Coincidence subwavelength fractional Fourier transform

The coincidence subwavelength fractional Fourier transforms (FRTs) with entangled photon pairs and incoherent light radiation are introduced as an extension of the recently introduced coincidence FRT. Optical systems for implementing the coincidence subwavelength FRTs are designed. The width of the coincidence subwavelength FRT pattern is two times narrower than the width of the coincidence FRT. The coincidence subwavelength FRT with partially coherent light radiation is also studied numerically. Differences between the coincidence subwavelength FRT with entangled photon pairs and that with incoherent light radiation are discussed.     

Experimental observation of fractional Fourier transform for a partially coherent optical beam with Gaussian statistics

We report the experimental observation of the fractional Fourier transform (FRT) for a partially coherent optical beam with Gaussian statistics [i.e., partially coherent Gaussian Schell-model (GSM) beam]. The intensity distribution (or beam width) and the modulus of the square of the spectral degree of coherence (or coherence width) of a partially coherent GSM beam in the FRT plane are measured, and the experimental results are analyzed and agree well with the theoretical results. The FRT optical system provides a convenient way to control the properties, e.g., the intensity distribution, beam width, spectral degree of coherence, and coherence width, of a partially coherent beam.     

Transformation and spectrum properties of partially coherent beams in the fractional Fourier transform plane

An analytical and concise formula is derived for the fractional Fourier transform (FRT) of partially coherent beams that is based on the tensorial propagation formula of the cross-spectral density of partially coherent twisted anisotropic Gaussian-Schell-model (GSM) beams. The corresponding tensor ABCD law performing the FRT is obtained. The connections between the FRT formula and the generalized diffraction integral formulas for partially coherent beams passing through aligned optical systems and misaligned optical systems are discussed. With use of the derived formula, the transformation and spectrum properties of partially coherent GSM beams in the FRT plane are studied in detail. The results show that the fractional order of the FRT has strong effects on the transformation properties and the spectrum properties of partially coherent GSM beams. Our method provides a simple and convenient way to study the FRT of twisted anisotropic GSM beams.     

Experimental observation of truncated fractional Fourier transform for a partially coherent Gaussian Schell-model beam

The truncated fractional Fourier transform (FRT) is applied to a partially coherent Gaussian Schell-model (GSM) beam. The analytical propagation formula for a partially coherent GSM beam propagating through a truncated FRT optical system is derived by using a tensor method. Furthermore, we report the experimental observation of the truncated FRT for a partially coherent GSM beam. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical results. Our results show that initial source coherence, fractional order, and aperture width (i.e., truncation parameter) have strong influences on the intensity and coherence properties of the partially coherent beam in the FRT plane. When the aperture width is large, both the intensity and the spectral degree of coherence in the FRT plane are of Gaussian distribution. As the aperture width decreases, the diffraction pattern gradually appears in the FRT plane, and the spectral degree of coherence becomes of non-Gaussian distribution. As the coherence of the initial GSM beam decreases, the diffraction pattern for the case of small aperture widths gradually disappears.     

Fractional Fourier transform for partially coherent off-axis Gaussian Schell-model beam

The fractional Fourier transform (FRT) is applied to a partially coherent off-axis Gaussian Schell-model (GSM) beam, and an analytical formula is derived for the FRT of a partially coherent off-axis GSM beam. The corresponding tensor ABCD law for performing the FRT of a partially coherent off-axis GSM beam is also obtained. As an application example, the FRT of a partially coherent linear laser array that is expanded as a sum of off-axis GSM beams is studied. The derived formulas are used to provide numerical examples. The formulas provide a convenient way to analyze and calculate the FRT of a partially coherent off-axis GSM beam.     

Double-lens extended fractional Fourier transform

A double-lens extended fractional Fourier transform (EFRT) is proposed. In the double-lens setup, arbitrary-order EFRTs including real orders and complex orders can be carried out. To verify that the single-lens EFRT and the double-lens EFRT are equivalent, numerical simulations and optical experiments for the real-order EFRT and the complex-order EFRT are performed. Their results indicate that the double-lens EFRT is consistent with the single-lens EFRT. Thus the double-lens setup can be regarded as another basic optical configuration. Compared with the single-lens EFRT, the double-lens EFRT has some advantages.     

Shannon entropy of partially polarized and partially coherent light with Gaussian fluctuations

We propose to analyze Shannon entropy properties of partially coherent and partially polarized light with Gaussian probability distributions. It is shown that the Shannon entropy is a sum of simple functions of the intensity, of the degrees of polarization, and of the intrinsic degrees of coherence that have been recently introduced. This analysis clearly demonstrates the contribution of partial polarization and of partial coherence to the characterization of disorder of the light provided by the Shannon entropy, which is a standard measure of randomness. We illustrate these results on two simple examples.     

Correlated imaging with partially coherent light for remote sensing

Based on the extended Huygens–Fresnel integral and the theory of coherence of light field, we have investigated the correlated imaging by using the transverse normalized second-order intensity fluctuation correlation function with partially coherent light radiation. The imaging for a reflected object with relative long distance is determined by the feature of speckle-to-speckle correlation. By using the correlation function, we study the effects of imaging distance, the sizes of object lens and reference lens, the source’s transverse coherent width and its transverse size on the quality of correlated imaging. Numerical results show that the parameters of imaging system and the properties of partially coherent light source have significant influences on the imaging resolution and visibility. For an object lens with large enough diameter, the resolution is determined by the transverse coherent width of light source. On the contrary, it depends on the aperture of object lens. The magnification of the system depends only on the propagation distance. This speckle-to-speckle correlated imaging with unbalanced arms have potential applications in remote sensing due to its unique features.     

Optical correlation based on the fractional Fourier transform

Some properties of optical correlation based on the fractional Fourier transform are analyzed. For a particular set of fractional orders, a filter is obtained that becomes insensitive to scale variations of the object. An optical configuration is also proposed to carry out the fractional correlation in a flexible way, and some experimental results are shown.     

Image-scaling problem in the optical fractional Fourier transform

The significance of scale factors and cascade of optical fractional Fourier transform is emphasized. Exact and cascadable fractional Fourier transforms in practical applications mandate that the image scale be the reciprocal of the scale of the input plane controlled by the optical setup. The practical setup of the optical fractional Fourier transform must be without any quadratic phase term at the spectrum plane.     

Diagnostic ultrasound tooth imaging using fractional Fourier transform

An ultrasound contact imaging method is proposed to measure the enamel thickness in the human tooth. A delay-line transducer with a working frequency of 15 MHz is chosen to achieve a minimum resolvable distance of 400 μm in human enamel. To confirm the contact between the tooth and the transducer, a verification technique based on the phase shift upon reflection is used. Because of the high attenuation in human teeth, linear frequency-modulated chirp excitation and pulse compression are exploited to increase the penetration depth and improve the SNR. Preliminary measurements show that the enamel-dentin boundary creates numerous internal reflections, which cause the applied chirp signals to interfere arbitrarily. In this work, the fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) is employed for the first time in dental imaging to separate chirp signals overlapping in both time and frequency domains. The overlapped chirps are compressed using the FrFT and matched filter techniques. Micro-computed tomography is used for validation of the ultrasound measurements for both techniques. For a human molar, the thickness of the enamel layer is measured with an average error of 5.5% after compressing with the FrFT and 13.4% after compressing with the matched filter based on the average speed of sound in human teeth.     

Wigner distribution moments in fractional Fourier transform systems

It is shown how all global Wigner distribution moments of arbitrary order in the output plane of a (generally anamorphic) two-dimensional fractional Fourier transform system can be expressed in terms of the moments in the input plane. Since Wigner distribution moments are identical to derivatives of the ambiguity function at the origin, a similar relation holds for these derivatives. The general input-output relationship is then broken down into a number of rotation-type input-output relationships between certain combinations of moments. It is shown how the Wigner distribution moments (or ambiguity function derivatives) can be measured as intensity moments in the output planes of a set of appropriate fractional Fourier transform systems and thus be derived from the corresponding fractional power spectra. The minimum number of (anamorphic) fractional power spectra that are needed for the determination of these moments is derived. As an important by-product we get a number of moment combinations that are invariant under (anamorphic) fractional Fourier transformation.     

Incoherent fractional Fourier transform and its optical implementation

The fractional Fourier transform is redefined for working with incoherent light. As a real transformation, the incoherent fractional Fourier transform overcomes coherent system disadvantages such as the speckle effect and the need for incoherent-coherent conversion. It also might have some applications for digital image and signal processing owing to its decreased computing complexity. An incoherent optical implementation of the new transform based on the shearing interferometer is suggested. Laboratory experimental results are given.     

Scaled fractional Fourier transform and its optical implementation

The scaled fractional Fourier transform is suggested and is implemented optically by one lens for different values of phi and output scale. In addition, physically it relates the FRT with the general lens transform-the optical diffraction between two asymmetrically positioned planes before and after a lens.     

Observing the fractional Fourier transform by free-space Fresnel diffraction

The fractional Fourier transform of an object can be observed in the free-space Fresnel diffraction pattern of the object.     

Spatial correlation properties of focused partially coherent light

We investigate the spatial coherence properties in the focal region of a converging, spatially partially coherent wave field. In particular, we find that, depending on the effective coherence length of the field in the aperture, the longitudinal and transverse coherence lengths in the focal region can be either larger or smaller than the corresponding width of the intensity distribution. Also, the correlation function is shown to exhibit phase singularities.     

Discrete fractional Fourier transform as a fast algorithm for evaluating the diffraction pattern of pulsed radiation

A technique is proposed for computing the field radiated from a rectangular aperture. This technique, based on the discrete fractional Fourier transform, avoids the complexities of computing the diffraction pattern by the direct evaluation of the Fresnel integral. The advocated approach provides a fast and accurate computational tool, especially in the case of evaluating pulsed fields radiated through two-dimensional screens of complex amplitude. A detailed numerical study that demonstrates the efficacy of this approach is carried out.