Contrast Of Interference Fringes Research Articles

Analysis and simulation of the effect of large optical range difference of common path coherent-dispersion spectrometer on the detection of exoplanet radial velocities

The Exoplanet Explorer common-path coherent-dispersion spectrometer (CODES) utilizes a unique combination of an asymmetric common path Sagnac interferometer and a low to medium resolution spectrometer. The ideal optical range difference (OPD) interval for CODES is OPD ∈ {15.06 mm, 19.45 mm}; however, the OPD of CODES is 64.3 mm to achieve better detection accuracy. Though they will increase the accuracy of detection, large OPDs outside of the ideal interval will also reduce the contrast of the interference fringes, making phase changes more hazy. This may also significantly affect the radial velocity inversion and reduce CODES's instrumental accuracy. This study creates an inverse tone mapping operator based on the photographic model and designs an inverse tone mapping algorithm called CODESCE. The outcomes of the experiments demonstrate that the tone mapping algorithm CODESCE in this work is appropriate for enhancing the contrast of interference fringe images with high OPD, and it can enhance the contrast of interference fringes by three orders of magnitude when OPD = 64.3 mm; the processed interference fringes are located in the range of interference fringe curves of the optimal OPD. By comparison with other current approaches, the suggested algorithm yields superior processing outcomes.

Analysis of Polarization Angle on Holographic Recording Based on PQ/PMMA.

The polarization state of light waves significantly affects the quality of holographic recordings. This paper quantitatively analyzes the impact of different polarization states of signal and reference beams on the quality of holographic recordings in PQ/PMMA photopolymer systems during the holography process. By deriving the light field distribution of the interference between two light waves of different polarization states and introducing the interference fringe contrast and the modulation of the refractive index of the photopolymer, we established the relationship between the diffraction efficiency of PQ/PMMA photopolymer holographic gratings and the angle between polarization directions. Based on this relationship, simulations and experiments were conducted. The experimental results demonstrated that as the angle between the polarization directions increased, the diffraction efficiency of the material decreased, with the efficiency dropping to 24.69% of its original value when the angle increased from 0° to 50°. When the angle increased to 60°, the influence of polarization characteristics became gradually significant, and at 90°, it was entirely dominated by polarization characteristics. The photoinduced birefringence properties of the PQ/PMMA prepared in the measurement experiment were studied, and the polarization characteristics of the reconstructed light under polarization direction angles of 0°, 60°, and 90° were investigated. The results indicated that at a polarization direction angle of 60 degrees, the material exhibited a significant response to the polarization information of the signal light. Finally, holographic recordings of objects at different polarization direction angles were conducted, and the reconstructed images were used to visually reflect the impact of the polarization direction angle on the quality of holographic recordings.

Compact multi-channel radio frequency pulse-sequence generator with fast-switching capability for cold-atom interferometers.

Cold-atom interferometers have matured into a powerful tool for fundamental physics research, and they are currently moving from realizations in the laboratory to applications in the field. A radio frequency (RF) generator is an indispensable component of these devices for controlling lasers and manipulating atoms. In this work, we developed a compact RF generator for fast switching and sweeping the frequencies and amplitudes of atomic-interference pulse sequences. In this generator, multi-channel RF signals are generated using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to control eight direct digital synthesizers (DDSs). We further propose and demonstrate a method for pre-loading the parameters of all the RF pulse sequences to the DDS registers before their execution, which eliminates the need for data transfer between the FPGA and DDSs to change RF signals. This sharply decreases the frequency-switching time when the pulse sequences are running. Performance characterization showed that the generated RF signals achieve a 100ns frequency-switching time and a 40 dB harmonic-rejection ratio. The generated RF pulse sequences were applied to a cold-atom-interferometer gyroscope, and the contrast of atomic interference fringes was found to reach 38%. This compact multi-channel generator with fast frequency/amplitude switching and/or sweeping capability will be beneficial for applications in field-portable atom interferometers.

Multi-functional dual-path self-aligned polarization interference lithography.

Manufacturing sharp features is one of the most desired requirements for lithography. Here, we demonstrate a dual-path self-aligned polarization interference lithography (Dp-SAP IL) for fabricating periodic nanostructures, featuring high-steepness and high-uniformization. Meanwhile, it can manufacture quasicrystals with adjustable rotation symmetry. We reveal the change of the non-orthogonality degree under different polarization states and incident angles. We find that incident light's transverse electric (TE) wave results in high interference contrast at arbitrary incident angles, with a minimum contrast of 0.9328, that is, realizing the self-alignment of the polarization state of incident light and reflected light. We experimentally demonstrate this approach by fabricating a series of diffraction gratings with periods ranging from 238.3 nm to 851.6 nm. The steepness of each grating is greater than 85 degrees. Different from the traditional interference lithography system, Dp-SAP IL realizes a structure color using two mutually perpendicular and non-interference paths. One path is for the photolithography of patterns onto the sample, and the other path is for generating nanostructures on the patterns. Our technique showcases the feasibility of obtaining high contrast interference fringes by simply tuning the polarization, with the potential for cost-effective manufacturing of nanostructures such as quasicrystals and structure color.

Ultrasensitive interferometers based on zigzag-shaped tapered optical microfibers operating at the dispersion turning point.

This work proposes and demonstrates a novel interferometric sensor based on a zigzag-shaped tapered optical microfiber (Z-OMF) working at the dispersion turning point (DTP). The Z-OMF can be fabricated in a controllable manner through a modified fiber tapering method. Our study shows that the bending taper can transfer a portion of the fundamental HE11 mode to higher-order modes, and when the bending angle of the Z-OMF reaches 1.61°, high contrast interference fringes can be formed between the HE11 and the HE21 modes. More importantly, we find that by optimizing the diameter of the OMF, the group effective refractive index (RI) difference between HE11 and HE21 mode equals zero, and the refractive index sensing performance can be dramatically improved. To validate our proposed sensing mechanism, we experimentally demonstrate an ultrahigh sensitivity of 1.46×105 ± 0.09×105 nm/RIU. The proposed Z-OMF interferometer has the advantage of high sensitivity and low cost and shows excellent potential in chemical and biological detection.

Inexpensive optical fiber Fabry–Perot microcavity with controllable length for sensitive temperature measurements

A simply fabricated, highly sensitive, and inexpensive optical fiber temperature sensor is reported with a Fabry–Perot (FP) microcavity of controlled length. The microcavity with controllable length is fabricated by single-mode fiber (SMF) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for temperature sensing. After the PDMS is cured, the SMF is connected to the supercontinuum light source (SCLS) and the optical spectrometer analyzer (OSA) for online observation of the reflection spectrum. The micro-displacement platform is used to pull the SMF to form an air cavity. After the air cavity is stabilized, ultraviolet (UV) activated glue is used for packaging outside the PDMS. The FP microcavity is formed by the end face of the SMF and the face of PDMS. The length of the FP microcavity can be controlled online by the micro-displacement platform to a minimum of 15 µm. The free spectral range (FSR) may reach 74.8 nm and the interference fringe contrast (IFC) is up to 19.8 dB to allow sensitive measurements across a wide temperature range. The experiments demonstrate a high temperature sensitivity of 5.388 nm/°C from 33 to 93 °C with high repeatability and linearity (R 2=0.9937). Stability experiments showed that the maximum changes in wavelength and intensity are only 45 pm and 0.035 dB, respectively. It is anticipated that the easily constructed, compact, and inexpensive fiber-optic temperature sensor will be employed in practical applications.

A method for improving quality of DSPI measurement

Digital speckle pattern interferometry (DSPI) has a wide variety of useful applications but suffers from speckle noise that cannot be easily removed using conventional filtering. We study a method by which the contrast of speckle interference fringes may be enhanced, thus improving the measurement quality of DSPI. The results demonstrate both improved the fringe contrast and an improvement in the quality of the speckle fringes by reduction of the speckle noise is. When combined with a phase-stepping algorithm, the quality of the DSPI measurement is significantly improved. Finally, the measurement results of deformation using contrast enhancement also show improvement when compared with conventional filtering.

A fiber optic temperature sensor based on interference fringe contrast demodulation

We propose and verify a fiber optic temperature sensor whose demodulation method is measuring the spectra contrast, which is quantified by the amplitude of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) of interference fringes within a certain small wavelength range. A section of polarization-maintaining fiber (PMF) is spliced in the sensing arm of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). Due to the birefringence of the PMF, a visible envelope is formed in the interference fringes. Within a certain range of optical frequency (i.e. wavelength), the change of birefringence caused by external temperature will drive the envelope drift, and the amplitude of interference fringe after fast Fourier transform will also change correspondingly. By measuring the change of amplitude, the purpose of demodulating external temperature can be realized. Experimental results show high sensitivity better than 2.1 dB/°Cwith a high accuracy of 0.00048 °C, comparing with the envelope drift measuring results 1.62 nm/°C with resolution of 0.012 °C. The resolution of this scheme is increased by two orders of magnitude compared with measuring the envelope drift. Moreover, merits of our sensor in terms of immune to phase shift of reference arm and the power fluctuation of light source benefit our practical application for such as electric power system monitoring.

Enhancing optical transmission of multilayer composites using interfacial nanostructures

We demonstrate the suppression of light reflections at solid-solid interfaces in multilayer thin and thick films using interfacial nanostructures. The embedded nanostructures have subwavelength features and function as a gradient-index medium to eliminate Fresnel losses induced by refractive index mismatch between dissimilar materials. Suppressing the interfacial reflection can reduce interference effects in thin films, and the transmittance measurement of a polymer on a silica substrate demonstrates a two-fold decrease in interference fringe contrast. A thick multilayer composite consisting of three fused silica and two polymer layers has also been fabricated and demonstrates the enhancement of optical transmission up to 30% at high incident angles. The effects of the interfacial structure geometry are examined by theoretical models based on rigorous coupled-wave analysis methods. The experimental results agree well with simulation models, which predicts that further improvements can be achieved using the optimized tapered profile. This work indicates that interfacial nanostructures can improve the broadband and wide-angle response of multilayers and can find applications in thin-film optics, optoelectronic devices, and composite windows.

Fourier transform plasmon resonance spectrometer using nanoslit-nanowire pair

In this paper, we present a nanoscale Fourier transform spectrometer using a plasmonic interferometer consisting of a tilt subwavelength slit-nanowire pair on a metallic surface fabricated by the focused ion beam microfabrication technique. The incident broadband light strongly couples with the surface plasmons on the gold surface, and thus, surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are generated. The launched SPPs interfere with the incident light and generate high contrast interference fringes in the nanoslit. The transmitted SPPs through the metal nanoslit can decouple into free space and are collected by an objective in the far field. The spectroscopic information of the incidence light is obtained by fast Fourier transform of the fringe pattern of the SPPs. In our design, there is no need for a bulky dispersive spectrometer or dispersive optical elements. The dimension of the spectrometer is around 200 μm length. Our design is based on inherent coherence of the SPP waves propagating through the subwavelength metal nanoslit structures etched into an opaque gold film.

Holographic optical element based digital holographic interferometer for the study of macro flames, micro flames and their temperature instability

In this communication, the measurement of flame temperature and flame temperature instability in macro, micro-sized flames using digital holographic interferometer based on volume phase holographic optical element is experimentally demonstrated. Volume phase holographic optical element (grating) recorded on dichromatic gelatine is used as a beam splitter to design digital holographic interferometer. Volume phase holographic grating will split the incoming light beam into zero, +1, −1 orders. The two beams (zero order and +1 order) can be made of equal intensities by slightly tilting the grating in the path of the beam. Volume phase holographic grating can be designed and fabricated to have high diffraction efficiency (≈90%) and remove stray light from the system reaching to the grating and will lower the coherent noise (speckle pattern). This will improve the contrast of interference fringes while recording the hologram and thus will provide better quality interferograms of temperature field. This type of system is expected to give more accurate measurements as noise due to the speckle pattern, and scattering will become almost negligible.

Piecewise Linear Weighted Iterative Algorithm for Beam Alignment in Scanning Beam Interference Lithography

To obtain a good interference fringe contrast and high fidelity, an automated beam iterative alignment is achieved in scanning beam interference lithography (SBIL). To solve the problem of alignment failure caused by a large beam angle (or position) overshoot exceeding the detector range while also speeding up the convergence, a weighted iterative algorithm using a weight parameter that is changed linearly piecewise is proposed. The changes in the beam angle and position deviation during the alignment process based on different iterative algorithms are compared by experiment and simulation. The results show that the proposed iterative algorithm can be used to suppress the beam angle (or position) overshoot, avoiding alignment failure caused by over-ranging. In addition, the convergence speed can be effectively increased. The algorithm proposed can optimize the beam alignment process in SBIL.

偏振态对干涉条纹对比度的影响

偏振态对干涉条纹对比度的影响

Competition effects of multiple quantum paths in an atom interferometer

We present an observation of competition effect among multiple quantum paths in a Raman-type Mach-Zehnder atom interferometer. By measuring the contrast of interference fringes, the competition effect among multiple interference paths is experimentally investigated. Due to the phase competition, the contrast periodically oscillates when modulating either the phase or the interrogation time between Raman pulses. The multiple quantum paths form because of the imperfect population transfer efficiency in stimulated Raman transitions, and are verified by modulating the duration of Raman pulses. The contrast could be optimized by suppressing the phase competition.

Inhibition and Enhancement of Quantized, Interference‐Driven, Ultrafast‐Laser Cleaving, and Intrafilm Ejection with Angle and Polarization Control

AbstractThe combination of optical interference and ultrafast laser interaction within microscale transparent films offers novel high resolution means for nonlinear confinement of dissipated energy to facilitate 3D nanostructuring. This approach relies on the formation of nanoscale (≈40 nm) plasma disks stacked on half‐wavelength spacings, λ/2nfilm (film refractive index, nfilm), opening directions for intrafilm cleaving and nanostructuring of free‐standing blisters or embedded nanocavities with controllable surface topography. Given a limited number of film‐substrate systems suitable for generating high contrast interference fringes, this paper introduces angle and polarization control to manipulate fringe visibility in SiOx thin‐films (1 µm thickness) with silicon substrates. An enhancement or diminishment of quantized intrafilm processing is definitively demonstrated according to s‐ and p‐polarization states, respectively. Modeling of Gaussian beam walk‐off effects further explores film interference in tight focusing limits, predicting new asymmetry that manipulates intrafilm cleaving morphology. This research opens a path to quantized structuring of previously unsuitable low‐contrast thin‐film systems, while improving the design and control over novel surface and intrafilm morphologies. The development of intrafilm structuring in SiOx thin‐films is relevant to lab‐in‐film opportunities for assessing cell or subcellular species in CMOS‐compatible microelectronics and improving functionality of LED, lab‐on‐a‐chip and MEMS devices.

Weighted iterative algorithm for beam alignment in scanning beam interference lithography.

To obtain low phase errors and good interference fringe contrast, an automated beam alignment system is used in scanning beam interference lithography. In the original iterative algorithm, if the initial beam deviation is large or the optical parameters are inappropriate, the beam angle (or position) overshoot may exceed the detector's range. To solve this problem, a weighted iterative algorithm is proposed in which the beam angle and position overshoots can be suppressed by adjusting the weighting coefficients. The original iterative algorithm is introduced. The weighted iterative algorithm is then presented and its convergence is analyzed. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed weighted iterative algorithm can reduce the beam angle and position overshoots at the expense of convergence speed, avoiding the alignment failure caused by exceeding the detector's range. Besides, the original and weighted iterative algorithms can be combined to optimize the iteration.

Off-axis electron holography of bacterial cells and magnetic nanoparticles in liquid.

The mapping of electrostatic potentials and magnetic fields in liquids using electron holography has been considered to be unrealistic. Here, we show that hydrated cells of Magnetospirillum magneticum strain AMB-1 and assemblies of magnetic nanoparticles can be studied using off-axis electron holography in a fluid cell specimen holder within the transmission electron microscope. Considering that the holographic object and reference wave both pass through liquid, the recorded electron holograms show sufficient interference fringe contrast to permit reconstruction of the phase shift of the electron wave and mapping of the magnetic induction from bacterial magnetite nanocrystals. We assess the challenges of performing in situ magnetization reversal experiments using a fluid cell specimen holder, discuss approaches for improving spatial resolution and specimen stability, and outline future perspectives for studying scientific phenomena, ranging from interparticle interactions in liquids and electrical double layers at solid-liquid interfaces to biomineralization and the mapping of electrostatic potentials associated with protein aggregation and folding.

Optimal polarization modulation for orthogonal two-axis Lloyd's mirror interference lithography.

Polarization control is of vital importance in two-axis Lloyd's mirror interference lithography to achieve the preferred interference fringes. In this work, we first establish a three-dimensional polarization ray-tracing model to trace the evolution of polarization states of incident beams through the corner-cube-like interferometer unit of an orthogonal two-axis Lloyd's mirror interferometer. With the established model, we then derive the optimal combination of initial polarization directions of the incident beams according to the orthogonality of polarization states and the contrast of interference fringes. The comparison between the simulated and experimental interference fringes obtained under different combinations of initial polarization states of incident beams verify the feasibility of the established model and the achieved optimal polarization modulation.

Optimal Design of an Hourglass in-Fiber Air Fabry-Perot Microcavity-Towards Spectral Characteristics and Strain Sensing Technology.

An hourglass in-fiber air microcavity Fabry-Perot interferometer is proposed in this paper, and its second reflecting surface of in-fiber microcavity is designed to be a concave reflector with the best curvature radius in order to improve the spectral characteristics. Experimental results proved that the extinction ratio of Fabry-Perot interferometer with cavity length of 60 μm and concave reflector radius of 60 μm is higher than for a rectangular Fabry-Perot interferometer with cavity length of 60 μm (14 dB: 11 dB). Theory and numerical simulation results show that the strain sensitivity of sensor can be improved by reducing the microcavity wall thickness and microcavity diameter, and when the in-fiber microcavity length is 40 μm, the microcavity wall thickness is 10 μm, the microcavity diameter is 20 μm, and the curvature radius of reflective surface II is 50 μm, the interference fringe contrast of is greater than 0.97, an Axial-pull sensitivity of 20.46 nm/N and resolution of 1 mN can be achieved in the range of 0–1 N axial tension. The results show that the performance of hourglass in-fiber microcavity interferometer is far superior to that of the traditional Fabry-Perot interferometer.

Co-focus experiment of segmented mirror**Project supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China.

In this paper, an active optics and co-focus experimental system of segmented mirror is built. Firstly, a support structure of segmented mirror is designed and it is verified by simulation to meet the requirement for the experimental system of segmented mirror. In this system, the large de-focus and tilt/tip errors of the segmented mirror are adjusted by observing the density and contrast of interference fringes based on isoclinic interference theory until the defocus and tilt/tip errors are in the detective range of the Shack–Hartmann. Then, the Shack–Hartmann is used to measure them and they are adjusted by actuators. The actuators are controlled by active optics to realize the closed-loop adjustment and maintenance for fine co-focus of segmented mirror. And the interference fringes are utilized to verify the detective precision of Shack–Hartmann. After the co-focus fine-tuning of the segmented mirror, the tilt/tip residual surface error is better than RMS; the defocus residual surface error is better than RMS.