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We propose a method for estimating the stiffness of bio-specimens by measuring their linear retardance properties under applied stress. For this purpose, we employ an epi-illumination Mueller matrix microscope and show the procedures for its calibration. We provide experimental results demonstrating how to apply Mueller matrix data to elastography, using chicken liver and chicken heart as biological samples. Finally, we show how the histograms of linear retardance images can be used to distinguish between specimens and quantify the discrimination accuracy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to this article.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of the retina are inevitably affected by the finite width of the coherence function and noise. To make low-reflective layers visible, the raw OCT signal is log transformed; to reduce the effect of noise the images can be low-pass filtered. We determined the effects of these operations on layer thickness assessment, as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), by performing measurements in a phantom eye and modeling. The log transform appeared to be the key factor in a SNR-dependent overestimation of peak widths and a less predictive bias in the widths of low-reflective layers.

A growing body of evidence suggests that phototransduction can be studied in the human eye in vivo by imaging of fast intrinsic optical signals (IOS). There is consensus concerning the limiting influence of motion-associated imaging noise on the reproducibility of IOS-measurements, especially in those employing spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). However, no study to date has conducted a comprehensive analysis of this noise in the context of IOS-imaging. In this study, we discuss biophysical correlates of IOS, and we address motion-associated imaging noise by providing correctional post-processing methods. In order to avoid cross-talk of adjacent IOS of opposite signal polarity, cellular resolution and stability of imaging to the level of individual cones is likely needed. The optical Stiles-Crawford effect can be a source of significant IOS-imaging noise if alignment with the peak of the Stiles-Crawford function cannot be maintained. Therefore, complete head stabilization by implementation of a bite-bar may be critical to maintain a constant pupil entry position of the OCT beam. Due to depth-dependent sensitivity fall-off, heartbeat and breathing associated axial movements can cause tissue reflectivity to vary by 29% over time, although known methods can be implemented to null these effects. Substantial variations in reflectivity can be caused by variable illumination due to changes in the beam pupil entry position and angle, which can be reduced by an adaptive algorithm based on slope-fitting of optical attenuation in the choriocapillary lamina.

We developed a method based on polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) to quantify the double pass phase retardation (DPPR) induced by Henle fiber layer in three subjects. Measurements of the retina were performed at a mean wavelength of 840 nm using two polarization states that were perpendicular in a Poincaré sphere representation and phase retardation contributions from tissue layers above and below the Henle fiber layer were excluded using appropriately placed reference and measurement points. These points were semi-automatically segmented from intensity data. Using a new algorithm to determine DPPR, the Henle fiber layer in three healthy subjects aged 50-60 years showed elevated DPPR in a concentric ring about the fovea, with an average maximum DPPR for the three subjects of 22.0° (range: 20.4° to 23.0°) occurring at an average retinal eccentricity of 1.8° (range: 1.5° to 2.25°). Outside the ring, a floor of approximately 6.8° was measured, which we show can mainly be attributed to phase noise that is induced in the polarization states. We also demonstrate the method can determine fast axis orientation of the retardation, which is found consistent with the known radial pattern of Henle fibers.

The spatial stationarity of scattered optical fields constitutes a basic premise of coherence holography and photon correlation holography. Nevertheless, spatial stationarity seems to have attracted less attention and still remains a less familiar concept than temporal stationarity because it has been a common practice in statistical optics to assume temporal ergodicity and replace the ensemble average with the time average, rather than the space average. To form the theoretical basis for coherence holography and photon correlation holography, an investigation is made into the spatial stationarity of the statistical optical field, and combinations of a light source and an optical system are identified that can create spatially stationary scattered fields. The result justifies the principles of coherence holography and photon correlation holography, and the previously reported experiments.

We propose a new method of optically reconstructing binary data formed by nanostructures with an elemental size several tens of nanometers smaller than the diffraction limit, implemented with an interference microscope and a complex-amplitude image pattern matching method. We examine the size dependency of the data reconstruction capacity using a light propagation simulation based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and the Fourier spatial frequency filtering method. We demonstrated that the readable size of the binary nanostructure depends on the magnitude of noise.

A multiple thin metal-film subwavelength grating is proposed for polarizers in the infrared wavelength region of 10-20 μm. The dependence of the transmission characteristics of the polarizers on structural parameters was obtained numerically, and the potential for high performance was confirmed experimentally. The measured TE-wave losses in a polarizer comprising a triangular triple Al-film grating are more than 45 and 35 dB for the wavelength ranges of 10-16 and 16-20 μm, respectively, while the net TM-wave losses are lower than 1.5 dB in the wavelength rage of 15-20 μm.

Simultaneous recording of two data pages by dual-channel polarization holography is experimentally demonstrated. Two data pages are transferred as two orthogonal scalar wave components of a vector wave. The signal vector wave and reference beam are superposed on a polarization-sensitive medium. The two recorded data pages are simultaneously and independently reconstructed. Furthermore, holographic angular multiplex recording is performed.

A fast calculation method for computer generation of spherical holograms in proposed. This method is based on wave propagation defined in spectral domain and in spherical coordinates. The spherical wave spectrum and transfer function were derived from boundary value solutions to the scalar wave equation. It is a spectral propagation formula analogous to angular spectrum formula in cartesian coordinates. A numerical method to evaluate the derived formula is suggested, which uses only N(logN)2 operations for calculations on N sampling points. Simulation results are presented to verify the correctness of the proposed method. A spherical hologram for a spherical object was generated and reconstructed successfully using the proposed method.

A two-port polarization-insensitive single-mode fiber-silicon wire-waveguide coupler module, 5.3 × 3.4 × 0.7 mm(3) in size, is realized. The spot-size converter (SSC) involved utilizes a concatenated horizontal up-taper and vertical down-taper. Measured coupling losses between the fiber and the silicon-wire waveguide of the E(11)(y) and E(11)(x) modes of the SSC are 2.8 and 2.7 dB/port, respectively. The device platform is planar, robust, and easy to fabricate with conventional lithography.

Color digital holography utilizing the Doppler effect is proposed. The time variation of holograms produced by superposing images at three wavelengths is recorded using a high-speed monochromatic imaging sensor. The complex amplitude at each wavelength can be extracted from frequency information contained in the Fourier transforms of the recorded holograms. An image of the object is reconstructed by the angular spectrum method. Reconstructed monochromatic images at the three wavelengths are combined to produce a color image for display.

Simulated reconstruction of a three-dimensional (3D) object in 360° from cylindrical hologram is proposed. The simulation is done using a fast calculation method, where wave propagation in spectral domain and in cylindrical coordinates is used to generate the cylindrical hologram of a 3D object. The same procedure is followed to reconstruct the object back. The reconstructions resembled the original object and could be seen from all 360°. The whole simulation process is done using open-source software., (© 2011 Optical Society of America)

We use an interferometric time-resolved observation of a femtosecond-laser pulse (800 nm/45 fs) interaction with glass from 100 fs to 10 ns at spatial lateral resolution down to the wavelength of the pulse. The phase and amplitude images reveal sequence of events after the irradiation of a single ultra-short laser pulse at close-to-threshold intensity when permanent refractive index changes occur. The proposed method is applicable to characterization of the processes induced by tightly focused fs-laser pulses during three-dimensional structuring of glasses and crystals for fundamental studies and optical applications. Generation of carriers, thermal expansion, generation and propagation of shockwaves, and formation of refractive index changes are experimentally observed and resolved in time and space with the highest resolution. Quantitative estimations of the threshold energies of different processes are achieved. The threshold energy of carrier generation is found the same as that of shockwave generation while the threshold energy of refractive index changes was by 40% higher. Application potential of the method is discussed.

A fast calculation method for computer generation of cylindrical holograms is proposed. The calculation method is based on wave propagation in spectral domain and in cylindrical co-ordinates, which is otherwise similar to the angular spectrum of plane waves in cartesian co-ordinates. The calculation requires only two FFT operations and hence is much faster. The theoretical background of the calculation method, sampling conditions and simulation results are presented. The generated cylindrical hologram has been tested for reconstruction in different view angles and also in plane surfaces.

Simulation of vacuum laser acceleration, because of its scheme's simplicity, attracts many people involved in. However, how to put the particle in the initial positions in the field has not been considered seriously in some such schemes. An inattentive choice of electron's initial conditions may lead to misleading results. Here we show that arbitrarily placing the particle within the laser field leads to an overestimation of its energy gain, and offer suggestions for selecting appropriate initial conditions.

In holographic parallel laser processing, precise control of diffraction peaks is important for fabricating enormous numbers of nanometer-scale structures. Although an optimized hologram has high uniformity of the peaks in a computer reconstruction, in practice, the uniformity is decreased owing to the spatial properties of the optical system. A novel optimization method based on peak intensity measurement is proposed to improve the uniformity. The method automatically incorporates the properties of the optical system into the hologram. Improved holographic femtosecond laser processing with this adaptive optimization is demonstrated.

A technique that employs a single laser beam is proposed for recording the retardance of an optical anisotropic object. The retardance pattern is converted into a polarization pattern using a quarter-wave plate and recorded on a polarization-sensitive medium. The recording medium is illuminated by homogeneous polarized light, and the light transmitted by the recording medium is analyzed to reconstruct the recorded retardance pattern.

A new configuration is proposed for continuously transforming aspect ratios of field-intensity distributions in optical fibers. The field aspect ratio varies in proportion to the angle between the principal axes of two cascaded graded-index oval-core fibers. The highest aspect-ratio conversion is obtained at an angle of 90 degrees. The conversion effect is numerically and experimentally confirmed, showing that a circular field is successfully transformed into an elliptical one with an aspect ratio as high as 9 at a wavelength of 0.98 microm.