeš, Václav; Drogowska, Karolina; Verhagen, Tim; Vejpravova, Jana; Horák, Lukáš; Listorti, Andrea; Colella, Silvia; Kalbáč, Martin

    2018-02-15

    The emission of light in two-dimensional (2-D) layered hybrid organic lead halide perovskites, namely (R-NH 3 ) 2 PbX 4 , can be effectively tuned using specific building blocks for the perovskite formation. Herein this behaviour is combined with a non-covalent graphene functionalization allowing excellent selectivity and spatial resolution of the perovskite film growth, promoting the formation of hybrid 2-D perovskite : graphene heterostructures with uniform coverage of up to centimeter scale graphene sheets and arbitrary shapes down to 5 μm. Using cryo-Raman microspectroscopy, highly resolved spectra of the perovskite phases were obtained and the Raman mapping served as a convenient spatially resolved technique for monitoring the distribution of the perovskite and graphene constituents on the substrate. In addition, the stability of the perovskite phase with respect to the thermal variation was inspected in situ by X-ray diffraction. Finally, time-resolved photoluminescence characterization demonstrated that the optical properties of the perovskite films grown on graphene are not hampered. Our study thus opens the door to smart fabrication routes for (opto)-electronic devices based on 2-D perovskites in contact with graphene with complex architectures.

  19. Inferring Sources in the Interplanetary Dust Cloud, from Observations and Simulations of Zodiacal Light and Thermal Emission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Levasseur-Regourd, A. C.; Lasue, J.

    2011-01-01

    Interplanetary dust particles physical properties may be approached through observations of the solar light they scatter, specially its polarization, and of their thermal emission. Results, at least near the ecliptic plane, on polarization phase curves and on the heliocentric dependence of the local spatial density, albedo, polarization and temperature are summarized. As far as interpretations through simulations are concerned, a very good fit of the polarization phase curve near 1.5 AU is obtained for a mixture of silicates and more absorbing organics material, with a significant amount of fluffy aggregates. In the 1.5-0.5 AU solar distance range, the temperature variation suggests the presence of a large amount of absorbing organic compounds, while the decrease of the polarization with decreasing solar distance is indeed compatible with a decrease of the organics towards the Sun. Such results are in favor of the predominance of dust of cometary origin in the interplanetary dust cloud, at least below 1.5 AU. The implication of these results on the delivery of complex organic molecules on Earth during the LHB epoch, when the spatial density of the interplanetary dust cloud was orders of magnitude greater than today, is discussed.

  20. Flux and polarization signals of spatially inhomogeneous gaseous exoplanets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karalidi, T.; Stam, D. M.; Guirado, D.

    2013-07-01

    Aims: We present numerically calculated, disk-integrated, spectropolarimetric signals of starlight that is reflected by vertically and horizontally inhomogeneous gaseous exoplanets. We include various spatial features that are present on Solar System's gaseous planets: belts and zones, cyclonic spots, and polar hazes, to test whether such features leave traces in the disk-integrated fux and polarization signals. Methods: Broadband flux and polarization signals of starlight that is reflected by gaseous exoplanets are calculated using an efficient, adding-doubling radiative transfer code, that fully includes single and multiple scattering and polarization. The planetary model atmospheres are vertically inhomogeneous and can be horizontally inhomogeneous, and contain gas molecules and/or cloud and/or aerosol particles. Results: The broadband flux and polarization signals are sensitive to cloud top pressures, although in the presence of local pressure differences, such as in belts and clouds, the flux and polarization phase functions have similar shapes as those of horizontally homogeneous planets. Fitting flux phase functions of a planet with belts and zones using a horizontally homogeneous planet could theoretically yield cloud top pressures that differ by a few hundred mbar from those derived from fitting polarization phase functions. In practice, however, observational errors and uncertainties in cloud properties would make such a fit unreliable. A cyclonic spot like Jupiter's Great Red Spot, covering a few percent of the disk, located in equatorial regions, and rotating in and out of the observer's view yields a temporal variation of a few percent in the broadband flux and a few percent in the degree of polarization. Polar hazes leave strong traces in the polarization of reflected starlight in spatially resolved observations, especially seen at phase angles near 90°. Integrated across the planetary disk, polar hazes that cover only part of the planetary disk, change the broadband degree of polarization of the reflected light by a few percent. Such hazes have only small effects on locally reflected broadband fluxes and negligible effects on disk-integrated broadband fluxes. Conclusions: Deriving the presence of belts and zones in the atmospheres of gaseous exoplanets from broadband flux and polarization observations will be extremely difficult. Cyclonic spots could leave temporal changes in the broadband flux and polarization signals of a few percent. Polar hazes that cover a fraction of the planetary disk, and that are composed of small, Rayleigh scattering particles, change the broadband degree of polarization by at most a few percent.

  1. A Mathematical Model of the Circadian Phase-Shifting Effects of Exogenous Melatonin

    PubMed Central

    Breslow, Emily R.; Phillips, Andrew J.K.; Huang, Jean M.; St. Hilaire, Melissa A.; Klerman, Elizabeth B.

    2013-01-01

    Melatonin is endogenously produced and released in humans during nighttime darkness and is suppressed by ocular light exposure. Exogenous melatonin is used to induce circadian phase shifts and sleep. The circadian phase-shifting ability of a stimulus (e.g., melatonin or light) relative to its timing may be displayed as a phase response curve (PRC). Published PRCs to exogenous melatonin show a transition from phase advances to delays approximately 1 h after dim light melatonin onset. A previously developed mathematical model simulates endogenous production and clearance of melatonin as a function of circadian phase, light-induced suppression, and resetting of circadian phase by light. We extend this model to include the pharmacokinetics of oral exogenous melatonin and phase-shifting effects via melatonin receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the mammalian hypothalamus. Model parameters are fit using 2 data sets: (1) blood melatonin concentration following a 0.3- or 5.0-mg dose, and (2) a PRC to a 3.0-mg dose of melatonin. After fitting to the 3.0-mg PRC, the model correctly predicts that, by comparison, the 0.5-mg PRC is slightly decreased in amplitude and shifted to a later circadian phase. This model also reproduces blood concentration profiles of various melatonin preparations that differ only in absorption rate and percentage degradation by first-pass hepatic metabolism. This model can simulate experimental protocols using oral melatonin, with potential application to guide dose size and timing to optimally shift and entrain circadian rhythms. PMID:23382594

  2. Ultrafast Microscopy of Spin-Momentum-Locked Surface Plasmon Polaritons.

    PubMed

    Dai, Yanan; Dąbrowski, Maciej; Apkarian, Vartkess A; Petek, Hrvoje

    2018-06-26

    Using two-photon photoemission electron microscopy (2P-PEEM) we image the polarization dependence of coupling and propagation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) launched from edges of a triangular, micrometer size, single-crystalline Ag crystal by linearly or circularly polarized light. 2P-PEEM records interferences between the optical excitation field and SPPs it creates with nanofemto space-time resolution. Both the linearly and circularly polarized femtosecond light pulses excite spatially asymmetric 2PP yield distributions, which are imaged. We attribute the asymmetry for linearly polarized light to the relative alignments of the laser polarization and triangle edges, which affect the efficiency of excitation of the longitudinal component of the SPP field. For circular polarization, the asymmetry is caused by matching of the spin angular momenta (SAM) of light and the transverse SAM of SPPs. Moreover, we show that the interference patterns recorded in the 2P-PEEM images are cast by phase shifts and amplitudes for coupling of light into the longitudinal and transverse components of SPP fields. While the interference patterns depend on the excitation polarization, nanofemto movies show that the phase and group velocities of SPPs are independent of SAM of light in time-reversal invariant media. Simulations of the wave interference reproduce the polarization and spin-dependent coupling of optical pulses into SPPs.

  3. Observation of thermodynamic phase noise using a slow-light resonance in a fiber Bragg grating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Skolianos, George; Arora, Arushi; Bernier, Martin; Digonnet, Michel

    2017-02-01

    Thermodynamic phase noise in passive fiber devices is generally so weak that in most devices, in particular fiber sensors, it has only been observed in fiber lengths in the range of 1 meter or much longer. Here we present a passive fiber strain sensor only 4.5 mm in length in which the noise in the frequency range of 1 kHz to 12 kHz is limited by thermal phase noise in the fiber. The phase noise could be measured in such a short fiber by utilizing a slow-light fiber Bragg grating (FBG) resonator in which the phase noise is magnified by the resonator's slowing-down factor ng/n ≈ 370, where ng is the group index. At the same time, the usually dominant laser frequency noise was brought below the level of the phase noise by using a short fiber and a low-noise laser with a linewidth under 200 Hz. At 4 kHz, the total measured noise expressed in units of strain is 110 fɛ/√Hz, and the phase noise accounts for 77% of it. This sensor resolves a single-pass thermodynamic length fluctuation of only 5 x10-16 m/√Hz. These measurements provide experimental support for the dependencies of the phase noise on the fiber resonator length and group index predicted by a recent model.

  4. Micro-Optic Color Separation Technology for Efficient Projection Displays

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gunning, W. J.; Boehmer, E.

    1997-01-01

    Phase 1 of this project focused on development of an overall optical concept which incorporated a single liquid crystal spatial light modulator. The system achieved full color by utilizing an echelon grating, which diffracted the incident light into three orders with different color spectra, in combination with a microlens array, which spatially separated RGB bands and directed the light of the appropriate wavelength to the appropriate color dot. Preliminary echelon grating designs were provided by MIT/LL and reviewed by Rockwell. Additional Rockwell activities included the Identification of microlens designs, light sources (ILC), and projection optics to fulfill the overall design requirements. An Internal subcontract was established with Rockwell's Collins Avionics and Communications Division (CACD) which specified the liquid crystal SLM (Sharp Model No. LQ 46EO2) and built the projection display baseline projector. Full Color projected video images were produced and shown at the 1995 HDS meeting in Washington. Analysis of the luminance performance of the projector and detailed parameter trade studies helped define the dependence of overall display efficiency on lamp collimation, and indicated that a lamp with very small arc dimension is required for the optical concept to be viable.

  5. Computational Phase Imaging for Biomedical Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, Tan Huu

    When a sample is illuminated by an imaging field, its fingerprints are left on the amplitude and the phase of the emerging wave. Capturing the information of the wavefront grants us a deeper understanding of the optical properties of the sample, and of the light-matter interaction. While the amplitude information has been intensively studied, the use of the phase information has been less common. Because all detectors are sensitive to intensity, not phase, wavefront measurements are significantly more challenging. Deploying optical interferometry to measure phase through phase-intensity conversion, quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has recently gained tremendous success in material and life sciences. The first topic of this dissertation describes our effort to develop a new QPI setup, named transmission Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (tSLIM), that uses the twisted nematic liquid-crystal (TNLC) modulators. Compared to the established SLIM technique, tSLIM is much less expensive to build than its predecessor (SLIM) while maintaining significant performance. The tSLIM system uses parallel aligned liquid-crystal (PANLC) modulators, has a slightly smaller signal-to-noise Ratio (SNR), and a more complicated model for the image formation. However, such complexity is well addressed by computing. Most importantly, tSLIM uses TNLC modulators that are popular in display LCDs. Therefore, the total cost of the system is significantly reduced. Alongside developing new imaging modalities, we also improved current QPI imaging systems. In practice, an incident field to the sample is rarely perfectly spatially coherent, i.e., plane wave. It is generally partially coherent; i.e., it comprises of many incoherent plane waves coming from multiple directions. This illumination yields artifacts in the phase measurement results, e.g., halo and phase-underestimation. One solution is using a very bright source, e.g., a laser, which can be spatially filtered very well. However, the laser comes at the expense of speckles, which degrades image quality. Therefore, solutions purely based on physical modeling and computations to remove these artifacts, using white-light illumination, are highly desirable. Here, using physical optics, we develop a theoretical model that accurately explains the effects of partial coherence on image information and phase information. The model is further combined with numerical processing to suppress the artifacts, and recover the correct phase information. The third topic is devoted to applying QPI to clinical applications. Traditionally, stained tissues are used in prostate cancer diagnosis instead. The reason is that tissue samples used in diagnosis are nearly transparent under bright field inspection if unstained. Contrast-enhanced microscopy techniques, e.g., phase contrast microscopy (PC) and differential interference contrast microscopy (DIC), can render visibility of the untagged samples with high throughput. However, since these methods are intensity-based, the contrast of acquired images varies significantly from one imaging facility to another, preventing them from being used in diagnosis. Inheriting the merits of PC, SLIM produces phase maps, which measure the refractive index of label-free samples. However, the maps measured by SLIM are not affected by variation in imaging conditions, e.g., illumination, magnification, etc., allowing consistent imaging results when using SLIM across different clinical institutions. Here, we combine SLIM images with machine learning for automatic diagnosis results for prostate cancer. We focus on two diagnosis problems of automatic Gleason grading and cancer vs. non-cancer diagnosis. Finally, we introduce a new imaging modality, named Gradient Light Interference Microscopy (GLIM), which is able to image through optically thick samples using low spatial coherence illumination. The key benefit of GLIM comes from a large numerical aperture of the condenser, which is 0.55 NA, about five times higher than that in SLIM. GLIM has an excellent depth sectioning when recording three-dimensional information of the susceptibility of the sample. We also introduce a model for the image formation of GLIM with an implication that a simple filtering step in the transverse dimension can dramatically improve the sectioning in the axial dimension. With GLIM, one can measure accurately the surface area, volume, and dry mass of a variety of biological samples, ranging from cells that are about tens of microns thick to bovine embryos that are hundreds of microns thick.

  6. Spatially modulated structural colour in bird feathers.

    PubMed

    Parnell, Andrew J; Washington, Adam L; Mykhaylyk, Oleksandr O; Hill, Christopher J; Bianco, Antonino; Burg, Stephanie L; Dennison, Andrew J C; Snape, Mary; Cadby, Ashley J; Smith, Andrew; Prevost, Sylvain; Whittaker, David M; Jones, Richard A L; Fairclough, J Patrick A; Parker, Andrew R

    2015-12-21

    Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) feathers display periodic variations in the reflected colour from white through light blue, dark blue and black. We find the structures responsible for the colour are continuous in their size and spatially controlled by the degree of spinodal phase separation in the corresponding region of the feather barb. Blue structures have a well-defined broadband ultra-violet (UV) to blue wavelength distribution; the corresponding nanostructure has characteristic spinodal morphology with a lengthscale of order 150 nm. White regions have a larger 200 nm nanostructure, consistent with a spinodal process that has coarsened further, yielding broader wavelength white reflectance. Our analysis shows that nanostructure in single bird feather barbs can be varied continuously by controlling the time the keratin network is allowed to phase separate before mobility in the system is arrested. Dynamic scaling analysis of the single barb scattering data implies that the phase separation arrest mechanism is rapid and also distinct from the spinodal phase separation mechanism i.e. it is not gelation or intermolecular re-association. Any growing lengthscale using this spinodal phase separation approach must first traverse the UV and blue wavelength regions, growing the structure by coarsening, resulting in a broad distribution of domain sizes.

  7. Spatially modulated structural colour in bird feathers

    PubMed Central

    Parnell, Andrew J.; Washington, Adam L.; Mykhaylyk, Oleksandr O.; Hill, Christopher J.; Bianco, Antonino; Burg, Stephanie L.; Dennison, Andrew J. C.; Snape, Mary; Cadby, Ashley J.; Smith, Andrew; Prevost, Sylvain; Whittaker, David M.; Jones, Richard A. L.; Fairclough, J. Patrick. A.; Parker, Andrew R.

    2015-01-01

    Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) feathers display periodic variations in the reflected colour from white through light blue, dark blue and black. We find the structures responsible for the colour are continuous in their size and spatially controlled by the degree of spinodal phase separation in the corresponding region of the feather barb. Blue structures have a well-defined broadband ultra-violet (UV) to blue wavelength distribution; the corresponding nanostructure has characteristic spinodal morphology with a lengthscale of order 150 nm. White regions have a larger 200 nm nanostructure, consistent with a spinodal process that has coarsened further, yielding broader wavelength white reflectance. Our analysis shows that nanostructure in single bird feather barbs can be varied continuously by controlling the time the keratin network is allowed to phase separate before mobility in the system is arrested. Dynamic scaling analysis of the single barb scattering data implies that the phase separation arrest mechanism is rapid and also distinct from the spinodal phase separation mechanism i.e. it is not gelation or intermolecular re-association. Any growing lengthscale using this spinodal phase separation approach must first traverse the UV and blue wavelength regions, growing the structure by coarsening, resulting in a broad distribution of domain sizes. PMID:26686280

  8. Sleep Enhances Recognition Memory for Conspecifics as Bound into Spatial Context

    PubMed Central

    Sawangjit, Anuck; Kelemen, Eduard; Born, Jan; Inostroza, Marion

    2017-01-01

    Social memory refers to the fundamental ability of social species to recognize their conspecifics in quite different contexts. Sleep has been shown to benefit consolidation, especially of hippocampus-dependent episodic memory whereas effects of sleep on social memory are less well studied. Here, we examined the effect of sleep on memory for conspecifics in rats. To discriminate interactions between the consolidation of social memory and of spatial context during sleep, adult Long Evans rats performed on a social discrimination task in a radial arm maze. The Learning phase comprised three 10-min sampling sessions in which the rats explored a juvenile rat presented at a different arm of the maze in each session. Then the rats were allowed to sleep (n = 18) or stayed awake (n = 18) for 120 min. During the following 10-min Test phase, the familiar juvenile rat (of the Learning phase) was presented along with a novel juvenile rat, each rat at an opposite arm of the maze. Significant social recognition memory, as indicated by preferential exploration of the novel over the familiar conspecific, occurred only after post-learning sleep, but not after wakefulness. Sleep, compared with wakefulness, significantly enhanced social recognition during the first minute of the Test phase. However, memory expression depended on the spatial configuration: Significant social recognition memory emerged only after sleep when the rat encountered the novel conspecific at a place different from that of the familiar juvenile in the last sampling session before sleep. Though unspecific retrieval-related effects cannot entirely be excluded, our findings suggest that sleep, rather than independently enhancing social and spatial aspects of memory, consolidates social memory by acting on an episodic representation that binds the memory of the conspecific together with the spatial context in which it was recently encountered. PMID:28270755

  9. Bright-light mask treatment of delayed sleep phase syndrome.

    PubMed

    Cole, Roger J; Smith, Julian S; Alcalá, Yvonne C; Elliott, Jeffrey A; Kripke, Daniel F

    2002-02-01

    We treated delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) with an illuminated mask that provides light through closed eyelids during sleep. Volunteers received either bright white light (2,700 lux, n = 28) or dim red light placebo (0.1 lux, n = 26) for 26 days at home. Mask lights were turned on (< 0.01 lux) 4 h before arising, ramped up for 1 h, and remained on at full brightness until arising. Volunteers also attempted to systematically advance sleep time, avoid naps, and avoid evening bright light. The light mask was well tolerated and produced little sleep disturbance. The acrophase of urinary 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (6-SMT) excretion advanced significantly from baseline in the bright group (p < 0.0006) and not in the dim group, but final phases were not significantly earlier in the bright group (ANCOVA ns). Bright treatment did produce significantly earlier phases, however, among volunteers whose baseline 6-SMT acrophase was later than the median of 0602 h (bright shift: 0732-0554 h, p < 0.0009; dim shift: 0746-0717 h, ns; ANCOVA p = 0.03). In this subgroup, sleep onset advanced significantly only with bright but not dim treatment (sleep onset shift: bright 0306-0145 h, p < 0.0002; dim 0229-0211 h, ns; ANCOVA p < .05). Despite equal expectations at baseline, participants rated bright treatment as more effective than dim treatment (p < 0.04). We conclude that bright-light mask treatment advances circadian phase and provides clinical benefit in DSPS individuals whose initial circadian delay is relatively severe.

  10. Probing and characterizing the growth of a crystal of ultracold bosons and light

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ostermann, S.; Piazza, F.; Ritsch, H.

    2017-12-01

    The non-linear coupled particle light dynamics of an ultracold gas in the field of two independent counter-propagating laser beams can lead to the dynamical formation of a self-ordered lattice structure as presented in (2016) Phys. Rev. X 6 021026. Here we present new numerical studies on experimentally observable signatures to monitor the growth and properties of such a crystal in real time. While, at least theoretically, optimal non-destructive observation of the growth dynamics and the hallmarks of the crystalline phase can be performed by analyzing scattered light, monitoring the evolution of the particle’s momentum distribution via time-of-flight probing is an experimentally more accessible choice. In this work we show that both approaches allow us to unambiguously distinguish the crystal from independent collective scattering as it occurs in matter wave super-radiance. As a clear crystallization signature, we identify spatial locking between the two emerging standing laser waves, together creating the crystal potential. For sufficiently large systems, the system allows reversible adiabatic ramping into the crystalline phase as an alternative to a quench across the phase transition and growth from fluctuations.

  11. Interaction with gravitropism, reversibility and lateral movements of phototropically stimulated potato shoots.

    PubMed

    Vinterhalter, D; Savić, J; Stanišić, M; Jovanović, Ž; Vinterhalter, B

    2016-07-01

    Phototropic (PT) and gravitropic (GT) bending are the two major tropic movements that determine the spatial position of potato shoots. We studied PT bending of potato plantlets grown under long-day photoperiods in several prearranged position setups providing different interactions with the GT response. Starting with the standard PT stimulation setup composed of unilateral irradiation of vertically positioned shoots, experiments were also done in antagonistic and synergistic setups and in treatments with horizontal displacement of the light source. In the standard setup, PT bending suppressed the GT bending, which could occur only if the PT stimulation was cancelled. The antagonistic position, with phototropism and gravitropism attempting to bend shoots in opposite directions, showed phototropism and gravitropism as independent bending events with the outcome varying throughout the day reflecting diurnal changes in the competence of individual tropic components. Whilst gravitropism was constant, phototropism had a marked daily fluctuation of its magnitude with a prominent morning maximum starting an hour after the dawn in the growth room and lasting for the next 6 h. When phototropism and gravitropism were aligned in a synergistic position, stimulating shoot bending in the same direction, there was little quantitative addition of their individual effects. The long period of morning PT bending maximum enabled multiple PT bending events to be conducted in succession, each one preceded by a separate lag phase. Studies of secondary PT events showed that potato plantlets can follow and adjust their shoot position in response to both vertical and horizontal movements of a light source. PT bending was reversible, since the 180° horizontal change of a blue light (BL) source position resulted in reversal of bending direction after a 20-min-long lag phase.

  12. Spatially Resolved Measurement of the Stress Tensor in Thin Membranes Using Bending Waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Waitz, Reimar; Lutz, Carolin; Nößner, Stephan; Hertkorn, Michael; Scheer, Elke

    2015-04-01

    The mode shape of bending waves in thin silicon and silicon-carbide membranes is measured as a function of space and time, using a phase-shift interferometer with stroboscopic light. The mode shapes hold information about all the relevant mechanical parameters of the samples, including the spatial distribution of static prestress. We present a simple algorithm to obtain a map of the lateral tensor components of the prestress, with a spatial resolution much better than the wavelength of the bending waves. The method is not limited to measuring the stress of bending waves. It is applicable in almost any situation, where the fields determining the state of the system can be measured as a function of space and time.

  13. Characterization of air-coupled ultrasound transducers in the frequency range 40 kHz-2 mHz using light diffraction tomography.

    PubMed

    Almqvist, M; Holm, A; Persson, H W; Lindström, K

    2000-01-01

    The aim of this work was to show the applicability of light diffraction tomography on airborne ultrasound in the frequency range 40 kHz-2 MHz. Seven different air-coupled transducers were measured to show the method's performance regarding linearity, absolute pressure measurements, phase measurements, frequency response, S/N ratio and spatial resolution. A calibrated microphone and the pulse-echo method were used to evaluate the results. The absolute measurements agreed within the calibrated microphone's uncertainty range. Pulse waveforms and corresponding FFT diagrams show the method's higher bandwidth compared with the microphone. Further, the method offers non-perturbing measurements with high spatial resolution, which was especially advantageous for measurements close to the transducer surfaces. The S/N ratio was higher than or in the same range as that of the two comparison methods.

  14. Spatial light modulator array with heat minimization and image enhancement features

    DOEpatents

    Jain, Kanti [Briarcliff Manor, NY; Sweatt, William C [Albuquerque, NM; Zemel, Marc [New Rochelle, NY

    2007-01-30

    An enhanced spatial light modulator (ESLM) array, a microelectronics patterning system and a projection display system using such an ESLM for heat-minimization and resolution enhancement during imaging, and the method for fabricating such an ESLM array. The ESLM array includes, in each individual pixel element, a small pixel mirror (reflective region) and a much larger pixel surround. Each pixel surround includes diffraction-grating regions and resolution-enhancement regions. During imaging, a selected pixel mirror reflects a selected-pixel beamlet into the capture angle of a projection lens, while the diffraction grating of the pixel surround redirects heat-producing unused radiation away from the projection lens. The resolution-enhancement regions of selected pixels provide phase shifts that increase effective modulation-transfer function in imaging. All of the non-selected pixel surrounds redirect all radiation energy away from the projection lens. All elements of the ESLM are fabricated by deposition, patterning, etching and other microelectronic process technologies.

  15. Adding spatial flexibility to source-receptor relationships for air quality modeling.

    PubMed

    Pisoni, E; Clappier, A; Degraeuwe, B; Thunis, P

    2017-04-01

    To cope with computing power limitations, air quality models that are used in integrated assessment applications are generally approximated by simpler expressions referred to as "source-receptor relationships (SRR)". In addition to speed, it is desirable for the SRR also to be spatially flexible (application over a wide range of situations) and to require a "light setup" (based on a limited number of full Air Quality Models - AQM simulations). But "speed", "flexibility" and "light setup" do not naturally come together and a good compromise must be ensured that preserves "accuracy", i.e. a good comparability between SRR results and AQM. In this work we further develop a SRR methodology to better capture spatial flexibility. The updated methodology is based on a cell-to-cell relationship, in which a bell-shape function links emissions to concentrations. Maintaining a cell-to-cell relationship is shown to be the key element needed to ensure spatial flexibility, while at the same time the proposed approach to link emissions and concentrations guarantees a "light set-up" phase. Validation has been repeated on different areas and domain sizes (countries, regions, province throughout Europe) for precursors reduced independently or contemporarily. All runs showed a bias around 10% between the full AQM and the SRR. This methodology allows assessing the impact on air quality of emission scenarios applied over any given area in Europe (regions, set of regions, countries), provided that a limited number of AQM simulations are performed for training.

  16. A method for generating double-ring-shaped vector beams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huan, Chen; Xiao-Hui, Ling; Zhi-Hong, Chen; Qian-Guang, Li; Hao, Lv; Hua-Qing, Yu; Xu-Nong, Yi

    2016-07-01

    We propose a method for generating double-ring-shaped vector beams. A step phase introduced by a spatial light modulator (SLM) first makes the incident laser beam have a nodal cycle. This phase is dynamic in nature because it depends on the optical length. Then a Pancharatnam-Berry phase (PBP) optical element is used to manipulate the local polarization of the optical field by modulating the geometric phase. The experimental results show that this scheme can effectively create double-ring-shaped vector beams. It provides much greater flexibility to manipulate the phase and polarization by simultaneously modulating the dynamic and the geometric phases. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11547017), the Hubei Engineering University Research Foundation, China (Grant No. z2014001), and the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province, China (Grant No. 2014CFB578).

  17. Spatial distribution of polarization over the disks of Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fountain, J. W.

    1974-01-01

    The method of photographic subtraction, which superposes positive and negative photographs taken with the analyzer rotated through 90 deg, is used to analyze polarization photographs of Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon. For Venus, near 90 deg phase angle, variation in polarization in ultraviolet light appears to correspond generally with the position of the cloud markings. The northern hemisphere of Saturn shows higher polarization in blue light than does the rest of the planet. The polarization of the moon is shown to deviate significantly from Umov's law for reciprocity of polarization and reflectivity in certain regions.

  18. Home dim light melatonin onsets with measures of compliance in delayed sleep phase disorder.

    PubMed

    Burgess, Helen J; Park, Margaret; Wyatt, James K; Fogg, Louis F

    2016-06-01

    The dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) assists with the diagnosis and treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Home DLMOs are attractive for cost savings and convenience, but can be confounded by home lighting and sample timing errors. We developed a home saliva collection kit with objective measures of light exposure and sample timing. We report on our first test of the kit in a clinical population. Thirty-two participants with delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD; 17 women, aged 18-52 years) participated in two back-to-back home and laboratory phase assessments. Most participants (66%) received at least one 30-s epoch of light >50 lux during the home phase assessments, but for only 1.5% of the time. Most participants (56%) collected every saliva sample within 5 min of the scheduled time. Eighty-three per cent of home DLMOs were not affected by light or sampling errors. The home DLMOs occurred, on average, 10.2 min before the laboratory DLMOs, and were correlated highly with the laboratory DLMOs (r = 0.93, P < 0.001). These results indicate that home saliva sampling with objective measures of light exposure and sample timing, can assist in identifying accurate home DLMOs. © 2016 European Sleep Research Society.

  19. Scanned Image Projection System Employing Intermediate Image Plane

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DeJong, Christian Dean (Inventor); Hudman, Joshua M. (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    In imaging system, a spatial light modulator is configured to produce images by scanning a plurality light beams. A first optical element is configured to cause the plurality of light beams to converge along an optical path defined between the first optical element and the spatial light modulator. A second optical element is disposed between the spatial light modulator and a waveguide. The first optical element and the spatial light modulator are arranged such that an image plane is created between the spatial light modulator and the second optical element. The second optical element is configured to collect the diverging light from the image plane and collimate it. The second optical element then delivers the collimated light to a pupil at an input of the waveguide.

  20. Tissue Refractive Index Fluctuations Report on Cancer Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Popescu, Gabriel

    2012-02-01

    The gold standard in histopathology relies on manual investigation of stained tissue biopsies. A sensitive and quantitative method for in situ tissue specimen inspection is highly desirable, as it will allow early disease diagnosis and automatic screening. Here we demonstrate that quantitative phase imaging of entire unstained biopsies has the potential to fulfill this requirement. Our data indicates that the refractive index distribution of histopathology slides, which contains information about the molecular scale organization of tissue, reveals prostate tumors. These optical maps report on subtle, nanoscale morphological properties of tissues and cells that cannot be recovered by common stains, including hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). We found that cancer progression significantly alters the tissue organization, as exhibited in our refractive index maps. Furthermore, using the quantitative phase information, we obtained the spatially resolved scattering mean free path and anisotropy factor g for entire biopsies and demonstrated their direct correlation with tumor presence. We found that these scattering parameters are able to distinguish between two adjacent grades, which is a difficult task and relevant for determining patient treatment. In essence, our results show that the tissue refractive index reports on the nanoscale tissue architecture and, in principle, can be used as an intrinsic marker for cancer diagnosis. [4pt] [1] Z. Wang, K. Tangella, A. Balla and G. Popescu, Tissue refractive index as marker of disease, Journal of Biomedical Optics, in press).[0pt] [2] Z. Wang, L. J. Millet, M. Mir, H. Ding, S. Unarunotai, J. A. Rogers, M. U. Gillette and G. Popescu, Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM), Optics Express, 19, 1016 (2011).[0pt] [3] Z. Wang, D. L. Marks, P. S. Carney, L. J. Millet, M. U. Gillette, A. Mihi, P. V. Braun, Z. Shen, S. G. Prasanth and G. Popescu, Spatial light interference tomography (SLIT), Optics Express, 19, 19907-19918 (2011).[0pt] [4] Z. Wang, H. Ding and G. Popescu, Scattering-phase theorem, Optics Letters, 36, 1215 (2011).[0pt] [5] G. Popescu Quantitative phase imaging of cells and tissues (McGraw-Hill, New York, 2011).[0pt] [6] H. F. Ding, Z. Wang, F. Nguyen, S. A. Boppart and G. Popescu, Fourier Transform Light Scattering of Inhomogeneous and Dynamic Structures, Physical Review Letters, 101, 238102 (2008).

  1. Atmospheric simulation using a liquid crystal wavefront-controlling device

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brooks, Matthew R.; Goda, Matthew E.

    2004-10-01

    Test and evaluation of laser warning devices is important due to the increased use of laser devices in aerial applications. This research consists of an atmospheric aberrating system to enable in-lab testing of various detectors and sensors. This system employs laser light at 632.8nm from a Helium-Neon source and a spatial light modulator (SLM) to cause phase changes using a birefringent liquid crystal material. Measuring outgoing radiation from the SLM using a CCD targetboard and Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor reveals an acceptable resemblance of system output to expected atmospheric theory. Over three turbulence scenarios, an error analysis reveals that turbulence data matches theory. A wave optics computer simulation is created analogous to the lab-bench design. Phase data, intensity data, and a computer simulation affirm lab-bench results so that the aberrating SLM system can be operated confidently.

  2. Fast-response IR spatial light modulators with a polymer network liquid crystal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Fenglin; Chen, Haiwei; Tripathi, Suvagata; Twieg, Robert J.; Wu, Shin-Tson

    2015-03-01

    Liquid crystals (LC) have widespread applications for amplitude modulation (e.g. flat panel displays) and phase modulation (e.g. beam steering). For phase modulation, a 2π phase modulo is required. To extend the electro-optic application into infrared region (MWIR and LWIR), several key technical challenges have to be overcome: 1. low absorption loss, 2. high birefringence, 3. low operation voltage, and 4. fast response time. After three decades of extensive development, an increasing number of IR devices adopting LC technology have been demonstrated, such as liquid crystal waveguide, laser beam steering at 1.55μm and 10.6 μm, spatial light modulator in the MWIR (3~5μm) band, dynamic scene projectors for infrared seekers in the LWIR (8~12μm) band. However, several fundamental molecular vibration bands and overtones exist in the MWIR and LWIR regions, which contribute to high absorption coefficient and hinder its widespread application. Therefore, the inherent absorption loss becomes a major concern for IR devices. To suppress IR absorption, several approaches have been investigated: 1) Employing thin cell gap by choosing a high birefringence liquid crystal mixture; 2) Shifting the absorption bands outside the spectral region of interest by deuteration, fluorination and chlorination; 3) Reducing the overlap vibration bands by using shorter alkyl chain compounds. In this paper, we report some chlorinated LC compounds and mixtures with a low absorption loss in the near infrared and MWIR regions. To achieve fast response time, we have demonstrated a polymer network liquid crystal with 2π phase change at MWIR and response time less than 5 ms.

  3. Light bullets in coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations with variable coefficients and a trapping potential.

    PubMed

    Xu, Si-Liu; Zhao, Guo-Peng; Belić, Milivoj R; He, Jun-Rong; Xue, Li

    2017-04-17

    We analyze three-dimensional (3D) vector solitary waves in a system of coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations with spatially modulated diffraction and nonlinearity, under action of a composite self-consistent trapping potential. Exact vector solitary waves, or light bullets (LBs), are found using the self-similarity method. The stability of vortex 3D LB pairs is examined by direct numerical simulations; the results show that only low-order vortex soliton pairs with the mode parameter values n ≤ 1, l ≤ 1 and m = 0 can be supported by the spatially modulated interaction in the composite trap. Higher-order LBs are found unstable over prolonged distances.

  4. Investigation of phase matching for third-harmonic generation in silicon slow light photonic crystal waveguides using Fourier optics.

    PubMed

    Monat, Christelle; Grillet, Christian; Corcoran, Bill; Moss, David J; Eggleton, Benjamin J; White, Thomas P; Krauss, Thomas F

    2010-03-29

    Using Fourier optics, we retrieve the wavevector dependence of the third-harmonic (green) light generated in a slow light silicon photonic crystal waveguide. We show that quasi-phase matching between the third-harmonic signal and the fundamental mode is provided in this geometry by coupling to the continuum of radiation modes above the light line. This process sustains third-harmonic generation with a relatively high efficiency and a substantial bandwidth limited only by the slow light window of the fundamental mode. The results give us insights into the physics of this nonlinear process in the presence of strong absorption and dispersion at visible wavelengths where bandstructure calculations are problematic. Since the characteristics (e.g. angular pattern) of the third-harmonic light primarily depend on the fundamental mode dispersion, they could be readily engineered.

  5. Design and realization of adaptive optical principle system without wavefront sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xiaobin; Niu, Chaojun; Guo, Yaxing; Han, Xiang'e.

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, we focus on the performance improvement of the free space optical communication system and carry out the research on wavefront-sensorless adaptive optics. We use a phase only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (SLM) as the wavefront corrector. The optical intensity distribution of the distorted wavefront is detected by a CCD. We develop a wavefront controller based on ARM and a software based on the Linux operating system. The wavefront controller can control the CCD camera and the wavefront corrector. There being two SLMs in the experimental system, one simulates atmospheric turbulence and the other is used to compensate the wavefront distortion. The experimental results show that the performance quality metric (the total gray value of 25 pixels) increases from 3037 to 4863 after 200 iterations. Besides, it is demonstrated that our wavefront-sensorless adaptive optics system based on SPGD algorithm has a good performance in compensating wavefront distortion.

  6. Importance of phase alignment for interocular suppression.

    PubMed

    Maehara, Goro; Huang, Pi-Chun; Hess, Robert F

    2009-07-01

    We measured contrast thresholds for Gabor targets in the presence of maskers which had higher or lower spatial frequencies than the targets. A high-pass fractal masker elevated target contrast thresholds at low and intermediate pedestal contrasts in both monocular and dichoptic modes of presentation, suggesting that the masking occurs after a monocular processing stage. Moreover we found that a high-pass checkerboard masker elevated thresholds at the low and intermediate pedestal contrasts and that most of this threshold elevation disappeared when the phase of the masker's spatial components were scrambled. This masking was effective only in the dichoptic presentation, not in the monocular presentation. These results indicate that phase alignment of the high spatial frequency components plays a crucial role for interocular suppression. We speculate that phase alignments signal the existence of a luminance contour in the monocular image and that this signal suppresses processing of information in the other eye when there is no corresponding signal in that eye.

  7. 1.5% root-mean-square flat-intensity laser beam formed using a binary-amplitude spatial light modulator.

    PubMed

    Liang, Jinyang; Kohn, Rudolph N; Becker, Michael F; Heinzen, Daniel J

    2009-04-01

    We demonstrate a digital micromirror device (DMD)-based optical system that converts a spatially noisy quasi-Gaussian to an eighth-order super-Lorentzian flat-top beam. We use an error-diffusion algorithm to design the binary pattern for the Texas Instruments DLP device. Following the DMD, a telescope with a pinhole low-pass filters the beam and scales it to the desired sized image. Experimental measurements show a 1% root-mean-square (RMS) flatness over a diameter of 0.28 mm in the center of the flat-top beam and better than 1.5% RMS flatness over its entire 1.43 mm diameter. The power conversion efficiency is 37%. We develop an alignment technique to ensure that the DMD pattern is correctly positioned on the incident beam. An interferometric measurement of the DMD surface flatness shows that phase uniformity is maintained in the output beam. Our approach is highly flexible and is able to produce not only flat-top beams with different parameters, but also any slowly varying target beam shape. It can be used to generate the homogeneous optical lattice required for Bose-Einstein condensate cold atom experiments.

  8. Correcting the effect of refraction and dispersion of light in FT-IR spectroscopic imaging in transmission through thick infrared windows.

    PubMed

    Chan, K L Andrew; Kazarian, Sergei G

    2013-01-15

    Transmission mode is one of the most common sampling methods for FT-IR spectroscopic imaging because the spectra obtained generally have a reasonable signal-to-noise ratio. However, dispersion and refraction of infrared light occurs when samples are sandwiched between infrared windows or placed underneath a layer of liquid. Dispersion and refraction cause infrared light to focus with different focal lengths depending on the wavelength (wavenumber) of the light. As a result, images obtained are in focus only at a particular wavenumber while they are defocused at other wavenumber values. In this work, a solution to correct this spread of focus by means of adding a lens on top of the infrared transparent window, such that a pseudo hemisphere is formed, has been investigated. Through this lens (or pseudo hemisphere), refraction of light is removed and the light across the spectral range has the same focal depth. Furthermore, the lens acts as a solid immersion objective and an increase of both magnification and spatial resolution (by 1.4 times) is demonstrated. The spatial resolution was investigated using an USAF resolution target, showing that the Rayleigh criterion can be achieved, as well as a sample with a sharp polymer interface to indicate the spatial resolution that can be expected in real samples. The reported approach was used to obtain chemical images of cross sections of cancer tissue and hair samples sandwiched between infrared windows showing the versatility and applicability of the method. In addition to the improved spatial resolution, the results reported herein also demonstrate that the lens can reduce the effect of scattering near the edges of tissue samples. The advantages of the presented approach, obtaining FT-IR spectroscopic images in transmission mode with the same focus across all wavenumber values and simultaneous improvement in spatial resolution, will have wide implications ranging from studies of live cells to sorption of drugs into tissues.

  9. Using an agent-based model to evaluate the effect of producer specialization on the epidemiological resilience of livestock production networks.

    PubMed

    Wiltshire, Serge W

    2018-01-01

    An agent-based computer model that builds representative regional U.S. hog production networks was developed and employed to assess the potential impact of the ongoing trend towards increased producer specialization upon network-level resilience to catastrophic disease outbreaks. Empirical analyses suggest that the spatial distribution and connectivity patterns of contact networks often predict epidemic spreading dynamics. Our model heuristically generates realistic systems composed of hog producer, feed mill, and slaughter plant agents. Network edges are added during each run as agents exchange livestock and feed. The heuristics governing agents' contact patterns account for factors including their industry roles, physical proximities, and the age of their livestock. In each run, an infection is introduced, and may spread according to probabilities associated with the various modes of contact. For each of three treatments-defined by one-phase, two-phase, and three-phase production systems-a parameter variation experiment examines the impact of the spatial density of producer agents in the system upon the length and size of disease outbreaks. Resulting data show phase transitions whereby, above some density threshold, systemic outbreaks become possible, echoing findings from percolation theory. Data analysis reveals that multi-phase production systems are vulnerable to catastrophic outbreaks at lower spatial densities, have more abrupt percolation transitions, and are characterized by less-predictable outbreak scales and durations. Key differences in network-level metrics shed light on these results, suggesting that the absence of potentially-bridging producer-producer edges may be largely responsible for the superior disease resilience of single-phase "farrow to finish" production systems.

  10. Increasing the space-time product of super-resolution structured illumination microscopy by means of two-pattern illumination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Inochkin, F. M.; Pozzi, P.; Bezzubik, V. V.; Belashenkov, N. R.

    2017-06-01

    Superresolution image reconstruction method based on the structured illumination microscopy (SIM) principle with reduced and simplified pattern set is presented. The method described needs only 2 sinusoidal patterns shifted by half a period for each spatial direction of reconstruction, instead of the minimum of 3 for the previously known methods. The method is based on estimating redundant frequency components in the acquired set of modulated images. Digital processing is based on linear operations. When applied to several spatial orientations, the image set can be further reduced to a single pattern for each spatial orientation, complemented by a single non-modulated image for all the orientations. By utilizing this method for the case of two spatial orientations, the total input image set is reduced up to 3 images, providing up to 2-fold improvement in data acquisition time compared to the conventional 3-pattern SIM method. Using the simplified pattern design, the field of view can be doubled with the same number of spatial light modulator raster elements, resulting in a total 4-fold increase in the space-time product. The method requires precise knowledge of the optical transfer function (OTF). The key limitation is the thickness of object layer that scatters or emits light, which requires to be sufficiently small relatively to the lens depth of field. Numerical simulations and experimental results are presented. Experimental results are obtained on the SIM setup with the spatial light modulator based on the 1920x1080 digital micromirror device.

  11. On important precursor of singular optics (tutorial)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Polyanskii, Peter V.; Felde, Christina V.; Bogatyryova, Halina V.; Konovchuk, Alexey V.

    2018-01-01

    The rise of singular optics is usually associated with the seminal paper by J. F. Nye and M. V. Berry [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A, 336, 165-189 (1974)]. Intense development of this area of modern photonics has started since the early eighties of the XX century due to invention of the interfrence technique for detection and diagnostics of phase singularities, such as optical vortices in complex speckle-structured light fields. The next powerful incentive for formation of singular optics into separate area of the science on light was connectected with discovering of very practical technique for creation of singular optical beams of various kinds on the base of computer-generated holograms. In the eghties and ninetieth of the XX century, singular optics evolved, almost entirely, under the approximation of complete coherency of light field. Only at the threshold of the XXI century, it has been comprehended that the singular-optics approaches can be fruitfully expanded onto partially spatially coherent, partially polarized and polychromatic light fields supporting singularities of new kinds, that has been resulted in establishing of correlation singular optics. Here we show that correlation singular optics has much deeper roots, ascending to "pre-singular" and even pre-laser epoch and associated with the concept of partial coherence and polarization. It is remarcable that correlation singular optics in its present interpretation has forestalled the standard coherent singular optics. This paper is timed to the sixtieth anniversary of the most profound precursor of modern correlation singular optics [J. Opt. Soc. Am., 47, 895-902 (1957)].

  12. β-δ phase transition during dropweight impact on cyclotetramethylene-tetranitroamine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Czerski, H.; Greenaway, M. W.; Proud, W. G.; Field, J. E.

    2004-10-01

    The secondary explosive cyclotetramethylene-tetranitroamine (HMX) exists in a variety of crystal structures; the most widely used being the β-phase which is stable at room temperature and pressure. On heating, a more impact sensitive form (δ phase) is produced. The nonlinear optical technique of second harmonic generation (SHG) can be used as a probe of phase since δ-phase HMX generates a second harmonic at 532nm when 1064nm laser light is incident upon it. We present high-speed photography of SHG in HMX samples during dropweight impact and show that this technique can provide good spatial information and time resolution. We find evidence for small areas of δ-phase HMX appearing in the period from 13μs before ignition to 10μs afterwards, demonstrating that the heating on impact is sufficient to overcome the loading conditions and cause the phase change.

  13. Transformative Relation of Kinematical Descriptive Quantities Defined by Different Spatial Referential Frame, Its Property and Application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Ji

    2012-08-01

    Quantitative transformations between corresponding kinetic quantities defined by any two spatial referential frames, whose relative kinematics relations (purely rotational and translational movement) are known, are presented based on necessarily descriptive definitions of the fundamental concepts (instant, time, spatial referential frame that distinguishes from Maths. Coordination, physical point) had being clarified by directly empirical observation with artificially descriptive purpose. Inductive investigation of the transformation reveals that all physical quantities such as charge, temperature, time, volume, length, temporal rate of the quantities and relations like temporal relation between signal source and observer as such are independent to spatial frames transformation except above kinematical quantities transformations, kinematics related dynamics such as Newton ’ s second law existing only in inertial frames and exchange of kinetic energy of mass being valid only in a selected inertial frame. From above bas is, we demonstrate a series of inferences and applications such as phase velocity of light being direct respect to medium (including vacuum) rather than to the frame, using spatial referential frame to describe any measurable field (electric field, magnetic field, gravitational field) and the field ’ s variation; and have tables to contrast and evaluate all aspects of those hypotheses related with spacetime such as distorted spacetime around massive stellar, four dimension spacetime, gravitational time dilation and non - Euclid geometry with new one. The demonstration strongly suggests all the hypotheses are invalid in capable tested concepts ’ meaning and relations. The conventional work on frame transformation and its property, hypothesized by Voigt, Heaviside, Lorentz, Poincare and Einstein a century ago with some mathematical speculation lacking rigorous definition of the fundamental concepts such as instant, time, spatial reference, straight line, plane area, merely good in building up patchwork to do self p referred explanation by making up derivative concepts or accumulating new hypothesis, has disturbed people to describe the physical nature by setting up the sound basis of concept and relations with capable tested method, it’s time to be replaced by empirically effective alternative.

  14. Instrumentation in molecular imaging.

    PubMed

    Wells, R Glenn

    2016-12-01

    In vivo molecular imaging is a challenging task and no single type of imaging system provides an ideal solution. Nuclear medicine techniques like SPECT and PET provide excellent sensitivity but have poor spatial resolution. Optical imaging has excellent sensitivity and spatial resolution, but light photons interact strongly with tissues and so only small animals and targets near the surface can be accurately visualized. CT and MRI have exquisite spatial resolution, but greatly reduced sensitivity. To overcome the limitations of individual modalities, molecular imaging systems often combine individual cameras together, for example, merging nuclear medicine cameras with CT or MRI to allow the visualization of molecular processes with both high sensitivity and high spatial resolution.

  15. Gender differences in multitasking reflect spatial ability.

    PubMed

    Mäntylä, Timo

    2013-04-01

    Demands involving the scheduling and interleaving of multiple activities have become increasingly prevalent, especially for women in both their paid and unpaid work hours. Despite the ubiquity of everyday requirements to multitask, individual and gender-related differences in multitasking have gained minimal attention in past research. In two experiments, participants completed a multitasking session with four gender-fair monitoring tasks and separate tasks measuring executive functioning (working memory updating) and spatial ability (mental rotation). In both experiments, males outperformed females in monitoring accuracy. Individual differences in executive functioning and spatial ability were independent predictors of monitoring accuracy, but only spatial ability mediated gender differences in multitasking. Menstrual changes accentuated these effects, such that gender differences in multitasking (and spatial ability) were eliminated between males and females who were in the menstrual phase of the menstrual cycle but not between males and females who were in the luteal phase. These findings suggest that multitasking involves spatiotemporal task coordination and that gender differences in multiple-task performance reflect differences in spatial ability.

  16. The effect of spherical aberration on the phase singularities of focused dark-hollow Gaussian beams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Yamei; Lü, Baida

    2009-06-01

    The phase singularities of focused dark-hollow Gaussian beams in the presence of spherical aberration are studied. It is shown that the evolution behavior of phase singularities of focused dark-hollow Gaussian beams in the focal region depends not only on the truncation parameter and beam order, but also on the spherical aberration. The spherical aberration leads to an asymmetric spatial distribution of singularities outside the focal plane and to a shift of singularities near the focal plane. The reorganization process of singularities and spatial distribution of singularities are additionally dependent on the sign of the spherical aberration. The results are illustrated by numerical examples.

  17. Amplitude and phase controlled adaptive optics system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pham, Ich; Ma, Sam

    2006-06-01

    An adaptive optics (AO) system is used to control the deformable mirror (DM) actuators for compensating the optical effects introduced by the turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere and distortions produced by the optical elements between the distant object and its local sensor. The typical AO system commands the DM actuators while minimizing the measured wave front (WF) phase error. This is known as the phase conjugator system, which does not work well in the strong scintillation condition because both amplitude and phase are corrupted along the propagation path. In order to compensate for the wave front amplitude, a dual DM field conjugator system may be used. The first and second DM compensate for the amplitude and the phase respectively. The amplitude controller requires the mapping from DM1 actuator command to DM2 intensity. This can be obtained from either a calibration routine or an intensity transport equation, which relates the phase to the intensity. Instead of a dual-DM, a single Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) may control the amplitude and phase independently. The technique uses the spatial carrier frequency and the resulting intensity is related to the carrier modulation, while the phase is the average carrier phase. The dynamical AO performance using the carrier modulation is limited by the actuator frequency response and not by the computational load of the controller algorithm. Simulation of the proposed field conjugator systems show significant improvement for the on-axis performance compared to the phase conjugator system.

  18. Polarization selective phase-change nanomodulator

    PubMed Central

    Appavoo, Kannatassen; Haglund Jr., Richard F.

    2014-01-01

    Manipulating optical signals below the diffraction limit is crucial for next-generation data-storage and telecommunication technologies. Although controlling the flow of light around nanoscale waveguides was achieved over a decade ago, modulating optical signals at terahertz frequencies within nanoscale volumes remains a challenge. Since the physics underlying any modulator relies on changes in dielectric properties, the incorporation of strongly electron-correlated materials (SECMs) has been proposed because they can exhibit orders of magnitude changes in electrical and optical properties with modest thermal, electrical or optical trigger signals. Here we demonstrate a hybrid nanomodulator of deep sub-wavelength dimensions with an active volume of only 0.002 µm3 by spatially confining light on the nanometre length scale using a plasmonic nanostructure while simultaneously controlling the reactive near-field environment at its optical focus with a single, precisely positioned SECM nanostructure. Since the nanomodulator functionality hinges on this near-field electromagnetic interaction, the modulation is also selectively responsive to polarization. This architecture suggests one path for designing reconfigurable optoelectronic building blocks with responses that can be tailored with exquisite precision by varying size, geometry, and the intrinsic materials properties of the hybrid elements. PMID:25346427

  19. Polarization selective phase-change nanomodulator

    DOE PAGES

    Appavoo, Kannatassen; Haglund Jr., Richard F.

    2014-10-27

    Manipulating optical signals below the diffraction limit is crucial for next-generation data-storage and telecommunication technologies. Although controlling the flow of light around nanoscale waveguides was achieved over a decade ago, modulating optical signals at terahertz frequencies within nanoscale volumes remains a challenge. Since the physics underlying any modulator relies on changes in dielectric properties, the incorporation of strongly electron-correlated materials (SECMs) has been proposed because they can exhibit orders of magnitude changes in electrical and optical properties with modest thermal, electrical or optical trigger signals. Here we demonstrate a hybrid nanomodulator of deep sub-wavelength dimensions with an active volume ofmore » only 0.002 µm 3 by spatially confining light on the nanometre length scale using a plasmonic nanostructure while simultaneously controlling the reactive near-field environment at its optical focus with a single, precisely positioned SECM nanostructure. Since the nanomodulator functionality hinges on this near-field electromagnetic interaction, the modulation is also selectively responsive to polarization. Lastly, this architecture suggests one path for designing reconfigurable optoelectronic building blocks with responses that can be tailored with exquisite precision by varying size, geometry, and the intrinsic materials properties of the hybrid elements.« less

  20. Navigational strategies underlying phototaxis in larval zebrafish.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xiuye; Engert, Florian

    2014-01-01

    Understanding how the brain transforms sensory input into complex behavior is a fundamental question in systems neuroscience. Using larval zebrafish, we study the temporal component of phototaxis, which is defined as orientation decisions based on comparisons of light intensity at successive moments in time. We developed a novel "Virtual Circle" assay where whole-field illumination is abruptly turned off when the fish swims out of a virtually defined circular border, and turned on again when it returns into the circle. The animal receives no direct spatial cues and experiences only whole-field temporal light changes. Remarkably, the fish spends most of its time within the invisible virtual border. Behavioral analyses of swim bouts in relation to light transitions were used to develop four discrete temporal algorithms that transform the binary visual input (uniform light/uniform darkness) into the observed spatial behavior. In these algorithms, the turning angle is dependent on the behavioral history immediately preceding individual turning events. Computer simulations show that the algorithms recapture most of the swim statistics of real fish. We discovered that turning properties in larval zebrafish are distinctly modulated by temporal step functions in light intensity in combination with the specific motor history preceding these turns. Several aspects of the behavior suggest memory usage of up to 10 swim bouts (~10 sec). Thus, we show that a complex behavior like spatial navigation can emerge from a small number of relatively simple behavioral algorithms.

  1. A phase coherence approach to estimating the spatial extent of earthquakes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hawthorne, Jessica C.; Ampuero, Jean-Paul

    2016-04-01

    We present a new method for estimating the spatial extent of seismic sources. The approach takes advantage of an inter-station phase coherence computation that can identify co-located sources (Hawthorne and Ampuero, 2014). Here, however, we note that the phase coherence calculation can eliminate the Green's function and give high values only if both earthquakes are point sources---if their dimensions are much smaller than the wavelengths of the propagating seismic waves. By examining the decrease in coherence at higher frequencies (shorter wavelengths), we can estimate the spatial extents of the earthquake ruptures. The approach can to some extent be seen as a simple way of identifying directivity or variations in the apparent source time functions recorded at various stations. We apply this method to a set of well-recorded earthquakes near Parkfield, CA. We show that when the signal to noise ratio is high, the phase coherence remains high well above 50 Hz for closely spaced M<1.5 earthquake. The high-frequency phase coherence is smaller for larger earthquakes, suggesting larger spatial extents. The implied radii scale roughly as expected from typical magnitude-corner frequency scalings. We also examine a second source of high-frequency decoherence: spatial variation in the shape of the Green's functions. This spatial decoherence appears to occur on a similar wavelengths as the decoherence associated with the apparent source time functions. However, the variation in Green's functions can be normalized away to some extent by comparing observations at multiple components on a single station, which see the same apparent source time functions.

  2. Camera array based light field microscopy

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Xing; Wu, Jiamin; Zheng, Guoan; Dai, Qionghai

    2015-01-01

    This paper proposes a novel approach for high-resolution light field microscopy imaging by using a camera array. In this approach, we apply a two-stage relay system for expanding the aperture plane of the microscope into the size of an imaging lens array, and utilize a sensor array for acquiring different sub-apertures images formed by corresponding imaging lenses. By combining the rectified and synchronized images from 5 × 5 viewpoints with our prototype system, we successfully recovered color light field videos for various fast-moving microscopic specimens with a spatial resolution of 0.79 megapixels at 30 frames per second, corresponding to an unprecedented data throughput of 562.5 MB/s for light field microscopy. We also demonstrated the use of the reported platform for different applications, including post-capture refocusing, phase reconstruction, 3D imaging, and optical metrology. PMID:26417490

  3. Liquid argon scintillation detection utilizing wavelength-shifting plates and light guides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howard, B.

    2018-02-01

    In DUNE, the event timing provided by the detection of the relatively prompt scintillation photons will improve spatial resolution in the drift direction of the time-projection chamber (TPC) and is especially useful for non-beam physics topics such as supernova neutrinos and nucleon decay. The baseline design for the first 10kt single phase TPC fits the photon detector system in the natural gap between the wire planes of adjacent TPC volumes. A prototype photon detector design utilizes wavelength-shifter coated plates to convert the vacuum ultraviolet scintillation light to the optical and commercially-produced wavelength-shifting light guides to trap some of this light and transport it to an array of silicon photomultipliers at the end. This system and the testing performed to characterize the system and determine the efficiency are discussed.

  4. Optimisation of a low cost SLM for diffraction efficiency and ghost order suppression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bowman, R.; D'Ambrosio, V.; Rubino, E.; Jedrkiewicz, O.; di Trapani, P.; Padgett, M. J.

    2011-11-01

    Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) are a powerful tool in many optics laboratories, but due to the technology required for their fabrication, they are usually very expensive. Recently some inexpensive devices have been produced, however their phase shift range is less than 2π, leading to a loss of diffraction efficiency for the SLM. We show how to improve the first order diffraction efficiency of such an SLM by adjusting the blazing function, and obtain a 1.5 times increase in first order diffracted power. Even a perfect SLM with 2π phase throw can produce undesired effects in some situations; for example in holographic optical tweezers it is common to find unwanted "ghost spots" near to the array of first-order spots. Modulating the amplitude, by spatially modulating the blazing function, allows us to suppress the ghost spots. This increases the contrast between desired and unwanted spots by more than an order of magnitude.

  5. Multiple feature extraction by using simultaneous wavelet transforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mazzaferri, Javier; Ledesma, Silvia; Iemmi, Claudio

    2003-07-01

    We propose here a method to optically perform multiple feature extraction by using wavelet transforms. The method is based on obtaining the optical correlation by means of a Vander Lugt architecture, where the scene and the filter are displayed on spatial light modulators (SLMs). Multiple phase filters containing the information about the features that we are interested in extracting are designed and then displayed on an SLM working in phase mostly mode. We have designed filters to simultaneously detect edges and corners or different characteristic frequencies contained in the input scene. Simulated and experimental results are shown.

  6. Volume three-dimensional flow measurements using wavelength multiplexing.

    PubMed

    Moore, Andrew J; Smith, Jason; Lawson, Nicholas J

    2005-10-01

    Optically distinguishable seeding particles that emit light in a narrow bandwidth, and a combination of bandwidths, were prepared by encapsulating quantum dots. The three-dimensional components of the particles' displacement were measured within a volume of fluid with particle tracking velocimetry (PTV). Particles are multiplexed to different hue bands in the camera images, enabling an increased seeding density and (or) fewer cameras to be used, thereby increasing the measurement spatial resolution and (or) reducing optical access requirements. The technique is also applicable to two-phase flow measurements with PTV or particle image velocimetry, where each phase is uniquely seeded.

  7. The effects of age and workload on 3D spatial attention in dual-task driving.

    PubMed

    Pierce, Russell S; Andersen, George J

    2014-06-01

    In the present study we assessed whether the limits in visual-spatial attention associated with aging affect the spatial extent of attention in depth during driving performance. Drivers in the present study performed a car-following and light-detection task. To assess the extent of visual-spatial attention, we compared reaction times and accuracy to light change targets that varied in horizontal position and depth location. In addition, because workload has been identified as a factor that can change the horizontal and vertical extent of attention, we tested whether variability of the lead car speed influenced the extent of spatial attention for younger or older drivers. For younger drivers, reaction time (RT) to light-change targets varied as a function of distance and horizontal position. For older drivers RT varied only as a function of distance. There was a distance by horizontal position interaction for younger drivers but not for older drivers. Specifically, there was no effect of horizontal position at any given level of depth for older drivers. However, for younger drivers there was an effect of horizontal position for targets further in depth but not for targets nearer in depth. With regards to workload, we found no statistically reliable evidence that variability of the lead car speed had an effect on the spatial extent of attention for younger or older drivers. In a control experiment, we examined the effects of depth on light detection when the projected size and position of the targets was constant. Consistent with our previous results, we found that drivers' reaction time to light-change targets varied as a function of distance even when 2D position and size were controlled. Given that depth is an important dimension in driving performance, an important issue for assessing driving safety is to consider the limits of attention in the depth dimension. Therefore, we suggest that future research should consider the importance of depth as a dimension of spatial attention in relation to the assessment of driving performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Delivery of an ultrashort spatially focused pulse to the other end of a multimode fiber using digital phase conjugation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morales Delgado, Edgar E.; Papadopoulos, Ioannis N.; Farahi, Salma; Psaltis, Demetri; Moser, Christophe

    2015-03-01

    Multimode optical fibers potentially allow the transmission of larger amounts of information than their single mode counterparts because of their high number of supported modes. However, propagation of a light pulse through a multimode fiber suffers from spatial distortions due to the superposition of the various exited modes and from time broadening due to modal dispersion. We present a method based on digital phase conjugation to selectively excite in a multimode fiber specific optical fiber modes that follow similar optical paths as they travel through the fiber. The excited modes interfere constructively at the fiber output generating an ultrashort spatially focused pulse. The excitation of a limited number of modes following similar optical paths limits modal dispersion, allowing the transmission of the ultrashort pulse. We have experimentally demonstrated the delivery of a focused spot of pulse width equal to 500 fs through a 30 cm, 200 micrometer core step-index multimode fiber. The results of this study show that two-photon imaging capability can be added to ultra-thin lensless endoscopy using commercial multimode fibers.

  9. Laboratory simulation of atmospheric turbulence induced optical wavefront distortion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taylor, Travis Shane

    1999-11-01

    Many creative approaches have been taken in the past for simulating the effect that atmospheric turbulence has on optical beams. Most of the experimental architectures have been complicated and consisted of many optical elements as well as moving components. These techniques have shown a modicum of success; however, they are not completely controllable or predictable. A benchtop technique for experimentally producing one important effect that atmospheric turbulence has on optical beams (phase distortion) is presented here. The system is completely controllable and predictable while accurately representing the statistical nature of the problem. Previous experimentation in optical processing through turbulent media has demonstrated that optical wavefront distortions can be produced via spatial light modulating (SLM) devices, and most turbulence models and experimental results indicate that turbulence can be represented as a phase fluctuation. The amplitude distributions in the resulting far field are primarily due to propagation of the phase. Operating a liquid crystal television (LCTV) in the ``phase- mostly'' mode, a phase fluctuation type model for turbulence is utilized in the present investigation, and a real-time experiment for demonstrating the effects was constructed. For an optical system to simulate optical wavefront distortions due to atmospheric turbulence, the following are required: (1)An optical element that modulates the phasefront of an optical beam (2)A model and a technique for generating spatially correlated turbulence simulating distributions (3)Hardware and software for displaying and manipulating the information addressing the optical phase modulation device The LCTV is ideal for this application. When operated in the ``phase-mostly'' mode some LCTVs can modulate the phasefront of an optical beam by as much as 2π and an algorithm for generating spatially correlated phase screens can be constructed via mathematical modeling software such as Mathcad[2]. The phase screens can then be manipulated and displayed on the LCTV using a computer with an appropriate framegrabber and software. The present system consists of an Epson liquid crystal television (which was optimized to modulate up to 2π of phase), a Macintosh IIci with a framegrabber card, a QuickTime movie consisting of multiple video frames of two dimensional arrays of spatially correlated grayscale images, and two polarizers. The movie is displayed on the television via the framegrabber, and the polarizers are used to operate the television in a mode that mostly modulates the spatial phase distribution of the optical wavefront. The frames of the movie are created using an accepted turbulence model for spatially correlated variations in index of refraction, and each subsequent frame of the movie is calculated following an accepted model for temporally varying turbulence. The model used for generating spatial functions or ``phase screens'' which simulate turbulence is the well known Kolmogorov model. These ``phase screens'' are then used, employing a Taylor's frozen flow model, to simulate temporally varying turbulence. A single ``phase screen'' is given a random velocity vector between 0 and.55 meters per second to simulate temporally varying turbulence. The system is used to distort optical beams as if the beams had propagated through a long pathlength of wavefront distorting medium, such as the atmosphere.

  10. Light-Addressable Measurement of in Vivo Tissue Oxygenation in an Unanesthetized Zebrafish Embryo via Phase-Based Phosphorescence Lifetime Detection

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Shih-Hao; Yu, Chu-Hung; Chien, Yi-Lung

    2015-01-01

    We have developed a digital light modulation system that utilizes a modified commercial projector equipped with a laser diode as a light source for quantitative measurements of in vivo tissue oxygenation in an unanesthetized zebrafish embryo via phase-based phosphorescence lifetime detection. The oxygen-sensitive phosphorescent probe (Oxyphor G4) was first inoculated into the bloodstream of 48 h post-fertilization (48 hpf) zebrafish embryos via the circulation valley to rapidly disperse probes throughout the embryo. The unanesthetized zebrafish embryo was introduced into the microfluidic device and immobilized on its lateral side by using a pneumatically actuated membrane. By controlling the illumination pattern on the digital micromirror device in the projector, the modulated excitation light can be spatially projected to illuminate arbitrarily-shaped regions of tissue of interest for in vivo oxygen measurements. We have successfully measured in vivo oxygen changes in the cardiac region and cardinal vein of a 48 hpf zebrafish embryo that experience hypoxia and subsequent normoxic conditions. Our proposed platform provides the potential for the real-time investigation of oxygen distribution in tissue microvasculature that relates to physiological stimulation and diseases in a developing organism. PMID:25856326

  11. Sensitivity improvement of one-shot Fourier spectroscopic imager for realization of noninvasive blood glucose sensors in smartphones

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kawashima, Natsumi; Nogo, Kosuke; Hosono, Satsuki; Nishiyama, Akira; Wada, Kenji; Ishimaru, Ichiro

    2016-11-01

    The use of the wide-field-stop and beam-expansion method for sensitivity enhancement of one-shot Fourier spectroscopy is proposed to realize health care sensors installed in smartphones for daily monitoring. When measuring the spectral components of human bodies noninvasively, diffuse reflected light from biological membranes is too weak for detection using conventional hyperspectral cameras. One-shot Fourier spectroscopy is a spatial phase-shift-type interferometer that can determine the one-dimensional spectral characteristics from a single frame. However, this method has low sensitivity, so that only the spectral characteristics of light sources with direct illumination can be obtained, because a single slit is used as a field stop. The sensitivity of the proposed spectroscopic method is improved by using the wide-field-stop and beam-expansion method. The use of a wider field stop slit width increases the detected light intensity; however, this simultaneously narrows the diffraction angle. The narrower collimated objective beam diameter degrades the visibility of interferograms. Therefore, a plane-concave cylindrical lens between the objective plane and the single slit is introduced to expand the beam diameter. The resulting sensitivity improvement achieved when using the wide-field-stop and beam-expansion method allows the spectral characteristics of hemoglobin to be obtained noninvasively from a human palm using a midget lamp.

  12. Circadian rhythm of acute phase proteins under the influence of bright/dim light during the daytime.

    PubMed

    Kanikowska, Dominika; Hyun, Ki-Ja; Tokura, Hiromi; Azama, Takashi; Nishimura, Shinya

    2005-01-01

    We investigated the influence of two different light intensities, dim (100 lx) and bright (5000 lx), during the daytime on the circadian rhythms of selected acute phase proteins of C-reactive protein (CRP), alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), alpha1-antichymotrypsin (ACT), transfferin (TF), alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2-m), haptoglobin (HP), and ceruloplasmin (CP). Serum samples were collected from 7 healthy volunteers at 4 h intervals during two separate single 24 h spans during which they were exposed to the respective light intensity conditions. A circadian rhythm was detected only in ACT concentration in the bright light condition. The concentration of ACT, a positive acute phase protein (APP), increased (significantly significant differences in the ACT concentration were detected at 14:00 and 22:00 h) and AGP showed a tendency to be higher under the daytime bright compared to dim light conditions. There were no significant differences between the time point means under daytime dim and bright light conditions for alpha2-M, AGP, Tf, Cp, or Hp. The findings suggest that some, but not all, APP may be influenced by the environmental light intensity.

  13. Spatial exciton allocation strategy with reduced energy loss for high-efficiency fluorescent/phosphorescent hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes

    DOE PAGES

    Zhao, Fangchao; Wei, Ying; Xu, Hui; ...

    2017-05-17

    Due to the poor operational lifetime of blue phosphorescent dopants and blue thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) materials, hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) with conventional blue fluorescent emitters are still preferred for commercial applications in general lighting. However, the improvement in the overall efficiency of hybrid WOLEDs has been limited due to energy losses during the energy transfer process and exciton quenching after the spatial separation of the singlet and triplet excitons. Here we demonstrate the development of a Spatial Exciton Allocation Strategy (SEAS) to achieve close to 100% internal quantum efficiency (IQE) in blue-yellow complementary color hybrid WOLEDs.more » The employed blue fluorophore not only has a resonant triplet level with the yellow phosphor to reduce energy loss during energy transfer processes and triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA), but also has a resonant singlet level with the electron transport layer to extend singlet exciton distribution and enhance both singlet and triplet exciton utilization. Thus, the resulting hybrid WOLEDs exhibited 104 lm W -1 efficacy at 100 cd m -2 and 74 lm W -1 at 1000 cd m -2 with CIE coordinates of (0.42, 0.44) which is warm white and suitable for indoor lighting.« less

  14. Spatial exciton allocation strategy with reduced energy loss for high-efficiency fluorescent/phosphorescent hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes

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

    Zhao, Fangchao; Wei, Ying; Xu, Hui

    Due to the poor operational lifetime of blue phosphorescent dopants and blue thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) materials, hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) with conventional blue fluorescent emitters are still preferred for commercial applications in general lighting. However, the improvement in the overall efficiency of hybrid WOLEDs has been limited due to energy losses during the energy transfer process and exciton quenching after the spatial separation of the singlet and triplet excitons. Here we demonstrate the development of a Spatial Exciton Allocation Strategy (SEAS) to achieve close to 100% internal quantum efficiency (IQE) in blue-yellow complementary color hybrid WOLEDs.more » The employed blue fluorophore not only has a resonant triplet level with the yellow phosphor to reduce energy loss during energy transfer processes and triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA), but also has a resonant singlet level with the electron transport layer to extend singlet exciton distribution and enhance both singlet and triplet exciton utilization. Thus, the resulting hybrid WOLEDs exhibited 104 lm W -1 efficacy at 100 cd m -2 and 74 lm W -1 at 1000 cd m -2 with CIE coordinates of (0.42, 0.44) which is warm white and suitable for indoor lighting.« less

  15. Optofluidic time-stretch quantitative phase microscopy.

    PubMed

    Guo, Baoshan; Lei, Cheng; Wu, Yi; Kobayashi, Hirofumi; Ito, Takuro; Yalikun, Yaxiaer; Lee, Sangwook; Isozaki, Akihiro; Li, Ming; Jiang, Yiyue; Yasumoto, Atsushi; Di Carlo, Dino; Tanaka, Yo; Yatomi, Yutaka; Ozeki, Yasuyuki; Goda, Keisuke

    2018-03-01

    Innovations in optical microscopy have opened new windows onto scientific research, industrial quality control, and medical practice over the last few decades. One of such innovations is optofluidic time-stretch quantitative phase microscopy - an emerging method for high-throughput quantitative phase imaging that builds on the interference between temporally stretched signal and reference pulses by using dispersive properties of light in both spatial and temporal domains in an interferometric configuration on a microfluidic platform. It achieves the continuous acquisition of both intensity and phase images with a high throughput of more than 10,000 particles or cells per second by overcoming speed limitations that exist in conventional quantitative phase imaging methods. Applications enabled by such capabilities are versatile and include characterization of cancer cells and microalgal cultures. In this paper, we review the principles and applications of optofluidic time-stretch quantitative phase microscopy and discuss its future perspective. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. In Situ Caging of Biomolecules in Graphene Hybrids for Light Modulated Bioactivity.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Gong; Han, Xiao-Hui; Hao, Si-Jie; Nisic, Merisa; Zheng, Si-Yang

    2018-01-31

    Remote and noninvasive modulation of protein activity is essential for applications in biotechnology and medicine. Optical control has emerged as the most attractive approach owing to its high spatial and temporal resolutions; however, it is challenging to engineer light responsive proteins. In this work, a near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive graphene-silica-trypsin (GST) nanoreactor is developed for modulating the bioactivity of trypsin molecules. Biomolecules are spatially confined and protected in the rationally designed compartment architecture, which not only reduces the possible interference but also boosts the bioreaction efficiency. Upon NIR irradiation, the photothermal effect of the GST nanoreactor enables the ultrafast in situ heating for remote activation and tuning of the bioactivity. We apply the GST nanoreactor for remote and ultrafast proteolysis of proteins, which remarkably enhances the proteolysis efficiency and reduces the bioreaction time from the overnight of using free trypsin to seconds. We envision that this work not only provides a promising tool of ultrafast and remotely controllable proteolysis for in vivo proteomics in study of tissue microenvironment and other biomedical applications but also paves the way for exploring smart artificial nanoreactors in biomolecular modulation to gain insight in dynamic biological transformation.

  17. A phased antenna array for surface plasmons

    PubMed Central

    Dikken, Dirk Jan W.; Korterik, Jeroen P.; Segerink, Frans B.; Herek, Jennifer L.; Prangsma, Jord C.

    2016-01-01

    Surface plasmon polaritons are electromagnetic waves that propagate tightly bound to metal surfaces. The concentration of the electromagnetic field at the surface as well as the short wavelength of surface plasmons enable sensitive detection methods and miniaturization of optics. We present an optical frequency plasmonic analog to the phased antenna array as it is well known in radar technology and radio astronomy. Individual holes in a thick gold film act as dipolar emitters of surface plasmon polaritons whose phase is controlled individually using a digital spatial light modulator. We show experimentally, using a phase sensitive near-field microscope, that this optical system allows accurate directional emission of surface waves. This compact and flexible method allows for dynamically shaping the propagation of plasmons and holds promise for nanophotonic applications employing propagating surface plasmons. PMID:27121099

  18. Preliminary design of the spatial filters used in the multipass amplification system of TIL

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Qihua; Zhang, Xiao Min; Jing, Feng

    1998-12-01

    The spatial filters are used in Technique Integration Line, which has a multi-pass amplifier, not only to suppress parasitic high spatial frequency modes but also to provide places for inserting a light isolator and injecting the seed beam, and to relay image while the beam passes through the amplifiers several times. To fulfill these functions, the parameters of the spatial filters are optimized by calculations and analyzes with the consideration of avoiding the plasma blow-off effect and components demanding by ghost beam focus. The 'ghost beams' are calculated by ray tracing. A software was developed to evaluate the tolerance of the spatial filters and their components, and to align the whole system on computer simultaneously.

  19. Defect modes in a stacked structure of chiral photonic crystals.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jiun-Yeu; Chen, Lien-Wen

    2005-06-01

    An optical propagation simulation is carried out for the study of photonic defect modes in a stacked structure of cholesteric liquid crystal films with spatially varying pitch. The defects are introduced by a pitch jump and a phase jump in the cholesteric helix. The effect of a finite sample thickness on transmission of the defect mode and on the required polarization of incident light to create the defect mode is discussed. For normal and near-normal incidence of circularly polarized light with the same handedness as structure, the defect caused by a pitch jump results in discrete peaks within a forbidden band in the transmission. The particular spectrum is similar to the feature of a Fabry-Pérot interferometer. By introducing an additional phase jump, linear blueshifts of the defect modes in transmission spectra are correlated with an increase in the twist angle.

  20. Impact of the spectral and spatial properties of natural light on indoor gas-phase chemistry: Experimental and modeling study.

    PubMed

    Blocquet, M; Guo, F; Mendez, M; Ward, M; Coudert, S; Batut, S; Hecquet, C; Blond, N; Fittschen, C; Schoemaecker, C

    2018-05-01

    The characteristics of indoor light (intensity, spectral, spatial distribution) originating from outdoors have been studied using experimental and modeling tools. They are influenced by many parameters such as building location, meteorological conditions, and the type of window. They have a direct impact on indoor air quality through a change in chemical processes by varying the photolysis rates of indoor pollutants. Transmittances of different windows have been measured and exhibit different wavelength cutoffs, thus influencing the potential of different species to be photolysed. The spectral distribution of light entering indoors through the windows was measured under different conditions and was found to be weakly dependent on the time of day for indirect cloudy, direct sunshine, partly cloudy conditions contrary to the light intensity, in agreement with calculations of the transmittance as a function of the zenithal angle and the calculated outdoor spectral distribution. The same conclusion can be drawn concerning the position within the room. The impact of these light characteristics on the indoor chemistry has been studied using the INCA-Indoor model by considering the variation in the photolysis rates of key indoor species. Depending on the conditions, photolysis processes can lead to a significant production of radicals and secondary species. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. Spatial evolution of quantum mechanical states

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Christensen, N. D.; Unger, J. E.; Pinto, S.; Su, Q.; Grobe, R.

    2018-02-01

    The time-dependent Schrödinger equation is solved traditionally as an initial-time value problem, where its solution is obtained by the action of the unitary time-evolution propagator on the quantum state that is known at all spatial locations but only at t = 0. We generalize this approach by examining the spatial evolution from a state that is, by contrast, known at all times t, but only at one specific location. The corresponding spatial-evolution propagator turns out to be pseudo-unitary. In contrast to the real energies that govern the usual (unitary) time evolution, the spatial evolution can therefore require complex phases associated with dynamically relevant solutions that grow exponentially. By introducing a generalized scalar product, for which the spatial generator is Hermitian, one can show that the temporal integral over the probability current density is spatially conserved, in full analogy to the usual norm of the state, which is temporally conserved. As an application of the spatial propagation formalism, we introduce a spatial backtracking technique that permits us to reconstruct any quantum information about an atom from the ionization data measured at a detector outside the interaction region.

  2. Characterization of Polymer Blends: Optical Microscopy (*Polarized, Interference and Phase Contrast Microscopy*) and Confocal Microscopy

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

    Ramanathan, Nathan Muruganathan; Darling, Seth B.

    2015-01-01

    Chapter 15 surveys the characterization of macro, micro and meso morphologies of polymer blends by optical microscopy. Confocal Microscopy offers the ability to view the three dimensional morphology of polymer blends, popular in characterization of biological systems. Confocal microscopy uses point illumination and a spatial pinhole to eliminate out-of focus light in samples that are thicker than the focal plane.

  3. Far-field phase contrast from orbiting objects: Characterizing progenitors of binary mergers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matthias, P.; Hofmann, R.

    2018-05-01

    We propose an idea to determine the size of a binary, composed of two compact stars or black holes, its diffractive power, the distance between components, and the distance to an observer, in exploiting the emergence of intensity contrast by free-space propagation when the phase of coherent light from a very distant background source is affected by diffraction. We assume that this effect can be characterized by the projected real part of an effective refractive index n . Here we model the according two-dimensional exit phase-map by a superposition of two Gaussians. In the extreme far field, phase information is captured by scaling functions which are analyzed here. Both spatial and temporal scanning of the intensity contrast are discussed. While the former mode can be used, e.g., to determine the distance to the observer, the latter allows, e.g., one to measure the overall diffractive power of the binary in terms of the particular dependence of a scaling curve on the projected spatial separation between the binary's components. Both modes of observation may be of relevance in monitoring the progenitor dynamics of binary collapse using radio telescopes.

  4. In-situ high-resolution visualization of laser-induced periodic nanostructures driven by optical feedback.

    PubMed

    Aguilar, Alberto; Mauclair, Cyril; Faure, Nicolas; Colombier, Jean-Philippe; Stoian, Razvan

    2017-11-28

    Optical feedback is often evoked in laser-induced periodic nanostructures. Visualizing the coupling between surfaces and light requires highly-resolved imaging methods. We propose in-situ structured-illumination-microscopy to observe ultrafast-laser-induced nanostructures during fabrication on metallic glass surfaces. This resolves the pulse-to-pulse development of periodic structures on a single irradiation site and indicates the optical feedback on surface topographies. Firstly, the quasi-constancy of the ripples pattern and the reinforcement of the surface relief with the same spatial positioning indicates a phase-locking mechanism that stabilizes and amplifies the ordered corrugation. Secondly, on sites with uncorrelated initial corrugation, we observe ripple patterns spatially in-phase. These feedback aspects rely on the electromagnetic interplay between the laser pulse and the surface relief, stabilizing the pattern in period and position. They are critically dependent on the space-time coherence of the exciting pulse. This suggests a modulation of energy according to the topography of the surface with a pattern phase imposed by the driving pulse. A scattering and interference model for ripple formation on surfaces supports the experimental observations. This relies on self-phase-stabilized far-field interaction between surface scattered wavelets and the incoming pulse front.

  5. Incomplete Detection of Nonclassical Phase-Space Distributions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bohmann, M.; Tiedau, J.; Bartley, T.; Sperling, J.; Silberhorn, C.; Vogel, W.

    2018-02-01

    We implement the direct sampling of negative phase-space functions via unbalanced homodyne measurement using click-counting detectors. The negativities significantly certify nonclassical light in the high-loss regime using a small number of detectors which cannot resolve individual photons. We apply our method to heralded single-photon states and experimentally demonstrate the most significant certification of nonclassicality for only two detection bins. By contrast, the frequently applied Wigner function fails to directly indicate such quantum characteristics for the quantum efficiencies present in our setup without applying additional reconstruction algorithms. Therefore, we realize a robust and reliable approach to characterize nonclassical light in phase space under realistic conditions.

  6. Using light transmission to watch hydrogen diffuse

    PubMed Central

    Pálsson, Gunnar K.; Bliersbach, Andreas; Wolff, Max; Zamani, Atieh; Hjörvarsson, Björgvin

    2012-01-01

    Because of its light weight and small size, hydrogen exhibits one of the fastest diffusion rates in solid materials, comparable to the diffusion rate of liquid water molecules at room temperature. The diffusion rate is determined by an intricate combination of quantum effects and dynamic interplay with the displacement of host atoms that is still only partially understood. Here we present direct observations of the spatial and temporal changes in the diffusion-induced concentration profiles in a vanadium single crystal and we show that the results represent the experimental counterpart of the full time and spatial solution of Fick's diffusion equation. We validate the approach by determining the diffusion rate of hydrogen in a single crystal vanadium (001) film, with net diffusion in the [110] direction. PMID:22692535

  7. Using light transmission to watch hydrogen diffuse

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pálsson, Gunnar K.; Bliersbach, Andreas; Wolff, Max; Zamani, Atieh; Hjörvarsson, Björgvin

    2012-06-01

    Because of its light weight and small size, hydrogen exhibits one of the fastest diffusion rates in solid materials, comparable to the diffusion rate of liquid water molecules at room temperature. The diffusion rate is determined by an intricate combination of quantum effects and dynamic interplay with the displacement of host atoms that is still only partially understood. Here we present direct observations of the spatial and temporal changes in the diffusion-induced concentration profiles in a vanadium single crystal and we show that the results represent the experimental counterpart of the full time and spatial solution of Fick's diffusion equation. We validate the approach by determining the diffusion rate of hydrogen in a single crystal vanadium (001) film, with net diffusion in the [110] direction.

  8. Positive matrix factorization of PM2.5 - eliminating the effects of gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds.

    PubMed

    Xie, M; Barsanti, K C; Hannigan, M P; Dutton, S J; Vedal, S

    2013-01-01

    Gas-phase concentrations of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) were calculated from gas/particle (G/P) partitioning theory using their measured particle-phase concentrations. The particle-phase data were obtained from an existing filter measurement campaign (27 January 2003-2 October 2005) as a part of the Denver Aerosol Sources and Health (DASH) study, including 970 observations of 71 SVOCs (Xie et al., 2013). In each compound class of SVOCs, the lighter species (e.g. docosane in n alkanes, fluoranthene in PAHs) had higher total concentrations (gas + particle phase) and lower particle-phase fractions. The total SVOC concentrations were analyzed using positive matrix factorization (PMF). Then the results were compared with source apportionment results where only particle-phase SVOC concentrations were used (particle only-based study; Xie et al., 2013). For the particle only-based PMF analysis, the factors primarily associated with primary or secondary sources ( n alkane, EC/sterane and inorganic ion factors) exhibit similar contribution time series ( r = 0.92-0.98) with their corresponding factors ( n alkane, sterane and nitrate+sulfate factors) in the current work. Three other factors (light n alkane/PAH, PAH and summer/odd n alkane factors) are linked with pollution sources influenced by atmospheric processes (e.g. G/P partitioning, photochemical reaction), and were less correlated ( r = 0.69-0.84) with their corresponding factors (light SVOC, PAH and bulk carbon factors) in the current work, suggesting that the source apportionment results derived from particle-only SVOC data could be affected by atmospheric processes. PMF analysis was also performed on three temperature-stratified subsets of the total SVOC data, representing ambient sampling during cold (daily average temperature < 10 °C), warm (≥ 10 °C and ≤ 20 °C) and hot (> 20 °C) periods. Unlike the particle only-based study, in this work the factor characterized by the low molecular weight (MW) compounds (light SVOC factor) exhibited strong correlations ( r = 0.82-0.98) between the full data set and each sub-data set solution, indicating that the impacts of G/P partitioning on receptor-based source apportionment could be eliminated by using total SVOC concentrations.

  9. Liquid crystal television spatial light modulators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, Hua-Kuang; Chao, Tien-Hsin

    1989-01-01

    The spatial light modulation characteristics and capabilities of the liquid crystal television (LCTV) spatial light modulators (SLMs) are discussed. A comparison of Radio Shack, Epson, and Citizen LCTV SLMs is made.

  10. Improved light-induced cell detachment on rutile TiO₂ nanodot films.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Kui; Sun, Yu; Wan, Hongping; Wang, Xiaozhao; Weng, Wenjian; Lin, Jun; Wang, Huiming

    2015-10-01

    Anatase TiO2 nanodot films have been found to be able to release cells under light illumination with excellent efficiency and safety. In the present study, we investigated the effects of rutile contents in TiO2 nanodot films on such light induced cell detachment behavior. The results showed that TiO2 nanodot films with different contents of rutile phase have been prepared successfully. The content of rutile phase increased with the increase in calcination temperature. All films possessed good cell adhesion but there was a decrease in cell proliferation with the increasing content of rutile phase. Single cell detachment assay showed that the films with high rutile contents (calcined at 900°C and 1100°C) showed better cell detachment performance. That was ascribed to the changes of the secondary structure of extracellular proteins adsorbed on the nanodot surface after ultraviolet (365 nm, UV365) illumination. In addition, cell sheets detached through UV365 illumination maintained high activity and could be further used in tissue engineering. The present work showed that the existence of rutile phase is helpful in cell detachment behavior and it could be utilized to optimize light-induced cell detachment behavior. This work discovers that the presence of rutile phase in TiO2 nanodot films could improve the light-induced cell detachment behavior, although rutile phase is inferior to anatase phase on light induced superhydrophilicity. That strongly supported that the behaviors of adsorbed proteins are crucial in acquiring cell sheet with light illumination. In fact, the state and behavior of adsorbed protein greatly affect the interaction between biomaterials and living cells. Therefore, we consider this work is not only important in harvesting cells or cell sheets through light illumination, but also helpful in further understanding of interaction between biomaterials and cells. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Neuronal mechanisms underlying differences in spatial resolution between darks and lights in human vision.

    PubMed

    Pons, Carmen; Mazade, Reece; Jin, Jianzhong; Dul, Mitchell W; Zaidi, Qasim; Alonso, Jose-Manuel

    2017-12-01

    Artists and astronomers noticed centuries ago that humans perceive dark features in an image differently from light ones; however, the neuronal mechanisms underlying these dark/light asymmetries remained unknown. Based on computational modeling of neuronal responses, we have previously proposed that such perceptual dark/light asymmetries originate from a luminance/response saturation within the ON retinal pathway. Consistent with this prediction, here we show that stimulus conditions that increase ON luminance/response saturation (e.g., dark backgrounds) or its effect on light stimuli (e.g., optical blur) impair the perceptual discrimination and salience of light targets more than dark targets in human vision. We also show that, in cat visual cortex, the magnitude of the ON luminance/response saturation remains relatively constant under a wide range of luminance conditions that are common indoors, and only shifts away from the lowest luminance contrasts under low mesopic light. Finally, we show that the ON luminance/response saturation affects visual salience mostly when the high spatial frequencies of the image are reduced by poor illumination or optical blur. Because both low luminance and optical blur are risk factors in myopia, our results suggest a possible neuronal mechanism linking myopia progression with the function of the ON visual pathway.

  12. Neuronal mechanisms underlying differences in spatial resolution between darks and lights in human vision

    PubMed Central

    Pons, Carmen; Mazade, Reece; Jin, Jianzhong; Dul, Mitchell W.; Zaidi, Qasim; Alonso, Jose-Manuel

    2017-01-01

    Artists and astronomers noticed centuries ago that humans perceive dark features in an image differently from light ones; however, the neuronal mechanisms underlying these dark/light asymmetries remained unknown. Based on computational modeling of neuronal responses, we have previously proposed that such perceptual dark/light asymmetries originate from a luminance/response saturation within the ON retinal pathway. Consistent with this prediction, here we show that stimulus conditions that increase ON luminance/response saturation (e.g., dark backgrounds) or its effect on light stimuli (e.g., optical blur) impair the perceptual discrimination and salience of light targets more than dark targets in human vision. We also show that, in cat visual cortex, the magnitude of the ON luminance/response saturation remains relatively constant under a wide range of luminance conditions that are common indoors, and only shifts away from the lowest luminance contrasts under low mesopic light. Finally, we show that the ON luminance/response saturation affects visual salience mostly when the high spatial frequencies of the image are reduced by poor illumination or optical blur. Because both low luminance and optical blur are risk factors in myopia, our results suggest a possible neuronal mechanism linking myopia progression with the function of the ON visual pathway. PMID:29196762

  13. Bichromatic laser cooling in a three-level system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, R.; Xie, C.; Padua, S.; Batelaan, H.; Metcalf, H.

    1993-11-01

    We report a 1D study of optical forces on atoms in a two-frequency laser field. The light couples two ground state hyperfine structure levels to a common excited state of 85Rb, thus forming a Λ system. We observe a new type of sub-Doppler coupling with blue-tuned light that uses neither polarization gradients nor magnetic fields, efficient heating with red tuning, and the spatial phase dependence of these. We observed deflection from a rectified dipole force and determined its velocity dependence and capture range. We report velocity selective resonances associated with Raman transitions. A simplified semiclassical calculation agrees qualitatively with our measurements.

  14. Generation of flower high-order Poincaré sphere laser beams from a spatial light modulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, T. H.; Huang, T. D.; Wang, J. G.; Wang, L. W.; Alfano, R. R.

    2016-12-01

    We propose and experimentally demonstrate a new complex laser beam with inhomogeneous polarization distributions mapping onto high-order Poincaré spheres (HOPSs). The complex laser mode is achieved by superposition of Laguerre-Gaussian modes and manifests exotic flower-like localization on intensity and phase profiles. A simple optical system is used to generate a polarization-variant distribution on the complex laser mode by superposition of orthogonal circular polarizations with opposite topological charges. Numerical analyses of the polarization distribution are consistent with the experimental results. The novel flower HOPS beams can act as a new light source for photonic applications.

  15. Ultrabroadband infrared nanospectroscopic imaging

    PubMed Central

    Bechtel, Hans A.; Muller, Eric A.; Olmon, Robert L.; Martin, Michael C.; Raschke, Markus B.

    2014-01-01

    Characterizing and ultimately controlling the heterogeneity underlying biomolecular functions, quantum behavior of complex matter, photonic materials, or catalysis requires large-scale spectroscopic imaging with simultaneous specificity to structure, phase, and chemical composition at nanometer spatial resolution. However, as with any ultrahigh spatial resolution microscopy technique, the associated demand for an increase in both spatial and spectral bandwidth often leads to a decrease in desired sensitivity. We overcome this limitation in infrared vibrational scattering-scanning probe near-field optical microscopy using synchrotron midinfrared radiation. Tip-enhanced localized light–matter interaction is induced by low-noise, broadband, and spatially coherent synchrotron light of high spectral irradiance, and the near-field signal is sensitively detected using heterodyne interferometric amplification. We achieve sub-40-nm spatially resolved, molecular, and phonon vibrational spectroscopic imaging, with rapid spectral acquisition, spanning the full midinfrared (700–5,000 cm−1) with few cm−1 spectral resolution. We demonstrate the performance of synchrotron infrared nanospectroscopy on semiconductor, biomineral, and protein nanostructures, providing vibrational chemical imaging with subzeptomole sensitivity. PMID:24803431

  16. An invariability-area relationship sheds new light on the spatial scaling of ecological stability.

    PubMed

    Wang, Shaopeng; Loreau, Michel; Arnoldi, Jean-Francois; Fang, Jingyun; Rahman, K Abd; Tao, Shengli; de Mazancourt, Claire

    2017-05-19

    The spatial scaling of stability is key to understanding ecological sustainability across scales and the sensitivity of ecosystems to habitat destruction. Here we propose the invariability-area relationship (IAR) as a novel approach to investigate the spatial scaling of stability. The shape and slope of IAR are largely determined by patterns of spatial synchrony across scales. When synchrony decays exponentially with distance, IARs exhibit three phases, characterized by steeper increases in invariability at both small and large scales. Such triphasic IARs are observed for primary productivity from plot to continental scales. When synchrony decays as a power law with distance, IARs are quasilinear on a log-log scale. Such quasilinear IARs are observed for North American bird biomass at both species and community levels. The IAR provides a quantitative tool to predict the effects of habitat loss on population and ecosystem stability and to detect regime shifts in spatial ecological systems, which are goals of relevance to conservation and policy.

  17. Functions of corazonin and histamine in light entrainment of the circadian pacemaker in the Madeira cockroach, Rhyparobia maderae.

    PubMed

    Arendt, Andreas; Baz, El-Sayed; Stengl, Monika

    2017-04-01

    The circadian pacemaker of the Madeira cockroach, Rhyparobia (Leucophaea) maderae, is located in the accessory medulla (AME). Ipsi- and contralateral histaminergic compound eyes are required for photic entrainment. Light pulses delay locomotor activity rhythm during the early night and advance it during the late night. Thus, different neuronal pathways might relay either light-dependent delays or advances to the clock. Injections of neuroactive substances combined with running-wheel assays suggested that GABA, pigment-dispersing factor, myoinhibitory peptides (MIPs), and orcokinins (ORCs) were part of both entrainment pathways, whereas allatotropin (AT) only delayed locomotor rhythms at the early night. To characterize photic entrainment further, histamine and corazonin were injected. Histamine injections resulted in light-like phase delays and advances, indicating that the neurotransmitter of the compound eyes participates in both entrainment pathways. Because injections of corazonin only advanced during the late subjective night, it was hypothesized that corazonin is only part of the advance pathway. Multiple-label immunocytochemistry in combination with neurobiotin backfills demonstrated that a single cell expressed corazonin in the optic lobes that belonged to the group of medial AME interneurons. It colocalized GABA and MIP but not AT or ORC immunoreactivity. Corazonin-immunoreactive (-ir) terminals overlapped with projections of putatively light-sensitive interneurons from the ipsi- and contralateral compound eye. Thus, we hypothesize that the corazonin-ir medial neuron integrates ipsi- and contralateral light information as part of the phase-advancing light entrainment pathway to the circadian clock. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:1250-1272, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Infrared rotational light curves on Jupiter induced by wave activities and cloud patterns andimplications on brown dwarfs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ge, Huazhi; Zhang, Xi; Fletcher, Leigh; Orton, Glenn S.; Sinclair, James Andrew; Fernandes,, Joshua; Momary, Thomas W.; Warren, Ari; Kasaba, Yasumasa; Sato, Takao M.; Fujiyoshi, Takuya

    2017-10-01

    Many brown dwarfs exhibit infrared rotational light curves with amplitude varying from a fewpercent to twenty percent (Artigau et al. 2009, ApJ, 701, 1534; Radigan et al. 2012, ApJ, 750,105). Recently, it was claimed that weather patterns, especially planetary-scale waves in thebelts and cloud spots, are responsible for the light curves and their evolutions on brown dwarfs(Apai et al. 2017, Science, 357, 683). Here we present a clear relationship between the direct IRemission maps and light curves of Jupiter at multiple wavelengths, which might be similar withthat on cold brown dwarfs. Based on infrared disk maps from Subaru/COMICS and VLT/VISIR,we constructed full maps of Jupiter and rotational light curves at different wavelengths in thethermal infrared. We discovered a strong relationship between the light curves and weatherpatterns on Jupiter. The light curves also exhibit strong multi-bands phase shifts and temporalvariations, similar to that detected on brown dwarfs. Together with the spectra fromTEXES/IRTF, our observations further provide detailed information of the spatial variations oftemperature, ammonia clouds and aerosols in the troposphere of Jupiter (Fletcher et al. 2016,Icarus, 2016 128) and their influences on the shapes of the light curves. We conclude that waveactivities in Jupiter’s belts (Fletcher et al. 2017, GRL, 44, 7140), cloud holes, and long-livedvortices such as the Great Red Spot and ovals control the shapes of IR light curves and multi-wavelength phase shifts on Jupiter. Our finding supports the hypothesis that observed lightcurves on brown dwarfs are induced by planetary-scale waves and cloud spots.

  19. Refractive index profilometry using the total internally reflected light field.

    PubMed

    Das, Tania; Bhattacharya, K

    2017-11-20

    A full-field polarization-based technique is presented for quantitative evaluation of the spatial distribution of the refractive index in macro and micro samples. The sample is mounted on a glass-air interface of a prism, illuminated by a linearly polarized collimated light beam, and two intensity frames are digitally recorded with specific orientations of an analyzer. The pair of intensity data frames captured with this simple setup is combined through an algorithm specially developed for the purpose, to yield the phase difference between the transverse electric and transverse magnetic components of the total internally reflected light field. The phase difference is then related to the refractive index of the sample. Experimental results for refractive index variations in a laser-etched glass plate and red blood corpuscles are presented. One of the salient features of the proposed technique is that the depth of measurement is dependent on the penetration depth of the sample's evanescent field, which is typically of the order of a few hundred nanometers, thereby facilitating refractive index measurements along a thin section of the sample.

  20. Optical Simulation and Fabrication of Pancharatnam (Geometric) Phase Devices from Liquid Crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Kun

    Pancharatnam made clear the concept of a phase-only device based on changes in the polarization state of light. A device of this type is sometimes called a circular polarization grating because of the polarization states of interfering light beams used to fabricate it by polarization holography. Here, we will call it a Pancharatnam (geometric) phase device to emphasize the fact that the phase of diffracted light does not have a discontinuous periodic profile but changes continuously. In this dissertation, using simulations and experiments, we have successfully demonstrated a 90% diffraction efficiency based on the Pancharatnam phase deflector (PPD) with the dual-twist structure. Unlike the conventional Pancharatnam phase deflector (c-PPD) limited to small diffraction angles, our work demonstrates that a device with a structural periodicity near the wavelength of light is highly efficient at deflecting light to large angles. Also, from a similar fabrication procedure, we have made an ultra-compact non-mechanical zoom lens system based on the Pancharatnam phase lens (PPL) with a low f-number and high efficiency. The wavelength dependence on the image quality is evaluated and shown to be satisfactory from red light to near-infrared machine vision systems. A demonstration device is shown with a 4x zoom ratio at a 633 nm wavelength. The unique characteristic of these devices is made possible through the use of azo-dye photoalignment materials to align a liquid crystal polymer (reactive mesogens). Furthermore, the proposed dual-twist design and fabrication opens the possibility for making a high-efficiency beam-steering device, a lens with an f-number less than 1.0, as well as a wide range of other potential applications in the optical and display industry. The details of simulation, fabrication, and characterization of these devices are shown in this dissertation.

  1. Relationships between brightness of nighttime lights and population density

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naizhuo, Z.

    2012-12-01

    Brightness of nighttime lights has been proven to be a good proxy for socioeconomic and demographic statistics. Moreover, the satellite nighttime lights data have been used to spatially disaggregate amounts of gross domestic product (GDP), fossil fuel carbon dioxide emission, and electric power consumption (Ghosh et al., 2010; Oda and Maksyutov, 2011; Zhao et al., 2012). Spatial disaggregations were performed in these previous studies based on assumed linear relationships between digital number (DN) value of pixels in the nighttime light images and socioeconomic data. However, reliability of the linear relationships was never tested due to lack of relative high-spatial-resolution (equal to or finer than 1 km × 1 km) statistical data. With the similar assumption that brightness linearly correlates to population, Bharti et al. (2011) used nighttime light data as a proxy for population density and then developed a model about seasonal fluctuations of measles in West Africa. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory used sub-national census population data and high spatial resolution remotely-sensed-images to produce LandScan population raster datasets. The LandScan population datasets have 1 km × 1 km spatial resolution which is consistent with the spatial resolution of the nighttime light images. Therefore, in this study I selected 2008 LandScan population data as baseline reference data and the contiguous United State as study area. Relationships between DN value of pixels in the 2008 Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) stable light image and population density were established. Results showed that an exponential function can more accurately reflect the relationship between luminosity and population density than a linear function. Additionally, a certain number of saturated pixels with DN value of 63 exist in urban core areas. If directly using the exponential function to estimate the population density for the whole brightly lit area, relatively large under-estimations would emerge in the urban core regions. Previous studies have shown that GDP, carbon dioxide emission, and electric power consumption strongly correlate to urban population (Ghosh et al., 2010; Sutton et al., 2007; Zhao et al., 2012). Thus, although this study only examined the relationships between brightness of nighttime lights and population density, the results can provide insight for the spatial disaggregations of socioeconomic data (e.g. GDP, carbon dioxide emission, and electric power consumption) using the satellite nighttime light image data. Simply distributing the socioeconomic data to each pixel in proportion to the DN value of the nighttime light images may generate relatively large errors. References Bharit N, Tatem AJ, Ferrari MJ, Grais RF, Djibo A, Grenfell BT, 2011. Science, 334:1424-1427. Ghosh T, Elvidge CD, Sutton PC, Baugh KE, Ziskin D, Tuttle BT, 2010. Energies, 3:1895-1913. Oda T, Maksyutov S, 2011. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 11:543-556. Sutton PC, Elvidge CD, Ghosh T, 2007. International Journal of Ecological Economics and Statistics, 8:5-21. Zhao N, Ghosh T, Samson EL, 2012. International Journal of Remote sensing, 33:6304-6320.

  2. Using an agent-based model to evaluate the effect of producer specialization on the epidemiological resilience of livestock production networks

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    An agent-based computer model that builds representative regional U.S. hog production networks was developed and employed to assess the potential impact of the ongoing trend towards increased producer specialization upon network-level resilience to catastrophic disease outbreaks. Empirical analyses suggest that the spatial distribution and connectivity patterns of contact networks often predict epidemic spreading dynamics. Our model heuristically generates realistic systems composed of hog producer, feed mill, and slaughter plant agents. Network edges are added during each run as agents exchange livestock and feed. The heuristics governing agents’ contact patterns account for factors including their industry roles, physical proximities, and the age of their livestock. In each run, an infection is introduced, and may spread according to probabilities associated with the various modes of contact. For each of three treatments—defined by one-phase, two-phase, and three-phase production systems—a parameter variation experiment examines the impact of the spatial density of producer agents in the system upon the length and size of disease outbreaks. Resulting data show phase transitions whereby, above some density threshold, systemic outbreaks become possible, echoing findings from percolation theory. Data analysis reveals that multi-phase production systems are vulnerable to catastrophic outbreaks at lower spatial densities, have more abrupt percolation transitions, and are characterized by less-predictable outbreak scales and durations. Key differences in network-level metrics shed light on these results, suggesting that the absence of potentially-bridging producer–producer edges may be largely responsible for the superior disease resilience of single-phase “farrow to finish” production systems. PMID:29522574

  3. Diffraction-Based Optical Switching with MEMS

    DOE PAGES

    Blanche, Pierre-Alexandre; LaComb, Lloyd; Wang, Youmin; ...

    2017-04-19

    In this article, we are presenting an overview of MEMS-based (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) optical switch technology starting from the reflective two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) MEMS implementations. To further increase the speed of the MEMS from these devices, the mirror size needs to be reduced. Small mirror size prevents efficient reflection but favors a diffraction-based approach. Two implementations have been demonstrated, one using the Texas Instruments DLP (Digital Light Processing), and the other an LCoS-based (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) SLM (Spatial Light Modulator). These switches demonstrated the benefit of diffraction, by independently achieving high speed, efficiency, and high number of ports.more » We also demonstrated for the first time that PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation format can be used with diffraction-based devices. To be truly effective in diffraction mode, the MEMS pixels should modulate the phase of the incident light. We are presenting our past and current efforts to manufacture a new type of MEMS where the pixels are moving in the vertical direction. The original structure is a 32 x 32 phase modulator array with high contrast grating pixels, and we are introducing a new sub-wavelength linear array capable of a 310 kHz modulation rate« less

  4. Diffraction-Based Optical Switching with MEMS

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

    Blanche, Pierre-Alexandre; LaComb, Lloyd; Wang, Youmin

    In this article, we are presenting an overview of MEMS-based (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) optical switch technology starting from the reflective two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) MEMS implementations. To further increase the speed of the MEMS from these devices, the mirror size needs to be reduced. Small mirror size prevents efficient reflection but favors a diffraction-based approach. Two implementations have been demonstrated, one using the Texas Instruments DLP (Digital Light Processing), and the other an LCoS-based (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) SLM (Spatial Light Modulator). These switches demonstrated the benefit of diffraction, by independently achieving high speed, efficiency, and high number of ports.more » We also demonstrated for the first time that PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation format can be used with diffraction-based devices. To be truly effective in diffraction mode, the MEMS pixels should modulate the phase of the incident light. We are presenting our past and current efforts to manufacture a new type of MEMS where the pixels are moving in the vertical direction. The original structure is a 32 x 32 phase modulator array with high contrast grating pixels, and we are introducing a new sub-wavelength linear array capable of a 310 kHz modulation rate« less

  5. Mark-forming simulations of phase-change land/groove disks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nishi, Yoshiko; Shimano, Takeshi; Kando, Hidehiko

    2000-09-01

    The track pitches of optical discs have become so narrow that it is comparable to the wavelength of laser beam. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation, based on vector diffraction analysis, can predict the propagation of light more accurately than scalar analysis, when the size of media texture becomes sub-micron order. The authors applied FDTD simulation to land-and-groove optical disc models, and found out that the effects of 3D geometry is not negligible in analyzing the energy absorption of light inside the land- and-groove multi-layered media. The electromagnetic field in the media does not have the same intensity distribution as the incident beam. Furthermore, the heat conduction inside the media depends on the disc geometry, so the beam spots centered on land and groove makes different effects in heating the recording layers. That is, the spatial and historical profile of temperature requires 3D analysis for both incident light absorption and heat conduction. The difference in temperature profiles is applied to the phase change simulator to see the writing process of the marks in land and groove. We have integrated three simulators: FDTD analysis, heat conduction and phase change simulation. These simulators enabled to evaluate the differences in mark forming process between land and groove.

  6. Visual summation in night-flying sweat bees: a theoretical study.

    PubMed

    Theobald, Jamie Carroll; Greiner, Birgit; Wcislo, William T; Warrant, Eric J

    2006-07-01

    Bees are predominantly diurnal; only a few groups fly at night. An evolutionary limitation that bees must overcome to inhabit dim environments is their eye type: bees possess apposition compound eyes, which are poorly suited to vision in dim light. Here, we theoretically examine how nocturnal bees Megalopta genalis fly at light levels usually reserved for insects bearing more sensitive superposition eyes. We find that neural summation should greatly increase M. genalis's visual reliability. Predicted spatial summation closely matches the morphology of laminal neurons believed to mediate such summation. Improved reliability costs acuity, but dark adapted bees already suffer optical blurring, and summation further degrades vision only slightly.

  7. Detection of fresh bruises in apples by structured-illumination reflectance imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Yuzhen; Li, Richard; Lu, Renfu

    2016-05-01

    Detection of fresh bruises in apples remains a challenging task due to the absence of visual symptoms and significant chemical alterations of fruit tissues during the initial stage after the fruit have been bruised. This paper reports on a new structured-illumination reflectance imaging (SIRI) technique for enhanced detection of fresh bruises in apples. Using a digital light projector engine, sinusoidally-modulated illumination at the spatial frequencies of 50, 100, 150 and 200 cycles/m was generated. A digital camera was then used to capture the reflectance images from `Gala' and `Jonagold' apples, immediately after they had been subjected to two levels of bruising by impact tests. A conventional three-phase demodulation (TPD) scheme was applied to the acquired images for obtaining the planar (direct component or DC) and amplitude (alternating component or AC) images. Bruises were identified in the amplitude images with varying image contrasts, depending on spatial frequency. The bruise visibility was further enhanced through post-processing of the amplitude images. Furthermore, three spiral phase transform (SPT)-based demodulation methods, using single and two images and two phase-shifted images, were proposed for obtaining AC images. Results showed that the demodulation methods greatly enhanced the contrast and spatial resolution of the AC images, making it feasible to detect the fresh bruises that, otherwise, could not be achieved by conventional imaging technique with planar or uniform illumination. The effectiveness of image enhancement, however, varied with spatial frequency. Both 2-image and 2-phase SPT methods achieved the performance similar to that by conventional TPD. SIRI technique has demonstrated the capability of detecting fresh bruises in apples, and it has the potential as a new imaging modality for enhancing food quality and safety detection.

  8. Study of density distribution in a near-critical simple fluid (19-IML-1)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Michels, Teun

    1992-01-01

    This experiment uses visual observation, interferometry, and light scattering techniques to observe and analyze the density distribution in SF6 above and below the critical temperature. Below the critical temperature, the fluid system is split up into two coexisting phases, liquid and vapor. The spatial separation of these phases on earth, liquid below and vapor above, is not an intrinsic property of the fluid system; it is merely an effect of the action of the gravity field. At a fixed temperature, the density of each of the coexisting phases is in principle fixed. However, near T sub c where the fluid is strongly compressible, gravity induced hydrostatic forces will result in a gradual decrease in density with increasing height in the sample container. This hydrostatic density profile is even more pronounced in the one phase fluid at temperatures slightly above T sub c. The experiment is set up to study the intrinsic density distributions and equilibration rates of a critical sample in a small container. Interferometry will be used to determine local density and thickness of surface and interface layers. The light scattering data will reveal the size of the density fluctuations on a microscopic scale.

  9. Spatial Light Modulator Would Serve As Electronic Iris

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gutow, David A.

    1991-01-01

    In proposed technique for controlling brightness of image formed by lens, spatial light modulator serves as segmented, electronically variable aperture. Offers several advantages: spatial light modulator controlled remotely and responds faster than motorized iris or other remotely controlled mechanical iris. Unlike iris, modulator also configured so as not to vary depth of field appreciably. Unlike lead lanthanum zirconate titanate crystal, spatial light modulator does not require high voltage.

  10. Correlation of Spatially Filtered Dynamic Speckles in Distance Measurement Application

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

    Semenov, Dmitry V.; Nippolainen, Ervin; Kamshilin, Alexei A.

    2008-04-15

    In this paper statistical properties of spatially filtered dynamic speckles are considered. This phenomenon was not sufficiently studied yet while spatial filtering is an important instrument for speckles velocity measurements. In case of spatial filtering speckle velocity information is derived from the modulation frequency of filtered light power which is measured by photodetector. Typical photodetector output is represented by a narrow-band random noise signal which includes non-informative intervals. Therefore more or less precious frequency measurement requires averaging. In its turn averaging implies uncorrelated samples. However, conducting research we found that correlation is typical property not only of dynamic speckle patternsmore » but also of spatially filtered speckles. Using spatial filtering the correlation is observed as a response of measurements provided to the same part of the object surface or in case of simultaneously using several adjacent photodetectors. Found correlations can not be explained using just properties of unfiltered dynamic speckles. As we demonstrate the subject of this paper is important not only from pure theoretical point but also from the point of applied speckle metrology. E.g. using single spatial filter and an array of photodetector can greatly improve accuracy of speckle velocity measurements.« less

  11. Acoustic analog computing based on a reflective metasurface with decoupled modulation of phase and amplitude

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zuo, Shu-Yu; Tian, Ye; Wei, Qi; Cheng, Ying; Liu, Xiao-Jun

    2018-03-01

    The use of metasurfaces has allowed the provision of a variety of functionalities by ultrathin structures, paving the way toward novel highly compact analog computing devices. Here, we conceptually realize analog computing using an acoustic reflective computational metasurface (RCM) that can independently manipulate the reflection phase and amplitude of an incident acoustic signal. This RCM is composed of coating unit cells and perforated panels, where the first can tune the transmission phase within the full range of 2π and the second can adjust the reflection amplitude in the range of 0-1. We show that this RCM can achieve arbitrary reflection phase and amplitude and can be used to realize a unique linear spatially invariant transfer function. Using the spatial Fourier transform (FT), an acoustic analog computing (AAC) system is proposed based on the RCM together with a focusing lens. Based on numerical simulations, we demonstrate that this AAC system can perform mathematical operations such as spatial differentiation, integration, and convolution on an incident acoustic signal. The proposed system has low complexity and reduced size because the RCM is able to individually adjust the reflection phase and amplitude and because only one block is involved in performing the spatial FT. Our work may offer a practical, efficient, and flexible approach to the design of compact devices for acoustic computing applications, signal processing, equation solving, and acoustic wave manipulations.

  12. Quantitative phase imaging of arthropods

    PubMed Central

    Sridharan, Shamira; Katz, Aron; Soto-Adames, Felipe; Popescu, Gabriel

    2015-01-01

    Abstract. Classification of arthropods is performed by characterization of fine features such as setae and cuticles. An unstained whole arthropod specimen mounted on a slide can be preserved for many decades, but is difficult to study since current methods require sample manipulation or tedious image processing. Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) is a quantitative phase imaging (QPI) technique that is an add-on module to a commercial phase contrast microscope. We use SLIM to image a whole organism springtail Ceratophysella denticulata mounted on a slide. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that an entire organism has been imaged using QPI. We also demonstrate the ability of SLIM to image fine structures in addition to providing quantitative data that cannot be obtained by traditional bright field microscopy. PMID:26334858

  13. Experimentally enhanced model-based deconvolution of propagation-based phase-contrast data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pichotka, M.; Palma, K.; Hasn, S.; Jakubek, J.; Vavrik, D.

    2016-12-01

    In recent years phase-contrast has become a much investigated modality in radiographic imaging. The radiographic setups employed in phase-contrast imaging are typically rather costly and complex, e.g. high performance Talbot-Laue interferometers operated at synchrotron light sources. In-line phase-contrast imaging states the most pedestrian approach towards phase-contrast enhancement. Utilizing small angle deflection within the imaged sample and the entailed interference of the deflected and un-deflected beam during spatial propagation, in-line phase-contrast imaging only requires a well collimated X-ray source with a high contrast & high resolution detector. Employing high magnification the above conditions are intrinsically fulfilled in cone-beam micro-tomography. As opposed of 2D imaging, where contrast enhancement is generally considered beneficial, in tomographic modalities the in-line phase-contrast effect can be quite a nuisance since it renders the inverse problem posed by tomographic reconstruction inconsistent, thus causing reconstruction artifacts. We present an experimentally enhanced model-based approach to disentangle absorption and in-line phase-contrast. The approach employs comparison of transmission data to a system model computed iteratively on-line. By comparison of the forward model to absorption data acquired in continuous rotation strong local deviations of the data residual are successively identified as likely candidates for in-line phase-contrast. By inducing minimal vibrations (few mrad) to the sample around the peaks of such deviations the transmission signal can be decomposed into a constant absorptive fraction and an oscillating signal caused by phase-contrast which again allows to generate separate maps for absorption and phase-contrast. The contributions of phase-contrast and the corresponding artifacts are subsequently removed from the tomographic dataset. In principle, if a 3D handling of the sample is available, this method also allows to track discontinuities throughout the volume and therefore states a powerful tool in 3D defectoscopy.

  14. Braiding light quanta

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iadecola, Thomas; Schuster, Thomas; Chamon, Claudio

    The possibility that anyons -- quantum particles other than fermions or bosons -- can emerge in condensed matter systems has motivated generations of physicists. In addition to being of fundamental scientific importance, so-called non-Abelian anyons are particularly sought-after for potential applications to quantum computing. However, experimental evidence of anyons in electronic systems remains inconclusive. We propose to demonstrate non-Abelian braiding by injecting coherent states of light into ``topological guided modes'' in specially-fabricated photonic waveguide arrays. These modes are photonic analogues of topological zero modes in electronic systems. Light traveling inside spatially well-separated topological guided modes can be braided, leading to the accumulation of non-Abelian phases. We propose an optical interference experiment to probe this non-Abelian braiding directly. T.I. is supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. DGE-1247312.

  15. Nonlinear optical memory for manipulation of orbital angular momentum of light.

    PubMed

    de Oliveira, R A; Borba, G C; Martins, W S; Barreiro, S; Felinto, D; Tabosa, J W R

    2015-11-01

    We report on the demonstration of a nonlinear optical memory (NOM) for storage and on-demand manipulation of orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light via higher-order nonlinear processes in cold cesium atoms. A spatially resolved phase-matching technique is used to select each order of the nonlinear susceptibility associated, respectively, with time-delayed four-, six-, and eight-wave mixing processes. For a specific configuration of the stored OAM of the incident beams, we demonstrated that the OAM of the retrieved beam can be manipulated according to the order of the nonlinear process chosen by the operator for reading out the NOM. This demonstration indicates new pathways for applications in classical and quantum information processing where OAM of light is used to encode optical information.

  16. Method and Apparatus for Improved Spatial Light Modulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Soutar, Colin (Inventor); Juday, Richard D. (Inventor)

    2000-01-01

    A method and apparatus for modulating a light beam in an optical processing system is described. Preferably, an electrically-controlled polarizer unit and/or an analyzer unit are utilized in combination with a spatial light modulator and a controller. Preferably, the spatial light modulator comprises a pixelated birefringent medium such as a liquid crystal video display. The combination of the electrically controlled polarizer unit and analyzer unit make it simple and fast to reconfigure the modulation described by the Jones matrix of the spatial light modulator. A particular optical processing objective is provided to the controller. The controller performs calculations and supplies control signals to the polarizer unit, the analyzer unit, and the spatial light modulator in order to obtain the optical processing objective.

  17. Method and Apparatus for Improved Spatial Light Modulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Colin, Soutar (Inventor); Juday, Richard D. (Inventor)

    1999-01-01

    A method and apparatus for modulating a light beam in an optical processing system is described. Preferably, an electrically-controlled polarizer unit and/or an analyzer unit are utilized in combination with a spatial light modulator and a controller. Preferably, the spatial light modulator comprises a pixelated birefringent medium such as a liquid crystal video display. The combination of the electrically controlled polarizer unit and analyzer unit make it simple and fast to reconfigure the modulation described by the Jones matrix of the spatial light modulator. A particular optical processing objective is provided to the controller. The controller performs calculations and supplies control signals to the polarizer unit, the analyzer unit, and the spatial light modulator in order to obtain die optical processing objective.

  18. Light-melt adhesive based on dynamic carbon frameworks in a columnar liquid-crystal phase

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saito, Shohei; Nobusue, Shunpei; Tsuzaka, Eri; Yuan, Chunxue; Mori, Chigusa; Hara, Mitsuo; Seki, Takahiro; Camacho, Cristopher; Irle, Stephan; Yamaguchi, Shigehiro

    2016-07-01

    Liquid crystal (LC) provides a suitable platform to exploit structural motions of molecules in a condensed phase. Amplification of the structural changes enables a variety of technologies not only in LC displays but also in other applications. Until very recently, however, a practical use of LCs for removable adhesives has not been explored, although a spontaneous disorganization of LC materials can be easily triggered by light-induced isomerization of photoactive components. The difficulty of such application derives from the requirements for simultaneous implementation of sufficient bonding strength and its rapid disappearance by photoirradiation. Here we report a dynamic molecular LC material that meets these requirements. Columnar-stacked V-shaped carbon frameworks display sufficient bonding strength even during heating conditions, while its bonding ability is immediately lost by a light-induced self-melting function. The light-melt adhesive is reusable and its fluorescence colour reversibly changes during the cycle, visualizing the bonding/nonbonding phases of the adhesive.

  19. Demonstration of spatial-light-modulation-based four-wave mixing in cold atoms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Juo, Jz-Yuan; Lin, Jia-Kang; Cheng, Chin-Yao; Liu, Zi-Yu; Yu, Ite A.; Chen, Yong-Fan

    2018-05-01

    Long-distance quantum optical communications usually require efficient wave-mixing processes to convert the wavelengths of single photons. Many quantum applications based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) have been proposed and demonstrated at the single-photon level, such as quantum memories, all-optical transistors, and cross-phase modulations. However, EIT-based four-wave mixing (FWM) in a resonant double-Λ configuration has a maximum conversion efficiency (CE) of 25% because of absorptive loss due to spontaneous emission. An improved scheme using spatially modulated intensities of two control fields has been theoretically proposed to overcome this conversion limit. In this study, we first demonstrate wavelength conversion from 780 to 795 nm with a 43% CE by using this scheme at an optical density (OD) of 19 in cold 87Rb atoms. According to the theoretical model, the CE in the proposed scheme can further increase to 96% at an OD of 240 under ideal conditions, thereby attaining an identical CE to that of the previous nonresonant double-Λ scheme at half the OD. This spatial-light-modulation-based FWM scheme can achieve a near-unity CE, thus providing an easy method of implementing an efficient quantum wavelength converter for all-optical quantum information processing.

  20. Hybrid vision activities at NASA Johnson Space Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Juday, Richard D.

    1990-01-01

    NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, is active in several aspects of hybrid image processing. (The term hybrid image processing refers to a system that combines digital and photonic processing). The major thrusts are autonomous space operations such as planetary landing, servicing, and rendezvous and docking. By processing images in non-Cartesian geometries to achieve shift invariance to canonical distortions, researchers use certain aspects of the human visual system for machine vision. That technology flow is bidirectional; researchers are investigating the possible utility of video-rate coordinate transformations for human low-vision patients. Man-in-the-loop teleoperations are also supported by the use of video-rate image-coordinate transformations, as researchers plan to use bandwidth compression tailored to the varying spatial acuity of the human operator. Technological elements being developed in the program include upgraded spatial light modulators, real-time coordinate transformations in video imagery, synthetic filters that robustly allow estimation of object pose parameters, convolutionally blurred filters that have continuously selectable invariance to such image changes as magnification and rotation, and optimization of optical correlation done with spatial light modulators that have limited range and couple both phase and amplitude in their response.

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