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Photonics
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging
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Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2023) | Viewed by 18602

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Alexey Andreevich Kovalev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laser Measurements Laboratory, IPSI RAS—Branch of the FSRC “Crystallography and Photonics” RAS, Molodogvardeyskaya 151, 443001 Samara, Russia
Interests: mathematical theory of diffraction; computational electrodynamics; optical vortices and orbital angular momentum of light; photonic-crystal devices (waveguides, lenses)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solving such a fundamental problem as controlling the state of light is a one of the most important areas of studies in modern optics and nanophotonics. One of the essential conditions for achieving the goal is understanding the physical effects that arise on propagation and diffraction of laser beams, including their focusing, as well as the possibility of prediction of these effects. This is possible by developing the theory which describes the characteristics of laser light. Discovering these characteristics in practice, however, is not always achievable directly through registered intensity patterns: it may require adopting various imaging techniques. Recent advances in diffractive optics, which studies the diffraction of various optical beams, are called upon to answer these questions.

Optical diffraction is a physical mechanism that drives optical beams to transform on propagation. What is more, there are many known optical fields that seem to resist diffraction and propagate without changing their transverse shape, and shape is changed only in scale.

The scientific community around the world is highly involved in the investigation of generation, propagation, diffraction, focusing, and detection of miscellaneous optical beams. Over the past three decades, significant fundamental studies in beam optics have been carried out, presenting new beam types and optical phenomena. Experimental research has been devoted to different approaches and technologies for beam generation and measurement of their properties.

Spatial light modulators and various encoding techniques have made structured light beams one of the most important light sources today. Many such beams can carry orbital angular momentum. Therefore, structured laser beams have found a rather wide range of applications in various problems. They are primarily used to trap and guide micro- and nanoparticles around some path in the beam’s transverse section. Specially engineered light fields are also used for optical data transmission, in quantum computing, in modulation nanolithography and cryptography, etc.

This Special Issue aims to present state-of-the-art articles on both theoretical and experimental studies on generation, propagation, focusing, and measurement of light beams, and applications of structured beams. Topics include but are not limited to:

  • Design, simulation, and manufacturing of optical devices for light focusing (metasurfaces, zone plates, plasmonic lenses, etc.);
  • Properties of tightly focused light;
  • Diffraction of various kinds of optical beams;
  • Imaging techniques to obtain optical beam properties;
  • Diffraction-free and propagation-invariant beams;
  • Photonic nanojet;
  • Light bullet;
  • Overcoming the diffraction limit;
  • Applications of tightly focused light;
  • Singular optics;
  • Generation of structured light beams;
  • Beam dynamics;
  • Partially coherent light beams;
  • Fractional vortex beam;
  • Plasmonic vortices;
  • Cylindrical vector beams;
  • Vector light beams;
  • Orbital angular momentum;
  • Topological charge;
  • Spin orbital conversion;
  • Applications of structured light beams.

Dr. Alexey Andreevich Kovalev
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 4826 KiB  
Article
X-ray 3D Imaging of Low-Density Laser-Target Materials
by Igor Artyukov, Natalia Borisenko, Gleb Burenkov, Alexander Eriskin, Maxim Polikarpov and Alexander Vinogradov
Photonics 2023, 10(8), 875; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10080875 - 28 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1220
Abstract
Achieving optimal design and precise control of the internal structure of laser-target materials are the primary objectives in various laser physics experiments, particularly in generating high flux photon and neutron beams. The study of low-density materials poses considerable challenges for X-ray analysis due [...] Read more.
Achieving optimal design and precise control of the internal structure of laser-target materials are the primary objectives in various laser physics experiments, particularly in generating high flux photon and neutron beams. The study of low-density materials poses considerable challenges for X-ray analysis due to their high transparency and minimal contrast. In this study, to obtain clear visualization of foams with sparse structures, we used phase-contrast X-ray tomography, utilizing a high-quality monochromatic X-ray beam from the synchrotron radiation source PETRA-III at DESY. Employing phase-contrast algorithms, the 3D structure of a foam-suspended glass microsphere inside the plastic cylinder was reconstructed with a level of image quality sufficient to visualize uniformity, displacement, and surface roughness on both sides of the microsphere. The primary focus of this investigation was a CH plastic capillary including 10 mg/cc CHO foam with a glass microsphere positioned at the center. The results of this study demonstrate that phase-contrast X-ray tomography with coherent synchrotron radiation is an effective and valuable technique for the development of new laser targets containing structured low-density materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging)
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16 pages, 5316 KiB  
Article
General Astigmatism of Structured LG Beams: Evolution and Transformations of the OAM Super-Bursts
by Alexander Volyar, Eugeny Abramochkin, Mikhail Bretsko, Server Khalilov and Yana Akimova
Photonics 2023, 10(7), 727; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10070727 - 25 Jun 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1269
Abstract
We have developed a structured beams theory, computer simulation and experiment that have lost rotational symmetry and propagate in a medium with a general astigmatism. It transpires that the astigmatic medium brings to light such hidden properties of the structured beams as a [...] Read more.
We have developed a structured beams theory, computer simulation and experiment that have lost rotational symmetry and propagate in a medium with a general astigmatism. It transpires that the astigmatic medium brings to light such hidden properties of the structured beams as a sharp growing of the orbital angular momentum exceeding the sum of the radial and azimuth numbers, as well as the effect of the beam structure following the cylindrical lens rotation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging)
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9 pages, 2974 KiB  
Communication
Orbital Angular Momentum Resonances Arising from Mode Coupling in Hollow-Core Fibers
by Grigory Alagashev and Andrey Pryamikov
Photonics 2023, 10(3), 325; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10030325 - 17 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1417
Abstract
It is known that the growth of the orbital part of the angular momentum of the fundamental air core mode of the negative curvature hollow-core fibers (NCHCFs) with circular polarization occurs at the edge of the transmission bands due to the spin–orbit interaction. [...] Read more.
It is known that the growth of the orbital part of the angular momentum of the fundamental air core mode of the negative curvature hollow-core fibers (NCHCFs) with circular polarization occurs at the edge of the transmission bands due to the spin–orbit interaction. In this paper, we consider the resonant behavior of orbital angular momentum (OAM) for a linearly polarized fundamental air core mode in straight and bent NCHCF. The resonant growth of OAM is associated with coupling between the linear polarized fundamental air core mode and the cladding capillary wall modes. The coupling between the modes arises due to crossing and anti-crossing. This OAM growth can be explained by a complex interaction of energy fluxes of the coupled modes under crossing. This phenomenon may be useful for a deeper understanding of the processes arising from mode coupling in fiber optics and nanophotonics, as well as for generating and transmitting OAM modes in micro-structured optical fibers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging)
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11 pages, 1473 KiB  
Article
Angular and Orbital Angular Momenta in the Tight Focus of a Circularly Polarized Optical Vortex
by Victor V. Kotlyar, Alexey A. Kovalev and Alexey M. Telegin
Photonics 2023, 10(2), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10020160 - 2 Feb 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1671
Abstract
Based on the Richards-Wolf (RW) formalism, we obtain two different exact expressions for the angular momentum (AM) density of light in the focus of an optical vortex with a topological charge n and right circular polarization. One expression for the AM density is [...] Read more.
Based on the Richards-Wolf (RW) formalism, we obtain two different exact expressions for the angular momentum (AM) density of light in the focus of an optical vortex with a topological charge n and right circular polarization. One expression for the AM density is derived as the cross product of the position vector and the Poynting vector and has a nonzero value in the focus for an arbitrary integer n. Another expression for the AM density is equal to a sum of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) and the spin angular momentum (SAM) and, in the focus of a considered light field, is equal to zero at n = −1. These expressions are not equal at each point in space, but their 3D integrals are equal. Thus, we derive exact expressions for the AM, SAM and OAM densities in the focus of an optical vortex with right circular polarization and demonstrate that the identity for the densities AM = SAM + OAM is not valid. In addition, we show that the expressions for the strength vectors of the electric and magnetic field near the tight focus, obtained on the basis of the RW formalism, are exact solutions of Maxwell’s equations. Thus, the RW theory exactly describes the behavior of light near the tight focus in free space. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging)
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7 pages, 1483 KiB  
Communication
Transversal Kerr Effect Enhancement of Permalloy-Based Shallow Lamellar Magnetoplasmonic Crystals
by Dmitry Murzin, Victor Belyaev, Johannes Kern, Corinna Kaspar, Wolfram H. Pernice, Rudolf Bratschitsch and Valeria Rodionova
Photonics 2022, 9(12), 989; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9120989 - 16 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1720
Abstract
This work demonstrates spectral dependencies of reflectivity and the transversal Kerr effect of a series of permalloy magnetoplasmonic crystals based on shallow lamellar diffraction gratings with a period of 500 nm, stripe’s width of 250 nm, and diffraction stripes’ heights of 28, 43, [...] Read more.
This work demonstrates spectral dependencies of reflectivity and the transversal Kerr effect of a series of permalloy magnetoplasmonic crystals based on shallow lamellar diffraction gratings with a period of 500 nm, stripe’s width of 250 nm, and diffraction stripes’ heights of 28, 43, 67, and 88 nm. The fabricated magnetoplasmonic crystals show a monotonic increase of the transversal Kerr effect and the diffraction figure-of-merit with higher diffraction stripes. The maximum achieved modulation value of the transversal Kerr effect was found to be 0.78%, which can be further tuned by the periodicity and stripes width of the magnetoplasmonic crystals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging)
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10 pages, 7460 KiB  
Communication
Photonic Hook with Modulated Bending Angle Formed by Using Triangular Mesoscale Janus Prisms
by Wei-Yu Chen, Cheng-Yang Liu, Yu-Kai Hsieh, Oleg V. Minin and Igor V. Minin
Photonics 2022, 9(12), 948; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9120948 - 8 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1569
Abstract
In this study, we propose a novel design of triangular mesoscale Janus prisms for the generation of the long photonic hook. Numerical simulations based on the finite-difference time-domain method are used to examine the formation mechanism of the photonic hook. The electric intensity [...] Read more.
In this study, we propose a novel design of triangular mesoscale Janus prisms for the generation of the long photonic hook. Numerical simulations based on the finite-difference time-domain method are used to examine the formation mechanism of the photonic hook. The electric intensity distributions near the micro-prisms are calculated for operation at different refractive indices and spaces of the two triangular micro-prisms. The asymmetric vortices of intensity distributions result in a long photonic hook with a large bending angle. The length and the bending angle of the photonic hook are efficiently modulated by changing the space between the two triangular micro-prisms. Moreover, the narrow width of the photonic hook is achieved beyond the diffraction limit. The triangular Janus micro-prisms have high potential for practical applications in optical tweezers, nanoparticle sorting and manipulation and photonic circuits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging)
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9 pages, 3161 KiB  
Communication
Wavelength-Independent Correlation Detection of Aberrations Based on a Single Spatial Light Modulator
by Nikita Stsepuro, Michael Kovalev, Evgenii Zlokazov and Sergey Kudryashov
Photonics 2022, 9(12), 909; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9120909 - 28 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2118
Abstract
The cumulative achievements in the fields of science and technology have allowed us to substantially approach the solution of the phase problem in optics. Among all phasometric methods, single-beam methods are the most promising, since they are more variable and versatile. Single-beam methods [...] Read more.
The cumulative achievements in the fields of science and technology have allowed us to substantially approach the solution of the phase problem in optics. Among all phasometric methods, single-beam methods are the most promising, since they are more variable and versatile. Single-beam methods are based either on the analysis of the intensity distribution, as is conducted by interferometers and wavefront sensors, or on the transformation of the phase into an intensity distribution due to spatial filtering, as is conducted by holographic methods. However, all these methods have the problem of working with polychromatic radiation and require spectral filters to process such radiation. This paper presents a new approach to the synthesis of Fourier holograms used in holographic wavefront sensors that make it possible to create achromatic elements and work with white light without the use of additional filters. The approach was numerically and experimentally verified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging)
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13 pages, 3880 KiB  
Article
Design of Ultra-High-Aperture Dual-Range Athermal Infrared Objectives
by Grigoriy Isaevitch Greisukh, Il’ya Anatolievich Levin and Eugeniy Grigorievich Ezhov
Photonics 2022, 9(10), 742; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9100742 - 8 Oct 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2663
Abstract
We present a technique that includes the principles of selecting the layout of the optical scheme and recommendations for the choice of the initial design parameters for designing ultra-high-aperture dual-range athermal infrared objectives. The versatility and efficiency of the proposed technique are demonstrated [...] Read more.
We present a technique that includes the principles of selecting the layout of the optical scheme and recommendations for the choice of the initial design parameters for designing ultra-high-aperture dual-range athermal infrared objectives. The versatility and efficiency of the proposed technique are demonstrated using examples of the design of the refractive and refractive-diffractive version of the objectives, and the obtained optical performance is discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging)
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13 pages, 3756 KiB  
Article
Optical Vortex Beams with a Symmetric OAM Spectrum beyond a Sector Aperture
by Victor V. Kotlyar, Alexey A. Kovalev and Anton G. Nalimov
Photonics 2022, 9(10), 734; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9100734 - 7 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1661
Abstract
In this work, we theoretically and numerically show that in the superposition of optical Gaussian vortices with a symmetric OAM spectrum, the normalized orbital angular momentum (OAM) carried by the beam and the topological charge (TC) equal TC of the middle constituent vortex. [...] Read more.
In this work, we theoretically and numerically show that in the superposition of optical Gaussian vortices with a symmetric OAM spectrum, the normalized orbital angular momentum (OAM) carried by the beam and the topological charge (TC) equal TC of the middle constituent vortex. We also show that after passing a sector-shaped aperture, the symmetric superposition preserves the OAM carried, with the TC becoming fractional and proportional to the angle of the sector aperture. As it further propagates in free space after the sector aperture, the TC of the superposition becomes an integer, albeit indefinite, thanks to the aperture edges generating a multitude of extra optical vortices with positive and negative unit TC, irregularly arranged across the beam. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging)
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14 pages, 3255 KiB  
Article
Orbital Angular Momentum of Superpositions of Optical Vortices Perturbed by a Sector Aperture
by Alexey A. Kovalev and Victor V. Kotlyar
Photonics 2022, 9(8), 531; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9080531 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2124
Abstract
In optical communications, it is desirable to know some quantities describing a light field, which are conserved on propagation or resistant to some distortions. Typically, optical vortex beams are characterized by their orbital angular momentum (OAM) and/or topological charge (TC). Here, we show [...] Read more.
In optical communications, it is desirable to know some quantities describing a light field, which are conserved on propagation or resistant to some distortions. Typically, optical vortex beams are characterized by their orbital angular momentum (OAM) and/or topological charge (TC). Here, we show analytically that the OAM of a single rotationally symmetric optical vortex is not affected by an arbitrary-shape aperture or by other amplitude perturbations. For a superposition of two or several optical vortices (with different TCs), we studied what happens to its OAM when it is distorted by a hard-edge sector aperture. We discovered several cases when such perturbation does not violate the OAM of the whole superposition. The first case is when the incident beam consists of two vortices of the same power. The second case is when the aperture half-angle equals π multiplied by an integer number and divided by the difference between the topological charges. For more than two incident beams, this angle equals π multiplied by an integer number and divided by the greatest common divisor of all possible differences between the topological charges. We also show that such a sector aperture also conserves the orthogonality between the complex amplitudes of the constituent vortex beams. For two incident vortex beams with real-valued radial envelopes of the complex amplitudes, the OAM is also conserved, when there is a ±π/2 phase delay between the beams. When two beams with the same power pass through a binary radial grating, their total OAM is also conserved. We hope that these findings could be useful for optical communications since they allow for the identification of incoming optical signals by their OAM by registering only part of the light field within a sector aperture, thus reducing the cost of the receiving devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Diffraction and Imaging)
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