Continuous scanning, laser imaging velocimetry

Careful exploitation of the anisotropy native to late time stratified and rotating flows permits the use of a laser scanning measurement technique to simultaneously resolve the 2D velocity field in O(100) slices. The technique relies on getting the Reynolds number from the length scale while keeping the velocity small, this provides a characteristic time scale that is sufficiently large to permit full 3D scanning through the measurement volume in a relatively short time. As the vertical velocity component of these late time stratified flows is effectively zero, all components of the deformation tensor are resolved. 3D, time resolved measurements of the vorticity and enstrophy fields associated with stratified rotating flows such as vortex dipoles, monopoles and wakes are presented.     

Near-field optical microscope with a multiheight scanning imaging mode

A near-field scanning optical microscope has been developed to yield optical images with various gap distances between the probe and the sample surface. The microscope uses an apertureless metallic probe, the position of which is controlled by regulation of the tunneling-electron current from the probe to the sample and by computer-generated bias voltage. Experimental results of near-field optical imaging with the developed microscope at different gap distances are shown. Thirteen images at gap distances of 0 to 500nm demonstrate that the near-field image depends strongly on the gap distance. The imaging characteristics of a near-field imaging system are shown with the spatial-frequency spectra of images. Future investigation of the developed microscope is also discussed.     

Automatic vibration mode tracking using a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer

Optical measurement techniques are being used more and more for quality control in the production process. An important problem when trying to implement optical measurement systems, and in particular the scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) which is considered in this paper, is that user interaction is always required. The need for user interaction implies an increase in testing time and cost and also brings an additional source of variability of the test results. In this article, a completely autonomous test procedure is developed to track the vibration behavior of a product during the production process (this includes automatic laser focussing, position calibration, object recognition, grid generation and mode estimation). The proposed procedure typically requires a few minutes only to automatically determine a high-resolution model of the vibration behavior. The method will be validated on measurements of an electronic circuit board.     

Synthetic aperture laser optical feedback imaging using galvanometric scanning

We describe a new one-dimensional synthetic aperture imaging laser radar (ladar) using the resonant sensitivity of a microchip laser to frequency-shifted optical feedback and galvanometric scanning of the target under investigation. In our experiment, the laser is both the source and the detector, providing optical amplification with self-aligned heterodyne detection. By using galvanometric scanning, we achieve an along-track spatial resolution better than the diffraction limit.     

Second harmonic imaging of chloroplasts using the two-photon laser scanning microscope

BackgroundSecond harmonic information reveals information about the structure of spatially oriented structures with an asymmetry. We study the second harmonic images of the grana and intergranal parts of chloroplasts in the leaves of the shade moss Plagiomnium affine.ResultsA two-photon microscope with blocking filters to suppress fluorescence generated both forward and backward second harmonic illumination to be captured. In the starch free chloroplasts of the single cell layered laminae strong second harmonic generation (SHG) from the granal regions was emitted. Upon illumination the chloroplasts changed their orientation affecting the SHG signal. Chloroplast is reoriented upon illumination.ConclusionsSHG signals were successfully obtained from the grana without any possible confusion from SHG starch grains due to their absence.     

Standard artifact for the geometric verification of terrestrial laser scanning systems

Terrestrial laser scanners are geodetic instruments with applications in areas such as architecture, civil engineering or environment. Although it is common to receive the technical specifications of the systems from their manufacturers, there are not any solutions for data verification in the market available for the users. This work proposes a standard artifact and a methodology to perform, in a simple way, the metrology verification of laser scanners.The artifact is manufactured using aluminium and delrin, materials that make the artifact robust and portable. The system consists of a set of five spheres situated at equal distances to one another, and a set of seven cubes of different sizes. A coordinate measuring machine with sub-millimetre precision is used for calibration purposes under controlled environmental conditions. After its calibration, the artifact can be used for the verification of metrology specifications given by manufacturers of laser scanners.The elements of the artifact are destinated to test different metrological characteristics, such as accuracy, precision and resolution. The distance between centres of the spheres is used to obtain the accuracy data, the standard deviation of the top face of the largest cube is used to establish the precision (repeatability) and the error in the measurement of the cubes provides the resolution value in axes X, Y and Z. Methodology for the evaluation is mainly supported by least squares fitting algorithms developed using Matlab programming.The artifact and methodology proposed were tested using a terrestrial laser scanner Riegl LMSZ-390i at three different ranges (10, 30 and 50 m) and four stepwidths (0.002°, 0.005°, 0.010° and 0.020°), both for horizontal and vertical displacements. Results obtained are in agreement with the accuracy and precision data given by the manufacturer, 6 and 4 mm, respectively. On the other hand, important influences between resolution and range and between resolution and stepwidth are observed. For example, the two smaller cubes cannot be well detected in any case and, as must be expected, the increase in range and stepwidth produces a decrease in the quality of the detection for the larger ones.     

Effect of the modulation waveform on the S/N ratio of laser scanning imaging systems

In a laser scanning imaging system, the modulation of light output is directly achieved by modulating the drive current of a laser diode input signal. So far, what kind of modulation waveform is the best remains undetermined. People usually choose sine modulation for convenience. Through our theoretical analysis and experiment, we have reached the conclusion that for the same receiver, substituting low duty (a duty of is small enough) rectangular modulation for conventional sine modulation will offer at least a 5 dB improvement in S/N ratio with the average incident optical power unchanged.     

Large field of view MEMS-based confocal laser scanning microscope for fluorescence imaging

Although confocal fluorescence microscopes are widely used in biology and have been proven to be promising diagnostic tools in dermatologic diagnostics, they are at present uncommon in medical practice. This is mainly due to high costs of acquisition and their large and complex outline. With the integration of a MEMS scanner we present a demonstration system of a confocal fluorescence laser scanning microscope which is affordable and portable. It has a field of view of 500 μm × 500 μm and is mainly composed of off-the-shelf components.     

Dual mode near-field scanning optical microscopy for near-field imaging of surface plasmon polariton

In this paper, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that metal coated apertured probes are efficient near-field probes on surfaces with high reflectivity for the scattering as well as for the collection mode near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM). We show that a blunt apertured metal coated tip is very effective in suppressing image dipoles which affect strongly the signals scattered from frequently used sharp metal tips or gold nanoparticle attached probes. By using a simultaneous collection and scattering mode (dual mode) NSOM we measure the near-field images of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) launched from a slit. The collection mode measures propagating SPP along lateral distance in a long scan range with high signal-to-noise ratio, and the scattering mode measures the polarization resolved near-field of SPP. Comparisons of the measured data obtained in the dual mode enable to easily characterize SPP and to separate the measured near-field into the propagating SPP and the directly transmitted light.     

Passive mode locking of DCM and Rhodamine 101 flashlamp-pumped dye laser systems

The passive mode locking of the laser dyes DCM and Rhodamine 101 which operate in similar spectral regions, has been carried out in a simple flashlamp-pumped system. Pulses of 5 ps tunable from 618 nm to 693 nm with peak powers in excess of 5 MW have been obtained. Several suitable saturable absorbing species have been identified.     

激光雷达扫描方式

为实现激光束对空域的有效扫描和探测,研究了栅形扫描、李萨茹形扫描、螺旋形扫描和六边形扫描四种常见的激光雷达扫描方式,推导了相应的扫描方程,讨论了参数的物理意义及调整方法;重点研究了栅形扫描和六边形扫描方式下光斑的分布情况,通过仿真分析了两种扫描方式下光束的漏扫率和重叠率,结果表明,在相同扫描条件下六边形扫描方式的漏扫区域最少。展示了基于上述研究内容的扫描控制系统实物图及扫描图案。分析总结了四种扫描方式的特点,给出了每种扫描方式的适用情况及使用建议。

     

Simultaneous imaging of human cone mosaic with adaptive optics enhanced scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and high-speed transversal scanning optical coherence tomography

We describe a novel instrument capable of acquiring, simultaneously, adaptive optics enhanced scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of the human cone mosaic in vivo. The OCT system is based on transversal scanning of the sample with a line scan rate of 14 kHz, approximately 20 times faster than a previously reported instrument. We demonstrate the capability of this instrument with the measurement of the human cone spacing in perifoveal retina.     

圆盘透明度在水下激光成像系统性能评估中的应用

水下激光主动成像系统的探测能力不仅与探测系统自身参数有关,还与水质等环境因素有关。为评估水质对水下激光成像系统探测能力的影响,根据圆盘透明度成像模型,研究了吸收系数、散射系数、漫射衰减系数等水体水质参数与圆盘透明度的关系,给出了圆盘透明度与水下激光主动成像系统最大探测深度的表达式。实验表明,ICCD距离选通水下激光主动成像系统最大探测深度值与理论计算值相对误差小于20%。基于成像理论的圆盘透明度模型反映了水下激光成像系统探测能力与水体水质参数的关系,可用圆盘透明深度来评估水下激光成像系统的探测能力。     

Interferometric scanning of laser beams

A new beam deflection technique is based on modulating the optical transmission characteristics of a modified Fabry-Perot interferometer. Electro-optically changing the interferometer length leads to fast high resolution scanning of the transmission fringe. Experiments have been conducted using the 4880 Å argon laser line with an interferometer containing a LiNbO₃ crystal.     

Non-invasive and low-artifact in vivo brain imaging by using a scanning acoustic-photoacoustic dual mode microscopy

Photoacoustic imaging is a potential candidate for in vivo brain imaging, whereas, its imaging performance could be degraded by inhomogeneous multi-layered media, consisted of scalp and skull. In this work, we propose a low-artifact photoacoustic microscopy (LAPAM) scheme, which combines conventional acoustic-resolution photoacoustic microscopy with scanning acoustic microscopy to suppress the reflection artifacts induced by multi-layers. Based on similar propagation characteristics of photoacoustic signals and ultrasonic echoes, the ultrasonic echoes can be employed as the filters to suppress the reflection artifacts to obtain low-artifact photoacoustic images. Phantom experiment is used to validate the effectiveness of this method. Furthermore, LAPAM is applied for in-vivo imaging mouse brain without removing the scalp and the skull. Experimental results show that the proposed method successfully achieves the low-artifact brain image, which demonstrates the practical applicability of LAPAM. This work might improve the photoacoustic imaging quality in many biomedical applications which involve tissues with complex acoustic properties, such as brain imaging through scalp and skull.     

Developing a contact probe for rodent fundus imaging in a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope

Since significant ocular differences in both anatomical structure and optical properties exist between rodents and humans, clinical imaging devices for human use are not suitable for use on rodents. In this study, we develop a contact probe with a flexible surface that can closely fit the rodent cornea for fundus imaging with a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope. Both Zemax simulation and in vivo fundus imaging demonstrate that this contact probe can significantly improve both the imaging quality and the operational convenience.     

Bimorph deformable mirror based adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope for retina imaging in vivo

A bimorph deformable mirror(DM) with a large stroke of more than 30 μm using 35 actuators is presented and characterized for an adaptive optics(AO) confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope application. Facilitated with a Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor, the bimorph DM-based AO operates closed-loop AO corrections for human eyes and reduces wavefront aberrations in most eyes to below 0.1 μm rms. Results from living eyes, including one exhibiting ～5D of myopia and ～2D of astigmatism along with notable high-order aberrations, reveal a practical efficient aberration correction and demonstrate a great benefit for retina imaging, including improving resolution, increasing brightness, and enhancing the contrast of images.     

Fast-scanning two-photon fluorescence imaging based on a microelectromechanical systems two- dimensional scanning mirror

Towards overcoming the size limitations of conventional two-photon fluorescence microscopy, we introduce two-photon imaging based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanners. Single crystalline silicon scanning mirrors that are 0.75 mm x 0.75 mm in size and driven in two dimensions by microfabricated vertical comb electrostatic actuators can provide optical deflection angles through a range of approximately16 degrees . Using such scanners we demonstrated two-photon microscopy and microendoscopy with fast-axis acquisition rates up to 3.52 kHz.