Lenslet Array Research Articles

Alternative pyramid wavefront sensors

The feasibility of a lenslet-based pyramid wavefront sensor (L-PWFS) and a double roof prism-based PWFS (DR-PWFS) as alternatives to a classical PWFS are investigated in this work. Traditional PWFSs require shallow angles and strict apex tolerances, making them difficult to manufacture. Lenslet arrays and roof prisms, on the other hand, are both common optical components that can be used as a PWFS. Characterizing these alternative pyramids and understanding how they differ from a traditional pyramid will allow the PWFS to become more widely used. The sensitivity of the SUSS microOptics 300-4.7 array and two ios Optics roof prisms are compared with a double PWFS (D-PWFS), as well as the simulated performance of an idealized PWFS for varying amounts of modulation and induced wavefront error. In response to low-order Zernike modes, the L-PWFS shows much lower performance and quicker saturation for large amounts of wavefront errors. The DR-PWFS, on the other hand, performs as well as the D-PWFS for the tests conducted. We conclude from this that the DR-PWFS does provide a feasible alternative to the classical pyramid in a range of applications.

Lenslet array tunable snapshot imaging spectrometer (LATIS) for hyperspectral fluorescence microscopy.

Snapshot hyperspectral imaging augments pixel dwell time and acquisition speeds over existing scanning systems, making it a powerful tool for fluorescence microscopy. While most snapshot systems contain fixed datacube parameters (x,y,λ), our novel snapshot system, called the lenslet array tunable snapshot imaging spectrometer (LATIS), demonstrates tuning its average spectral resolution from 22.66 nm (80x80x22) to 13.94 nm (88x88x46) over 485 to 660 nm. We also describe a fixed LATIS with a datacube of 200x200x27 for larger field-of-view (FOV) imaging. We report <1 sec exposure times and high resolution fluorescence imaging with minimal artifacts.

Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor with the precorrected holographic lenslet array

The method of the dynamic range expansion of the Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor is discussed. It is based on the use of nonlinear dual focus holographic lenslet arrays with the aberration precompensation. The data concerning the optical setup and the technique of adaptive lenslet array producing based on nonlinear holographic recording phenomenon are represented. On the example of spherical wavefronts it is shown, that the use of three lenslet arrays with different amount of the aberration precompensation allows expanding approximately in five times the dynamic range of the sensor four times greater with preserving the specified sensitivity in comparison with the corresponding refractive lenslet array.

Design and evaluation of laser spot illuminator for a laser projection engine design

An easily implementable illumination optical element enabling collection and redirection of multiple precollimated laser beams to be used as a laser spot illuminator (LSI) is proposed. Unlike the lenses, this element is free from any aberration and focusing/defocusing effects which may arise due to curved surfaces. The nonfocusing nature of beams reduces risk of the thermal instability at the target spot if compared with focused beam, especially for high brightness applications where multiple laser beams are used. Further, the illuminating spot is more uniform and pupil filling is higher which can help in the reduction of speckle contrast for imaging applications. In this research, we present two designs of LSI named biprism and sleek design, suitable for conventional grinding-polishing and molding methods of fabrication, respectively. It is shown that the proposed spot illuminator is suitable for conversion of lamp/LED-based projection engine design into a laser projector engine without any modification in its relay and imaging optics. Display performance parameters such as efficiency and uniformity across the modulator plane are reported and found acceptable for the projection engine designs using light tunnels as well as lenslet arrays for homogenization. Further, a prototype of a biprism laser illuminator for 2×4 laser arrays has been fabricated and evaluated to demonstrate its manufacturability.

Lens gratings for dose optimization of medical X-ray phase contrast imaging.

A novel way to build arrays of X-ray lenslets is proposed for use in medical imaging, in particular for X-ray phase contrast imaging. Focusing on Talbot-Lau interferometers, this work is about patient dose reduction, especially for design energies above 50 keV. A low dose poses a fabrication problem, because it requires an analyzer grating which is both fine and high: It has to be fine for a good angular sensitivity. It has to be high to absorb well. However, gratings can currently be built either fine or high. The proposed solution is to use a fine novel lens grating in front of a high analyzer grating: The lens grating uses lenslets to combine fine fringes into wider strips. This coarser pattern is then analyzed by a high grating. Regular binary production processes are sufficient to build lens gratings. Simulation-based results show that lens gratings can save dose with no impact on reconstructed images.

High-resolution confocal Raman microscopy using pixel reassignment.

We present a practical modification of fiber-coupled confocal Raman scanning microscopes that is able to provide high confocal resolution in conjunction with high light collection efficiency. For this purpose, the single detection fiber is replaced by a hexagonal lenslet array in combination with a hexagonally packed round-to-linear multimode fiber bundle. A multiline detector is used to collect individual Raman spectra for each fiber. Data post-processing based on pixel reassignment allows one to improve the lateral resolution by up to 41% compared to a single fiber of equal light collection efficiency. We present results from an experimental implementation featuring seven collection fibers, yielding a resolution improvement of about 30%. We believe that our implementation represents an attractive upgrade for existing confocal Raman microscopes that employ multi-line detectors.

상관관계를 활용한 집적 영상의 깊이 추출 방법

In this paper, we present a depth extraction method of integral imaging using correlation between elemental images with phase only filter. Integral imaging is a passive three-dimensional (3D) imaging system records ray information of 3D objects through lenslet array by 2D image sensor, and displays 3D images by using the similar lenslet array. 2D images by lenslet array have different perspectives. These images are referred to as elemental images. Since the correlation can be calculated between elemental images, the depth information of 3D objects can be extracted. To obtain high correaltion between elemental images effectively, in this paper, we use phase only filter. Using this high correlation, the corresponding pixels between elemental images can be found so that depth information can be extracted by computational reconstruction technique. In this paper, to prove our method, we carry out optical experiment and calculate Peak Sidelobe Ratio (PSR) as a correlation metric.

Incoherent wavefront reconstruction by a retroemission device containing a thin fluorescent film: theory.

A retroemission device (REM) is an incoherent holographic device that represents a lenslet array situated on a substrate containing fluorescent material. Each lenslet focuses each wavelet of an optical wavefront incident on the REM device into a diffraction-limited volume (voxel) in the fluorescent material, so that the voxel coordinates encode the angle of incidence and curvature of the wavelet. The back-propagating fraction of the excited fluorescence is collected by the lenslet and quasi-collimated into a back-propagating wavelet. All wavelets are combined to reconstruct the incident wavefront propagating in the backward direction. We present a theoretical model of REM based on Fresnel-Kirchhoff approximation describing the reconstructed 3D image characteristics versus the thickness of the fluorescence film at the focal plane of the lenslets. Results of the computer simulations of the REM-based images of a point source, two axially separated point sources and an extended object (a circular rim) situated in the sagittal plane are presented. These results speak in favor of using a fluorescence film of minimum diffraction-limited thickness at the lenslet back focal plane. This REM structure minimizes the fluorescence background and improves the 3D imaging resolution in virtue of the exclusion of out-of-voxel fluorescence contributions to the reconstructed wavefront.

Resolution Enhanced Computational Integral Imaging Reconstruction by Using Boundary Folding Mirrors

In this paper, we present a resolution-enhanced computational integral imaging reconstruction method by using boundary folding mirrors. In the proposed method, to improve the resolution of the computationally reconstructed 3D images, the direct and reflected light information of the 3D objects through a lenslet array with boundary folding mirrors is recorded as a combined elemental image array. Then, the ray tracing method is employed to synthesize the regular elemental image array by using a combined elemental image array. From the experimental results, we can verify that the proposed method can improve the visual quality of the computationally reconstructed 3D images.

SU‐G‐IeP4‐09: Method of Human Eye Aberration Measurement Using Plenoptic Camera Over Large Field of View

Purpose:The measurement based on Shack‐Hartmann wave‐front sensor(WFS), obtaining both the high and low order wave‐front aberrations simultaneously and accurately, has been applied in the detection of human eyes aberration in recent years. However, Its application is limited by the small field of view (FOV), slight eye movement leads the optical bacon image exceeds the lenslet array which result in uncertain detection error. To overcome difficulties of precise eye location, the capacity of detecting eye wave‐front aberration over FOV much larger than simply a single conjugate Hartmann WFS accurately and simultaneously is demanded.Methods:Plenoptic camera's lenslet array subdivides the aperture light‐field in spatial frequency domain, capture the 4‐D light‐field information. Data recorded by plenoptic cameras can be used to extract the wave‐front phases associated to the eyes aberration. The corresponding theoretical model and simulation system is built up in this article to discuss wave‐front measurement performance when utilizing plenoptic camera as wave‐front sensor.Results:The simulation results indicate that the plenoptic wave‐front method can obtain both the high and low order eyes wave‐front aberration with the same accuracy as conventional system in single visual angle detectionand over FOV much larger than simply a single conjugate Hartmann systems. Meanwhile, simulation results show that detection of eye aberrations wave‐front in different visual angle can be achieved effectively and simultaneously by plenoptic method, by both point and extended optical beacon from the eye.Conclusion:Plenoptic wave‐front method possesses the feasibility in eye aberrations wave‐front detection. With larger FOV, the method can effectively reduce the detection error brought by imprecise eye location and simplify the eye aberrations wave‐front detection system comparing with which based on Shack‐Hartmann WFS. Unique advantage of the plenoptic method lies in obtaining wave‐front in different visual angle simultaneously, which provides an approach in building up 3‐D model of eye refractor tomographically.Funded by the key Laboratory of High Power Laser and Physics, CAS Research Project of National University of Defense Technology No. JC13‐07‐01; National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 61205144

Large-scale, white-light, transformation optics using integral imaging

We describe a way to realise transformation-optical devices from structures of micro-structured sheets called generalised confocal lenslet arrays. The resulting devices should work for all visible light, and they should be relatively easy and cheap to (mass-)produce on the scale of metres, but they suffer from field-of-view limitations and significant transmission loss. Furthermore, the mapping between electromagnetic space and physical space is not through stigmatic imaging, but integral imaging. As an example application of this technology, we design and simulate an architectural window that cloaks insulation material with the aim of reducing heat loss.

Three-Dimensional Automatic Target Recognition System Based on Optical Integral Imaging Reconstruction

In this paper, we present a three-dimensional (3-D) automatic target recognition system based on optical integral imaging reconstruction. In integral imaging, elemental images of the reference and target 3-D objects are obtained through a lenslet array or a camera array. Then, reconstructed 3-D images at various reconstruction depths can be optically generated on the output plane by back-projecting these elemental images onto a display panel. 3-D automatic target recognition can be implemented using computational integral imaging reconstruction and digital nonlinear correlation filters. However, these methods require non-trivial computation time for reconstruction and recognition. Instead, we implement 3-D automatic target recognition using optical cross-correlation between the reconstructed 3-D reference and target images at the same reconstruction depth. Our method depends on an all-optical structure to realize a real-time 3-D automatic target recognition system. In addition, we use a nonlinear correlation filter to improve recognition performance. To prove our proposed method, we carry out the optical experiments and report recognition results.

Zonal wavefront sensing using a grating array printed on a polyester film.

In this paper, we describe the development of a zonal wavefront sensor that comprises an array of binary diffraction gratings realized on a transparent sheet (i.e., polyester film) followed by a focusing lens and a camera. The sensor works in a manner similar to that of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. The fabrication of the array of gratings is immune to certain issues associated with the fabrication of the lenslet array which is commonly used in zonal wavefront sensing. Besides the sensing method offers several important advantages such as flexible dynamic range, easy configurability, and option to enhance the sensing frame rate. Here, we have demonstrated the working of the proposed sensor using a proof-of-principle experimental arrangement.

Synthetic Aperture Integral Imaging Display With Moving Array Lenslet Technique

We propose a method to improve the visual resolution of integral imaging by synchronously moving both a lenslet array and a display device to overcome the limited sampling rate using a stationary lenslet array. Compared to the previous moving array lenslet technique approach, the proposed approach can achieve more accurate sub-pixel movements. Experimental 3D reconstruction results using a non-stationary smart phone are presented to show the visual resolution improvement for the proposed integral imaging 3D display.

High-speed multifocal array scanning using refractive window tilting.

Confocal microscopy has several advantages over wide-field microscopy, such as out-of-focus light suppression, 3D sectioning, and compatibility with specialized detectors. While wide-field microscopy is a faster approach, multiplexed confocal schemes can be used to make confocal microscopy more suitable for high-throughput applications, such as high-content screening (HCS) commonly used in drug discovery. An increasingly powerful modality in HCS is fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), which can be used to measure protein-protein interactions through Förster resonant energy transfer (FRET). FLIM-FRET for HCS combines the requirements of high throughput, high resolution and specialized time-resolving detectors, making it difficult to implement using wide-field and spinning disk confocal approaches. We developed a novel foci array scan method that can achieve uniform multiplex confocal acquisition using stationary lenslet arrays for high resolution and high throughput FLIM. Unlike traditional mirror galvanometers, which work in Fourier space between scan lenses, this scan method uses optical flats to steer a 2-dimension foci array through refraction. After integrating this scanning scheme in a multiplexing confocal FLIM system, we demonstrate it offers clear benefits over traditional mirror galvanometer scanners in scan linearity, uniformity, cost and complexity.

Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy and Energy-Resolving Detectors

Imaging spectroscopy has seen rapid progress over the past 25 years, leading to breakthroughs in many fields of astronomy that would not have been otherwise possible. This review overviews the visible/infrared imaging spectroscopy techniques as well as energy-resolving detectors. We introduce the working principle of scanning Fabry-Perot and Fourier transform spectrometers and explain the most common integral field concepts based on mirror slicers, lenslet arrays, and fibers. The main advantage of integral field spectrographs is the simultaneous measurement of spatial and spectral information. Although Fabry-Perot and Fourier transform spectrometers can provide a larger field of view, it is ultimately the higher sensitivity of integral field units that make them the technique of choice. This is arguably the case for image slicers, which make the most efficient use of the available detector pixels and have equal or higher transmission than lenslet arrays and fiber integral field units, respectively. We also address the more specific issues of large étendue operation, focal ratio degradation, anamorphic magnification, and diffraction-limited operation. This review also covers the emerging technology of energy-resolving detectors, which promise very simple and efficient instrument designs. These energy-resolving detectors are based on superconducting thin film technology and exploit either the very small superconducting energy to count the number of quasi-particles excited in the absorption of the photon or the extremely steep phase transition between the normal- and superconducting phase to measure a temperature increase. We have put special emphasis on an overview of the underlying physical phenomena as well as on the recent technological progress and astronomical path finder experiments.

Construction of an instant structured illumination microscope

A challenge in biological imaging is to capture high-resolution images at fast frame rates in live cells. The “instant structured illumination microscope” (iSIM) is a system designed for this purpose. Similarly to standard structured illumination microscopy (SIM), an iSIM provides a twofold improvement over widefield microscopy, in x, y and z, but also allows much faster image acquisition, with real-time display of super-resolution images.The assembly of an iSIM is reasonably complex, involving the combination and alignment of many optical components, including three micro-optics arrays (two lenslet arrays and an array of pinholes, all with a pitch of 222μm) and a double-sided scanning mirror. In addition, a number of electronic components must be correctly controlled. Construction of the system is therefore not trivial, but is highly desirable, particularly for live-cell imaging.We report, and provide instructions for, the construction of an iSIM, including minor modifications to a previous design in both hardware and software. The final instrument allows us to rapidly acquire fluorescence images at rates faster than 100fps, with approximately twofold improvement in resolution in both x–y and z; sub-diffractive biological features have an apparent size (full width at half maximum) of 145nm (lateral) and 320nm (axial), using a 1.49 NA objective and 488nm excitation.

Fast computational integral imaging reconstruction by combined use of spatial filtering and rearrangement of elemental image pixels

In this paper, we propose a new fast computational integral imaging reconstruction (CIIR) scheme without the deterioration of the spatial filtering effect by combined use of spatial filtering and rearrangement of elemental image pixels. In the proposed scheme, the elemental image array (EIA) recorded by lenslet array is spatially filtered through the convolution of depth-dependent delta function array for a given depth. Then, the spatially filtered EIA is reconstructed as the 3D slice image using pixels of the elemental image rearrangement technique. Our scheme provides both the fast calculation with the same properties of the conventional CIIR and the improved visual quality of the reconstructed 3D slice image. To verify our scheme, we perform preliminary experiments and compare other techniques.

Dynamic integral imaging display with electrically moving array lenslet technique using liquid crystal lens.

Integral imaging (InIm) has been widely investigated for three-dimensional (3-D) display applications. Aliasing due to the lenslet arrays is one of the limitations of InIm displays. In this paper, we propose a dynamic InIm display using electrically movable liquid crystal (LC) lens array to implement the moving array lenslet technique (MALT) and to eliminate the multifacet the 3-D images. The improvement of the viewing quality of dynamic InIm display is experimentally verified.

Holographic fluorescence microscopy with incoherent digital holographic adaptive optics.

Introduction of adaptive optics technology into astronomy and ophthalmology has made great contributions in these fields, allowing one to recover images blurred by atmospheric turbulence or aberrations of the eye. Similar adaptive optics improvement in microscopic imaging is also of interest to researchers using various techniques. Current technology of adaptive optics typically contains three key elements: a wavefront sensor, wavefront corrector, and controller. These hardware elements tend to be bulky, expensive, and limited in resolution, involving, for example, lenslet arrays for sensing or multiactuator deformable mirrors for correcting. We have previously introduced an alternate approach based on unique capabilities of digital holography, namely direct access to the phase profile of an optical field and the ability to numerically manipulate the phase profile. We have also demonstrated that direct access and compensation of the phase profile are possible not only with conventional coherent digital holography, but also with a new type of digital holography using incoherent light: selfinterference incoherent digital holography (SIDH). The SIDH generates a complex—i.e., amplitude plus phase—hologram from one or several interferograms acquired with incoherent light, such as LEDs, lamps, sunlight, or fluorescence. The complex point spread function can be measured using guide star illumination and it allows deterministic deconvolution of the full-field image. We present experimental demonstration of aberration compensation in holographic fluorescence microscopy using SIDH. Adaptive optics by SIDH provides new tools for improved cellular fluorescence microscopy through intact tissue layers or other types of aberrant media.