Polarization sensitivity of the SUMER instrument on SOHO

The Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) instrument on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite is sensitive to the state of linear polarization of the incident radiation primarily owing to two optical elements, the holographic grating and the wavelength scan mirror. The large angle of incidence of light striking the scan mirror, which varies from roughly 73.3 degrees to 81.6 degrees (with respect to the mirror normal), causes the mirror to act as a linear polarizer. Similarly, the spectrometer grating operates at incidence angles between 16.7 degrees and 35.0 degrees , adding to the polarization effect at some wavelengths. Measurement and characterization of this polarization sensitivity as a function of wavelength were performed with the engineering model optics (scan mirror and grating) and synchrotron radiation, which is nearly 100% linearly polarized, from the Super Anneau de Collisions d'Orsay (SUPERACO) positron storage ring in Orsay. The polarization sensitivity or modulation factor of the SUMER instrument was found to be between 0.4 and 0.6, depending on the wavelength and the angle of incidence of light striking the scan mirror; this agrees with the calculated polarization properties based on the measured optical constants for the silicon carbide mirror and grating.     

Focusing characteristics of a planar solid-immersion mirror

The focusing characteristics of a planar waveguide solid-immersion mirror with parabolic design have been investigated. The solid-immersion mirror is integrated into an optical waveguide, and light focusing is achieved with a parabolic mirror parallel to the waveguide plane and waveguide mode confinement normal to the waveguide plane. Optical-quality tantala silica planar waveguides can be obtained by evaporation. The parabolic sidewall reflects over 50% of the incident waveguide mode and generates a diffraction-limited focus. The measured spot size for the solid-immersion mirror described here is less than one third of the wavelength. Polarization analysis shows that the electric field near the focal region has components parallel and normal to the polarization state of the incident beam. The planar solid-immersion mirror is essentially free of chromatic aberration, and the alignment of the illumination beam is within a fraction of degrees.     

Adaptive optics for in-orbit aberration correction: spherical aberration feasibility study

We investigate the feasibility of using an adaptive mirror for in-orbit aberration corrections. The advantage of an in situ aberration correction of optical components in the space environment is that the mirror shape can be adjusted in an iterative fashion until the best image is obtained. Using the actuator spacing, corresponding to one half of the Nyquist frequency, the Strehl ratio of the corrected wave front improves to 0.95 when the mirror is fabricated with 6.5 waves of spherical aberration. The Strehl ratio decreases to 0.86 when the number of actuators is reduced by a factor of 4, in a two-dimensional adaptive optics model.     

Analysis of optical elements with flat boundary surfaces

Optical systems are currently evaluated by use of ray-tracing techniques to extract performance quantities such as aberration and spot size. To improve on the use of optical equations, we formulate various important optical functions using a 4 x 4 homogeneous transformation matrix to design and analyze skew rays that cross flat optical boundary surfaces. We address three important topics: (1) the direction of a reflected or refracted ray is determined according to Snell's law, (2) sensitivity analysis expresses differential changes of reflected or refracted rays in terms of differential changes of incident rays, and (3) aberration of polychromatic light is presented analytically. A solid-glass corner cube and a Pechan prism are used to demonstrate the validity of the developed methodology.     

Ground-based imaging differential optical absorption spectroscopy of atmospheric gases

We describe a compact remote-sensing instrument that permits spatially resolved mapping of atmospheric trace gases by passive differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) and present our first applications of imaging of the nitrogen dioxide contents of the exhaust plumes of two industrial emitters. DOAS permits the identification and quantification of various gases, e.g., NO2, SO2, and CH2O, from their specific narrowband (differential) absorption structures with high selectivity and sensitivity. With scattered sunlight as the light source, DOAS is used with an imaging spectrometer that is simultaneously acquiring spectral information on the incident light in one spatial dimension (column). The second spatial dimension is scanned by a moving mirror.     

Observation of enhanced backscattering from a plane mirror viewed through polymer-film-dispersed liquid crystals

We report experimental results on enhanced backscattering from a plane mirror that is viewed through polymer-film-dispersed nematic liquid crystals. The distribution of the averaged intensity of the light reflected from the mirror placed behind the polymer film is investigated with an image-processing system when a Gaussian beam wave is incident. The enhanced light peak is observed in an incident beam direction, the result of which is predicted by a theory based on the circular Gaussian statistic random-phase-screen model. We pay attention to the enhancement dependence on parameters such as the distance between the polymer film and the flat mirror. The observed result is similar to a previous study by Jakeman et al. in which a random diffusive glass plate was used as a random-phase screen [J. Phys. D 21, 32 (1988)].     

Graded-reflectivity mirror based on a volume phase hologram in a photopolymer film

Graded-reflectivity mirrors for 1064-nm wavelength have been fabricated by use of volume phase holograms recorded in photopolymer films. A method for producing such holograms for the 1064-nm radiation by use of a 532-nm light source with a short (0.1-mm) coherence length was developed. The measured peak reflectivity of the mirror reached 95%, and its super-Gaussian profile well matched that calculated based on coupled-mode theory. The mirror can withstand a peak power density greater than 10(8) W/cm(2). This method can also be used for fabricating deflectors that direct an incident beam to any specified angle other than the angle of reflection.     

Deep-ultraviolet Raman microspectroscopy: characterization of wide-gap semiconductors

We have developed a high-throughput deep-ultraviolet (DUV) Raman microspectrometer with excitation from a continuous wave (cw) laser operated at 244 nm that enables us to characterize thin surface layers of wide-gap semiconductors. This spectrometer system consists of a filter spectrometer for the rejection of stray light and a high-dispersion spectrograph combined with a liquid nitrogen cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) detector and extends the low-frequency limit of the observable spectral range down to 170 cm(-1). In the microscope we use a Cassegrain reflective objective for the collection of the scattered light and an off-axis mirror for introduction of the excitation laser light. DUV Raman spectroscopy has been applied for studying wide-gap semiconductors including SiC and AlGaN epitaxial films and shallow implanted layers of these materials. Raman spectra of various crystals have also been measured for examining the performance of this system. Resonance enhancement of Raman bands has been observed for several semiconductors, and the results are discussed.     

Design and performance considerations of cat's-eye retroreflectors for use in open-path Fourier-transform-infrared spectrometry

A ray-tracing analysis of cat's-eye retroreflectors for use in active open-path Fourier-transform-infrared (OP/FT-IR) spectrometry and the results of testing f/0.5 and f/1.75 cat's-eye retroreflectors built in our laboratory with a commercial active OP/FT-IR spectrometer are presented. The ray-tracing model is based on the optical characteristics of a commercial single-telescope monostatic OP/FT-IR spectrometer and explores trends in cat's-eye behavior in practical but rigorous field conditions encountered during transportable outdoor use. All mirrors modeled are paraboloids for which the focal ratios of the primary mirror are f/0.5, f/1.75, and f/3. The effect of the focal ratio of the primary mirror, the focal length of the secondary mirror, and the off-axis alignment of the primary and the secondary mirror have been evaluated as a function of path length, including variable input-beam divergence, between the spectrometer and the cat's-eye. The paraboloidal mirrors comprising the primary and secondary of the cat's-eye retroreflectors tested were made in our laboratory by spin casting liquid epoxy-graphite composite mixtures followed by in situ polymerization with no postpolishing.     

TMC系统主镜的平板补偿自准检验方法

针对TMC(三镜卡塞格林)光学系统凹椭球面主镜的检验,本文提出了一种平板补偿的自准检验方法.该方法克服了OFFENER零位补偿器本身性能难以检验,只能靠加工和装调保证精度的问题.针对TMC主镜面形与抛物面接近的特点,对平板补偿的自准检验方案进行了理论分析,利用二次非球面的法线像差性质推导了检验光路中球差的表达式,并利用最小剩余球差进行补偿平板参数的确定.对某TMC系统顶点曲率1 589mm,二次系数-0.983,口径φ500 mm的主镜检验,设计了尺寸仅为φ34.2 min×9.126 5 mm的补偿平板.在ZEMAX中计算的结果表明,经平板补偿后的检验光路波像差RMS值为0.003λ,可满足TMC主镜的高精度检验要求.对补偿平板的检验方法,以及加工和使用中应当采取的措施也进行了考虑.与常用检验方法相比,本文方法具有容易对平板性能进行检验,成本低、研制周期短等优点.     

Space-resolving flat-field extreme ultraviolet spectrograph system and its aberration analysis with wave-front aberration

The Nam aberration of a flat-field extreme ultraviolet spectrograph system, composed of a varied line-spacing concave grating and a toroidal mirror, was analyzed by calculating the wave-front aberration with respect to an astigmatic reference surface. The toroidal mirror was used to compensate for the astigmatism that was due to the grazing incidence of light at the concave grating. The spectrograph system could form a space-resolved spectrum along the sagittal direction. The spectral and spatial resolutions of the spectrograph system were estimated from the root-mean-square spot size. The actual spectral resolution of the spectrograph system was measured from extreme ultraviolet spectra obtained from plasmas produced by an iodine laser having an energy of 0.5 J in a 4-ns duration, and it was compared with the calculated value.     

Analysis of imaging properties of a vibrating thin flat mirror

Thin flat mirrors are often used in designing various optical measurement systems. Such mirrors are generally deformed by environmental conditions during measurements. A detailed theory of deformation of a thin flat mirror that oscillates harmonically in the direction of the normal to its surface is introduced in our work. The mirror is treated as a vibrating membrane, and the time-dependent effect of the mirror deformation on the properties of reflected light is studied. A relation is derived for a dynamic wave aberration. On the basis of this relation, calculation of the Strehl definition of the deformed mirror is performed both by exact integration and by approximation. The results obtained can be used for analysis of the influence of mechanical vibrations on the accuracy of optical measurement systems in various practical applications where thin flat mirrors are used.     

Off-plane anastigmatic imaging in Offner spectrometers

In this paper, the imaging performance of an Offner concentric imaging spectrometer is analyzed when the spectrometer entrance slit is disposed arbitrarily on the plane that is parallel to the grating grooves and contains the common center of curvature. Astigmatism-corrected designs are obtained for off-plane incidence on the grating if one point on the slit is located on the Rowland circle of the primary mirror. In this case, the combined system of primary mirror plus diffraction grating provides two astigmatic line images oriented parallel and orthogonal to the plane of diffraction, with the former located on the same plane as the slit. Consequently, these images can be brought to a single focus on this plane by the tertiary mirror if its radius of curvature is chosen properly. In addition, coma aberration is simultaneously removed. These results can be applied to the design of two-mirror or three-mirror spectrometers, generalizing the concept of the best imaging circle and providing solutions to get anastigmatic imaging for two object points and two wavelengths.     

Atomic Level 1D Structural Modulations at the Negatively Charged Domain Walls in BiFeO3 Films

Charged domain walls (CDWs) show great potentials to mediate the properties of ferroelectrics. Direct mapping of these domain walls at an atomic scale is of critical importance for understanding the domain wall dominated properties. Here, based on aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, tail‐to‐tail CDWs at 71°, 109°, and 180° domains in BiFeO₃ thin films have been identified. 2D mappings demonstrate 1D structural modulations with alternate lattice expansions and clockwise/counterclockwise lattice rotations at these CDWs. Such behaviors of CDWs reveal a remarkable contrast to the uncharged domain walls and imply delicate interactions between bound charges and structural compensations of domain wall. These results are expected to provide new information on domain wall structures and shed some light on the understanding of domain wall properties in ferroelectrics.     

High-resolution retinal imaging with micro adaptive optics system

Based on the dynamic characteristics of human eye aberration, a microadaptive optics retina imaging system set is established for real-time wavefront measurement and correction. This paper analyzes the working principles of a 127-unit Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor and a 37-channel micromachine membrane deformable mirror adopted in the system. The proposed system achieves wavefront reconstruction through the adaptive centroid detection method and the mode reconstruction algorithm of Zernike polynomials, so that human eye aberration can be measured accurately. Meanwhile, according to the adaptive optics aberration correction control model, a closed-loop iterative aberration correction algorithm based on Smith control is presented to realize efficient and real-time correction of human eye aberration with different characteristics, and characteristics of the time domain of the system are also optimized. According to the experiment results tested on a USAF 1951 standard resolution target and a living human retina (subject ZHY), the resolution of the system can reach 3.6?LP/mm, and the human eye wavefront aberration of 0.728λ (λ=785?nm) can be corrected to 0.081λ in root mean square (RMS) so as to achieve the diffraction limit (Strehl ratio is 0.866), then high-resolution retina images are obtained.     

Two-dimensional grating light modulator for projection display

A novel two-dimensional (2D) phase grating light modulator for projection display is proposed. It consists of an upper moveable grating, a bottom mirror, and four supporting posts between them. After the driving voltage is applied to the modulator, the upper grating will move down, which induces a phase difference and, therefore, leads to a controlled variation of its diffraction pattern. Optical characteristics of the modulator and the modulator array are analyzed with Fourier optics theory. The analysis shows the incident light will be switched from its zero order diffraction fringe to the first order diffraction fringe when the phase difference between the moveable grating and the bottom mirror changes from 2 pi to pi. The diffraction pattern of the light modulator array is the coherent superposition of all single modulators. A 16 x 16 modulator array is fabricated by surface micromachining technology. The test result shows that the device works well when it is actuated by a voltage with a 1 kHz frequency and 10V amplitude. Both theoretical analysis and experiment results indicate that the 2D phase grating light modulator has potential application in a projection display system.     

Investigation of a double-pass confocal scanning microscope with a self-pumped phase-conjugate mirror

Investigations of a double-pass scanning microscope with a self-pumped phase-conjugate mirror are presented. The microscope achieves lateral- and axial-resolution enhancements compared with the conventional confocal transmission microscope and has the advantages of self-alignment and aberration compensation owing to the properties of a phase-conjugate mirror. Using a self-pumped phase-conjugate mirror makes it possible to achieve a high scan rate, which is essential to observing objects by a confocal microscope.     

Fourier transform near-infrared spectrometer using a corner-cube integrated prism scanning interferometer

This paper describes a Fourier transform (FT) near-infrared spectrometer that uses an integrated prism scanning interferometer whose optical paths are stabilized by corner cubes. A combination of corner cubes and a retroreflection mirror, which is sometimes used in the conventional interferometer for FT spectrometers, is adopted and adapted to the integrated prism scanning interferometer through a special design. Without any degradation of spectroscopic properties, the optical path in the interferometer is highly stabilized and the moving distance of the stage is halved. These advantages provide a robust and portable FT spectrometer for field use.     

Algorithm to increase the largest aberration that can be reconstructed from Hartmann sensor measurements

Conventional Hartmann sensor processing relies on locating the centroid of the image that is formed behind each element of a lenslet array. These centroid locations are used for computing the local gradient of the incident aberration, from which the phase of the incident wave front is calculated. The largest aberration that can reliably be sensed in a conventional Hartmann sensor must have a local gradient small enough that the spot formed by each lenslet is confined to the area behind the lenslet: If the local gradient is larger, spots form under nearby lenslets, causing a form of cross talk between the wave-front sensor channels. We describe a wave-front reconstruction algorithm that processes the whole image measured by a Hartmann sensor and a conventional image that is formed by use of the incident aberration. We show that this algorithm can accurately estimate aberrations for cases in which the aberration is strong enough to cause many of the images formed by individual lenslets to fall outside the local region of the Hartmann sensor detector plane defined by the edges of a lenslet.     

Absolute measurement of the generated aberrations from liquid crystal spatial light modulator using a common-path interferometry

A compact common-path interferometry is proposed to measure the wavefront aberration generated from liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM). The LC-SLM is encoded with an aberration pattern and illuminated with a linearly polarized light oriented at ±45° with respect to the fast axis of liquid crystal, which is vertically oriented. The horizontal polarization component of the incident beam is not affected by the driving signal, while the vertical polarization component is modulated to the aberration loaded to the LC-SLM. By imposing a quarter-wave plate and a rotating analyzer, these two waves create four frames of phase-stepped interferograms. The aberration to be measured can be retrieved, and the result does not include any systematic error such as the substrate error of LC-SLM. Therefore, this method can implement absolute measurement, and help us to evaluate perfectly the fitting accuracy of the LC-SLM.