Surface-profile measurement by means of a polarization Sagnac interferometer with parallel optical feedback

We describe a novel feedback interferometer for real-time, unambiguous measurement of surface profiles that consists of a polarization Sagnac interferometer and an optically addressed phase-only spatial light modulator. In this system the output intensity from the Sagnac interferometer is optically fed back to the phase modulator placed in one arm of the interferometer, which produces a sawtooth fringe intensity profile (instead of the conventional cosinusoidal one) that is directly and unambiguously related to the surface profile. Preliminary experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of applying this system to surface-profile measurement.     

Performance of a phase-conjugate engine implementing a finite-bit phase correction

The achievable Strehl ratio when a finite-bit correction to an aberrated wave front is implemented is examined. The phase-conjugate engine used to measure the aberrated wave front consists of a quadrature interferometric wave-front sensor, a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator, and computer hardware-software to calculate and apply the correction. A finite-bit approximation to the conjugate phase is calculated and applied to the spatial light modulator to remove the aberrations from the optical beam. The experimentally determined Strehl ratio of the corrected beam is compared with analytical expressions for the expected Strehl ratio and shown to be in good agreement with those predictions.     

Nearly diffraction-limited laser focal spot obtained by use of an optically addressed light valve in an adaptive-optics loop

We demonstrate correction of laser wave-front distortions by use of an adaptive-optical technique based on a light valve. The setup consists of an achromatic and adjustable-sensitivity wave-front sensor and a wave-front corrector relying on an optically addressed liquid-crystal spatial light modulator. Experimental results with strongly aberrated beams focused close to the diffraction limit are presented for the cw regime. Additional experiments with pulses and measurement of damage thresholds show that this approach is relevant for spatial phase correction of ultraintense laser pulses.     

Bistable Optically Writable Image Memory Using Optical Feedback

A novel, parallel aligned optically addressed liquid crystal spatial light modulator has been used to implement an optically writable image memory. The memory uses a two-beam interferometer with optical feedback which exhibits thresholding, hysteresis, and bistability. We discuss the characteristics of the system, and present the results of an experimental demonstration.Presented at the International Commission for Optics Topical Meeting, Kyoto, 1994.     

液晶空间光调制器相位调制测量及波前校正

提供了一种简单且精度较好的测量液晶空间光调制器相位调制特性的方法,即相位与电压(灰度)之间的关系。采用数字波面移相干涉仪,由干涉仪直接给出不同灰度对应的相位差,从而得到液晶空间光调制器的相位调制曲线。利用液晶空间光调制器实现了波前校正。由干涉仪作波前测试,对待校正的畸变波前进行泽尼克多项式描述,根据液晶空间光调制器的相位与灰度的关系,产生相应的灰度图,获得畸变波前的共轭波前,从而完成静态波前的校正,使相关参数如PV值、RMS值和Strehl比值得到了改善。     

High-speed horizontal-path atmospheric turbulence correction with a large-actuator-number microelectromechanical system spatial light modulator in an interferometric phase-conjugation engine

Results of atmospheric propagation for a high-speed, large-actuator-number adaptive optics system are presented. The system uses a microelectromechanical system- (MEMS-) based spatial light modulator correction device with 1024 actuators. Tests over a 1.35-km path achieved correction speeds in excess of 800 Hz and Strehl ratios close to 0.5. The wave-front sensor was based on a quadrature interferometer that directly measures phase. This technique does not require global wave-front reconstruction, making it relatively insensitive to scintillation and phase residues. The results demonstrate the potential of large-actuator-number MEMS-based spatial light modulators to replace conventional deformable mirrors.     

Experimental validation of closed-loop adaptive optics based on a self-referencing interferometer wavefront sensor and a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator

A closed-loop adaptive optics system based on a self-referencing interferometer wavefront sensor (SRI WFS) using phase-shifting point-diffraction technique and an electrically addressed phase-only liquid-crystal spatial light modulator (LC SLM) is built and validated experimentally. The wavefront aberration of incoming beam is directly measured by analyzing four frames phase-shifted interferograms captured by a single CCD camera in two camera shots, and then by loading the conjugate function onto the SLM the wavefront aberration is corrected. The proposed scheme does not rely on any complicated control algorithm or wavefront-reconstruction algorithm and can achieve high-resolution and high-accuracy correction. Closed-loop correction results of single order Zernike aberrations and a Kolmogorov turbulence phase screen show that considerable improvements in the Strehl ratio (of greater than 0.94) is achieved.     

Stable single-photon interference in a 1 km fiber-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer with continuous phase adjustment

We experimentally demonstrate stable and user-adjustable single-photon interference in a 1 km long fiber-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer, using an active phase control system with the feedback provided by a classical laser. We are able to continuously tune the single-photon phase difference between the interferometer arms using a phase modulator, which is synchronized with the gate window of the single-photon detectors. The phase control system employs a piezoelectric fiber stretcher to stabilize the phase drift in the interferometer. A single-photon net visibility of 0.97 is obtained, yielding future possibilities for experimental realizations of quantum repeaters in optical fibers and violation of Bell's inequalities using genuine energy-time entanglement.     

Spatial and Temporal Properties of a Nonlinear Optical Feedback System

We experimentally investigate the spatial and temporal properties of a nonlinear optical system composed of an optically addressed spatial light modulator and a two-dimensional optical feedback. The system property is examined using fringes with only one spatial wave vector. The fringes are spontaneously generated using a spatial frequency filter in the optical feedback. We also experimentally investigate the properties of the spatial light modulator in the system using ordinary interference fringes in order to compare with the system property. We demonstrate that the spatial frequency response of the nonlinear optical system is identical to that of the spatial light modulator. We also demonstrate the distinctive temporal behavior of diffraction lights from the fringes generated in the system.     

Unambiguous measurement of surface profile using a Sagnac interferometer with phase feedback

The fringe profiles from a two beam interferometer with phase feedback are almost unambiguous over a range of 2π or more. This allows phase and therefore surface profile to be determined directly from output intensity of an interferometer. In this paper we describe how feedback can be applied to a polarisation Sagnac common path interferometer using a parallel aligned nematic liquid crystal spatial light modulator. Initial experiments have shown that the device is capable of measuring profiles to accuracies greater than one tenth of a wavelength.     

一种基于瞳面相位差的波前传感器相位恢复

根据瞳面相位差波前传感器的特点,提出把模式分解和随机并行梯度下降算法结合起来实现波前相位的恢复.以32单元变形镜的初始面形和Roddier提出的相位生成方法随机产生的一帧相屏为研究对象,分析所提出的相位恢复算法的性能.结果表明,两种情况下的畸变波前都得到了很好的恢复.当像差仅含有低阶成分时,使用模式分解法就可获得令人满...     

Analog asymmetrization of profile of thin dynamic holographic grating in liquid-crystal matrix transparency

The recording of dynamic holographic grating in an electrically addressed matrix liquid-crystal spatial light modulator, which asymmetrizes the grating profile due to the application of optical feedback (nonlinear or adaptive interferometer) with television closing of feedback loop, has been studied.     

Atmospheric-induced aberration correction using feedback interferometer

We present a practical adaptive optics system based on feedback interferometry. The system consists a polarizing radial-sheared Sagnac interferometer incorporating a multi-segmented mirror for wavefront correction. Correction of atmospheric aberration is demonstrated.     

On the possibility of compensating for small-scale wave-front distortions using a Zernicke cell and an optically controlled spatial light modulator

The possibility of compensating for small-scale wave-front distortions using a spatial light modulator which is optically controlled by the output beam of a Zernicke interferometer was studied theoretically. The optimal parameters of the system, requirements of its elements, the range of the compensated distortions, and the compensation quality are determined for the case of compensation for sinusoidal distortions. It is shown that this technique allows for the compensation of small-scale sinusoidal phase distortions with a depth of up to 3λ and a 20-fold gain in the Strehl number can be achieved.     

Digital phase-shifting interferometer with an electrically addressed liquid-crystal spatial light modulator

A digital phase-shifting interferometer with a liquid-crystal-display coupled, parallel aligned, nematic liquid-crystal spatial light modulator is developed. The optical phase shift in the Michelson-type polarization interferometer is achieved by a digital phase shift of a grating displayed on the spatial light modulator. Accurate experimental results of using the heterodyne system for pi/2 phase steps were demonstrated. A phase-shifting interferometer with no moving parts and no requirement for calibration of the value of the phase shift was achieved.     

Aberration correction using a multi-segment mirror with feedback interferometry

A novel real-time aberration correction system using feedback interferometry and a multi-segment mirror for the wavefront corrector is described. The result is a simple and high-speed adaptive optics system demonstrating that feedback interferometry may potentially be an alternative method to conventional aberration correction techniques. Its high-speed processing and simplicity makes real-time correction practical. Our results show that the system can respond up to 37 Hz for sinusoidal phase variations with amplitude of one wavelength and improves Strehl ratio significantly.     

一种基于针孔像分析的光学系统调制传递函数测量的自适应背景校正方法

提出了一种基于针孔像分析的光学系统调制传递函数(MTF)测量自适应背景校正的方法。由CCD显微系统采集针孔目标经被测光学系统成像后的针孔像,计算线扩展函数,并对其进行自适应背景校正,获取MTF。该方法与传统方法相比,消除了周围环境光照变化的影响,提高了测量精度。为验证所提方法的有效性,对标准镜头进行MTF测试,将测试结果与理论设计值比对,测试结果差异极大值为0.01;与美国Optikos公司的测试结果比对,测试结果差异极大值为0.015;对大像差光学系统的轴上和轴外进行MTF测试,并将测试结果与美国Optikos公司测试结果比对,测试结果差异极大值为0.013。实验表明,该方法可满足对不同像差光学系统轴上和轴外MTF的测量。     

基于光子晶体马赫-曾德尔干涉仪的太赫兹开关及强度调制器

通过对二维正方晶格光子晶体线缺陷模色散曲线慢光特性的研究, 利用外电场对液晶分子取向的调控作用, 在填充液晶的正方晶格波导的马赫-曾德尔干涉仪结构中实现了开关和强度调制等功能. 利用平面波展开法计算了光子晶体波导的线缺陷模, 分析了液晶折射率的变化对缺陷模的影响. 计算表明, 液晶折射率仅改变了0.1, 线缺陷模有效折射率改变达0.168, 该特性可以更为有效地实现对相位的控制, 进而实现高消光比开关和强度调制功能, 这种高效的相位调节器件在集成光系统中将有很好的应用前景.     

Phase measurement accuracy of feedback interferometers

Feedback interferometers are described with specific reference to potential applications in micro-machines. A theoretical analysis is developed to determine the linearity, stability, and noise performance of this type of interferometer. The theoretical analysis was tested using a prototype high-precision feedback interferometer which showed that, at a feedback loop gain which enabled the system to track 6 fringes, the linearity of the interferometer was better than λ/100 and single phase measurements could be made with an accuracy of λ/80.     

An integrated liquid crystal phase modulator for speckle shearing interferometry

A versatile phase-stepping speckle shearing interferometer is described that employed a calibrated liquid crystal as its phase modulator, operating at 514 nm. By implementation of an algorithm upon phase-stepped shearographic images it was possible to create a phase map, that provided quantitative data regarding the derivative of any out-of-plane surface displacement. The use of a liquid crystal phase modulator in an optical arrangement had advantages over alternative methods. However, it is normally limited by spatial non-uniformity of the cells birefringence. The birefringence for a nematic liquid crystal cell was determined in several cross-sectional locations, before the cell was successfully integrated into a Michelson speckle shearing interferometer. Such a scheme offers flexibility in the shearing angle, and a measurement system that may operate over an extended range of monitoring wavelengths.