Optical Label Research Articles

Adverse Weather Optical Flow: Cumulative Homogeneous-Heterogeneous Adaptation.

Optical flow has made great progress in clean scenes, while suffers degradation under adverse weather due to the violation of the brightness constancy and gradient continuity assumptions of optical flow. Typically, existing methods mainly adopt domain adaptation to transfer motion knowledge from clean to degraded domain through one-stage adaptation. However, this direct adaptation is ineffective, since there exists a large gap due to adverse weather and scene style between clean and real degraded domains. Moreover, even within the degraded domain itself, static weather (e.g., fog) and dynamic weather (e.g., rain) have different impacts on optical flow. To address above issues, we explore synthetic degraded domain as an intermediate bridge between clean and real degraded domains, and propose a cumulative homogeneous-heterogeneous adaptation framework for real adverse weather optical flow. Specifically, for clean-degraded transfer, our key insight is that static weather possesses the depth-association homogeneous feature which does not change the intrinsic motion of the scene, while dynamic weather additionally introduces the heterogeneous feature which results in a significant boundary discrepancy in warp errors between clean and degraded domains. For synthetic-real transfer, we figureout that cost volume correlation shares a similar statistical histogram between synthetic and real degraded domains, benefiting to holistically aligning the homogeneous correlation distribution for synthetic-real knowledge distillation. Under this unified framework, the proposed method can progressively and explicitly transfer knowledge from clean scenes to real adverse weather. In addition, we further collect a real adverse weather dataset with manually annotated optical flow labels and perform extensive experiments to verify the superiority of the proposed method. Both the code and the dataset will be available at https://github.com/hyzhouboy/CH2DA-Flow.

WDM Optical Network Monitoring Technology Based on PAM4 Digital Optical Label

WDM Optical Network Monitoring Technology Based on PAM4 Digital Optical Label

Plexcitonic Nanorattles as Highly Efficient SERS-Encoded Tags.

Plexcitonic nanoparticles exhibit strong light-matter interactions, mediated by localized surface plasmon resonances, and thereby promise potential applications in fields such as photonics, solar cells, and sensing, among others. Herein, these light-matter interactions are investigated by UV-visible and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopies, supported by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations. Our results reveal the importance of combining plasmonic nanomaterials and J-aggregates with near-zero-refractive index. As plexcitonic nanostructures nanorattles are employed, based on J-aggregates of the cyanine dye 5,5,6,6-tetrachloro-1,1-diethyl-3,3-bis(4-sulfobutyl)benzimidazolocarbocyanine (TDBC) andplasmonic silver-coated gold nanorods, confined within mesoporous silica shells, which facilitate the adsorption of the J-aggregates onto the metallic nanorod surface, while providing high colloidal stability. Electromagnetic simulations show that the electromagnetic field is strongly confined inside the J-aggregate layer, at wavelengths near the upper plexcitonic mode, but it is damped toward the J-aggregate/water interface at the lower plexcitonic mode. This behavior is ascribed to the sharp variation of dielectric properties of the J-aggregate shell close to the plasmon resonance, which leads to a high opposite refractive index contrast between water and the TDBC shell, at the upper and the lower plexcitonic modes. This behavior is responsible for the high SERS efficiency of the plexcitonic nanorattles under both 633nm and 532nm laser illumination. SERS analysis showed a detection sensitivity down to the single-nanoparticle level and, therefore, an exceptionally high average SERS intensity per particle. These findings may open new opportunities for ultrasensitive biosensing and bioimaging, as superbright and highly stable optical labels based on the strong coupling effect.

Construction and use of an adaptive optics two-photon microscope with direct wavefront sensing.

Two-photon microscopy, combined with the appropriate optical labelling, enables the measurement and tracking of submicrometer structures within brain cells, as well as the spatiotemporal mapping of spikes in individual neurons and of neurotransmitter release in individual synapses. Yet, the spatial resolution of two-photon microscopy rapidly degrades as imaging is attempted at depths of more than a few scattering lengths into tissue, i.e., below the superficial layers that constitute the top 300-400 µm of the neocortex. To obviate this limitation, we shape the focal volume, generated by the excitation beam, by modulating the incident wavefront via guidestar-assisted adaptive optics. Here, we describe the construction, calibration and operation of a two-photon microscope that incorporates adaptive optics to restore diffraction-limited resolution at depths close to 900 µm in the mouse cortex. Our setup detects a guidestar formed by the excitation of a red-shifted dye in blood serum, used to directly measure the wavefront. We incorporate predominantly commercially available optical, optomechanical, mechanical and electronic components, and supply computer-aided design models of other customized components. The resulting adaptive optics two-photon microscope is modular and allows for expanded imaging and optical excitation capabilities. We demonstrate our methodology in the mouse neocortex by imaging the morphology of somatostatin-expressing neurons that lie 700 µm beneath the pia, calcium dynamics of layer 5b projection neurons and thalamocortical glutamate transmission to L4 neurons. The protocol requires ~30 d to complete and is suitable for users with graduate-level expertise in optics.

Frequency-Shift Monitoring of Optical Filter Based on Optical Labels over FTN-WDM Transmission Systems

Optical network monitoring and soft failure identification such as optical filter shifting and filter tightening are increasingly significant for the complex and dynamic optical networks of the future. Center frequency shift of optical filtering devices in optical networks has a serious impact on the performance of multi-span transmission, especially in high spectrum efficiency faster-than-Nyquist (FTN) transmission systems with various optical switching and add/drop nodes. Existing monitoring schemes generally have the problems of high cost, high complexity, and inability to realize multi-channel online monitoring, which makes it difficult for them to be applied in a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) system with numerous nodes. In this paper, a monitoring scheme of frequency shift of optical filtering devices based on optical label (OL) is proposed and demonstrated. The signal spectrum of each channel is intentionally divided into many sub-bands with corresponding optical labels loading. The characteristics of spectrum power changing caused by frequency shift can be reflected on labels power changing of each sub-band, which are used to monitor and estimate the value of frequency shift via DSP algorithm. Simulation results show that the monitoring errors of frequency shift can be kept reasonably below 0.5 GHz after 10-span WDM transmission in FTN polarization multiplexing m-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (PM-mQAM) systems. In addition, 250 km fiber transmission experiments are also carried out, and similar results are obtained, which further verify the feasibility of our proposed scheme. The characteristics of low cost, high reliability, and efficiency make it a better candidate for practical application in future FTN-WDM networks.

Spatially Resolved Organic Whispering-Gallery-Mode Hetero-Microrings for High-Security Photonic Barcodes.

Whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) microcavities featuring distinguishable sharp peaks in a broadband exhibit enormous advantages in the field of miniaturized photonic barcodes. However, such kind of barcodes developed hitherto are primarily based on microcavities wherein multiple gain medias were blended into a single matrix, thus resulting in the limited and indistinguishable coding elements. Here, a surface tension assisted heterogeneous assembly strategy is proposed to construct the spatially resolved WGM hetero-microrings with multiple spatial colors along its circular direction. Through precisely regulating the charge-transfer (CT) strength, full-color microrings covering the entire visible range were effectively acquired, which exhibit a series of sharp and recognizable peaks and allow for the effective construction of high-quality photonic barcodes. Notably, the spatially resolved WGM hetero-microrings with multiple coding elements were finally acquired through heterogeneous nucleation and growth controlled by the directional diffusion between the hetero-emulsion droplets, thus remarkably promoting the security strength and coding capacity of the barcodes. The results would be useful to fabricate new types of organic hierarchical hybrid WGM heterostructures for optical information recording and security labels.

Spatially Resolved Organic Whispering‐Gallery‐Mode Hetero‐Microrings for High‐Security Photonic Barcodes

AbstractWhispering‐gallery‐mode (WGM) microcavities featuring distinguishable sharp peaks in a broadband exhibit enormous advantages in the field of miniaturized photonic barcodes. However, such kind of barcodes developed hitherto are primarily based on microcavities wherein multiple gain medias were blended into a single matrix, thus resulting in the limited and indistinguishable coding elements. Here, a surface tension assisted heterogeneous assembly strategy is proposed to construct the spatially resolved WGM hetero‐microrings with multiple spatial colors along its circular direction. Through precisely regulating the charge‐transfer (CT) strength, full‐color microrings covering the entire visible range were effectively acquired, which exhibit a series of sharp and recognizable peaks and allow for the effective construction of high‐quality photonic barcodes. Notably, the spatially resolved WGM hetero‐microrings with multiple coding elements were finally acquired through heterogeneous nucleation and growth controlled by the directional diffusion between the hetero‐emulsion droplets, thus remarkably promoting the security strength and coding capacity of the barcodes. The results would be useful to fabricate new types of organic hierarchical hybrid WGM heterostructures for optical information recording and security labels.

Optical imaging of in vivo adoptive T‐cell therapy: State of the art and challenges

AbstractAdoptive T‐cell therapy (ACT), which is an important type of live cell therapy, has achieved unprecedented success in treating hematological malignancies. Recent studies have shown that ACT is also a promising treatment for solid tumors. Visualizing the in vivo fates (distribution, homing, infiltration, proliferation, and exhaustion) of the immune cells used for ACT (ACT immune cells) is of great importance to promote basic research and clinical translation of ACT. Optical imaging techniques, including bioluminescence, fluorescence, and photoacoustic imaging, have the advantages of high sensitivity, high spatiotemporal resolution, minimal exposure to harmful radiation, and simple instrumentation. Recently, various types of optical imaging probes, including bioluminescence, fluorescence, and photoacoustic imaging probes, have been used to visualize ACT immune cells in vivo and evaluate the molecular mechanism, efficacy, and side effects of ACT. In this review, the optical imaging probes and labeling methods that have been used for in vivo visualization of ACT immune cells are summarized, and the opportunities and challenges of using optical imaging to visualize ACT immune cells in vivo are discussed.

Utilization of Physical Anisotropy in Metal-Organic Frameworks via Post-Synthetic Alignment Control with Liquid Crystal.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represent crystalline materials constructed from combinations of metal and organic units to often yield anisotropic porous structures and physical properties. Postsynthetic methods to align the MOF crystals in bulk remain scarce yet tremendously important to fully utilize their structure-driven intrinsic properties. Herein, we present an unprecedented composite of liquid crystals (LCs) and MOFs and demonstrate the use of nematic LCs to dynamically control the orientation of MOF crystals with exceptional order parameters (as high as 0.965). Unique patterns formed through a facile multidirectional alignment of MOF crystals exhibit polarized fluorescence with the fluorescence intensity of a pattern dependent on the angle of a polarizer, offering potential use in various optical applications such as an optical security label. Further, the alignment mechanism indicates that the method is applicable to numerous combinations of MOFs and LCs, which include UV polymerizable LC monomers used to fabricate free-standing composite films.

Line-coded payload with PolSK label overlay in optical label switching

Optical label switching (OLS) is an attractive solution for the packet-based optical switching. A novel OLS method applying spectrum shaping line-coding (SSLC) is proposed in this paper. The label signal is superimposed on the amplitude shift keying (ASK) payload signal by polarization shift keying (PolSK) modulation. The low-frequency component of the payload signal is suppressed by line-coding to reduce the induced crosstalk to the label signal. The payload signal and the label signal could be received separately and directly by an ASK receiver and a PolSK receiver, respectively. The performance of the proposed scheme is tested by simulation. Several line-codes are proposed and compared in the simulation. The results of the simulation test show the feasibility of the proposal. Compared with previous OLS methods, the proposed method increases the code efficiency of the payload signal (from 50% to 75% and 80%) without reducing its extinction ratio (ER). So its effective bit rate is increased while its quality is not sacrificed.

Optical label-based cost-effective DWDM optical network performance monitoring using low-bandwidth PD with novel SRS mitigation DSP

Large-scale dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) multi-channel performance monitoring is one of the indispensable technologies for the flexible optical networks. The existing Labelbased monitoring scheme requires expensive optical demultiplexing components/equipment to avoid the influence of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), which is not only costly and bulky, but also could not monitor the wavelength channels simultaneously. In this paper, a low-cost, high-accuracy monitoring scheme based on Optical Label Method is proposed for DWDM networks, where the optical channel power and node identification (ID), as the main monitoring targets that both can indicate or evaluate the channel connection status, could be efficiently monitored. In the scheme, a novel digital signal processing (DSP) method of SRS mitigation is proposed and demonstrated, and an asynchronous code-division multiple access (A-CDMA) based digital label encoding and decoding method is adopted to distinguish the node ID so that channel initial added node can be accurately verified, thereby wavelength connection status can be reliably monitored by combining the channel power and node ID information. The simulation results show that each wavelength channel power and node ID can be accurately monitored only by low bandwidth photoelectric detector (PD) under the condition of 80 wavelengths and 10 spans at C-band.

Randomized whispering-gallery-mode microdisk laser arrays via cavity deformations for anti-counterfeiting labels

Optical physical unclonable functions (PUFs) have emerged as a promising strategy for effective and unbreakable anti-counterfeiting. However, the unpredictable spatial distribution and broadband spectra of most optical PUFs complicate efficient and accurate verification in practical anti-counterfeiting applications. Here, we propose an optical PUF-based anti-counterfeiting label from perovskite microlaser arrays, where randomness is introduced through vapor-induced microcavity deformation. The initial perovskite microdisk laser arrays with regular positions and uniform sizes are fabricated by femtosecond laser direct ablation. By introducing vapor fumigation to induce random deformations in each microlaser cavity, a laser array with completely uneven excitation thresholds and narrow-linewidth lasing signals is obtained. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated that the post-treated laser array can provide fixed-point and random lasing signals to facilitate information encoding. Furthermore, different emission states of the lasing signal can be achieved by altering the pump energy density to reflect higher capacity information. A threefold PUF (excited under three pump power densities) with a resolution of 5×5 pixels exhibits a high encoding capacity (1.43×1045), making it a promising candidate to achieve efficient authentication and high security with anti-counterfeiting labels.

Manganese-doped zinc germanate phosphors with vivid luminescent properties for anti-counterfeit applications

Fluorescent materials are commonly used in optical labels for anti-counterfeiting purposes. However, these well-known materials can be vulnerable to forgery. It is thus essential to develop new types of luminescent materials with unique optical properties. In this paper, we prepared metal-doped phosphor materials with an inorganic matrix using a high temperature solid-state reaction. The synthesized Mn-doped zinc germanate (ZGO:Mn) phosphors were characterized using various techniques, such as X-ray powder diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy, in order to understand their structural and optical properties. The ZGO:Mn phosphors exhibit green color fluorescence, persistent luminescence, and photostimulated luminescence (PSL), which are ideal for anti-counterfeiting applications. Several examples of using the PSL active materials on various substrates demonstrate their capability to prevent counterfeiting and forgery. We further showed that an iPhone can be used to reveal the ZGO:Mn-based security labels. This study contributes to the exploration of novel security materials and offers practical implications for the development of security and authentication technologies.

Construction of a Reversible Solid-state Fluorescence Switching Via Photochromic Diarylethene and Si-ZnO Quantum Dots.

Developing fluorescence switching as functional system is highly desirable for potential applications in the fields of light-responsive materials or devices. Attempt to construct fluorescence switching system tend to focus on the high fluorescence modulation efficiency, especially in solid state. Herein, a photo-controlled fluorescence switching system was constructed with photochromic diarylethene and trimethoxysilane modified zinc oxide quantum dots (Si-ZnO QDs) successfully. It was verified by the measurement of modulation efficiency, fatigue resistance as well as theoretical calculation. Upon irradiation with UV/Vis lights, the system exhibited excellent photochromic property and photo-controlled fluorescence switching performance. Furthermore, the excellent fluorescence switching characters could also be realized in solid state and the fluorescence modulation efficiency was determined to be 87.4%. The results will provide new strategies to the construction of reversible solid-state photo-controlled fluorescence switching for the application in the fields of optical data storage and security labels.

A novel code shift keying for label superimposing in optical label switching

Optical label switching (OLS) is an attractive solution for the packet-based optical switching. A novel modulation method, i. e., code shift keying (CSK) is proposed for label modulation in this paper. The payload signal applies differential phase shift keying (DPSK) in Manchester code or NRZ format when the label data is “1” or “0”, respectively. The payload signal is detected by a Mach-Zehnder delay interferometer (MZDI) with two-bit delay difference between the two arms. The label signal is detected by another MZDI with a-half-bit delay difference between the two arms. The proposed CSK based OLS significantly increases the code efficiency of the payload signal without sacrificing the extinction ratio (ER). The feasibility of the CSK based OLS is verified by the simulation.

Chiroptical Nanocellulose Bio-Labels for Independent Multi-Channel Optical Encryption.

Advanced multiplexing optical labels with multiple information channels provide a powerful strategy for large-capacity and high-security information encryption. However, current optical labels face challenges of difficulty to realize independent multi-channel encryption, cumbersome design, and environmental pollution. Herein, multiplexing chiroptical bio-labels integrating with multiple optical elements, including structural color, photoluminescence (PL), circular polarized light activity, humidity-responsible color, and micro/nano physical patterns, are constructed in complex design based on host-guest self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals and bio-gold nanoclusters. The thin nanocellulose labels exhibit tunable circular polarized structural color crossover the entire visible wavelength and circularly polarized PL with the highest-recorded dissymmetry factor up to 1.05 due to the well-ordered chiral organization of templated gold nanoclusters. Most importantly, these elements can independently encode customized anti-counterfeiting information to achieve five independent channels of high-level anti-counterfeiting, which are rarely achieved in traditional materials and design counterparts. Considering the exceptional seamless integration of five independent encryption channels and the recyclable features of labels, the bio-labels have great potential for the next generation anti-counterfeiting materials technology.

Aberration-compensated supercritical lens for sub-diffractive focusing within 20° field of view.

The supercritical lens has shown a remarkable capability of achieving far-field sub-diffraction limited focusing through elaborating a modulated interference effect. Benefiting from the relative high energy utilization efficiency and weak sidelobe properties, the supercritical lens holds significant advantage in a series of application scenarios. However, all of the demonstrated supercritical lenses mainly work in the on-axis illumination condition, so the off-axis aberration effect will severely deteriorate its sub-diffraction limit focusing capability for the illuminating beam with an oblique angle. In this work, an aberration-compensated supercritical lens with single-layer configuration is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Such a single-layer supercritical lens consists of multilevel phase configurations patterned with the two-photon polymerization lithography technique. The simulation and experimental recorded results show that the aberration-compensated supercritical lens with a numerical aperture value of 0.63 could achieve a far-field sub-diffraction limited focusing property within 20° field of view at a wavelength of λ = 633 nm. This monochromatic aberration-compensated supercritical lens with single-layer configuration indicates excellent potential in the development of laser scanning ultrahigh optical storage and label free super-resolution imaging.

Nucleic Acid Probes in Bio-Imaging and Diagnostics: Recent Advances in ODN-Based Fluorescent and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Nanoparticle and Nanostructured Systems.

Raman nanoparticle probes are a potent class of optical labels for the interrogation of pathological and physiological processes in cells, bioassays, and tissues. Herein, we review the recent advancements in fluorescent and Raman imaging using oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN)-based nanoparticles and nanostructures, which show promise as effective tools for live-cell analysis. These nanodevices can be used to investigate a vast number of biological processes occurring at various levels, starting from those involving organelles, cells, tissues, and whole living organisms. ODN-based fluorescent and Raman probes have contributed to the achievement of significant advancements in the comprehension of the role played by specific analytes in pathological processes and have inaugurated new possibilities for diagnosing health conditions. The technological implications that have emerged from the studies herein described could open new avenues for innovative diagnostics aimed at identifying socially relevant diseases like cancer through the utilization of intracellular markers and/or guide surgical procedures based on fluorescent or Raman imaging. Particularly complex probe structures have been developed within the past five years, creating a versatile toolbox for live-cell analysis, with each tool possessing its own strengths and limitations for specific studies. Analyzing the literature reports in the field, we predict that the development of ODN-based fluorescent and Raman probes will continue in the near future, disclosing novel ideas on their application in therapeutic and diagnostic strategies.

Digital and Absolute Assays for Low Abundance Molecular Biomarkers.

There has been a recent surge of advances in biomolecular assays based on the measurement of discrete molecular targets as opposed to signals averaged across molecular ensembles. Many of these "digital" assay designs derive from now-mature technologies involving single-molecule imaging and microfluidics and provide an assortment of new modalities to quantify nucleic acids and proteins in biospecimens such as blood and tissue homogenates. A primary new benefit is the robust detection of trace analytes at attomolar to femtomolar concentrations for which many ensemble assays cannot distinguish signals above noise levels. In addition, multiple biomolecules can be differentiated within a mixture using optical barcodes, with much faster and simpler readouts compared with sequencing methods. In ideal digital assays, signals should, in theory, further represent absolute molecular counts, rather than relative levels, eliminating the need for calibration standards that are the mainstay of typical assays. Several digital assay platforms have now been commercialized but challenges hinder the adoption and diversification of these new formats, as there are broad needs to balance sensitivity and dynamic range of detection, increase analyte multiplexing, improve sample throughput, and reduce cost. Our lab and others have developed technologies to address these challenges by redesigning molecular probes and labels, improving molecular transport within detection focal volumes, and applying solution-based readout methods in flow.This Account describes the principles, formats, and design constraints of digital biomolecular assays that apply optical labels toward the goal of simple and routine target counting that may ultimately approach absolute readout standards. The primary challenges can be understood from fundamental concepts in thermodynamics and kinetics of association reactions, mass transport, and discrete statistics. Major advances include (1) new inorganic nanocrystal probes for more robust counting compared with dyes, (2) diverse molecular amplification tools that endow attachment of numerous labels to single targets, (3) specialized surfaces with patterned features for electromagnetic coupling to labels for signal amplification, (4) surface capture enhancement methods to concentrate targets through disruption of diffusion depletion zones, and (5) flow counting in which analytes are rapidly counted in solution without pull-down to a surface. Further progress and integration of these tools for biomolecular counting could improve the precision of laboratory measurements in life sciences research and benefit clinical diagnostic assays for low abundance biomarkers in limiting biospecimen volumes that are out of reach of traditional ensemble-level bioassays.

Visualizing Circularly Polarized Long Afterglow for Information Security

AbstractCreating security materials that carry distinct information with numerous optical characteristics enables enhanced anticounterfeiting levels to deter forgery ranging from currencies to pharmaceuticals. Circularly polarized long afterglow (CPLA) has attracted extensive attention in anticounterfeiting owing to its multiple and unusual optical properties (i.e., long afterglow and circular polarization), introducing intensity variation into the time dimension. However, constructing a visualized CPLA—meeting the requirements toward practical applications—is still a challenge. Here, a cementation‐coupling strategy is designed to combine chiral photonic membranes with phosphor films for building full‐colored CPLA architectures. The CPLA systems achieve desired performance with a largest afterglow dissymmetry value (gCPLA) of −0.67 and a longest visualization time (tvis) of 40 min simultaneously, satisfying practical demands for information security. As‐prepared CPLA materials are further patterned to work as optical labels in security fields. The resulting multidimensional variations in both time and intensity increase the complexity of information encryption, offering potentials for advanced security technologies.