Holographic interferometers with photorefractive recording media

We discuss two types of holographic interferometer that contain photorefractive recording media. The first type contains two beams interacting in a photorefractive medium. The second type utilizes a single beam and relies on self-pumped phase conjugation from a photorefractive crystal to make phase changes appear as intensity changes. We show both theoretically and experimentally that the first type can be analyzed in a straightforward manner; however, the second type cannot be approximated as simply a special case of the first type, as one may n?ively suspect.     

Digitized holography: modern holography for 3D imaging of virtual and real objects

Recent developments in computer algorithms, image sensors, and microfabrication technologies make it possible to digitize the whole process of classical holography. This technique, referred to as digitized holography, allows us to create fine spatial three-dimensional (3D) images composed of virtual and real objects. In the technique, the wave field of real objects is captured in a wide area and at very high resolution using the technique of synthetic aperture digital holography. The captured field is incorporated in virtual 3D scenes including two-dimensional digital images and 3D polygon mesh objects. The synthetic field is optically reconstructed using the technique of computer-generated holograms. The reconstructed 3D images present all depth cues like classical holograms but are digitally editable, archivable, and transmittable unlike classical holograms. The synthetic hologram printed by a laser lithography system has a wide viewing zone in full-parallax and give viewers a strong sensation of depth, which has never been achieved by conventional 3D systems. A real hologram as well as the details of the technique is presented to verify the proposed technique.     

3D atomic imaging of SiGe system by X-ray fluorescence holography

X-ray fluorescence holography (XFH) provides three-dimensional atomic images around specific elements without any assumption of the structural model. Six X-ray holograms of Si_0.8Ge_0.2/Si at different energies were measured at the synchrotron radiation facility of SPring-8. Si and/or Ge atoms within 0.7 nm of a radius were clearly visible in the atomic images reconstructed from the holograms. From these images, slight displacements of the images at each shell in between Si_0.8Ge_0.2/Si and the Ge bulk were distinctly revealed. This demonstrated that the XFH method has a great potential to quantitatively analyze a three-dimensional local lattice structure in epitaxial crystals.     

High-speed and high-sensitivity displacement measurement with phase-locked low-coherence interferometry

A novel high-speed and high-sensitivity displacement measurement sensing system, based on the phase-locked low-coherence interferometry, is presented. The sensing system is realized by comprising the Michelson fiber-optic interferometer. In order to obtain quadrature signals at the interferometer outputs, a 3×3 fused silica fiber-optic directional coupler is used. Therefore, the usage of the interferometer phase modulation as well as the usage of the lock-in amplification has been avoided. In this way, the speed of such a realized sensing system is significantly increased in comparison with the standard phase-locked interferometric systems that can be found elsewhere in the literature. The bandwidth of the realized sensing system is limited by the first resonance frequency of the used piezo actuator to 4.6 kHz. The estimated noise floor in the displacement measurement is approximately 180 pm/√Hz.     

Digital holography and 3D imaging: Introduction to the feature issue

This feature issue contains a representative selection of topics that were presented at the inaugural OSA Topical Meeting on Digital Holography and 3D Imaging as well as additional relevant papers.     

Digital holography and 3-D imaging

This feature issue on Digital Holography and 3-D Imaging comprises 15 papers on digital holographic techniques and applications, computer-generated holography and encryption techniques, and 3-D display. It is hoped that future work in the area leads to innovative applications of digital holography and 3-D imaging to biology and sensing, and to the development of novel nonlinear dynamic digital holographic techniques.     

Circular-array ultrasound holography imaging using the linear-array approach

A circular-array, pulse-echo, ultrasound holography imaging method is presented. The configuration of the measurement system is much simpler than that of traditional computed-tomography (CT) and compound beta-scan imaging. Wide-beam insonification is used. The geometrical differences of the circular array compared with a linear array system are corrected in the frequency domain of the hologram. The computation time of the reconstruction process for a circular image is practically the same as that of a linear array imaging process using the backward propagation (BP) principle. A fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm is directly used in the reconstruction process. Computer simulation shows that the resolution of this imaging method can surpass that of a linear-array system. In the preliminary experiments, 2-mm resolution was achieved in both the lateral and radial directions with an ultrasound frequency of 2 MHz.     

Broadband holography applied to eddy current imaging by using signals with multiplied phases

In this paper an eddy current imaging method for nondestructive testing purposes is presented which utilizes the concept of broadband holography. An eddy current coil which is used simultaneously as an antenna for eddy current generation and as a probe for detection of response of interaction between eddy currents and flaws, respectively, is moved along a synthetic aperture during the imaging procedure generating synthetic eddy current pulses by scanning a certain frequency range. In terms of wave propagation phenomena the penetration depth (range) of eddy currents in conducting media is small compared to the equivalent wavelength of this type of fields. Therefore, adequate resolution can only be obtained in the reconstructed cross-sectional images by phase multiplication of received multifrequency signals, which is equivalent to a fictitious reduction of wavelengths. Experimental results verify the imaging capability of this method with improved resolution compared to conventional eddy current testing methods.     

3D reconstruction of concave surfaces using polarisation imaging

This paper presents a novel algorithm for improved shape recovery using polarisation-based photometric stereo. The majority of previous research using photometric stereo involves 3D reconstruction using both the diffuse and specular components of light; however, this paper suggests the use of the specular component only as it is the only form of light that comes directly off the surface without subsurface scattering or interreflections. Experiments were carried out on both real and synthetic surfaces. Real images were obtained using a polarisation-based photometric stereo device while synthetic images were generated using PovRay® software. The results clearly demonstrate that the proposed method can extract three-dimensional (3D) surface information effectively even for concave surfaces with complex texture and surface reflectance.     

In-band noise suppression using novel monolithically integrated semiconductor optical amplifier-based ultra-compact interferometers

Novel all-optical noise suppressors based on the nonlinear transfer function properties of monolithically integrated active waveguide interferometers are proposed and demonstrated. Through a power map imbalance between the two arms of the interferometers, each of which contains multi-contact semiconductor optical amplifiers, a nonlinear transfer function is created, which can then be exploited to achieve in-band noise suppression. The authors demonstrate the use of such a mechanism in ultra-compact Mach-Zehnder and Michelson interferometers (MIs). Experimental work demonstrates a 5.0-dB optical signal-to-noise ratio improvement for the Mach-Zehnder and an 8.4-dB improvement for the MIs, respectively. It is shown that for input data the Mach-Zehnder is capable of providing a Q factor improvement of 4.1 dB. To the authors knowledge, these devices constitute the smallest integrated interferometer structures reported to date demonstrating in-band noise suppression.     

Three-dimensional displacement measurement for diffuse object using phase-shifting digital holography with polarization imaging camera

The amount of displacement of a diffused object can be measured using phase-shifting digital holography with a polarization imaging camera. Four digital holograms in quadrature are extracted from the polarization imaging camera and used to calculate the phase hologram. Two Fourier transforms of the phase holograms are calculated before and after the displacement of the object. A phase slope is subsequently obtained from the phase distribution of division between the two Fourier transforms. The slope of the phase distribution is proportional to the lateral displacement of the object. The sensitivity is less than one pixel size in the lateral direction of the movement. The longitudinal component of the displacement can be also measured separately from the intercept on the phase axis along the phase distribution of the division between two Fourier transforms of the phase holograms.     

Multifrequency near-field acoustic tomography and holography of 3D subbottom inhomogeneities

A method of coherent multifrequency acoustic tomography and holography of spatially localized subbottom inhomogeneities in shallow seas is proposed. This method is based on solving of the near-field inverse scattering problem that makes it possible to realize a subwavelength resolution. It involves the analysis of measurement data obtained by the 2D transversal scanning with the source-receiver system along the sea bottom, over the area of sounded inhomogeneities. The solution begins with the Born approximation, where the original 3D integral equation for the scattered field is reduced to the 1D Fredholm equation of the first kind relative to the depth profile of the lateral spectrum of inhomogeneities. When solving this integral equation for each pair of spectral components, the generalized discrepancy method is in use. Then, corrections to the Born approximation can be obtained in the proposed iterative procedure. For distributed inhomogeneities, the inverse Fourier transform of the retrieved spectrum gives their 3D distribution that can be visualized as tomography images. For solid targets, this spectrum is used to obtain their shape (i.e. to solve the problem of computer holography). Corresponding results of the numerical simulation are presented.     

Phase-shifting digital holography with a low-coherence light source for reconstruction of a digital relief object hidden behind a light-scattering medium

Hiding image data with a light-scattering medium is effective as a basic data protection technique. The hidden image data can be observed only by using a low-coherence interference technique and is thus protected from unauthorized access. Unlike an intensity-distributed object, a digital relief object has no intensity distribution, making it possible to hide its existence by using a dilute light-scattering medium. To reconstruct the digital relief object through the light-scattering medium, we developed phase-shifting digital holography with a low-coherence light source. The experimental performance, including the spatial resolution and phase error of the reconstructed image, is estimated.     

Design of a front-end integrated circuit for 3D acoustic imaging using 2D CMUT arrays

Integration of front-end electronics with 2D capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) arrays has been a challenging issue due to the small element size and large channel count. We present design and verification of a front-end drive-readout integrated circuit for 3D ultrasonic imaging using 2D CMUT arrays. The circuit cell dedicated to a single CMUT array element consists of a high-voltage pulser and a low-noise readout amplifier. To analyze the circuit cell together with the CMUT element, we developed an electrical CMUT model with parameters derived through finite element analysis, and performed both the pre- and postlayout verification. An experimental chip consisting of 4 X 4 array of the designed circuit cells, each cell occupying a 200 X 200 microm2 area, was formed for the initial test studies and scheduled for fabrication in 0.8 microm, 50 V CMOS technology. The designed circuit is suitable for integration with CMUT arrays through flip-chip bonding and the CMUT-on-CMOS process.     

Phase contrast using photorefractive LiNbO(3):Fe crystals

We theoretically and experimentally study phase contrast using a photorefractive LiNbO(3):Fe crystal sheet and realize the high-performance phase contrast operation using C-cut LiNbO(3):Fe crystal sheets in which the photovoltaic effect plays an important role. We estimate the maximum photovoltaic field in LiNbO(3):Fe using the phase contrast method.     

3D photon counting integral imaging with unknown sensor positions

Photon counting techniques have been introduced with integral imaging for three-dimensional (3D) imaging applications. The previous reports in this area assumed a priori knowledge of exact sensor positions for 3D image reconstruction, which may be difficult to satisfy in certain applications. In this paper, we extend the photon counting 3D imaging system to situations where sensor positions are unknown. To estimate sensor positions in photon counting integral imaging, scene details of photon counting images are needed for image correspondences matching. Therefore, an iterative method based on the total variation maximum a posteriori expectation maximization (MAP-EM) algorithm is used to restore photon counting images. Experimental results are presented to show the feasibility of the method. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on 3D photon counting integral imaging with unknown sensor positions.     

High-speed cross-sectional imaging of valuable documents using common-path swept-source optical coherence tomography

A common-path swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) is a promising scheme for implementing a high-speed and stable OCT system. We investigate the capability of a common-path SS-OCT system to perform the cross-sectional imaging of valuable documents translated at high speed for the check of its security feature. The influence of transport speeds, up to 2000 mm/s, on the depth resolution and the signal intensity is experimentally evaluated using a SS-OCT system equipped with a swept source at a center wavelength of 1335 nm and with a sweep repetition rate of 50 kHz. The degradation of the measured signal is in good agreement with theory.