Abstract
We present numerical simulations of multielectrode electrowetting devices used in a novel optical design to correct wavefront aberration. Our optical system consists of two multielectrode devices, preceded by a single fixed lens. The multielectrode elements function as adaptive optical devices that can be used to correct aberrations inherent in many imaging setups, biological samples, and the atmosphere. We are able to accurately simulate the liquid-liquid interface shape using computational fluid dynamics. Ray tracing analysis of these surfaces shows clear evidence of aberration correction. To demonstrate the strength of our design, we studied three different input aberrations mixtures that include astigmatism, coma, trefoil, and additional higher order aberration terms, with amplitudes as large as one wave at 633 nm.
Highlights
Wavefront aberration is one of the major challenges for many optical systems
We present numerical simulations of multielectrode electrowetting devices used in a novel optical design to correct wavefront aberration
Our optical system consists of two multielectrode devices, preceded by a single fixed lens
Summary
Wavefront aberration is one of the major challenges for many optical systems. Aberrations can be caused by optical elements in the system, as well as by samples or the atmosphere. Other areas that stand to benefit from aberration correction include laser ablation of tissue for laser surgery [5], retinal imaging in visual optics [6] and astronomy, where atmospheric turbulence can be problematic [7] For both microscopy and astronomy, aberration correction can be performed directly by wavefront sensing, or indirectly, by optimizing the return signal [8,9,10]. An attractive alternative is offered by adaptive optical elements based on the electrowetting principle [18,19,20] This allows the control of the shape of a liquid droplet or a liquid-liquid interface on a dielectric surface through an applied voltage. Extending device design to multiple electrodes enables generation of a custom surface shape at the liquid-liquid interface [29, 30] These devices can be used to correct both on- and off-axis aberrations in an optical system. The results of correcting three different input aberration examples (including astigmatism, coma, trefoil, and higher order aberration terms) are discussed in detail and show large improvement in point-spread function and Strehl ratio, compared with the uncorrected cases
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