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A simulated flexible null test with a high-definition spatial light modulator (SLM) as a reconfigurable nulling element is reported. On-axis testing and the ability to display fiducials on the SLM decouples misalignment and form errors.

We measured n2 of liquid water in THz range by using the Z-scan method. The measured n2 is 3.5×10-10 cm2/W which is six orders higher than the values for VIS and NIR spectral ranges.

Radial reflection of wavefronts by a convex parabolic mirror can drastically enlarge the viewing zone in holographic 3D displays. Optical demonstration of super wide viewing zone and its fast calculation algorithm are presented.

We demonstrate an OPCPA driven thin plate compression in the mid-infrared region at 100 kHz with 7 W average output power. The resulting pulses are close to two cycle long and CEP stable.

Design of Fourier holograms of 3D objects with analytical equations on general polygonal mesh enabled to consider shading effects. Optical experiments proved feasibility for 3D aerial reconstruction from computer-generated Fourier holograms in RGB colors.

We propose a probe position correction method based on cross-correlation for continuous-wave terahertz ptychography, by which the scanning position errors could be minimized in the order of 0.01 pixels.

A new design of null phase screens to test quantitatively fast singlet lenses is presented. The designs of these null screens are based on the knowledge of the propagated wavefront and an exact ray tracing.

We present an UAV compatible spectrometer designed for sampling air pollutants in remote locations. Relying on a custom-made Multi-Pass Cell and a 3-5 µm broadband supercontinuum light source, it takes advantage of an uncooled MWIR camera to record 2D cross-dispersed molecular absorption spectra.

We report the first LiGaS2-based mid-IR OPCPA, delivering 13.8µJ, 10kHz, 145fs, 9µm pulses. A 5-mm thick KrS5 crystal is employed to further compress the pulse to the 45fs (1.5 cycle) pulse duration.

We report experimental results and simulations of ultra-broadband Brunel-like harmonic, THz, and microwave generation from the interaction of single and two-color mid-infrared laser fields in thin gas jets and clusters.

We report a 2-octave mid-infrared continuum simultaneously spanning from 500 cm-1 to 2250 cm-1 at 24 mW of average power. It is based on difference frequency generation driven by a newly developed femtosecond Ho:YAG thin-disk oscillator.

We demonstrated 0.85PW, 30fs pulses at a repetition rate of 3.3Hz from a Ti:Sapphire laser. Ultra-high contrast λ=400 nm fs pulses were generated with > 40% efficiency and focused to an intensity of 6.5×1021W/cm2.

We present a monolithically integrated transceiver for terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in reflection geometry. The transceiver is made of MBE grown, Fe doped InGaAs and combines THz emitter and receiver on a single photoconductive chip. With a peak signal-to-noise ratio of 70 dB, a maximum spectral bandwidth of 5 THz and an emitted THz power of 27 μW, the transceiver is a competitive alternative to individual THz emitter and receiver devices. Since the transceiver can be integrated into a fiber-coupled, cylindrical module with a diameter of 25 mm, this device can be used as a compact THz reflection head.

We present ongoing developments of two atomic devices to improve optical communication rates in the classical and quantum regimes: a Rydberg atomic receiver for classical data and a ring-cavity atomic memory for long distance quantum communication.

Direct aluminium surface figuring is succeeded for the first time up to 1 µm in height while preserving surface roughness. Sub-aperture reactively-driven ion beam tools allow ultra-precision figure error-correction of aspherical and freeform mirrors.

High-power (0.5 W) mid-IR output suitable for ultra-broadband frequency comb generation was produced in a subharmonic GaAs optical parametric oscillator that was synchronously pumped by a compact 0.9 GHz, 6 W femtosecond Cr:ZnS (2.35μm) MOPA.

The origin of THz generation in dual-color laser fields is investigated by joint measurement of THz and third-harmonic generation, showing the single-atom-ionization determined THz wave is modulated by photocurrent behavior.

We wish to phase a segmented and sparse telescope in space, employing only wide-band light from an extended object. A stochastic search for the sharpest image lasts up to one day, for a four-segment telescope.

An mid-infrared laser heterodyne radiometer was been developed for ground-based remote measurements of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmospheric column.

We report a single-shot terahertz common-path spectral interferometer based on electro -optic sampling, which can improve experimentally the measured signal-noise ratio (SNR) by 11.4 times compared with Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

We investigated the influence of the type of nanostructured surface and the doping impurity level on the frequency-dependent dielectric response and photoconductivity of c-Si PV solar cells by using femtosecond optical pump-THz probe spectroscopy techniques.

In this paper, we present a robust field design and an improved pulse sampling scheme for our renewed hyperspectral LIDAR. This design allows field measurements of very low reflectance targets, enabling a range of novel applications.

A high-flux solar parabolic dish coupled to a rotating secondary reflector enables to alternate the focus of concentrated solar radiation between two thermochemical redox reactors. The design, fabrication and on-sun characterization is presented.

For monitoring precursors of PM2.5 in atmosphere, NO, NO2 and NH3, open-path mobile sensor with MIR-TDLAS was developed. We used the sensor measuring the precursors’ concentrations in Hefei, Nanjing and Guangzhou.

Broadband-pulses are amplified to 63 J and compressed to 30 fs. A peak intensity of 1022 W/cm2 by focusing a 0.3 PW laser beam with an f/1.4 off-axis parabolic mirror is achievable on target.

For monitoring trace pollutions in atmosphere, NO, NO2 and NH3, the three QCLs multiplexing sensor with open-path multi-pass cell was developed. The three pollutions’ minimum-detection-limits of this sensor are less than 0.5ppb within 2 minute integral time.

We report generation of 19-nJ, 35-fs pulses at 2 μm from a degenerate optical parametric oscillator pumped by a 2.6-W 1-μm laser. Near transform-limit operation was achieved with a conversion efficiency of 65%.

We rigorously model nonparaxial focusing of electromagnetic beams by arbitrary axisymmetric surfaces such as spheres, ellipses and hyperbolae. We consider light’s diffraction and polarization properties.

Shenguang-II 5PW laser is designed to deliver a 150J 30fs laser pulse into the target chamber. In beginning of 2016, 1PW (30J/27fs) outputs have been achieved and are used for physical experiments.

We rigorously model nonparaxial focusing of electromagnetic beams by arbitrary axisymmetric surfaces such as spheres, ellipses and hyperbolae. Focusing by these optical systems leads to the generation of needles of light.

We experimentally demonstrated the generation of sub-10-fs population inversion in N2+ induced by few-cycle intense laser pulses, and theoretically clarified that the ultrafast population inversion results from the post-ionization dynamics through multiple states coupling.

We present a compact mid-infrared spectrometer employing a bright, phase-coherent, 100-MHz source spanning the wavelength region between 9 and 15 µm (at −30dB) and field-resolved detection via electro-optical sampling, with a dynamic range of 107.

We report continuous-wave terahertz computed tomography based on pyroelectric array detector. The 2D cross-sectional images and 3D internal structure of a polyethylene straw are obtained by angular spectrum integral and filtered back projection algorithm.

We have demonstrated an approach for the generation of 20-fs-pulses at 6.8 μm. Subcycle pulse widths have been achieved due to self-compression dynamics and ultrabroadband phase matching for FWM near the zero-GVD wavelength of GaAs.

The Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona has made lightweight honeycomb mirrors for some of the world’s largest telescopes. Its 30 years of mirror making history, enabling a series iconic telescopes, is presented.

We studied THz-Radiation-Enhanced Fluorescence from air plasma with THz pulse traveling in the opposite direction of the optical excitation pulses. Comparison between the co-propagation and the counter-propagation geometries is reported.

We present an online application designed with free software to simulate ronchigrams and bironchigrams of aspheric surfaces. This is useful in teaching and optical workshop. We invite you to continue developing the FOOSS.

The recent developments of the Thermal Spectro-Spatial Interferometric Testbed (SSIT), a Double Fourier Modulation (DFM) interferometer operating in the thermal infrared wavelength range are presented. The optical design is described and the technical challenges discussed.

We report the aerial projection system based on electro-holography with two parabolic mirrors. We succeeded in reconstructing a three-dimensional motion picture at the rate of 29 frames per second by a graphics processing unit.

We demonstrate a terahertz-wave imaging at video-rate by nonlinear frequency up-conversion in an organic nonlinear crystal. The sensitive imaging supported by efficient conversion from terahertz-wave to near-infrared light is presented.

We have designed and analysed achromatic solar concentrators based on the planar optical theory to miniaturize its longitudinal dimensions.

A continuous wave, distributed feedback quantum cascade laser based absorption system was developed and demonstrated for simultaneous atmospheric CH 4 , N 2 O and H 2 O detection, with minimum detection limits below 2% of their typical atmospheric concentrations.

The variation of plasma density, which is sensitive to the BBO crystal rotation angle, is systematically investigated in this work. According to our results, the well-known photocurrent model could not reproduce the characteristics of the THz pulse generated in both polarization directions.

Due to their unique polarization properties cylindrical vector beams are ideal for imaging and spectroscopy single nanoparticles or quantum systems in confocal optical microscopy with a high numerical aperture objective lens or a parabolic mirror

The development of an optical system for trapping particles in air is presented. Based on optics design as well as optical force simulations an efficient optical system is designed, manufactured and characterized.

We generate octave-spanning pulses centered at 10 µm with 100-mW-scale average powers and 100-MHz repetition rate via intrapulse difference-frequency mixing driven in LiGaS2 by a nonlinearly compressed Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator.

We experimentally demonstrate, using a long-path THz-TDS system, non-distorted and non-attenuated broadband THz pulse propagation through a 137 m long path in dense fog with an optical visibility of only 5 m.

We propose and demonstrate a nanoscale vacuum-tube diode consisting of two metal nano-tips as an ultrafast electronic device employing pulsed electrons emitted by few-cycle photoemission.

This paper expands on work previously presented that describes how to calculate the vertex radius of an off-axis parabolic segment using the sag measured by a three ball spherometer. An example of the vertex radius calculation is also presented.