Three-dimensional light sculpting using a geometric analysis

For their capacity to shape optical wavefronts in real time into any desired illumination pattern, phase-only Spatial Light Modulators (SLM) have proven to be powerful tools for optical trapping and micromanipulation applications. SLMs are also becoming increasingly utilized in selective photo-stimulation of groups of neurons in the brain. However, conventional SLM based wavefront modulation introduces artifacts that are particularly detrimental for photo-stimulation applications. The primary issue is the unmodulated light that travels along the 0th order of diffraction. This portion of light is commonly blocked at the center of the object plane, which prevents photo-stimulation in the blocked region. We demonstrate a virtual lens configuration that moves the 1st order diffraction with the desired illumination pattern into the Fourier plane of the 0th order light. This virtual lens setup makes the whole field of view accessible for photo-stimulation and eliminates the need for removing the 0th order light in two-photon applications. Furthermore, in an example application to reconstruct a pattern consisting of an array of points, the virtual lens configuration increases the uniformity of the intensities these points. Moreover, diffraction-induced artifacts are also significantly reduced within the target plane. Therefore, our proposed high fidelity configuration yields target points with high signal to noise ratio.

Radially self-accelerating beams (RSABs), owing to their rotating propagation and orbital angular momentum (OAM) properties, have found applications in optical micromanipulation and optical metrology. However, conventional RSABs exhibit fixed propagation behaviors, and existing shaping approaches often lack compatibility, restricting their applicability in complex real-world scenarios. In this work, we propose an angular-spectrum engineering approach based on Fourier optics, enabling the design and control of multi-degree-of-freedom RSABs (Multi-DoF RSABs) with programmable angular velocity, longitudinal intensity, three-dimensional trajectory, and OAM. Experimental results demonstrate independent adjustment of these four degrees of freedom, in agreement with theoretical predictions. This work provides a flexible framework for designing RSABs and highlights their potential for applications in optical manipulation and microfabrication.

A new holography display technology based on a phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM) is proposed. The normal use of laser diode (LD) light source led to the inevitable speckle noise introduced by the coherence of the laser beam. Algorithms and special diffractive optical elements have been proposed to reduce the speckle noise. In this paper, a selected light-emitted diode (LED) light source was used in the holographic display system to replace the LD light source. The temporal coherence and spatial coherence of the LED were studied. Though the temporal coherence of LED is short, the spatial coherence of the light field can be improved by optimizing the optical paths such as decreasing the emitting area of the light source and so on. A high-power LED with a narrow band-width was selected. An algorithm to generate computer-generated hologram for the SLM was proposed. The phase-only holograms for the display were computed using the coherent light algorithm. Then the phase holograms were uploaded to the SLM. LED was used as the light source to illuminate the SLM uniformly, and the reconstructions can be observed by naked eye. It is demonstrated that LED is an acceptable light source for holographic display. The reconstruction results showed that the speckle noise and multiple reflections were eliminated when LED was used as the light source.

Phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (SLM) has been widely used for accurate phase-manipulation in holographic display, optical tweezers, lithography, etc. Due to the nonlinear optical response of liquid crystal and manufacturing defects, the grayscale-phase response could be different for every single SLM device. The calibration for phase modulation is needed for improving the performance of the SLM involved system. The principles of phase-only SLM are reviewed. The main phase calibration methods for SLM are discussed and compared.

A spatial light modulator (SLM) is a key element in several applications, but it is subject to surface deformation due to manufacturing imperfections or environmental factors. Therefore, the current study aims to analyze and compensate for such deformations in a phase-only SLM using a Michelson interferometer. The recorded interferogram represents the interference between the wavefront reflected from the SLM surface (object wave) and a reference wave. Noise in the recorded interferogram can degrade the accuracy of phase measurements. Various digital filtering techniques were applied to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the interferogram. The filtered interferogram enabled accurate phase extraction through Fourier transform processing and side peak selection using a spatial carrier frequency method. Additionally, phase errors caused by the tilt of the reference beam were corrected. Thereafter, the conjugate of the corrected phase distribution was used to calculate a phase-only computer-generated hologram (CGH), which was displayed on the SLM to compensate for surface deformations. The effectiveness of the proposed compensation procedure was confirmed by a second phase measurement, which demonstrated improved SLM performance. This study highlights the impact of combining the interferometric techniques with digital processing for precise surface deformation analysis.

We theoretically investigate the propagation properties and vectorial manipulation of twisted vector vortex beams (TVVB) with a cross-phase in a strongly nonlocal nonlinear medium (SNNM). The root mean square beam-width (RMS-BW) and the critical power required to retain the invariant RMS-BM of the TVVB in an SNNM are derived using the coupled nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Numerical calculations reveal novel characteristics of the evolution of the state of polarization (SoP) and the optical intensity distributions during the TVVB propagating in an SNNM. It is found that mode conversions between a Laguerre Gaussian and a Hermite Gaussian mode take place during propagation in an SNNM, and the topological charge of the TVVB can be accurately measured by observing the interference intensity structure in the cross-section. Manipulation of the beam shape, SoP, and rotation of the TVVB is achieved by controlling factors such as the initial power, twisting coefficient, initial beam-width, and topological charge. These findings hold promise for applications in optical micro-manipulation, optical communication, and material processing.

Photonic nanojets (PNJs) are subwavelength jet-like propagating waves generated by illuminating a dielectric microstructure with an electromagnetic wave, conventionally a linearly polarized plane wave. Here, we study the donut-like PNJ produced when a circularly polarized vortex beam is used instead. This novel PNJ also has a reverse energy flow at the donut-like focal plane depending on both the optical vortex topological charge and microsphere size. Our tunable PNJ, which we investigate numerically and analytically, can find applications in optical micromanipulation and trapping.

Diffusive dynamics of Brownian nanoparticles in a flashing optical field

Diffractive optical element (DOE) design techniques can be applied to the generation of pattern recognition filters for optical correlators, in which case the spatial light modulator (SLM) in the filler plane is thought of as a real-time DOE. The designer must first select the desired complex pattern recognition filter and then apply DOE design techniques to map the fully complex function onto the limited dynamic range SLM. To illustrate the procedure, we apply the techniques to the problem of implementing a matched filter with limited dynamic range Fourier plane SLM’s. We use computer simulations to evaluate the effectiveness of the technique. We quantify the performance by measuring the mean squared error between the ideal matched output and output from quantized filters. Numerical simulations indicate that the DOE method yields a significant improvement over direct quantization. The improvement in mean squared error comes, however, at the expense of light efficiency. The DOE technique has been applied to design of matched filters with binary phase, ternary phase, and phase-only SLM’s for coherent as well as incoherent optical correlators. The additional phase freedom in the incoherent design results in improved performance, but incoherent systems are limited to correlation with real positive reference scenes. A proof-of-principle laboratory experiment has been constructed to complement the numerical simulations.

Holographic display system that uses six phase-only spatial light modulators (SLMs) performs holographic reconstructions from the phase-hologram of a point cloud that is extracted from 3D object. The SLMs are tiled as a three by two matrix on a virtual planar surface. The alignment is successful and the display system generates large holographic reconstructions. The proposed system can be used either to obtain reconstructions of large objects with a narrow field of view or reconstructions of smaller objects with a broader field of view. Therefore, since field of view is broader for smaller objects, observer has the flexibility to move around the reconstruction within a larger angle. This flexibility increases the motion parallax and as a consequence it increases the quality of 3D perception. Results show that even with three SLMs in horizontal direction the 3D perception is significantly increased. Experimental results are satisfactory.

A lensless Vanderlugt optical correlator using two phase-only spatial light modulators (SLMs) is proposed. The SLMs are used for displaying input and filter patterns respectively. The SLMs are also used as programmable lenses in order to realize the lensless construction. This lensless system is simple and its alignment adjustment is easy. The performance of the SLMs as programmable lenses is also described.

Many advancements in the fields of holographic displays, image projection, and structured illumination rely on phase-only spatial light modulators (SLMs) to generate light fields with high dynamic range and little light loss. However, commonly used Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) SLMs are typically slow (<120Hz), while SLMs which can be modulated faster tend to have limited diffraction efficiency or binary bit depth. Recently, a new class of MEMS devices, Phase Light Modulators (PLMs), have shown promise for fast (>5 kHz) holographic illumination and display technologies. However, their bit depth is still limited to four-to-five bits, causing many light field modulation and optimization methods, such as Gerchberg-Saxton phase retrieval, to produce poor-quality results. In this contribution, we introduce an iterative modulation algorithm which combines a four-phase PLM level averaging method with Gerchberg-Saxton phase retrieval to enable complex field modulation while simultaneously improving the bit depth of the modulator, the PSNR of projected images, and contrast of projected images.

Using spatial light modulators(SLM) to control light propagation through scattering media is a critical topic for various applications in biomedical imaging, optical micromanipulation, and fibre endoscopy. Having limited switching rate, typically 10-100Hz, current liquid-crystal SLM can no longer meet the growing demands of high-speed imaging. A new way based on binary-amplitude holography implemented on digital micromirror devices(DMD) has been introduced recently, allowing to reach refreshing rates of 30kHz. Here, we summarise the advantages and limitations in speed, efficiency, scattering noise, and pixel cross-talk for each device in ballistic and diffusive regimes, paving the way for high-speed imaging through multimode fibres.

In this paper, we have implemented a 3D content generation simulator based on integration of phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM) and LabVIEW software to develop a holographic stereogram printer that consists of a coherent laser, a spatial light modulator and X-Y translation stage with stepper motors. This content generation platform provides encoding of directional information extracted from rendered perspective images of real or virtual 3D object. There are mainly three parts related to the implementation for holographic stereogram printer. In the first part, “Digital content generation” phaseonly SLM will be applied to the holographic printer system by loading series of perspective 2D images for each holographic elements (hogel). Regarding this part, phase-only SLM can be converted into an amplitude modulator by adjusting the angles of the polarizer. The second part is “Control system” made in LabVIEW based platform for automatic recording of the holographic stereograms which is synthesized from previous part. The third implementation part is “Optical system” for printing of parallax-related hogels on the holographic plate. To check the performance of the developed approach, numerical simulations and optical experiments are implemented. The hogel images are sequentially exposed using the perspective images to form the whole holographic stereogram on the holographic light sensitive material.

The wavefront printer is an equipment to produce computer-generated holograms (CGH) as a volume hologram. This printer records the wavefront generated by spatial light modulator (SLM). We propose a novel technique for applying phase-only SLM to the wavefront printer without losing the advantage of the wide space-band product of phase modulation. The phase-only SLM commonly has the problem of degradation of generated wavefronts because of coding noise due to phase only modulation. To reduce the noise, a technique is presented in order to partially modulate amplitude of recording light in phase-only SLM.