An edge-lit volume holographic optical element for an objective turret in a lensless digital holographic microscope.

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate the use of an edge-lit volume holographic optical element (EL-VHOE) as a reference waveguide to reduce the volume of a lensless digital holographic microscope. Additionally, a hybrid lensless Fourier transform digital holography is applied to make the EL-VHOE function as an objective turret. It used a spherical wave in the object beam of the EL-VHOE, which served as the reference beam of the microscope.

Hierarchical anti-reflective laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs) on amorphous Si films for sensing applications.

Here, we applied direct laser-induced periodic surface structuring to drive the phase transition of amorphous silicon (a-Si) into nanocrystalline (nc) Si imprinted as regular arrangement of Si nanopillars passivated with a SiO2 layer. By varying the laser beam scanning speed at a fixed pulse energy, we successfully tailored the resulting unique surface morphology of the formed LIPSSs that change from ordered arrangement of conical protrusions to highly uniform surface gratings, where sub-wavelength scale ripples decorate the valleys between near-wavelength scale ridges. Along with the surface morphology, the nc-Si/SiO2 volume ratio can also be controlled via laser processing parameters allowing the tailoring of the optical properties of the produced textured surfaces to achieve anti-reflection performance or partial transmission in the visible spectral range.

A new matrix formulation of the Maxwell and Dirac equations.

Presented in this paper is a new matrix formulation of both the classical electromagnetic Maxwell equations and the relativistic quantum mechanical Dirac equation. These new matrix representations will be referred to as the Maxwell spacetime matrix equation and the Dirac spacetime matrix equation. Both are Lorentz invariant.

Noncontact and instant detection of phosphor temperature in phosphor-converted white LEDs.

Phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (pc-WLEDs) have become a major light source in general lighting. To stabilize the photometric characteristics of pc-WLEDs, much effort has been made to manage the heat dissipation of the LED dies. The thermal problems of the phosphor parts, a critical reliability concern for pc-WLEDs, have recently attracted academic interest.

Phase IIB Randomized Study of Topical Difluoromethylornithine and Topical Diclofenac on Sun-Damaged Skin of the Forearm.

Prevention of nonmelanoma skin cancers remains a health priority due to high costs associated with this disease. Diclofenac and difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) have demonstrated chemopreventive efficacy for cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas. We designed a randomized study of the combination of DFMO and diclofenac in the treatment of sun-damaged skin.

Accuracy of the Spot and Plusoptix photoscreeners for detection of astigmatism.

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of the Spot (V2.0.16) and Plusoptix S12 (ROC4, V6.

High Q-factor microring resonator wrapped by the curved waveguide.

In this work, we study the performances of ring resonators of different type by analyzing the bending loss and the condition of the critical coupling. We propose that the bending loss of microring can be reduced by wrapping a concentrically curved waveguide. The difference of propagation constant between two concentrically curved waveguides can be tuned by adjusting the bus waveguide width to optimize the critical coupling.

The deviation of growth model for transparent conductive graphene.

An approximate growth model was employed to predict the time required to grow a graphene film by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Monolayer graphene films were synthesized on Cu foil at various hydrogen flow rates from 10 to 50 sccm. The sheet resistance of the graphene film was 310Ω/□ and the optical transmittance was 97.

Diffuse spectral fundus reflectance measured using subretinally placed spectralon.

The diffuse fundus reflectance and the spectral transmittance of the swine sensory retina was measured in vivo using intravitreal illumination. Pars plana vitrectomy and intravitreal manipulations were performed on a female American Yorkshire domestic swine. Light from a scanning monochromator was coupled into a fiber optic intraocular illuminator inserted into the vitreous.

Spectral background and transmission characteristics of fiber optic imaging bundles.

The emission and transmission properties of three commercially produced coherent fiber optic imaging bundles were evaluated. Full fluorescence excitation versus emission data were collected from 250 to 650 nm excitation for high-resolution Sumitomo, Fujikura, and Schott fiber bundles. The results generated show regions of autofluorescence and inelastic Raman scattering in the imaging bundles that represent a wavelength-dependent background signal when these fibers are used for imaging applications.

Sparsity constrained regularization for multiframe image restoration.

In this paper we present a new algorithm for restoring an object from multiple undersampled low-resolution (LR) images that are degraded by optical blur and additive white Gaussian noise. We formulate the multiframe superresolution problem as maximum a posteriori estimation. The prior knowledge that the object is sparse in some domain is incorporated in two ways: first we use the popular l(1) norm as the regularization operator.

Scattering measurements on optical disks and their relation to media noise.

We have conducted measurements of scattered light from bare polycarbonate and glass substrates and from complete optical disks using a He-Ne laser beam in different polarization states and at different angles of incidence. The results are compared with the measured media noise obtained from the same disks on a dynamic tester. Both the scattered light and the media noise originate from the jaggedness and other imperfections of the groove structure, the roughness of the substrate's surface, and the inhomogeneities of the bulk of the substrate.

Dynamic theory of crystallization in Ge2Sb2.3Te5 phase-change optical recording media.

We develop a theory of the crystallization dynamics of Ge(2)Sb(2.3)Te(5) thin films that shows good qualitative agreement with experimental reflectivity results from a two-laser static tester. The theory is adapted from the nucleation theory of liquid droplets from supersaturated vapor and elucidates the physics underlying the amorphous-to-crystalline phase transformation under short-pulse excitation.

Sparse modulation coding for increased capacity in volume holographic storage.

In page-oriented memories, data pages commonly consist of comparable numbers of on and off pixels. Data-page sparsity is defined by reduction of the number of on pixels per page, leading to an increased diffracted power into each pixel. When page retrieval is dominated by a fixed noise floor, the number of pages in the memory is limited by the pixel diffraction efficiency.

Optical design with parametrically defined aspheric surfaces.

The standard aspheric surface definition has been used successfully to correct aberrations in a wide variety of systems. However, in some current applications a more general surface definition is needed. We present a more general approach that uses parametrically defined optical surfaces for the optical design of imaging and illumination systems.

Spherical primary telescope with aspheric correction at a small internal pupil.

The aspheric plate at the center of curvature of a spherical primary is replaced by a small aspheric corrector at a minified pupil located inside a reimaging camera. The correctors are identical for each reimaging camera because the spherical aberration of the primary sphere is identical and symmetrical for all field positions. The magnitude of the field aberrations is evaluated over a range of primary focal ratios and minified pupil diameters.

Estimation of thermal conductivity of magneto-optic media.

We describe a method to estimate the thermal conductivity of the substrate, the dielectric layer, and the magneto-optic (MO) layer of MO recording media. The method relies on the disappearance of the polar Kerr rotation above the Curie temperature of the MO layer. We obtain the thermal conductivities by taking into account the differences in the heat diffusion behavior under different sized focused spots.

Medium-precision null-screen testing of off-axis parabolic mirrors for segmented primary telescope optics: the large millimeter telescope.

The feasibility of using null screens for testing the segments of a parabolic segmented telescope mirror for the Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) is analyzed. An algorithm for designing the null screen for testing the off-axis segments of conic surfaces is described. Actual screen designs for the different classes of segments of the LMT are presented.

Computation of effective groove depth in an optical disk with vector diffraction theory.

Results of vector diffraction simulations pertaining to the effective groove depth for various disks with different groove parameters, different coatings, and different incident polarizations are presented. The effective depth deviates from the physical depth if the track pitch approaches the wavelength of the light source. Moreover, the difference of the effective depth for the two polarization states is demonstrated.

Evanescent coupling in magneto-optical and phase-change disk systems based on the solid immersion lens.

Results of numerical computations pertaining to evanescent wave coupling for near-field magneto-optical and phase-change disks based on the concept of the solid immersion lens are presented. We investigated the relation between the coupling efficiency and the width of the air gap in terms of the throughput of the recording process and the resolution of the readout signal. The simulations show a drastic decrease with a widening air gap of the coupling efficiency by means of evanescent waves into the recording medium.

Communication theoretic image restoration for binary-valued imagery.

We present a new image-restoration algorithm for binary-valued imagery. A trellis-based search method is described that exploits the finite alphabet of the target imagery. This algorithm seeks the maximum-likelihood solution to the image-restoration problem and is motivated by the Viterbi algorithm for traditional binary data detection in the presence of intersymbol interference and noise.

Aberrations from a prism and a grating.

Formulas for the wave aberrations introduced into a beam by a prism or a plane grating are derived from the theory of plane symmetric systems. Emphasis is made on the field-dependent aberrations.

Static tester for characterization of phase-change, dye-polymer, and magneto-optical media for optical data storage.

We have designed and built a static tester around a commercially available polarized light microscope. This device employs two semiconductor laser diodes (at 643- and 680-nm wavelengths) for the purpose of recording small marks on various media for optical data storage and for the simultaneous monitoring of the recording process. We use one of the lasers in the single-pulse mode to write a mark on the sample and operate the other laser in the cw mode to monitor the recording process.

Spatial pattern of microchannel formation in fused silica irradiated by nanosecond ultraviolet pulses.

We present numerical simulations of propagation of ultraviolet pulses through fused silica using a model that allows for the accumulative action of compaction back on the light. Compaction-induced self-focusing causes the light field to develop into a pattern of hot spots around the incident aperture that correlates with the damage patterns observed during marathon experiments designed to determine the onset of microchannel formation.

Resonant waveguide-grating switching device with nonlinear optical material.

The design and analysis of a dielectric guided-mode resonance filter (GMRF) utilizing a nonlinear material for the waveguide is presented. Small changes to the parameters of a GMRF have a large impact on its resonance. A nonlinear material can provide a small change in the refractive index of the waveguide, altering the resonance of the device and resulting in modulation of the transmitted and reflected output of the filter.