Numerical modeling of optical coherent transient processes with complex configurations—III: Noisy laser source

A previously developed numerical model based on Maxwell-Bloch equations was modified to simulate optical coherent transient and spectral hole burning processes with noisy laser sources. Random walk phase noise was simulated using laser-phase sequences generated numerically according to the normal distribution of the phase shift. The noise model was tested by comparing the simulated spectral hole burning effect with the analytical solution. The noise effects on a few typical optical coherence transient processes were investigated using this numerical tool. Flicker and random walk frequency noises were considered in accumulation process.     

Cross-talk free image encryption and watermarking by digital holography and random composition

In previous image watermarking methods an encoded host image and a watermark image are usually directly added, consequently the two images have cross-talk in the decryption step. To eliminate this effect, we propose a novel method based on digital holography, in which all the image pixels of the two sets of holograms resulted from two hidden images are rearranged and integrated into one set of composite holograms with a random scattering matrix (RSM). In decryption the use of this matrix can ensure the exact retrieval of each hologram, and then the perfect reconstruction of each image without cross-talk noise can be achieved. The feasibility of this method and its robustness against occlusion and additional noise are verified by computer simulations with phase-shifting interferometry and double random-phase encoding technique. This approach is suitable for both two- and three-dimensional images, and the additional RSM as a key provides a much higher level of security.     

Multiple-scattering speckle in holographic optical coherence imaging

We investigate the effect of multiple scattering on the image quality of holographic optical coherence imaging, which is a full-field coherence-domain imaging form of optical coherence tomography. The speckle holograms from turbid media and from multicellular tumor spheroids are characterized by high-contrast speckle on a multiply-scattered background caused by channel cross-talk. We quantify the multiple-scattered light that is accepted by the holographic coherence gate, and identify a cross-over from single-scattered to multiple-scattered light beyond 15 to 20 optical thicknesses. Speckle reduction relies on vibrating diffusers and on fast adaptive holograms in photorefractive quantum well devices. The high anisotropy factor for tumor tissue reduces multiply-scattered light contributions for biomedical tumor imaging.     

Inscription of holographic gratings using circularly polarized light: influence of the optical set-up on the birefringence and surface relief grating properties

The polarization properties of the optical set-up used for holographic recording of diffraction gratings on azopolymer thin films are analyzed. The state of polarization of circularly polarized light is fully analyzed after reflection on a mirror at various incidences (Lloyd-mirror set-up). The Stokes analysis is performed using a photopolarimeter and the phase shift, the ellipticity and the azimuth orientation are compared with those calculated from Fresnel formulae. At large angles of incidence, an initially right circularly polarized (RCP) beam becomes elliptically polarized with an azimuth of nearly +45°. From these results, holographic diffraction gratings are recorded on an azobenzene-containing polymer thin film using (i) co- and contra-circularly polarized beams and (ii) a right circularly polarized beam interfering with a +45° linearly polarized light beam. Using Jones-matrix formalism, the polarization states of the diffracted orders from the birefringence (Δn) and the surface-relief (2Δd) gratings are derived and compared with experimental measurements. Finally, the induced local birefringences and surface-relief amplitudes are discussed in connection with atomic force microscopy measurements. The diffraction efficiencies obtained under the (+45°+RCP) and (LCP + RCP) (where LCP = left circularly polarized) configurations are thus compared and discussed. Received: 5 October 2001 / Revised version: 26 November 2001 / Published online: 17 January 2002     

Observation of superluminal and slowdown light propagation in doped lithium niobate crystals

We investigate the group velocity of light in a one-dimensional volume grating inside lithium niobate crystals doped with different impurities. The superluminal and slowdown light propagations are both observed in the crystals. The relationships between the group refractive index and the grating amplitude and phase shift are presented and discussed.     

Blind phase shift extraction and wavefront retrieval by two-frame phase-shifting interferometry with an unknown phase shift

An iterative algorithm to extract the arbitrary unknown phase shift in two-frame phase-shifting interferometry and then reconstruct the complex object wave is proposed. In combination with the least square principle and some calculation formulae we developed, this algorithm allows us to find the value of unknown phase shift by using only two interferograms without additional knowledge or measurement. Computer simulations have shown that this algorithm works well for both the smooth and diffusing objects to a very high accuracy over a wide range of the phase shift from 0.4 to 2.5 rad.     

Heterodyne Interferometers Using Orthogonally Polarized and Two-Frequency Shifted Light Sources with Super-high Extinction Ratio

This paper describes heterodyne interferometers using orthogonally polarized and two-frequency shifted light sources of two types with super-high extinction ratio to reduce non-linearity of the interferometer due to polarization cross-talk. The acousto-optic modulators are used to shift light frequency. In the first interferometer the light source with Glan-Thomson prisms of very high extinction ratio (50 dB) is used to make the polarization cross-talk very small. In the second interferometer the light source of two-frequency shifted beams with small crossing angle (2.5 rnrad-10 mrad) is used to completely exclude non-linearity of the interferometer due to polarization cross-talk. By measuring the thickness of vacuum evaporation film, it was demonstrated that the interferometers are useful to measure thickness of a thin film in nanometer order.     

Effects of recording wavelength on three-dimensional vector holograms in photoreactive liquid crystal composites

Effects of recording wavelength on the recently proposed (Sasaki, 2008) three-dimensional vector holograms, in which the optical anisotropy is three-dimensionally modulated, are presented experimentally and theoretically. The polarization states of the interference light are three-dimensionally modulated due to both the polarization interference and optical anisotropy in the recording medium. These spatial distributions of the polarization states and the resulting diffraction properties in the three-dimensional vector holograms are strongly dependent on the recording wavelength. Theoretical consideration based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method reveals the mechanism of the optical characteristics of the three-dimensional vector holograms recorded by various kinds of light sources with different wavelengths.     

Orthogonal geometry of wave interaction in a photorefractive crystal for linear phase demodulation

We present a novel configuration of an interferometer which is implemented by using vectorial wave mixing in the orthogonal geometry of wave interaction in a cubic photorefractive crystal, for the detection of small phase transients. The orthogonal geometry of wave interaction allows the linear regime of the phase-to-intensity transformation even when phase transients are encrypted in a depolarized wave without using any polarizing element. The use of a depolarized beam without a polarizing element strongly diminishes the noise level, thus increasing the sensitivity to phase transients.     

Displacements and deformations of a vortex light beam produced by the diffraction grating with embedded phase singularity

Properties of vortex light beams produced by a diffraction grating with groove bifurcation (“fork” structure) are studied in the case of small diffraction angles. Analytical expressions are derived for the amplitude distribution of a diffracted beam generated from an incident Gaussian beam with arbitrary radius and wavefront curvature, transversely shifted and inclined with respect to the nominal axis (normal to the grating crossing it at the bifurcation point). In such situations, the output beam becomes asymmetric; the optical vortex core and the intensity maximum displace orthogonally to the incident beam shift direction. The nearest vicinity of the vortex core preserves its circular symmetry and the optical vortex remains locally isotropic. The effects of misalignment depend on the incident beam characteristics, the diffraction order and the propagation distance behind the grating. Experimental measurements support the results of calculations.     

Associative recall in a volume holographic storage system based on phase-code multiplexing

We present two different techniques on how to realize a content-addressed holographic memory when using phase-code multiplexing, relying on simple intensity measurements rather than phase distributions. Theoretical and experimental results of associative recall in a phase-coded system designed for digital data storage will be presented and compared to the corresponding method when using angular multiplexing. Received: 2 August 2001 / Revised version: 20 September 2001 / Published online: 23 November 2001     

Enhanced angular selectivity in volume holograms with speckle reference waves

A speckle-multiplexing scheme with enhanced angular selectivity for holographic storage is proposed. Angular selectivity in the proposed holographic storage system is theoretically and experimentally investigated. We find the effect of speckle reference wave on angular selectivity strongly depends on the techniques to perform multiplexing for holographic storage. Angular selectivity of a holographic storage system can be effectively enhanced as long as angular deviation of reading wave induces a lateral displacement of the speckle pattern on the hologram plane. When angular deviation of reading wave only induces a speckle wavefront tilt on the hologram plane, the speckle wave is not helpful to enhance the angular selectivity and the angular selectivity becomes to depend on material thickness (Bragg condition) only.     

Wavefront reconstruction by two-step generalized phase-shifting interferometry

A wavefront reconstruction method by two-step generalized phase-shifting interferometry (GPSI) with blind phase shift extraction algorithm is verified by both the computer simulations and optical experiments. This method can retrieve complex object wave field by using two interferograms, the recorded object and reference wave intensities, and an unknown phase shift without additional processing. The simulations with irregular wavefronts have shown the effectiveness and high accuracy of this method for blind phase-shift extraction and wavefront reconstruction over a wide range of phase-shifts, while the optical experiments for both the direct and indirect objects have yielded satisfactory results with a higher resolution of reconstructed image than those reported recently.     

Digital off-axis holography without zero-order diffraction via phase manipulation

By means of manipulating the phase information of the object beam in an off-axis digital holographic setup, we show that it is possible to fully eliminate the zero-order diffraction (ZOD) from numerically reconstructed holograms. Two different approaches are presented. In the first method, we introduce a ground glass on the object path beam to provide a random phase illumination. The subtraction between two holograms recorded with different positions of the ground glass yields a ZOD free hologram. In the second approach, a piece of window glass inserted on the path of the object beam produces a constant phase shift. The subtraction of two holograms, one recorded with and one without window glass generates a new hologram whose numerical reconstruction is ZOD free. Theoretical models and experimental results are shown to validate our proposals. They show that the proposed methods totally remove the ZOD without ruining the object information.     

Cascade Grating Structure for Increasing the Channel Number on Holographic Demultiplexer

The expansion capability of the channel number in the optical demultiplexer using two cascaded photopolymer volume gratings is reported. It could be accomplished by designing of two gratings with different spectral range. As a result of the experiment, a 0.4-nm-spaced 130-channel demultiplexer with the channel uniformity of 3.5 dB, the 3 riB-bandwidth of 0.12nm, and the channel crosstalk of-20 dB is experimentally demonstrated.     

Errors in two-point sound reproduction

This paper deals with the problem of reproducing two signals at two points in space by using two acoustic sources. While much is now known about the techniques available for the design of matrices of inverse filters that enable this objective to be achieved in practice, it is still the basic physics of the sound field produced that controls the effectiveness of such systems and which ultimately dictates their design. The basic physical processes involved in producing the cross-talk cancellation that enables the reproduction of the desired signals is revisited here by using a simple two source/two field point free field model. The singular value decomposition is used to identify those frequencies where the inversion problem becomes ill-conditioned and to explain physically the origin of the ill-conditioning. As observed previously, it is found that cross-talk cancellation becomes problematic when the path length difference between the two sources and one of the field points becomes equal to one half the acoustic wavelength. The ill-conditioned frequencies are also found to be associated with a limited spatial region of cross-talk cancellation and with large source outputs manifested in the time domain by responses of long duration.     

Fabrication of Nanoimprint Stamp Using Interference Lithography

Interference lithography is used to fabricate a nanoimprint stamp, which is a key step for nanoimprint lithography. A layer of chromium in thickness of about 20 nm is deposited on the newly cleaned fused silica substrate by thermal evaporation, and a layer of positive resist in thickness of 150nm is spun on the chromium layer. Some patterns, including lines, holes and pillars, are observed on the photoresist film by exposing the resist to interference patterns and they are then transferred to the chromium layer by wet etching. Fused silica stamps are fabricated by reactive ion etching with CHF3/O2 as etchants using the chromium layer as etch mask. An atomic force microscope is used to analyse the pattern transfer in each step. The results show that regular hole patterns of fused silica, with average full width 143nm at half maximum （FWHM）, average hole depth of 76nm and spacing of 450nm, have been fabricated. The exposure method is fast, inexpensive and applicable for fabrication of nanoimprint stamps with large areas.     

Multiple image encryption using an aperture-modulated optical system

A multiple image cryptosystem based on different apertures in an optical set-up under a holographic arrangement is proposed. The system is a security architecture that uses different pupil aperture mask in the encoding lens to encrypt different images. Based on this approach multiple encryption is achieved by changing the pupil aperture arrangement of the optical system among exposures. In addition to the classical speckle phase mask, the geometrical parameters characterizing the apertures are introduced to increase the system security. Even when an illegal user steals the speckle phase mask, the system cannot be broken into without the correct pupil geometrical parameters. The experimental set-up is based on a volume photorefractive BSO crystal as storing device. Information retrieval is done via a phase conjugation operation. We also have to stress that the multiple storage under this scheme, is only possible with the help of the aperture mask. Simulation and experimental results are further introduced to verify the proposed method.     

New photopolymer with trifunctional monomer for holographic applications

New holographic recording materials based on photopolymerizable systems have contributed significantly to the recent growth of holographic applications. Previously, we reported that in photopolymerizable systems with a difunctional monomer, Ethylene Glycol DiMethAcrylate (EGDMA) improves the behaviour of the system and explains the role played by an eosin ester that has an oxo-oxime group in the production of amine initiator radicals. This comparative study was carried out in our laboratory using differential scanning photo-calorimetry and holography. The results of the new photosensitive recording materials for holography indicate that this system can be used for the formulation of very promising photopolymers that have a better performance. The aim of this study was to change the crosslinking monomer in order to increase the energetic sensitivity and discover the rest of the behavior. The new photo-polymerizable mixture contains PentaErythritol TriAcrylate (PETA) in a 1:1 ratio of volume and a 2-Hydroxy-Ethylene MethAcrylate monomer (HEMA). A diffraction efficiency of 80% is achieved with an energetic sensitivity of 3 J/cm² at 514 nm, and the spatial resolution is up to 2000 lines/mm.Part of this paper was presented at the IS&T/SPIE Symposium in Electronic Imaging, Science and Technology (Holographic Materials), February 5–10, San Jose, CA, USA     

Holographic recording in amorphous side-chain polymers: a comparison of two different design philosophies

Recently, Bieringer et al. [1] reported on the optical properties of liquid-crystalline side-chain polymers. These photoaddressable systems showed light-induced modulations Δn of their refractive index of up to 0.06. We present similar materials and compare them with a novel ansatz reaching birefringence levels of up to 0.2 [2]. This was achieved by donor–acceptor substitutions of the chromophores and by introducing a new type of second side chain. We discuss the different photophysical properties of the two materials under the point of view of potential applications. Received: 16 November 1998 / Revised version: 18 December 1998 / Published online: 7 April 1999