Search results for "Physics::Optics"
showing 10 items of 1958 documents
High-contrast white-light Lau fringes
2004
We present a new optical assembly with which to achieve Lau fringes with totally incoherent illumination. Gratinglike codification of the spatially incoherent source combined with an achromatic Fresnel diffraction setup allows us to achieve Lau fringe-pattern visibility of almost 100% with broadband light. The white-light character to our proposed setup is in stark contrast to previous monochromatic implementations. Potential implications of this fact are identified.
Undergraduate experiment with fractal diffraction gratings
2011
We present a simple diffraction experiment with fractal gratings based on the triadic Cantor set. Diffraction by fractals is proposed as a motivating strategy for students of optics in the potential applications of optical processing. Fraunhofer diffraction patterns are obtained using standard equipment present in most undergraduate physics laboratories and compared with those obtained with conventional periodic gratings. It is shown that fractal gratings produce self-similar diffraction patterns which can be evaluated analytically. Good agreement is obtained between experimental and numerical results. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd.
Surface plasmon assisted thermal coupling of multiple photon energies
2006
A novel optical effect can be observed in a thin gold foil due to the excitation of surface plasmons which permits a form of all-optical modulation at low pulse rates. Modulated excitation of surface plasmons by infrared photons is shown to couple to several beams at visible-photon energies. The coupling is manifested by the observation of the visible photons being pulsed by the action of the infrared pulses, and by the far field diffraction of the visible beams into concentric rings. When each visible beam also excites surface plasmons, then a quadratic dependence of the visible photon power upon the infrared incident power is measured. The decay of surface plasmons is implicated as the pr…
Operational modes of a ferroelectric LCoS modulator for displaying binary polarization, amplitude, and phase diffraction gratings
2009
We analyze the performance of a ferroelectric liquid crystal on silicon display (FLCoS) as a binary polarization diffraction grating. We analyze the correspondence between the two polarization states emerging from the displayed grating and the polarization and intensity of the diffracted orders generated at the Fourier diffraction plane. This polarization-diffraction analysis leads, in a simple manner, to configurations yielding binary amplitude or binary phase modulation by incorporating an analyzer on the reflected beam. Based on this analysis, we present two useful variations of the polarization configuration. The first is a simplification using a single polarizer, which provides equival…
Dispersion Compensation in Holograms Reconstructed by Femtosecond Light Pulses
2014
This chapter describes how the spatiotemporal dispersion associated with the diffraction of broadband femtosecond light pulses through computer generated holograms (CGHs) can be compensated to a first order with a properly designed dispersion compensation module (DCM). The angular dispersion of the beam associated to CGHs leads to both spatial and temporal distortion of the pulse. Some experiments in one-shot second harmonic generation, wide-field two-photon microscopy, and parallel micromachining are shown to study the quality of the compensation performed with the DCM.
Superresolved Holographic Microscopy
2008
Superresolution methods in digital holographic microscopy provide a useful tool to overcome the Abbe's diffraction limit when using modest microscope lenses. The process improves the cutoff frequency of the microscope lens by means of the generation of a synthetic aperture based on time multiplexing and using 3 main stages: optical coding, optical decoding, and digital postprocessing. After the whole process, a superresolved image is obtained by Fourier transformation of the synthetic aperture.
Wideband THz time domain spectroscopy based on optical rectification and electro-optic sampling
2013
We present an analytical model describing the full electromagnetic propagation in a THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) system, from the THz pulses via Optical Rectification to the detection via Electro Optic-Sampling. While several investigations deal singularly with the many elements that constitute a THz-TDS, in our work we pay particular attention to the modelling of the time-frequency behaviour of all the stages which compose the experimental set-up. Therefore, our model considers the following main aspects: (i) pump beam focusing into the generation crystal; (ii) phase-matching inside both the generation and detection crystals; (iii) chromatic dispersion and absorption inside the c…
Multiplexing THz Vortex Beams With a Single Diffractive 3-D Printed Lens
2019
[EN] We present a novel method for experimentally generating multiplexed THz vortex beams by using a single three-dimensional printed element that combines a set of radially distributed spiral phase plates, and a binary focusing Fresnel lens. With this element, we have experimentally demonstrated that THz multiplexing can be tailored to fit within a small space on an optical bench. Results are presented beside numerical simulations, demonstrating the robust nature of the experimental method.
Highly angular resolving beam separator based on total internal reflection
2019
We present an optical element for the separation of superimposed beams that only differ in angle. The beams are angularly resolved and separated by total internal reflection at an air gap between two prisms. As a showcase application, we demonstrate the separation of superimposed beams of different diffraction orders directly behind acousto-optic modulators for an operating wavelength of 800 nm. The wavelength as well as the component size can easily be adapted to meet the requirements of a wide variety of applications. The presented optical element allows one to reduce the lengths of beam paths and thus to decrease laser system size and complexity.
Determinant role of the edges in defining surface plasmon propagation in stripe waveguides and tapered concentrators
2012
International audience; In this paper, we experimentally show the effect of waveguide discontinuity on the propagation of the surface plasmon in metal stripes and tapered terminations. Dual-plane leakage microscopy and near-field microscopy were performed on Au stripes with varied widths to imag29e the surface plasmon intensity distribution in real and reciprocal spaces. We unambiguously demonstrate that edge diffraction is the limiting process determining the cutoff conditions of the surface plasmon mode. Finally, we determine the optimal tapered geometry leading to the highest transmission.