Outgoing Light Research Articles

Bifocal lenses with adjustable intensities enabled by bilayer liquid crystal structures.

In this paper, we propose bifocal lenses based on bilayer structures composed of a liquid crystal (LC) cell and LC polymer, and the relative intensity of two foci can be adjusted arbitrarily through applying an external voltage. Two LC layers have different light modulation functions: when circularly polarized light passes through the first layer, part of the outgoing light is converted with PB phase modulation and another part is not converted; followed by the second layer, PB modulation of these two parts would be simultaneously realized but with opposite signs; thus the transmitted left- and right-handed circularly polarized (LCP and RCP) light can be independently controlled. As proof-of-concept examples, longitudinal and transverse bifocal lenses are designed to split an incident LCP light into two convergent beams with orthogonal helicity, and the position of the two foci can be flexibly arranged. Benefitting from the electrically controlled polarization conversion efficiency (PCE) of the LC cell, the relative intensity of the two foci can be adjusted arbitrarily. Experimental results agree well with theoretical calculations. Besides, a broadband polarization and an edge imaging system based on the proposed bifocal LC lenses have also been demonstrated. This paper presents a simple method to design a functional multilayer LC device and the proposed bifocal lenses may have potentials in the optical interconnection, biological imaging, and optical computing.

Electrically tunable space-time metasurfaces at optical frequencies.

Active metasurfaces enable dynamic manipulation of the scattered electromagnetic wavefront by spatially varying the phase and amplitude across arrays of subwavelength scatterers, imparting momentum to outgoing light. Similarly, periodic temporal modulation of active metasurfaces allows for manipulation of the output frequency of light. Here we combine spatial and temporal modulation in electrically modulated reflective metasurfaces operating at 1,530 nm to generate and diffract a spectrum of sidebands at megahertz frequencies. Temporal modulation with tailored waveforms enables the design of a spectrum of sidebands. By impressing a spatial phase gradient on the metasurface, we can diffract selected combinations of sideband frequencies. Combining active temporal and spatial variation can enable unique optical functions, such as frequency mixing, harmonic beam steering or shaping, and breaking of Lorentz reciprocity.

Characteristic parameters of an optically equivalent model based on measured Stokes parameters

This study presents an approach to determine the characteristic parameters of an optically equivalent model consisting of a linear retarder and a rotator. These parameters—retardance, orientation of the linear retarder, and rotation—are determined by using linearly polarized incident light and measuring the first three Stokes parameters of the outgoing light. With the help of Mueller calculus, the retardation can be determined up to π rad. The position of the refractive index axes can be specified; however, it is not possible to differentiate between fast and slow axis. The rotation can be determined over the full measurement range of π rad. To measure retardations larger than π rad, an adapted RGB method is presented that directly uses the retardations resulting from the Mueller calculus instead of light intensity measurements. Synthetic examples demonstrate the application of the methods presented.

Non-invasive and noise-robust light focusing using confocal wavefront shaping

Wavefront-shaping is a promising approach for imaging fluorescent targets deep inside scattering tissue despite strong aberrations. It enables focusing an incoming illumination into a single spot inside tissue, as well as correcting the outgoing light scattered from the tissue. Previously, wavefront shaping modulations have been successively estimated using feedback from strong fluorescent beads, which have been manually added to a sample. However, such algorithms do not generalize to neurons whose emission is orders of magnitude weaker. We suggest a wavefront shaping approach that works with a confocal modulation of both the illumination and imaging arms. Since the aberrations are corrected in the optics before the detector, the low photon budget is directed into a single sensor spot and detected with high signal-noise ratio. We derive a score function for modulation evaluation from mathematical principles, and successfully use it to image fluorescence neurons, despite scattering through thick tissue.

Integrating Ray Tracing with Single-Objective Optimization in Heliostat Field Design

Tower solar thermal power generation is a new type of low-carbon and environmentally friendly clean energy technology. Through continuous optimization of the optical efficiency of mirror field and other key technologies, the energy utilization efficiency and economic benefits of solar thermal power stations can be improved, and contribute to the sustainable development of clean energy. This paper establishes a geometric model based on the light tracing method to solve the daily average, average annual optical efficiency, thermal output power, and average optical efficiency of the heliostatic field. The cosine efficiency is the cosine of the incident light and the normal angle, which is the cosine of the incidence angle; the atmospheric transmission is only related to the distance between the mirror center and the collector center; the mirror reflection constant is 0.92. The shadow occlusion efficiency and the truncation efficiency of the collector are the difficulties in the process of calculating the optical efficiency: for the calculation of the shadow occlusion efficiency, the Monte Carlo light tracing method is adopted. Based on the energy density of the helioscope, the occlusion efficiency of the shadow can be expressed as the ratio between the amount of the outgoing light to the total generated amount; for the calculation of the collector truncation efficiency, it links the reflected light with the surface equation of the collector. According to the joint results, if there is a solution, it means that the reflected light can be reflected in the collector, and the collector truncation efficiency can represent the ratio of the number of lights reflected in the collector to the number of unblocked lights in all the reflected lines. Finally, the average annual optical efficiency and output power parameters are respectively: 0.6093, 0.7431, 0.9283, 0.9828, 35. 4430MW, 0.5642kW/m². Results for the remaining months are shown in the main text.

Microfacet rendering with diffraction compensation

AbstractThe traditional microfacet rendering models usually only consider the straight propagation of light and do not take into account the diffraction effect when calculating the radiance of outgoing light. However, ignoring the energy generated by diffraction can lead to darker rendering results when the object's surface has many small details. To address this issue, we introduce a diffraction energy term in the microfacet model to compensate for the energy loss caused by diffraction. Starting from the Fresnel‐Kirchhoff diffraction theorem, we combine it with the Cook‐Torrance model. By incorporating the computed diffraction radiance into the outgoing radiance of the microfacet, we obtain a diffraction‐compensated BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function) model. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method has a significant effect in compensating for outgoing light and produces more realistic rendering results.

Pitch‐Switchable Metalens Array for Wavefront Profiling at Multiwavelength

AbstractThe wavefront sensor is a crucial component in the adaptive optics system (AOS), responsible for detecting aberrated wavefronts. However, The Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor with single‐pitch microlens array is limited in its adaptability to different observing conditions, affecting wavefront reconstruction accuracy. And conventional microlens arrays are wavelength‐specific. Here, a polarization‐dependent pitch‐switchable metalens array based on non‐interleaved silicon metasurfaces is proposed, capable of working at multiple wavelengths. By controlling the incident and outgoing light polarization, three metalens arrays with customized pitches can be switched at will. Furthermore, achromatic performance is achieved in the 950 nm and 1030 nm wavelengths through structural dispersion engineering. Finally, wavefront detection experiments are finally conducted to demonstrate the phase reconstruction with variable spatial resolution. The metalens array with high flexibility in wavefront sensor can further enhance the adaptability of AOS and has great potential for applications in light‐field imaging, and machine vision, etc.

Upconversion Photonic Doppler Velocimetry Based on Stimulated Brillouin Scattering

Optical up-conversion photonic Doppler velocimetry (PDV) based on stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) with an all-fiber link structure is proposed in this article. Because SBS limits the laser power transmitted by a fiber over long distances, the probe does not have enough outgoing light to reach the measured surface and cannot receive the signal light. Traditionally, SBS is avoided, but it is a phase-conjugated light and shifts down relative to the source light, so it can be used as a reference light in the laser interference structure to achieve up-conversion heterodyne velocimetry. Compared with general homodyne velocimetry (DPS), SBS-PDV naturally upconverts and has more interference fringes and higher resolution at low-speed measurement. In the gas multiple reflection impact compression experiment, the velocity measurement results of SBS-PDV and dual-laser heterodyne Velocimetry (DLHV) are basically consistent, and the accuracy is better than 0.8%. Due to its coaxial heterodyne optical path, this kind of photonic Doppler velocimetry is suitable for low-velocity and long-distance practical applications in the field of shock wave physics.

Single-celled metasurface for labeled vortex beam generator

Vortex light is a unique beam characterized by a spiral phase as it propagates. A fundamental parameter of vortex light is the topological charge, which determines the amount of angular momentum and plays a crucial role in tailoring its behavior. However, conventional measurement methods for determining the topological charge, such as those based on interference and phase modulation, tend to be intricate and complex. In this regard, a labeled vortex beam generator is proposed, composed of a metasurface with a single-celled configuration. When the metasurface is illuminated by light of the designed wavelength, the outgoing light exhibits a vortex structure. Furthermore, the topological charge numbers can be directly observed with distinct labeled patterns when the metasurface is placed in an orthogonal-polarized optical path. With advantages such as ultra-compactness, high robustness, and exceptional precision, the proposed metasurface exhibits significant potential for applications in optical communication, light manipulation, optical sensing, etc.

Simplified analysis and suppression of polarization aberration in planar symmetric optical systems.

Polarized remote sensing imaging has attracted more attention in recent years due to its wider detection information dimension compared to traditional imaging methods. However, the inherent instrument errors in optical systems can lead to errors in the polarization state of the incident and outgoing light, which is the polarization aberration of the optical system, resulting in a decrease in polarization detection accuracy. We propose a polarization aberration simplification calculation method for planar symmetric optical systems, by what only three ray samples are needed to obtain the distribution of polarization aberrations within the pupil. This method has a calculation accuracy close to traditional methods, and the sampling rate is 0.003 times that of traditional methods. Based on this, we designed a merit function that optimizes both wavefront and polarization aberrations simultaneously. It is found that diattenuation and retardance of the optical system are 62% and 58% of the original, and the polarization crosstalk term is reduced by 37% when the polarization weight factor takes an appropriate value. And at the same time, the wavefront aberration has also been well optimized.

Causal structure and the geodesics in the hairy extension of the Bertotti-Robinson spacetime

A hairy extension of the Bertotti-Robinson regular spacetime has been recently introduced in the context of the Einstein-Maxwell-Scaler theory that surprisingly is a singular black hole formed in the S 3 background spatial topology [CQG39(2022)167001]. In this research, we first clarify the topology of the spacetime based on the coordinate transformations as well as the energy-momentum configuration and the causal structure of the black hole. Furthermore, we investigate the geodesics of the null and timelike particles in this spacetime. It is shown that in the radial motion on the equatorial plane, while photons may collapse to the singularity or escape to the edge of the Universe, a massive particle always collapses to the singularity. The general geodesics of null and massive particles reveal that all particles except the outgoing light ray, eventually fall into the black hole.

Exploring the limits of metasurface polarization multiplexing capability based on deep learning.

Metasurfaces provide a new approach for planar optics and thus have realized multifunctional meta-devices with different multiplexing strategies, among which polarization multiplexing has received much attention due to its convenience. At present, a variety of design methods of polarization multiplexed metasurfaces have been developed based on different meta-atoms. However, as the number of polarization states increases, the response space of meta-atoms becomes more and more complex, and it is difficult for these methods to explore the limit of polarization multiplexing. Deep learning is one of the important routes to solve this problem because it can realize the effective exploration of huge data space. In this work, a design scheme for polarization multiplexed metasurfaces based on deep learning is proposed. The scheme uses a conditional variational autoencoder as an inverse network to generate structural designs and combines a forward network that can predict meta-atoms' responses to improve the accuracy of designs. The cross-shaped structure is used to establish a complicated response space containing different polarization state combinations of incident and outgoing light. The multiplexing effects of the combinations with different numbers of polarization states are tested by utilizing the proposed scheme to design nanoprinting and holographic images. The polarization multiplexing capability limit of four channels (a nanoprinting image and three holographic images) is determined. The proposed scheme lays the foundation for exploring the limits of metasurface polarization multiplexing capability.

Design and fabrication of patterned high performance quantum-dot color conversion films for μLED full color display applications

The fabrication and performance of patterned quantum dot color conversion films are of great significance for μLED full color displays. In this work, TiO2 nanoparticles was designed and introduced to mix with quantum dots (QDs) as well as photoresist polymer to prepare the patterned quantum-dot photoresist (QDPR) films using direct photolithography, and to improve the color conversion efficiency (CCE) of QDPR. The results show that uniform QDPR films with controllable thickness and size could be achieved by optimizing the photolithography process parameters, whose minimum dimension can reach 12 μm. And the maximum CCE of patterned QDPR films was up to 67.46% with the thickness of only 4.28 μm. In addition, distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) and black matrix (BM) were employed to regulate the outgoing light and reduce the optical crosstalk, respectively. A color conversion device using a blue μLED and the QDPR films incorporated with DBR and BM have been demonstrated, with the color gamut of 120.53% NTSC, exhibiting the potential application for the next-generation high resolution full-color displays.

Generation of the Bessel Beam of Longitudinally Varied Polarization with Dielectric Metasurfaces

AbstractThe beam with longitudinally varied polarization provides a new dimension for polarization applications, such as material processing, longitudinal depth detection, optical communications, etc. A few different methods have so far been investigated, including spatial light modulators and diffractive optical elements. However, these methods have complex optical path, large volume, which are difficult to integrate. Here, a birefringent dielectric metasurface is demonstrated, which is capable of generating Bessel beam whose polarization state continuously rotates along the propagation direction. According to the design, when a linearly polarized light illuminates on the metasurface, the outgoing light becomes linearly polarized zero‐order Bessel beam, whose polarization angle changes as the propagation distance increases. Experimental measurements are successfully carried out. Such scheme may open new doors for potential applications in depth perception, microscopic detection, and so on.

Deep learning-enabled broadband full-Stokes polarimeter with a portable fiber optical spectrometer.

Portable fiber optical spectrometers (PFOSs) have been widely used in the contemporary industrial and agricultural production and life due its low cost and small volume. PFOSs mainly combine one fiber to guide light and one optical spectrometer to detect spectra. In this work, we demonstrate that PFOSs can work as a broadband full-Stokes polarimeter through slightly bending the fiber several times and establishing the mapping relationship between the Stokes parameters S^ and the bending-dependent light intensities I^, i.e., S^=f(I^). The different bending geometries bring different birefringence effects and reflection effects that change the polarization state of the out-going light. In the meanwhile, the grating owns a polarization-depended diffraction efficiency especially for the asymmetric illumination geometry that introduces an extrinsic chiroptical effect, which is sensitive to both the linear and spin components of light. The minimum mean squared error (MSE) can reach to smaller than 1% for S1, S2, and S3 at 810 nm, and the averaged MSE in the wave band from 440 nm to 840 nm is smaller than 2.5%, where the working wavelength can be easily extended to arbitrary wave band by applying PFOSs with proper parameters. Our findings provide a convenient and practical method for detecting full-Stokes parameters.

Stray Light Analysis and Suppression of Taiji Telescope for Space Gravitational Wave Detection Based on Phase Noise Requirement

The telescope is the core device for space gravitational wave detection. It is responsible for receiving signal light and emitting outgoing light simultaneously. When the high-energy outgoing laser passes through the telescope, it would produce stray light, which would interfere with the phase measurement and generate phase noise. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze and suppress the stray light of the telescope. In this paper, the requirement of point source transmittance (PST) of the Taiji telescope is obtained through theoretical derivation, which is less than 4×10−10. Through a complete analysis of stray light, we determined that the M4 was the largest source of stray light under the condition that the roughness of each optical surface is equal, which accounted for 67.22%. We also determined the most lenient requirements for surface roughness σλ, and found that when σλ of the M1, M2, M3, and M4 were 20 Å, 4 Å, 1 Å, and 1 Å, respectively, the PST was 3.89×10−10, which met the PST requirement. Next, we calculated the effect of particulate contamination on the PST, and based on the results of our analysis, we determined that the cleanliness level of the testing and storage environment of the Taiji telescope was better than 300. Finally, we evaluated the changes in the PST caused by the damage of micrometeoroids, and the analysis results showed that the stray light level would not change significantly during the service period of the Taiji Telescope.

A subwavelength atomic array switched by a single Rydberg atom

Enhancing light–matter coupling at the level of single quanta is essential for numerous applications in quantum science. The cooperative optical response of subwavelength atomic arrays has been found to open new pathways for such strong light–matter couplings, while simultaneously offering access to multiple spatial modes of the light field. Efficient single-mode free-space coupling to such arrays has been reported, but spatial control over the modes of outgoing light fields has remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate such spatial control over the optical response of an atomically thin mirror formed by a subwavelength array of atoms in free space using a single controlled ancilla atom excited to a Rydberg state. The switching behaviour is controlled by the admixture of a small Rydberg fraction to the atomic mirror, and consequently strong dipolar Rydberg interactions with the ancilla. Driving Rabi oscillations on the ancilla atom, we demonstrate coherent control of the transmission and reflection of the array. These results represent a step towards the realization of quantum coherent metasurfaces, the demonstration of controlled atom–photon entanglement and deterministic engineering of quantum states of light.

Ultrasensitive and long-range transverse displacement metrology with polarization-encoded metasurface.

A long-range, high-precision, and compact transverse displacement metrology method is of crucial importance in many research areas. Recent schemes using optical antennas are limited in efficiency and the range of measurement due to the small size of the antenna. Here, we demonstrated the first prototype polarization-encoded metasurface for ultrasensitive long-range transverse displacement metrology. The transverse displacement of the metasurface is encoded into the polarization direction of the outgoing light via the Pancharatnam-Berry phase, which can be read out directly according to the Malus law. We experimentally demonstrate nanometer displacement resolution with the uncertainty on the order of 100 picometers for a large measurement range of 200 micrometers with the total area of the metasurface being within 900 micrometers by 900 micrometers. The measurement range can be extended further using a larger metasurface. Our work opens new avenues of applying metasurfaces in the field of ultrasensitive optical transverse displacement metrology.

P‐12.3: A Viewing Angle Switchable Liquid Crystal Display Panel with Area Control

We propose a switchable LCD panel with “sandwich” mode, which can realize the view partition control.LCD including normal FFS mode and dimmers CP‐1 and CP‐2 for light reception. The dimmer is provided with a positive liquid crystal layer, a planar viewing angle control electrode and a comb pixel electrode. The dimmer is used to narrow the outgoing light from the required area of the backlight module. This architecture can realize the wide and narrow viewing angle switching of 45 ° anti peeping effect and regional anti peeping display. Therefore, switching the information disclosure and regional information privacy mode will become a new partition free switching anti peeping technology.

Evolution of the performance monitoring techniques for solar arrays of the service module Zvezda within the ISS Russian segment over the course of its orbital flight

The paper discusses issues involved in mission control of the International Space Station (ISS), in particular, specific aspects of monitoring and evaluating the status of Power Supply Systems (PSS) and solar arrays (SA) as their components. Power budget simulations use as their initial computational parameter the current SA performance, which is determined on the basis of a special performance evaluation mode. The obtained data make it possible to take into account the spaceflight factors resulting in performance degradation. Besides that, when using the SA performance evaluation mode as a method for periodically checking the SA status, the more accurate determination of the actual SA performance involves taking into account the shadowing of the photovoltaic cells, the effect of the light reflected off the Earth surface, and current generation resulting from illumination of both the front and the back surfaces of the SA. The paper presents the results of space experiment Albedo carried out onboard the Russian Segment (RS) of the ISS, which included development of techniques for taking into account the above factors when simulating the PSS power budget for the Service Module (SM) Zvezda. Developed as a result of carrying out the space experiment was a procedure for determining SA performance and simulating the power input from the ISS RS SM SA taking into account the Earth albedo; recommendations were made for the orbital spacecraft PSS control modes taking into account the possibility of power generation from the Earth outgoing light flux. Based on the results of testing the developed computational schemes for evaluating the SA performance and simulations of incoming power that take into account the Earth albedo, substantiated values were obtained for the proposed reference parameter for evaluating the ISS RS SM SA. The developed procedure provides the most accurate performance evaluation for both front and back surfaces of the SA. Computational schemes for predicting incoming power proposed within the framework of the procedure make it possible to give highly accurate predictions of incoming power using precise simulations of light flux coming from Earth, as well as to determine the contribution of variable components into the SA performance determined during a periodic SA performance estimate.