Search results for "adaptive optics"
showing 10 items of 37 documents
iLocater: a diffraction-limited Doppler spectrometer for the Large Binocular Telescope
2016
We are developing a stable and precise spectrograph for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) named "iLocater." The instrument comprises three principal components: a cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph that operates in the YJ-bands (0.97-1.30 microns), a fiber-injection acquisition camera system, and a wavelength calibration unit. iLocater will deliver high spectral resolution (R~150,000-240,000) measurements that permit novel studies of stellar and substellar objects in the solar neighborhood including extrasolar planets. Unlike previous planet-finding instruments, which are seeing-limited, iLocater operates at the diffraction limit and uses single mode fibers to eliminate the effects of m…
Advanced fluorescence microscopy for in vivo imaging of neuronal activity
2019
Brain function emerges from the coordinated activity, over time, of large neuronal populations placed in different brain regions. Understanding the relationships of these specific areas and disentangling the contributions of individual neurons to overall function remain central goals for neuroscience. In this scenario, fluorescence microscopy has been proved as the tool of choice for in vivo recording of brain activity. Optical advances combined with genetically encoded indicators allow a large flexibility in terms of spatiotemporal resolution and field of view while keeping invasiveness in living animals to a minimum. Here we describe the latest advancements in the field of linear and nonl…
Reduction of the spherical aberration effect in high-numerical-aperture optical scanning instruments.
2006
In modern high-numerical-aperture (NA) optical scanning instruments, such as scanning microscopes, optical data storage systems, or laser trapping technology, the beam emerging from the high-NA objective focuses deeply through an interface between two media of different refractive index. Such a refractive index mismatch introduces an important amount of spherical aberration, which increases dynamically when scanning at increasing depths. This effect strongly degrades the instrument performance. Although in the past few years many different techniques have been reported to reduce the spherical aberration effect, no optimum solution has been found. Here we concentrate on a technique whose mai…
In Depth Flow Inspection based on Spatial Analysis of Dynamic Laser Speckle
2018
A novel optical approach based on statistical analysis of spatial laser speckle pattern for tissue in-depth flow characteristics is presented. Properties such as flow orientation and speed can be estimated. In-vitro experimental results are demonstrated.
Effect of even and odd-order aberrations on the accommodation response
2017
Aim To investigate the potential effect that odd and even-order monochromatic aberrations may have on the accommodation response of the human eye. Methods Eight healthy subjects with astigmatism below 1 D, best corrected visual acuity 20/20 or better and normal findings in an ophthalmic examination were enrolled. An adaptive optics system was used in order to measure the accommodation response of the subjects' eyes under different conditions: with the natural aberrations being present, and with the odd and even-order aberrations being corrected. Three measurements of accommodation response were monocularly acquired at accommodation demands ranging from 0 to 4 D (0.5 D step). Results The acc…
Ultracompact and Low-Power Plasmonic MZI Switch Using Cyclomer Loading
2015
We present a $2\times 2$ hybrid silicon-plasmonic thermooptic (TO) asymmetric Mach–Zehnder interferometric (MZI) switch having only 40- $\mu \text{m}$ long active cyclomer-loaded plasmonic phase arms. It requires less than 12 mW of power and has 2/5- $\mu \text{s}$ ON/OFF-times, respectively, a modulation depth higher than 90% and a 13.2-dB extinction ratio. Data traffic evaluation has been carried out using 10-Gb/s nonreturn-to-zero streams, yielding error-free operation at both switching states with power penalties ranging between 1 to 4.8 dB. The use of the cyclomer loading having a higher TO coefficient than polymethyl methacrylate has resulted to the smallest footprint among plasmonic …
A/V ratio as predicted by full width at half maximum and by blood vessel tracking in presence of ocular aberrations
2011
Aberrations impact A/V ratio calculated from full width at half maximum. We investigated whether aberrations affect A/V ratio calculated by tracking the vessels. Aberrations changed the A/V ratio. We conclude that aberrations impact A/V ratio.
On-Sky Tests of a High-Power Pulsed Laser for Sodium Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics
2016
We present results of on-sky tests performed in the summer of 2013 to characterize the performance of a prototype high-power pulsed laser for adaptive optics. The laser operates at a pulse repetition rate (PRR) of 600–800[Formula: see text]Hz, with a 6% duty cycle. Its coupling efficiency was found to be, in the best test case (using 18[Formula: see text]W of transmitted power), [Formula: see text] photons s[Formula: see text] sr[Formula: see text] atom[Formula: see text] W[Formula: see text] m2 when circular polarization was employed and [Formula: see text] photons s[Formula: see text] sr[Formula: see text] atom[Formula: see text] W[Formula: see text] m2 with linear polarization. No impro…
Adaptive Kerr-Assisted Transverse Mode Selection in Multimode Fibers
2019
Multimode optical fibers (MMFs) have recently regained interest because of the degrees of freedom associated with their different eigenmodes. In the nonlinear propagation regime in particular, new phenomena have been unveiled in graded-index (GRIN) MMFs such as geometric parametric instabilities and Kerr beam self-cleaning [1, 2]. The speckled pattern observed at the output of the MMF at low powers, is transformed at high powers into a bell-shaped beam close to the fundamental mode. Recent work has also demonstrated that Kerr beam self-cleaning can lead to a low-order spatial mode, different from a bell-shape, by adjusting the laser beam in-coupling conditions [3]. An attractive way to syst…
Sodium vapor cell laser guide star experiments for continuous wave model validation
2016
Recent numerical simulations and experiments on sodium Laser Guide Star (LGS) have shown that a continuous wave (CW) laser with circular polarization and re-pumping should maximize the fluorescent photon return flux to the wavefront sensor for adaptive optics applications. The orientation and strength of the geomagnetic field in the sodium layer also play an important role affecting the LGS return ux. Field measurements of the LGS return flux show agreement with the CW LGS model, however, fluctuations in the sodium column abundance and geomagnetic field intensity, as well as atmospheric turbulence, induce experimental uncertainties. We describe a laboratory experiment to measure the photon …