Wavefront Optimization Research Articles

High-fidelity and high-speed wavefront shaping by leveraging complex media.

High-precision light manipulation is crucial for delivering information through complex media. However, existing spatial light modulation devices face a fundamental speed-fidelity tradeoff. Digital micromirror devices have emerged as a promising candidate for high-speed wavefront shaping but at the cost of compromised fidelity due to the limited control degrees of freedom. Here, we leverage the sparse-to-random transformation through complex media to overcome the dimensionality limitation of spatial light modulation devices. We demonstrate that pattern compression by sparsity-constrained wavefront optimization allows sparse and robust wavefront representations in complex media, improving the projection fidelity without sacrificing frame rate, hardware complexity, or optimization time. Our method is generalizable to different pattern types and complex media, supporting consistent performance with up to 89% and 126% improvements in projection accuracy and speckle suppression, respectively. The proposed optimization framework could enable high-fidelity high-speed wavefront shaping through different scattering media and platforms without changes to the existing holographic setups, facilitating a wide range of physics and real-world applications.

Reference-less wavefront shaping in a Hopfield-like rough intensity landscape.

This study introduces a new digital-micromirror based binary-phase wavefront shaping technique, which allows the measurement of the full coupling matrix of a disordered medium without a reference and enables to focusing transmitted light. The coupling matrix takes on a bi-dyadic structure, similar to a Hopfield memory matrix containing two memory patterns. Sequential wavefront optimization in this configuration often stalls due to a rough intensity landscape, resulting in a non-optimal state. To overcome this issue, we propose the Complete Couplings Mapping method, which consistently reaches the theoretically expected maximum intensity.

Compensation for aberrant wavefront in UOWC based on adaptive optics technique employing genetic algorithm

Underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) has attracted extensive attention due to its merits in transmission latency, bandwidth, and security. However, its performance is usually significantly limited by the scattering, absorption, and turbulence effects. Thus, many schemes have been proposed to enhance its performance via various optimizations at the transmitter, but most of them neglected the wavefront optimization at the receiver. Although traditional adaptive optics based on wavefront detection (AOWD) technology employing wavefront phase sensor (e.g. Shack-Hartmann sensors) and compensator (e.g. deformable mirror) was proposed to alleviate wavefront distortion, it introduced extra challenges in miniaturizing receivers for UOWC. Additionally, traditional AOWD technologies usually employed costly and large computing systems,which reduced their feasibility in reality. In this paper, a novel compensation technology is proposed to optimize the distorted wavefront at the receiver based on the wavefront sensorless adaptive optics (WSAO) technique using improved genetic algorithm (GA). Instead of using the wavefront phase-detector, the proposed technology measures the light intensity via a small photo-detector (PD) and outputs voltage signals though the employed GA to manipulate the deformable mirror (DM) for wavefront compensation. The simulation results indicate that the proposed technology effectively improves the intensity distribution and the Strehl Ratio (SR) of the transmission light in UOWC.

Intelligent splicing technology of off-axis aspheric mirrors based on Zygo interferometer

With the increasing size of the aspheric, manufacturing and testing technologies face enormous challenges. A Zygo interferometer-based intelligent splicing technology for off-axis aspherical mirrors is proposed in this paper, which provides a "small to big" manufacturing strategy for large aspherical mirrors. In the proposed method, a Zygo interferometer, a splicing adjustment platform, and a computer-integrated algorithm are combined to achieve closed-loop adjustment of the off-axis aspherical mirrors. Taking any one of the off-axis aspherical sub-mirrors as a reference, the point cloud information on the surfaces of all off-axis sub-mirrors is obtained by combining the optimal spherical wavefront data with the Zygo interferometer data. The splicing adjustment platform performs positional corrections to the to-be-adjusted off-axis aspherical mirrors using the calculated point cloud registration parameters as the adjustment amount. The iterative operation of point cloud alignment and splicing platform adjustment is done until the positional deviation of the adjusted off-axis aspherical mirror surface reaches a predetermined threshold value, at which point the adjustment stops. The experimental verification employed two off-axis aspherical sub-mirrors with a 100 mm aperture that belonged to the same aspherical surface. The result shows that large aspherical mirrors can be made quickly and effectively with intelligent splicing technology.

Long-distance pattern projection through an unfixed multimode fiber with natural evolution strategy-based wavefront shaping.

Focusing light into an arbitrary pattern through complex media is desired in energy delivery-related scenarios and has been demonstrated feasible with the assistance of wavefront shaping. However, it still encounters challenges in terms of pattern fidelity and focusing contrast, especially in a noisy and perturbed environment. In this work, we show that the strategy relying on natural gradient ascent-based parameter optimization can help to resist noise and disturbance, enabling rapid wavefront optimization towards high-quality pattern projection through complex media. It is revealed that faster convergence and better robustness can be achieved compared with existing phase control algorithms. Meanwhile, a new fitness function based on cosine similarity is adopted for the algorithm, leading to higher focusing contrast without sacrificing similarity to the target pattern. As a result, long-distance projection of an arbitrary pattern can be accomplished with considerably enhanced performance through a 15-meter multimode fiber that is not fixed and susceptible to perturbation. With further engineering, the approach may find special interests for many biomedical applications, such as deep-tissue photon therapy and optogenetics, where free-space localized optical delivery encounters challenges.

Multiple feedback based wavefront shaping method to retrieve hidden signal

We present an optical wavefront shaping approach that allows tracking and localization of a signal hidden inside or behind a scattering medium. The method combines traditional feedback based wavefront shaping together with a switch function, controlled by two different signals. A simple, in transmission imaging system is used with two detectors: one monitors the speckle signature and the other tracks the fully hidden signal (e.g., fluorescent beads). The algorithm initially finds the optimal incident wavefront to maximize light transmission to generate a focus in the scattering medium. This modulation process redirects the scattered input signal, inducing instantaneous changes in both monitored signals, which, in turn, locates the hidden objects. Once the response from the hidden target becomes distinct, the algorithm switches to use this signal as the feedback. We provide experimental demonstrations as a proof of concept of our approach. Potential applications of our method include extracting information from biological samples and developing noninvasive diagnosis methods.

Iterative wavefront optimization of ultrafast laser beams carrying orbital angular momentum.

Structured intense laser beams offer degrees of freedom that are highly attractive for high-field science applications. However, the performance of high-power laser beams in these applications is often hindered by deviations from the desired spatiotemporal profile. This study reports the wavefront optimization of ultrafast Laguerre-Gaussian beams through the synergy of adaptive optics and genetic algorithm-guided feedback. The results indicate that the intensity fluctuations along the perimeter of the target ring-shaped profile can be reduced up to ∼15%. Furthermore, the radius of the ring beam profile can be tailored to a certain extent by establishing threshold fitting criteria. The versatility of this approach is experimentally demonstrated in conjunction with different focusing geometries.

Adaptive optics wavefront correction using a damped transpose matrix of the influence function.

To assess the performance of adaptive optics and predict an optimal wavefront correction, we built a wavefront reconstructor with a damped transpose matrix of the influence function. Using an integral control strategy, we tested this reconstructor with four deformable mirrors in an experimental system, an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope, and an adaptive optics near-confocal ophthalmoscope. Testing results proved that this reconstructor could ensure a stable and precise correction for wavefront aberration compared to a conventional optimal reconstructor formed by the inverse matrix of the influence function. This method may provide a helpful tool for testing, evaluating, and optimizing adaptive optics systems.

Dual-compressed photoacoustic single-pixel imaging.

Photoacoustic imaging, an acoustic imaging modality with potentially optical resolution in an optical turbid medium, has attracted great attention. However, the convergence of wavefront optimization and raster scanning in computational photoacoustic imaging leads to the challenge of fast mapping, especially for a spatial resolution approaching the acoustic deep-subwavelength regime. As a sparse sampling paradigm, compressive sensing has been applied in numerous fields to accelerate data acquisition without significant quality losses. In this work, we propose a dual-compressed approach for photoacoustic surface tomography that enables high-efficiency imaging with 3D spatial resolution unlimited by the acoustics in a turbid environment. The dual-compressed photoacoustic imaging with single-pixel detection, enabled by spatially optical modulation with synchronized temporally photoacoustic coding, allows decoding of the fine optical information from the modulated acoustic signal even when the variance of original photoacoustic signals is weak. We perform a proof-of-principle numerical demonstration of dual-compressed photoacoustic imaging, that resolves acoustic sub-acoustic-wavelength details with a significantly reduced number of measurements, revealing the potential for dynamic imaging. The dual-compressed concept, which transforms unobtrusive spatial difference into spatio-temporal detectable information, can be generalized to other imaging modalities to realize efficient, high-spatial-resolution imaging.

Smooth multifocal wavefronts with a prescribed mean curvature for visual optics applications.

Multifocal lenses comprising progressive power surfaces are commonly used in contact and intraocular lens designs. Given a visual performance metric, a wavefront engineering approach to design such lenses is based on searching for the optimal wavefront at the exit pupil of the eye. Multifocal wavefronts distribute the energy along the different foci thanks to having a varying mean curvature. Therefore, a fundamental step in the wavefront engineering approach is to generate the wavefront from a prescribed mean curvature function. Conventionally, such a thing is done by superimposing spherical wavefront patches and maybe adding a certain component of spherical aberration to each spherical patch in order to increase the depth-of-field associated with each focus. However, such a procedure does not lead to smooth wavefront solutions and also restricts the type of available multifocal wavefronts. We derive a new, to the best of our knowledge, mathematical method to uniquely construct multifocal wavefronts from mean curvature functions (depending on radial and angular coordinates) under certain numerically justified approximations and restrictions. Additionally, our procedure leads to a particular family of wavefronts (line-umbilical multifocal wavefronts) described by 2 conditions: (1) to be smooth multiplicative separable functions in the radial and angular coordinates; (2) to be umbilical along a specific segment connecting the circle center with its edge. We provide several examples of multifocal wavefronts belonging to this family, including a smooth variant of the so-called light sword element.

Superpixel-based multi-point intensity customizable light focusing for reflective iterative optimization wavefront shaping

We propose a new algorithm, which is the combination of the superpixel method and Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm, for multi-point light focusing of reflective iterative optimization wavefront shaping. Our algorithm shows a strong ability to control light, which is embodied in the following aspects: (1) Compared with other algorithms, the enhancement factor of multiple focal points is very high; (2) The uniformity of the intensity of multiple focal points is controllable; (3) Especially important is that the intensity of each of the multiple focal points is customizable. In the experiment, when 10 points are focused, the enhancement factor is up to 222.1, and the relative standard deviation is 5.99%. In terms of customizable intensity focusing, we set the ratio of focus intensity of two parts as 1:2 of 10-point, and the experimental result is 1:2.02, showing its powerful optical control capability in customizable intensity focusing. Our method has potential application value in the field of optogenetics and light capture.

Learning Optimal Wavefront Shaping for Multi-Channel Imaging.

Fast acquisition of depth information is crucial for accurate 3D tracking of moving objects. Snapshot depth sensing can be achieved by wavefront coding, in which the point-spread function (PSF) is engineered to vary distinctively with scene depth by altering the detection optics. In low-light applications, such as 3D localization microscopy, the prevailing approach is to condense signal photons into a single imaging channel with phase-only wavefront modulation to achieve a high pixel-wise signal to noise ratio. Here we show that this paradigm is generally suboptimal and can be significantly improved upon by employing multi-channel wavefront coding, even in low-light applications. We demonstrate our multi-channel optimization scheme on 3D localization microscopy in densely labelled live cells where detectability is limited by overlap of modulated PSFs. At extreme densities, we show that a split-signal system, with end-to-end learned phase masks, doubles the detection rate and reaches improved precision compared to the current state-of-the-art, single-channel design. We implement our method using a bifurcated optical system, experimentally validating our approach by snapshot volumetric imaging and 3D tracking of fluorescently labelled subcellular elements in dense environments.

Optical information transmission through complex scattering media with optical-channel-based intensity streaming

For the past decade, optical wavefront shaping has been the standard technique to control light through scattering media. Implicit in this dominance is the assumption that manipulating optical interference is a necessity for optical control through scattering media. In this paper, we challenge this assumption by reporting on an alternate approach for light control through a disordered scattering medium – optical-channel-based intensity streaming (OCIS). Instead of actively tuning the interference between the optical paths via wavefront shaping, OCIS controls light and transmits information through scattering media through linear intensity operations. We demonstrate a set of OCIS experiments that connect to some wavefront shaping implementations, i.e. iterative wavefront optimization, digital optical phase conjugation, image transmission through transmission matrix, and direct imaging through scattering media. We experimentally created focus patterns through scattering media on a sub-millisecond timescale. We also demonstrate that OCIS enables a scattering medium mediated secure optical communication application.

Filament-induced breakdown spectroscopy signal enhancement using optical wavefront control

Filament-induced breakdown spectroscopy (FIBS) is an analytical method that holds significant promise for remote sensing. In FIBS, it is desirable to maximize the intensity and improve the reproducibility of a selected spectroscopic feature. We demonstrate the use of wavefront control in conjunction with a genetic algorithm in FIBS of metallic copper and show that this approach can increase the efficacy of filament-induced breakdown signal production. Through wavefront optimization, we enhance the intensity of a chosen characteristic spectroscopic feature of copper by a factor of approximately 3 when performing filamentation over a 1-meter distance. The relative standard deviation of signal intensity is reduced from ∼17% to ∼12% after optimization. We find that modification of the wavefront by introduction of astigmatism and coma maximizes the signal intensity, and these aberrations appear in two distinct trials of the genetic algorithm. We compare these findings to previous work on multiple filament control and discuss the possible mechanisms that lead to signal enhancement associated with both the beam amplitude and phase profile. A broader use of wavefront control with feedback may improve the performance of FIBS in remote sensing applications.

Squirrel search algorithm optimization for imaging through scattering media using gradient structural similarity

A wave-front shaping optimization algorithm is proposed to image through scattering media with higher accuracy. Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC), structural similarity (SSIM), and gradient structural similarity (GSSIM) are introduced as the loss functions to recover images. We have concluded that GSSIM has the optimal detail recovery performance among complex multivalued targets, followed by SSIM and PCC. To find the optimal phase mask, we propose the squirrel search algorithm and compared it with two classical global optimization algorithms including the genetic algorithm, the simulated annealing algorithm, and the commonly used continuous sequence algorithm. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed squirrel search algorithm has a faster convergence speed and higher robustness and stability, which indicates an improved reconstruction quality. This algorithm will help realize imaging through scattering media better and quicker, which is meaningful in dynamic biological tissue imaging and related fields such as optical detection.

Maximal single-frequency electromagnetic response

Modern nanophotonic and meta-optical devices utilize a tremendous number of structural degrees of freedom to enhance light–matter interactions. A fundamental question is how large such enhancements can be. We develop an analytical framework to derive upper bounds to single-frequency electromagnetic response, across near- and far-field regimes, for any materials, naturally incorporating the tandem effects of material- and radiation-induced losses. Our framework relies on a power-conservation law for the polarization fields induced in any scatterer. It unifies previous theories on optical scattering bounds and reveals new insight for optimal nanophotonic design, with applications including far-field scattering, near-field local-density-of-states engineering, optimal wavefront shaping, and the design of perfect absorbers. Our bounds predict strikingly large minimal thicknesses for arbitrarily patterned perfect absorbers, ranging from 50–100 nm for typical materials at visible wavelengths to micrometer-scale thicknesses for polar dielectrics at infrared wavelengths. We use inverse design to discover metasurface structures approaching the minimum-thickness perfect-absorber bounds.

Model-based wavefront shaping microscopy.

Wavefront shaping is increasingly being used in modern microscopy to obtain high-resolution images deep inside inhomogeneous media. Wavefront shaping methods typically rely on the presence of a "guide star" to find the optimal wavefront to mitigate the scattering of light. However, the use of guide stars poses severe limitations. Notably, only objects in the close vicinity of the guide star can be imaged. Here, we introduce a guide-star-free wavefront shaping method in which the optimal wavefront is computed using a digital model of the sample. The refractive index model of the sample, that serves as the input for the computation, is constructed in situ by the microscope itself. In a proof of principle imaging experiment, we demonstrate a large improvement in the two-photon fluorescence signal through a diffuse medium, outperforming state-of-the-art wavefront shaping by a factor of two in imaging depth.

Controlling the light wavefront through a scattering medium based on direct digital frequency synthesis technology* *Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2016YFB0401902 and 2016YFB0402001) and Key-Area Research and Development Program of GuangDong Province, China (Grant No. 2019B010926001).

Phase modulation is a crucial step when the frequency-based wavefront optimization technique is exploited to measure the optical transmission matrix (TM) of a scattering medium. We report a simple but powerful method, direct digital frequency synthesis (DDS) technology to modulate the phase front of the laser and measure the TM. By judiciously modulating the phase front of a He–Ne laser beam, we experimentally generate a high quality focus at any targeted location through a 2 mm thick 120 grit ground glass diffuser, which is commercially used in laser display and laser holographic display for improving brightness uniformity and reducing speckle. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the clear round focus is ∼ 50 and the size is about 44 μm. Our study will open up new avenues for enhancing light energy delivery to the optical engine in laser TV to lower the power consumption, phase compensation to reduce the speckle noise, and controlling the lasing threshold in random lasers.

Non-invasive optical focusing inside strongly scattering media with linear fluorescence

Non-invasive optical focusing inside scattering media is still a big challenge because inhomogeneous media scatter incoming photons for focusing and outgoing photons for observation. Various approaches, utilizing non-linear fluorescence or ultrasound, have been reported to address this difficulty. However, implementation of these methods is complicated and highly expensive, as ultrafast laser systems or photo-acoustic equipment must be employed. Here, we demonstrate a wavefront shaping technique to achieve non-invasive focusing inside scattering media using only a linear fluorescent signal. The contrast and mean of incoherent speckles, produced by the linear fluorescence, are utilized as feedback signals to optimize the input wavefront. While increasing speckle contrast makes the focus tighter and increasing the speckle mean enhances the intensity, fine-tuning the contribution of these two factors in our two-step optimization is essential. An optimal wavefront is found to achieve simultaneously both a micrometer focal spot size (down to 20 μm diameter) and high intensity (more than a 100-fold enhancement) inside the scattering media. Our method promises a route in life science toward focusing, imaging, or manipulating deep into biological tissues with linear fluorescent agents.

Aberration-free 3D imaging via DMD-based two-photon microscopy and sensorless adaptive optics.

In this Letter, we present a new, to our knowledge, aberration-free 3D imaging technique based on digital micromirror device (DMD)-based two-photon microscopy and sensorless adaptive optics (AO), where 3D random-access scanning and modal wavefront correction are realized using a single DMD chip at 22.7 kHz. Specifically, the DMD is simultaneously used as a deformable mirror to modulate a distorted wavefront and a fast scanner to maneuver the laser focus in a 3D space by designed binary holograms. As such, aberration-free 3D imaging is realized by superposing the wavefront correction and 3D scanning holograms. Compared with conventional AO devices and methods, the DMD system can apply optimal wavefront correction information to different imaging regions or even individual pixels without compromising the scanning speed and device resolution. In the experiments, we first focus the laser through a diffuser and apply sensorless AO to retrieve a corrected focus. After that, the DMD performs 3D scanning on a Drosophila brain labeled with green fluorescent protein. The two-photon imaging results, where optimal wavefront correction information is applied to 3×3 separate regions, demonstrate significantly improved resolution and image quality. The new DMD-based imaging solution presents a compact, low-cost, and effective solution for aberration-free two-photon deep tissue imaging, which may find important applications in the field of biophotonics.