Random depth access full-field low-coherence interferometry applied to a small punch test

In small punch testing, with approximate preknowledge of the sample deformation, profile measurement need only be made at selected locations in depth. To date, profilometry through full-field low-coherence interferometry has not been applied to small punch testing—conventional methods typically measure the maximum displacement as the sample is deformed, ignoring useful shape and profile information. A modification of full-field low-coherence interferometry is presented, where a digital stepper motor is combined with piezoelectric transducer scanning to achieve random depth access three-dimensional micrometer profile measurement. Offering a rapid, inexpensive, and functional machine vision system, the measurement technique is applied to a small punch test.     

Detection Schemes for Optical-Coherence-Domain Imaging of Biological Tissues

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel imaging modality based on low-coherence interferometry. This paper summarizes some of our latest work on the development of OCT where we have taken two approaches. In the first approach we have developed a phase-drift-suppression method for stable heterodyne detection in the presence of phase fluctuations. In the second approach we have concentrated on the development of two-dimensional heterodyne detection techniques for real-time imaging. A novel detection scheme has been proposed, which enables parallel heterodyne detection with a commercially available imager such as a charge-coupled-device camera. Meanwhile, a non-scanning OCT system configuration based on off-axis interferometry is being studied. Using a newly developed angular-dispersion imaging scheme, we show that the axial reflectance profile in OCT measurement can be detected instantaneously with a sensor array.     

Instantaneous quadrature low-coherence interferometry with 3 x 3 fiber-optic couplers

We describe fiber-based quadrature low-coherence interferometers that exploit the inherent phase shifts of 3 x 3 and higher-order fiber-optic couplers. We present a framework based on conservation of energy to account for the interferometric shifts in 3 x 3 interferometers, and we demonstrate that the resulting interferometers provide the entire complex interferometric signal instantaneously in homodyne and heterodyne systems. In heterodyne detection we demonstrate the capability for extraction of the magnitude and sign of Doppler shifts from the complex data. In homodyne detection we show the detection of subwavelength sample motion. N x N (N > 2) low-coherence interferometer topologies will be useful in Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT), optical coherence microscopy, Fourier-domain OCT, optical frequency domain reflectometry, and phase-referenced interferometry.     

Path-length distribution and path-length-resolved Doppler measurements of multiply scattered photons by use of low-coherence interferometry

We report first results of measurements by low-coherence Doppler interferometry of the path-length distribution of photons undergoing multiple scattering in a highly turbid medium. We use a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with multimode graded-index fibers and a superluminescent diode as the light source. The path-length distribution is obtained by recording of the heterodyne fluctuations that arise from the Brownian motion of particles in an Intralipid suspension as a function of the optical path length. The experimental path-length distribution is in good agreement with predictions of Monte Carlo simulations. In the heterodyne spectrum, an increase of the mean Doppler frequency with path length is observed.     

Spectral heterodyne tomography

A novel method of optical coherent tomography—spectral heterodyne tomography—is proposed. Spectral heterodyne tomography is based on parallel heterodyne detection of a multitude of frequencies of the light backscattered by an object under study. The result of this detection is a spectral distribution of the amplitude and phase of the scattered radiation. Subsequent numerical processing allows one to find the distribution of scattering centers over the depth corresponding to the point of entrance of the incident light. The proposed method is potentially characterized by a higher efficiency as compared with the most successful approach to optical coherence tomography, based on heterodyne scanning interferometry.     

Investigation of glass panels thickness profile by all-fiber digital heterodyne interferometry

All-fiber digital heterodyne interferometry is a laser metrology technique employing pseudo-random codes phase modulated onto an optical carrier signal. In this heterodyne interferometer system, the optical signal includes signal reflected and transmitted from the sample, respectively. Compared with the conventional heterodyne interferometry, this enhanced optical system has much higher measurement sensitivity, and can distinguish the signal which reflected from the front and the rear surface of the sample. Analysis and simulation for the digital heterodyne interferometry are presented. It takes approximately 4 s to scan the whole surface with the diameter of 300 mm. The thickness profile of the sample is obtained in the experiment. The discussion about the experiment is given finally.     

Single-scattering spectroscopy for extremely dense colloidal suspensions by use of a low-coherence interferometer

Single-scattering spectroscopy by use of a low-coherence interferometer is introduced to measure the power spectra of light scattered from extremely dense colloidal suspensions. The power spectrum of a heterodyne component can be obtained by subtraction of the power spectrum of a homodyne component from the measured power spectrum. The heterodyne power spectrum for light scattered from the medium is shown to coincide with the single-scattering spectrum to a depth of up to a few times the mean-free path length. Therefore single-scattering spectroscopy is newly proposed as a means by which to analyze the characteristics of extremely dense colloidal suspensions.     

Dual-axes confocal microscopy with post-objective scanning and low-coherence heterodyne detection

We present a dual-axes confocal microscope that employs postobjective scanning and low-coherence heterodyne detection to collect vertical cross-sectional images from biological tissue with high axial resolution, reduced noise from scattered light, deep tissue penetration, and a large dynamic range. This architecture can be scaled down to millimeter dimensions with microelectromechanical systems technology for performance of in vivo optical biopsy.     

Estimating ellipticity of a fiber core using two types of interferometry

In the present work two types of low-coherence interferometry are used to estimate the ellipticity of the core of an optical fiber in the cross section. Using the time-domain low-coherence interferometry the group-index difference between the degenerate high-order modes is measured. Because of the usage of a short fiber sample the group-index difference between the degenerate fundamental modes is too small to measure. Secondly, a frequency-domain low-coherence interferometry is presented in details. Since it is an all-fiber setup, longer fiber is allowed to be used. The high-order modes are filtered. The group-index difference between the degenerate fundamental modes is obtained. For each of the methods the experimental results are used to estimate the ellipticity of the fiber core in numerical simulations.     

基于复合干涉的光纤低相干干涉传感系统研究

研究一种能够进行远程及绝对测量的光纤低相干干涉传感系统。该系统包含两个光纤干涉仪,其中一个光纤干涉仪置于被测场中感应被测量的变化,可实现远程测量;另一个光纤干涉仪解调被测量的值。运用波分复用技术,使用于解调的光纤干涉仪同时工作于低相干干涉和高相干干涉状态。用低相干干涉信号决定被测量的幅值,对被测量实现绝对测量,并使测量量程不受波长限制;同时,用高相干干涉信号对被测量进行高精度的测量。系统的测量量程为6mm,测量分辨率小于1nm,位移实验结果的线性相关系数R为0.99。     

光外差调制法提高全光纤低相干传感器的灵敏度

本文提出的光外差调制法用于提高空间解调低相干光纤传感器峰顶位置的分辨率,由此提高系统的测量灵敏度.未采用光外差调制法前的杨氏空间解调低相干光纤位移传感器的测量灵敏度为0.12μm;而采用后可达0.033μm.     

Spectral-domain differential interference contrast microscopy

We present a fiber-optic low-coherence imaging technique, termed spectral-domain differential interference contrast microscopy (SD-DIC), for quantitative DIC imaging of both reflective surfaces and transparent biological specimens. SD-DIC combines the common-path nature of a Nomarski DIC interferometer with the high sensitivity of spectral-domain low-coherence interferometry to obtain high-resolution, quantitative measurements of optical pathlength gradients from a single point on the sample. Full-field imaging can be achieved by scanning the sample. A reflected-light SD-DIC system was demonstrated using a USAF resolution target as the phase object. Live cardiomyocytes were also imaged, achieving a resolution of 36 pm for pathlength gradient measurements. The dynamics of cardiomyocyte contraction were recorded with high sensitivity at selected sites on the cells.     

Distributed measurement of birefringence dispersion in polarization-maintaining fibers

A new method to measure the birefringence dispersion in high-birefringence polarization-maintaining fibers is presented using white-light interferometry. By analyzing broadening of low-coherence interferograms obtained in a scanning Michelson interferometer, the birefringence dispersion and its variation along different fiber sections are acquired with high sensitivity and accuracy. Birefringence dispersions of two PANDA fibers at their operation wavelength are measured to be 0.011 ps/(km nm) and 0.018 ps/(km nm), respectively. Distributed measurement capability of the method is also verified experimentally.     

基于激光外差干涉术的薄膜厚度测量方法

针对光学薄膜厚度测量困难问题，提出了一种基于激光外差干涉术的薄膜厚度测量方法。采用经典迈克尔逊干涉光路，利用外差干涉原理将薄膜厚度差转换为光程差，以精密位移平台为扫描机构实现薄膜厚度的逐行扫描测量。测量系统在恒温实验条件下20 min内的漂移不超过8 nm，测量结果平均差小于1 nm，通过与椭圆偏振仪的测量结果比较，测量差值为12.97 nm，表明了该方法的可行性。     

Development of The Liquid Refractometer Using Optical Fiber Detection

This article presents a new technique of optical heterodyne interferometry to measure the refractive index of some unknown liquid. It's based on total-internal-reflection heterodyne interferometry and the uses of fiber sensor technology.     

Measurement of group-velocity dispersion of Bloch modes in photonic-crystal-fiber rocking filters

We use low-coherence interferometry to measure the group-velocity dispersion (GVD) of the fast and slow Bloch modes of structural rocking filters, produced by twisting a highly birefringent photonic crystal fiber to and fro while scanning a focused CO(2) laser beam along it. The GVD curves in the vicinity of the resonant wavelength differ dramatically from those of the unperturbed fiber, suggesting that rocking filters could be used in the optimization of, e.g., four-wave mixing and supercontinuum generation. Excellent agreement is obtained between theory and experiment.     

Self-referenced method for optical path difference calibration in low-coherence interferometry

A simple method for the calibration of optical path difference modulation in low-coherence interferometry is presented. Spectrally filtering a part of the detected interference signal results in a high-coherence signal that encodes the scan imperfections and permits their correction. The method is self-referenced in the sense that no secondary high-coherence light source is necessary. Using a spectrometer setup for spectral filtering allows for flexibility in both the choice of calibration wavelength and the maximum scan range. To demonstrate the method's usefulness, it is combined with a recently published digital spectral shaping technique to measure the thickness of a pellicle beam splitter with a white-light source.     

Scanning monochromatic spatial low-coherence interferometer

A scanning spatial low-coherence interferometer (S-LCI), using an off-axis converging single wavelength laser beam as the probe, resembles a conventional or temporal low-coherence interferometer (T-LCI) in signal formation and data processing. However, the S-LCI is advantageous over a T-LCI with the combination of angle resolving and depth discrimination capabilities. The S-LCI is demonstrated by measuring the angle dependent phase shifts among the multiple reflections of a glass plate, with incident angles accurately scaled in the Fourier domain. The refractive index and geometric thickness of the glass plate are simultaneously produced in this one-step measurement.     

Quantitative amplitude and phase measurement by use of a heterodyne scanning near-field optical microscope

A coherent photon scanning tunneling microscope is presented. The setup employs heterodyne interferometry, allowing both the phase and the amplitude of the optical near field to be measured. Experimental results of measurements on a standing evanescent wave reveal the high resolution that is obtainable with such an approach. In fact we have measured the amplitude and the phase of the near field, with a resolution of 1.6 nm between sample points.