Optical Principles Research Articles

Ultrafast optics with a mode-locked erbium fiber laser in the undergraduate laboratory

We describe an ultrafast optics laboratory comprising a mode-locked erbium fiber laser, autocorrelation measurements, and a free-space parallel grating dispersion compensation apparatus. The gain spectrum of Er fiber provides a broad bandwidth capable of supporting sub-100 fs pulses centered near a wavelength of 1550 nm. The fiber laser design used here produces a train of pulses at a repetition rate of 55 MHz with pulse duration as short as 108 fs. The pulse duration is measured with a homebuilt autocorrelator using a simple Michelson interferometer that takes advantage of the two-photon nonlinear response of a common silicon photodiode. To compensate for temporal stretching of the short pulse due to group velocity dispersion in the fiber, an apparatus based on a pair of parallel gratings is used for pulse compression. A detailed part that lists in the supplementary material includes previously owned and common parts used by the telecommunications industry, which helps decrease costs of the laboratory. This provides a cost-effective way to introduce the principles of ultrafast optics to undergraduate laboratories.

Optical camera communications: practical constraints, applications, potential challenges, and future directions

Mobile wireless communications mainly rely on radio frequency to transmit data. However, its congested spectrum cannot meet the growing requirements for future high data rate applications. Recently, optical wireless communication techniques have opened up a vast optical spectrum and emerged as a cost-effective and practical alternative to congested radio frequency wireless technologies. As a supplementary technique of high-speed optical wireless communication, optical camera communication has become very attractive due to recent developments in communications hinging on camera or image sensors in smart devices with low implementation complexity. In conjunction with its ubiquity in consumer electronics such as pads and smartphones, optical camera communication takes advantage of an image sensor or camera in areas such as intelligent transportation, vehicular communication, motion capture, indoor localization, and the Internet of Things. Optical camera communication and visible light communication are considered in IEEE 802.15.7m standardization. Optical camera communication based on camera and organic/inorganic light emitting diodes offers localization and low-rate transmission in indoor as well as outdoor applications. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of optical camera communication, principles, and recent standardization activities. This survey covers multiple aspects of optical camera communication such as transceivers, multiple-input and multiple-output, and diversity. It outlines various applications of optical camera communication. It also addresses some practical constraints, modulation schemes, and error correction coding techniques for optical camera communication systems. Finally, in the last section of this survey, potential challenges and future research directions are presented.

English

The goal of this paper is to study the impact of a differential mass loss or a lack of material (void) directly located into the core structure of matter together with the possibility of measuring its effect by a resonant signal surface at optical frequencies. To this end, the focus has been on the evolution of effective indices or eigenvalues of micro-resonators as relevant models. Specific lack of mass was measured by way of a resonant optical signal principle. Then, specific families of resonators have been designed and shaped with several slits nano-inscribed upon them. The signal resonant light is then characterized by its pseudo-period while considering the whole geometry, taking account of the void; thus, it contains the information regarding the pre-defined recessed volume. The study was carried out first by controlling the deep UV technology onto an organic so as to fabricate the family of slotted micro-resonators before assessing the evolution of the effective index of the system that is inversely proportional to the free spectral range. Experimentally, the design of the measurement platform made it possible to measure the impact of a given lack of material within the cyclic resonators. Experimental measurements have been carried out so as to confirm previous simulations demonstrating a convergence ranging from 0.09 to 0.39%. Accordingly, the relevant results allow us to validate a quantified description regarding the hollowed out volume (or mass recessed within the core waveguide) with regard to the spatial resonant optical signal. Key words: Deep UV210 polymer, nano-inscribed slots, micro-resonators, optical resonance monitoring, lack of material, void characterizations.

Opto-mechanical magnetometer based on laser speckle correlation

Magnetic field sensing plays vital role in vast range of areas such as navigation, military, and biomedical sciences. In recent times, optical sensors have made great advances, resulting in the development of magnetic field sensors based on optical principles due to their non-susceptibility to electromagnetic interference. Here, a simple and inexpensive approach for sensing magnetic field, that converts the magnetic field into a mechanical translation (of the sensing element) and then change into optical signals is presented. These optical signals are speckle patterns generated using a laser beam reflected off an optically rough metal cantilever which is exposed to the magnetic field. Magnetic field is quantified by measuring the changes in the speckle pattern using the intensity correlation technique. The approach can measure the static and time varying magnetic fields. The proposed system has a resolution of 2.2 μT and can measure magnetic fields with less than a 2% error.

Geometrical limits for UV-C inactivation of pathogens

The inactivation of pathogens through the irradiation of ultraviolet light depends on how light propagates within the medium where the microorganism is immersed. A simple geometrical optics analysis, and a fluence evaluation reveal some reservoirs where the pathogen may hide and be weakly exposed to the incoming radiation. This geometrical hide-outs also generate a tail in the plot of the total inactivation plot vs. the incoming fluence. We have analyzed these facts using geometrical optics principles and illumination engineering computational packages. The results obtained from previous biomedical measurements involving SARS-CoV-2 have been used to evaluate the inactivation degree for an spherical geometry applicable to airborne pathogens, and for an spherical cap geometry similar to that used in biomedical experiments. The case presented here can be seen as the worst-case scenario applicable under collimated illumination.

Optimal Preprocessing of Raw Signals from Reflective Mode Photoplethysmography in Wearable Devices.

The optical measurement principle photoplethysmography has emerged in today's wearable devices as the standard to monitor the wearer's heart rate in everyday life. This cost-effective and easy-to-integrate technique has transformed from the original transmission mode pulse oximetry for clinical settings to the reflective mode of modern ambulatory, wrist-worn devices. Numerous proposed algorithms aim at the efficient heart rate measurement and accurate detection of the consecutive pulses for the derivation of secondary features from the heart rate variability. Most, however, have been evaluated either on own, closed recordings or on public datasets that often stem from clinical pulse oximeters in transmission instead of wearables' reflective mode. Signals tend furthermore to be preprocessed with filters, which are rarely documented and unintentionally fitted to the available and applied signals. We investigate the influence of preprocessing on the peak positions and present the benchmark of two cutting-edge pulse detection algorithms on actual raw measurements from reflective mode photoplethysmography. Based on 21806 pulse labels, our evaluation shows that the most suitable but still universal filter passband is located at 0.5 to 15.0Hz since it preserves the required harmonics to shape the peak positions.

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE FOR UNDERSTANDING AND CARE OF AN OPHTHALMIC OPERATING MICROSCOPE

The operating microscope is a fixture of modern surgical facilities, and it is a critically important factor in the success of many of the most complex and difficult surgical interventions used in Ophthalmology today. The rise of this key surgical tool reflects advances in understanding the principles of optics and vision that have occurred over centuries. The development of reading spectacles in the late 13th century led to the construction of early compound microscopes in the 16th and 17th centuries by Lippershey, Janssen, Galileo, Hooke, and others. Perhaps surprisingly, Leeuwenhoek's simple microscopes of this era offered improved performance over his contemporaries' designs. The intervening years saw improvements that reduced the spherical and chromatic aberrations present in compound microscopes. By the late 19th century, Carl Zeiss and Ernst Abbe ushered the compound microscope into the beginnings of the modern era of commercial design and production. The introduction of the microscope into the operating room by Nylén in 1921 initiated a revolution in surgical practice that gained momentum throughout the 1950s with multiple refinements. Many of the refinements of the last 50 years have greatly improved the handling and practical operation of the surgical microscope, considerations which are equally important to its optical performance.

Generation of Multiple High-Order Bessel Beams Carrying Different Orbital-Angular-Momentum Modes through an Anisotropic Holographic Impedance Metasurface

Conventional multiple vortex beams carrying different orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) modes propagating in different directions suffer from beam divergences along with the increasing transmission distance, which greatly limits their practical applications. This article presents a diffraction-resisting dual high-order Bessel-beam (DHOBB) generator based on an anisotropic holographic impedance metasurface (AHIM) operating at 30 and 30.5 GHz. By virtue of leaky-wave theory and the optical holographic principle, surface waves excited by a monopole antenna welded on the back of the metasurface can be modulated into nondiffractive DHOBBs. Different geometric parameters of the subwavelength meta-atoms can be mapped by the interference patterns between the reference surface waves and the desired beams. Furthermore, this designed single-layer anisotropic metasurface can be equivalent to the functionalities of spiral-phase-plate, refractive-hyperbolic, and axicon lenses synthetically utilized in the popular air-fed metasurface to generate HOBBs. Compared with the most popular air-fed metasurface, this design results in predominant performances of ultralow profile, easy fabrication, and integration with other electronic components and avoids alignment errors. Both simulated and measured results demonstrate that nondiffractive DHOBBs carrying different OAM modes can be generated by this designed AHIM. Nondiffractive DHOBBs with different Bessel orders with distinctive properties may open a window for wireless communications with multiarea coverage and multitarget radar detection.

A full-field optical crazimeter

Quantification of crazing in optical components made of glassy polymers is important as crazing degrades a component’s optical performance and mechanical strength. The present work describes a single-beam-based full-field optical crazimeter for imaging and quantification of crazes in transparent samples of plastic using the principles of Fourier optics. A collimated laser beam passes through the sample and acquires information about crazes present in it. A specially designed and fabricated spatial bandpass filter is used in the 4f optical information processing setup to image crazes present in the sample and reject the noise signal. Digital image processing is used to extract quantitative information about craze density from the recorded images. The proposed crazimeter may enable full-field inspection of consumer products made of various transparent plastics for the presence of crazes.

Сравнение кератометрических данных стандартного автоматизированного кератометра и Шаймпфлюг-камеры у пациентов с неосложненной катарактой

Purpose. To compare keratometry data based on principles of Gaussian optics and ray tracing method. Material and methods. The study involved 60 patients (60 eyes). Comparative assessment of three groups of keratometric data obtained from optical biometer IOL Master 500 and Axial/Sagital and Total Corneal Refractive Power maps from Pentacam-HR was carried out. Results. When analyzing the obtained indicators, reliably significant results were revealed only when comparing the data of Total Corneal Refractive Power, based on the ray tracing, with classical keratometry IOL Master 500. A comparative assessment of the obtained keratometric data of two Pentacam-HR maps did not show a statistically significant difference, as well as the indicators of classical keratometry Pentacam-HR and IOL Master 500. Conclusion. 1. Evaluation of keratometry data in patients with uncomplicated cataract based on Gaussian optics showed comparable values for the Pentacam-HR and IOL Master 500. There was no significant difference in keratometric values in the comparative analysis of data from Pentacam-HR between classical keratometry and Total Corneal Refractive Power. 2. Total Cornea Refractive Power from Pentacam HR based on ray tracing determined significantly lower values in comparison with the classic keratometry IOL Master 500. Key words: keratometry, corneal refractive power, ray tracing, keratotomography.

Rank-driven salp swarm algorithm with orthogonal opposition-based learning for global optimization.

Salp swarm algorithm (SSA) is a relatively new and straightforward swarm-based meta-heuristic optimization algorithm, which is inspired by the flocking behavior of salps when foraging and navigating in oceans. Although SSA is very competitive, it suffers from some limitations including unbalanced exploration and exploitation operation, slow convergence. Therefore, this study presents an improved version of SSA, called OOSSA, to enhance the comprehensive performance of the basic method. In preference, a new opposition-based learning strategy based on optical lens imaging principle is proposed, and combined with the orthogonal experimental design, an orthogonal lens opposition-based learning technique is designed to help the population jump out of a local optimum. Next, the scheme of adaptively adjusting the number of leaders is embraced to boost the global exploration capability and improve the convergence speed. Also, a dynamic learning strategy is applied to the canonical methodology to improve the exploitation capability. To confirm the efficacy of the proposed OOSSA, this paper uses 26 standard mathematical optimization functions with various features to test the method. Alongside, the performance of the proposed methodology is validated by Wilcoxon signed-rank and Friedman statistical tests. Additionally, three well-known engineering optimization problems and unknown parameters extraction issue of photovoltaic model are applied to check the ability of the OOSA algorithm to obtain solutions to intractable real-world problems. The experimental results reveal that the developed OOSSA is significantly superior to the standard SSA, currently popular SSA-based algorithms, and other state-of-the-artmeta-heuristic algorithms for solving numerical optimization, real-world engineering optimization, and photovoltaic model parameter extraction problems. Finally, an OOSSA-based path planning approach is developed for creating the shortest obstacle-free route for autonomous mobile robots. Our introduced method is compared with several successful swarm-based metaheuristic techniques in five maps, and the comparative results indicate that the suggested approach can generate the shortest collision-free trajectory as compared to other peers.

Precision metrology: from bulk optics towards metasurface optics

With increasing digitalisation of engineering and the development of smart manufacturing, precision metrology is gradually moving away from the laboratory into real-world environments and production platforms. Interferometry and focus detection are the most popular optical techniques for these types of application due to their non-destructive measurement, high resolution, and fast response. In this article, we discuss their basic principles, limitations and challenges, and new opportunities. Motivated by the rapid development of artificial materials, the application of metasurfaces to drive a new era for future miniaturisation of optical systems becomes suddenly viable. The article discusses advances in modern miniaturisation of optical techniques; and introduces an approach for evolving to a future using metasurface optics. Optical principles and feasibility studies are included in the discussion.

Optical parametric oscillators

Optical parametric oscillators are versatile devices for generating a tunable coherent radiation from an incident laser beam. They rely on nonlinear frequency conversion to cover spectral ranges that are poorly or not covered by direct laser emission. This article presents a short overview of the optical parametric oscillators principles of operation, main implementations and related applications.

High-resolution micro-optical accelerometer with an electromagnetic driver: design and analysis.

Optical displacement detection is widely used in various micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) sensors because of its high sensitivity. The optical accelerometer has a high theoretical resolution. However, due to the small working range of optical detection, the open-loop measuring range of a high-resolution optical accelerometer is usually only tens to hundreds of milligrams. To increase the measurement range, we propose a high-resolution micro-optical accelerometer with electromagnetic force feedback. The optical principle, mechanical structure, and manufacturing process are analyzed. The accelerometer is predicted to work in the first modal with displacement sensitivity at 2.56 µm/g, corresponding to 0th diffraction beam optical sensitivity 1.93%/nm. The designed electromagnetic driver can increase the acceleration measurement range from 0.012 to ±20g. These results provide a theoretical basis for the design and fabrication of a high-resolution micro-optical accelerometer with an electromagnetic driver. The electromagnetic drive scheme introduced effectively improves the dynamic range of high-precision optical accelerometers and can be applied to other optical MEMS sensors.

Debonding defect quantification method of building decoration layers via UAV-thermography and deep learning

The falling offs of building decorative layers (BDLs) on exterior walls are quite common, especially in Asia, which presents great concerns to human safety and properties. Presently, there is no effective technique to detect the debonding of the exterior finish because debonding are hidden defect. In this study, the debonding defect identification method of building decoration layers via UAV-thermography and deep learning is proposed. Firstly, the temperature field characteristics of debonding defects are tested and analyzed, showing that it is feasible to identify the debonding of BDLs based on UAV. Then, a debonding defect recognition and quantification method combining CenterNet (Point Network) and fuzzy clustering is proposed. Further, the actual area of debonding defect is quantified through the optical imaging principle using the real-time measured distance. Finally, a case study of the old teaching-building inspection is carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, showing that the proposed model performs well with an accuracy above 90%, which is valuable to the society.

A handheld device for measuring the diameter at breast height of individual trees using laser ranging and deep-learning based image recognition

BackgroundAccurate and efficient measurement of the diameter at breast height (DBH) of individual trees is essential for forest inventories, ecological management, and carbon budget estimation. However, traditional diameter tapes are still the most widely used dendrometers in forest surveys, which makes DBH measurement time-consuming and labor-intensive. Automatic and easy-to-use devices for measuring DBH are highly anticipated in forest surveys. In this study, we present a handheld device for measuring the DBH of individual trees that uses digital cameras and laser ranging, allowing for an instant, automated, and contactless measurement of DBH.ResultsThe base hardware of this device is a digital camera and a laser rangefinder, which are used to take a picture of the targeted tree trunk and record the horizontal distance between the digital camera and the targeted tree, respectively. The core software is composed of lightweight convolutional neural networks (CNNs), which includes an attention-focused mechanism for detecting the tree trunk to log the number of pixels between the edges. We also calibrated the digital camera to correct the distortion introduced by the lens system, and obtained the normalized focal length. Parameters including the horizontal distance between the digital camera and the targeted tree, number of pixels between the edges of the tree trunk, and normalized focal length were used to calculate the DBH based on the principles of geometrical optics. The measured diameter values, and the longitudes and latitudes of the measurement sites, were recorded in a text file, which is convenient to export to external flash disks. The field measurement accuracy test showed that the BIAS of the newly developed device was − 1.78 mm, and no significant differences were found between the measured diameter values and the true values (measured by the conventional tape). Furthermore, compared with most other image-based instruments, our device showed higher measurement accuracy.ConclusionsThe newly developed handheld device realized efficient, accurate, instant, and non-contact measurements of DBH, and the CNNs were proven to be successful in the detection of the tree trunk in our research. We believe that the newly developed device can fulfill the precision requirement in forest surveys, and that the application of this device can improve the efficiency of DBH measurements in forest surveys.

The optical throughput of near-infrared static wind imaging interferometer

The basic principle of the near-infrared static wind imaging interferometer (NIR-SWINDII) is expounded. The instrument can simultaneously detect the atmospheric wind speed, temperature, and ozone concentration in the middle and lower thermosphere (25–110 km). According to the optical transmission principle, the exact expression of the ideal and actual optical throughput of the NIR-SWINDII is obtained. To analyze and discuss the influence of the field of view, wavelength, and refractive index systematically, we select a high refractive index and a low refractive index glass matching schemes according to the “full compensation” principle of the wide-field Michelson interferometer, the simulation of NIR-SWINDII’s optical throughput is carried out. For the high refractive index matching scheme, the results show that when the field of view is within 3 degrees, the transmittance of the NIR-SWINDII can reach 23.38%, and the optical throughput of the entire system is about 0.1024 cm2⋅sr. Comparing with the parameters of other instruments, it is found that our instrument’s optical throughput performance is comparable to other instruments. This research provides the theoretical basis and practical guidance for the throughput optimization of the NIR-SWINDII.

A phase differential heterodyne interferometer for simultaneous measurement of straightness error and displacement

A phase differential heterodyne interferometer for simultaneous measurement of straightness error and displacement is proposed. In this interferometer, a modified mobile sensor composed of a Wollaston prism and a semi-reflective plane mirror is adopted to obtain the straightness error and displacement information simultaneously. A phase differential measurement is utilized to obtain phase differential signals for straightness error and displacement measurement, respectively, by using phase retarder and polarizing beam-splitter. Based on the relationship of π phase difference between the nonlinear errors of phase differential signals, the periodic nonlinear error of measurement results can be compensated. Benefiting from this design, the proposed interferometer can not only obtain the straightness error and displacement simultaneously, but also reduce the nonlinearity of measurement and the influence of the measured object’s rotation. The optical configuration and measurement principle are described in detail. The influence of Wollaston prism’s roll error is also discussed. And three verification experiments are presented at last.

Reflective fiber fault detection and characterization using long short-term memory

To reduce operation-and-maintenance expenses (OPEX) and to ensure optical network survivability, optical network operators need to detect and diagnose faults in a timely manner and with high accuracy. With the rapid advancement of telemetry technology and data analysis techniques, data-driven approaches leveraging telemetry data to tackle the fault diagnosis problem have been gaining popularity due to their quick implementation and deployment. In this paper, we propose a novel multitask learning model based on long short-term memory to detect, locate, and estimate the reflectance of fiber reflective faults (events) including the connectors and the mechanical splices by extracting insights from monitored data obtained by the optical time-domain reflectometry principle commonly used for troubleshooting of fiber optic cables or links. The experimental results prove that the proposed method (i) achieves a good detection capability and high localization accuracy within a short measurement time even for low SNR values and (ii) outperforms conventionally employed techniques.

Piston Error Measurement for Segmented Telescopes with an Artificial Neural Network.

A piston error detection method is proposed based on the broadband intensity distribution on the image plane using a back-propagation (BP) artificial neural network. By setting a mask with a sparse circular clear multi-subaperture configuration in the exit pupil plane of a segmented telescope to fragment the pupil, the relation between the piston error of segments and amplitude of the modulation transfer function (MTF) sidelobes is strictly derived according to the Fourier optics principle. Then the BP artificial neural network is utilized to establish the mapping relation between them, where the amplitudes of the MTF sidelobes directly calculated from theoretical relationship and the introduced piston errors are used as inputs and outputs respectively to train the network. With the well trained-network, the piston errors are measured to a good precision using one in-focused broadband image without defocus division as input, and the capture range achieving the coherence length of the broadband light is available. Adequate simulations demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method; the results show that the trained network has high measurement accuracy, wide detection range, quite good noise immunity and generalization ability. This method provides a feasible and easily implemented way to measure piston error and can simultaneously detect the multiple piston errors of the entire aperture of the segmented telescope.