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Prismatic film offer advantages such as the possibility of transmit light effectively in lighting applications with the benefit of reducing energy consumption. This paper presents several developments based on their characteristics which allow direct light suitably in several fields as architecture, road and automotive lighting and signaling. A mathematical model is presented to provide a quantitative estimation of the influence of numerous factors that affect the transport of light in order to easily predict light extraction while avoiding heavy software calculations. The deformation produced in a prismatic film induced by changes in the curvature of the cylindrical guide is characterized by image analysis. This method shows the relationship between the curvature of the film, the deformation and the flux of transmitted light.

Evolutionary optimization algorithms have been recently introduced as nonimaging optics design techniques. Unlike optimization of imaging systems, non sequential ray tracing simulations and complex non centred systems design must be considered, adding complexity to the problem. The Merit Function (MF) is a key element in the automatic optimization algorithm, nevertheless the selection of each objective's weight, {wi}, inside merit function needs a previous trial and error process for each optimization. The problem then is to determine appropriate weights value for each objective. In this paper we propose a new Dynamic Merit Function, DMF, with variable weight factors {wi(n)}. The proposed algorithm, automatically adapts weight factors, during the evolution of the optimization process. This dynamic merit function avoids the previous trial and error procedure selecting the right merit function and provides better results than conventional merit functions (CMF). Also we analyse the Multistart optimization algorithm applied in the flowline nonimaging design technique.

The electric lighting is responsible for 15% of the electricity consumption, the efficiency in this sector has a good progress in recent years, it can still improve more. Conventional energy sources are polluting and limited, so it is essential to use less aggressive energies with the environment. In lighting, this premise is being implemented in a cross-cutting manner, but in response to varied and sometimes contradictory interests. The development of lighting devices based on solar radiation is an inalienable objective, as is the use of artificial lighting sources that are clean with the environment. To achieve these two objectives, it is essential to know and study the design techniques of non-image optics. In the present work we present new systems design techniques and lighting elements: ray tracing optimization technique, light vector field technique. As well as its implementation and application in various areas of lighting: lighting in office buildings, libraries museums. We show that renewable energy strategy in the field of lighting not only produce energy save, also produce good effects in other aspects of human life like well-being, productivity and heritage conservation.

Seebeck nanoantennas, which are based on the thermoelectric effect, have been proposed for electromagnetic energy harvesting and infrared detection. The responsivity and frequency dependence of three types of Seebeck nanoantennas is obtained by electromagnetic simulation for different materials. Results show that the square spiral antenna has the widest bandwidth and the highest induced current of the three analyzed geometries. However, the geometry that presented the highest temperature gradient was the bowtie antenna, which favors the thermoelectric effect in a Seebeck nanoantenna. The results also show that these types of devices can present a voltage responsivity as high as 36 μV/W36 μV/W for titanium–nickel dipoles resonant at far-infrared wavelengths.

Speckle is being used as a characterization tool for the analysis of the dynamics of slow-varying phenomena occurring in biological and industrial samples at the surface or near-surface regions. The retrieved data take the form of a sequence of speckle images. These images contain information about the inner dynamics of the biological or physical process taking place in the sample. Principal component analysis (PCA) is able to split the original data set into a collection of classes. These classes are related to processes showing different dynamics. In addition, statistical descriptors of speckle images are used to retrieve information on the characteristics of the sample. These statistical descriptors can be calculated in almost real time and provide a fast monitoring of the sample. On the other hand, PCA requires a longer computation time, but the results contain more information related to spatial-temporal patterns associated to the process under analysis. This contribution merges both descriptions and uses PCA as a preprocessing tool to obtain a collection of filtered images, where statistical descriptors are evaluated on each of them. The method applies to slow-varying biological and industrial processes., Facultad de Ingeniería, Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas

Fractal antennas have been proposed to improve the bandwidth of resonant structures and optical antennas. Their multiband characteristics are of interest in radiofrequency and microwave technologies. In this contribution we link the geometry of the current paths built-in the fractal antenna with the spectral response. We have seen that the actual currents owing through the structure are not limited to the portion of the fractal that should be geometrically linked with the signal. This fact strongly depends on the design of the fractal and how the different scales are arranged within the antenna. Some ideas involving materials that could actively respond to the incoming radiation could be of help to spectrally select the response of the multiband design.

Speckle is being used as a characterization tool for the analysis of the dynamic of slow varying phenomena occurring in biological and industrial samples. The retrieved data takes the form of a sequence of speckle images. The analysis of these images should reveal the inner dynamic of the biological or physical process taking place in the sample. Very recently, it has been shown that principal component analysis is able to split the original data set in a collection of classes. These classes can be related with the dynamic of the observed phenomena. At the same time, statistical descriptors of biospeckle images have been used to retrieve information on the characteristics of the sample. These statistical descriptors can be calculated in almost real time and provide a fast monitoring of the sample. On the other hand, principal component analysis requires longer computation time but the results contain more information related with spatial-temporal pattern that can be identified with physical process. This contribution merges both descriptions and uses principal component analysis as a pre-processing tool to obtain a collection of filtered images where a simpler statistical descriptor can be calculated. The method has been applied to slow-varying biological and industrial processes

Fresnel lenses and other faceted or micro-optic devices are increasingly used in multiple applications like solar light concentrators and illumination devices, just to name some representative. However, it seems to be a certain lack of adequate techniques for the assessment of the performance of final fabricated devices. As applications are more exigent this characterization is a must. We provide a technique to characterize the performance of Fresnel lenses, as light collection devices. The basis for the method is a configuration where a camera images the Fresnel lens aperture. The entrance pupil of the camera is situated at the focal spot or the conjugate of a simulated solar source. In this manner, detailed maps of the performance of different Fresnel lenses are obtained for different acceptance angles.

The Finite-Difference Time Domain method has encountered several difficulties when analyzing dispersive materials. This is the case of the metal structures that configure an optical antenna. These devices couple the electromagnetic radiation to conform currents that are rectified by another physical element attached to the antenna. Both elements: antenna and rectifier configures an optical detector with sub-wavelength dimensions. In this contribution we analyze the effect on the currents induced by the incident electromagnetic field using FDTD and taking into account the dispersive character of metal at optical frequencies. The analysis is done in a 2 dimensional framework and it serves as an analytical tool for the election of material and structures in the fabrication of optical antennas.

Fresnel Zone Plate Lenses (FZPLs) have been successfully coupled to infrared (IR) antennas producing a responsivity enhancement of about two orders of magnitude. However, their lateral extension may compromise their applicability in focal-plane-arrays (FPA) IR imagers, where the dimensions of the pixel are constrained by the FPA spacing. When designing optimum-gain FZPLs for FPAs, we are lead to the requirement of FZPLs operating at very low F/#s (marginal rays propagating at a large angle in image space). In this case, Finite-Difference Time-Domain techniques (FDTD) are used to refine the physical-optics modelling results, producing a result closer to the actual case encountered in a high-fill-factor FPA. In this contribution, we analyze the FZPL designs by using FDTD techniques. The main result of the FDTD computation is the gain factor defined as the ratio of the response of the IR antennas coupled with the FZPL, compared to the same antennas without the FZPL.

FDTD algorithms are being used as a numeric tool for the analysis of photonic crystals. The definition of the modes associated with them is of interest for the study of the capabilities of photonic crystal devices. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has been applied here to a sequence of images corresponding to the electromagnetic fields obtained from the FDTD simulations. PCA has revealed and quantified the importance of the modes appearing in the photonic crystals. The capability of PCA to produce spatial structures, or maps, associated with temporal evolutions has made possible the calculation of the modulus and phase of the modes existing in the photonic crystal. Some other modes, contributing with an almost negligible amount to the total variance of the original data, are also revealed by the method. Besides, PCA has been used to quantify the contribution of the numerical noise of the algorithm and to identify the effect of artifacts related with the matching of the computational grid and the inner geometry of the photonic crystal.