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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 30011

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Manoj Kumar

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Guest Editor

Department of System Science, Graduate School of System Informatics, Kobe University, Rokkodai 1-1, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
Interests: 3D imaging; incoherent digital holography; digital holographic microscopy; biomedical imaging; speckle interferometry; Talbot Interferometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Maciej Trusiak

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Mechatronics, Institute of Micromechanics and Photonics, Warsaw University of Technology, Sw A Boboli 8, 02-525 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: interferometry; fringe pattern analysis; numerical methods in optics; quantitative phase imaging; interference microscopy; computational imaging; optical metrology; bio-medical optical imaging; moiré techniques; self-imaging; diffraction gratings

Dr. Zibang Zhang

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Guest Editor

Department of Optoelectronic Engineering, Jinan University, 510632, No. 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, China
Interests: computational imaging including single-pixel imaging, lensless imaging, 3D imaging, and Fourier ptychographic microscopy

Dr. María Luisa Cruz López

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Guest Editor

Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Panamericana, Álvaro del Portillo 49, Zapopan, Jalisco 45010, México
Interests: computer generate hologram; digital holography; phase retrieval

Dr. Osamu Matoba

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Guest Editor

Department of System Science, Graduate School of System Informatics, Kobe University, Rokkodai 1-1, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
Interests: optical sensing, including digital holography, holographic 3D display, OCT, holographic memory, and artificial control of scattering phenomena

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Optical instruments and optical components have been used increasingly and proved their enormous capabilities and potentials in scientific, engineering, and industrial applications. The optical instruments, including the light sources, detectors, and intermediate optics, have been used for practical measurements and analysis for several decades. The success of optical instrumentation also benefits from the parallel development in analog and digital electronics, advanced imaging devices, high-speed digital computers, and reliable image processing algorithms. The optical instruments have become automated and efficient, and it has become easy to visualize the measurement results with high accuracy. This Issue is dedicated to recent advances in the field of basic optical instruments, functional devices, and the wide-ranging applications of optical instruments. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

Optical components and design methodology;
New developments in light source modeling;
Design tools for optical technologies;
Electro-optical instruments and methods;
Optical techniques in metrology;
Optical characterization methods;
Optical interferometric techniques;
Imaging systems;
Holography-based optical instrumentation;
Digital holographic microscopy;
Medical imaging techniques;
Single-pixel imaging;
Lensless computational imaging;
Fourier ptychographic microscopy;
Tomography;
Optical coherence tomography;
Particle image velocimetry;
Cytometry applications;
Biomedical applications based on optical techniques;
Application of artificial intelligence algorithms in optical devices;
Deep-learning-based optical instrumentation;
Data processing and exploitation in optical instrumentation;
Lab-on-a-chip or on-chip photonics sensors/imagers;
Photoacoustic imaging;
Phase retrieval (and generally inverse problems).

Dr. Manoj Kumar
Dr. Maciej Trusiak
Dr. Zibang Zhang
Dr. María Luisa Cruz López
Dr. Osamu Matoba
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 3575 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nonlocal Effective Medium (NLEM) for Quantitative Modelling of Nanoroughness in Spectroscopic Reflectance

by Eleftheria Lampadariou, Konstantinos Kaklamanis, Dimitrios Goustouridis, Ioannis Raptis and Elefterios Lidorikis

Photonics 2022, 9(7), 499; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9070499 - 16 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1274

Abstract

Spectroscopic reflectance is a versatile optical methodology for the characterization of transparent and semi-transparent thin films in terms of thickness and refractive index. The Fresnel equations are used to interpret the measurements, but their accuracy is limited when surface roughness is present. Nanoroughness can be modelled through a discretized multi-slice and effective medium approach, but to date, this offered mostly qualitative and not quantitative accuracy. Here we introduce an adaptive and nonlocal effective medium approach, which considers the relative size and environment of each discretized slice. We develop our model using finite-difference time-domain simulation results and demonstrate its ability to predict nanoroughness size and shape with relative errors < 3% in a variety of test systems. The accuracy of the model is directly compared to the prediction capabilities of the Bruggeman and Maxwell–Garnett models, highlighting its superiority. Our model is fully parametrized and ready to use for exploring the effects of roughness on reflectance without the need for costly 3D simulations and to be integrated into the Fresnel simulator of spectroscopic reflectance tools. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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10 pages, 2135 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Optical Design of a 4× Zoom Lens with a Stable External Entrance Pupil and Internal Stop

by Rui Qu, Jing Duan, Kai Liu, Jianzhong Cao and Jianfeng Yang

Photonics 2022, 9(3), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9030191 - 17 Mar 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2095

Abstract

Zoom lens with stationary external entrance pupil and internal stop is a type of special optical system that can be used in cascaded optics to meet the requirements of long focal length or variable magnification. We proposed a 4× zoom lens to improve the pupil walking limitation observed in the conventional design. Varifocal- and pupil-stable differential equations are presented and a paraxial design of the lens with two moving parts was developed. Moreover, the zoom lens, which functions in the visible waveband 500 nm~750 nm, is designed using seven types of common optical glasses, has a constant f-number of 10 and focal range of 100 mm~400 mm, and achieves pupil walking in the range −3.9 mm to +4.3 mm. The results demonstrate that the design had good image quality and tolerance characteristics. Owing to the limited pupil walking and zoom capability, the scheme is of considerable interest for application in electrical optical systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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9 pages, 3590 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design and Analysis of a Single Humidity Sensor Based on TDLAS for Water Vapor and Heavy Oxygen Water Vapor Detection

by Ping Gong, Jian Zhou, Zhixuan Er, Yu Ju and Liang Xie

Photonics 2022, 9(3), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9030175 - 11 Mar 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2023

Abstract

In this paper, a single humidity sensor for water vapor and heavy oxygen water vapor detection is presented. The sensor is based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) and thus has high sensitivity, good selectivity, and a short response time. A 1372 nm distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser is utilized as the light source, the wavelength tuning range of which covers the absorption lines of water vapor and heavy oxygen water vapor. A Herriott gas cell with 12 m optical length is designed for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enhancement. The sensor can distinguish between water vapor and heavy oxygen water vapor effectively. The accuracy of water detection is within ±0.5% RH. The accuracy of heavy oxygen water vapor detection is within ±1.0% RH. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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10 pages, 2784 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Single-Shot On-Axis Fizeau Polarization Phase-Shifting Digital Holography for Complex-Valued Dynamic Object Imaging

by Hanzi Liu, Vinu R. V., Hongliang Ren, Xingpeng Du, Ziyang Chen and Jixiong Pu

Photonics 2022, 9(3), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9030126 - 23 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2747

Abstract

Digital holography assisted with inline phase-shifting methods has the benefit of a large field of view and a high resolution, but it is limited in dynamic imaging due to sequential detection of multiple holograms. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate a single-shot phase-shifting digital holography system based on a highly stable on-axis Fizeau-type polarization interferometry. The compact on-axis design of the system with the capability of instantaneous recording of multiple phase-shifted holograms and with robust stability features makes the technique a novel tool for the imaging of complex-valued dynamic objects. The efficacy of the approach is demonstrated experimentally by complex field imaging of various kinds of reflecting-type static and dynamic objects. Moreover, a quantitative analysis on the robust phase stability and sensitivity of the technique is evaluated by comparing the approach with conventional phase-shifting methods. The high phase stability and dynamic imaging potential of the technique are expected to make the system an ideal tool for quantitative phase imaging and real-time imaging of dynamic samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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15 pages, 11069 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterizations and Use of Recycled Optical Components for Polarizing Phase-Shifting Interferometry Applications

by Juan M. Islas-Islas, Germán Reséndiz-López, José G. Ortega-Mendoza, Luis García-Lechuga, Adolfo Quiroz, David-Ignacio Serrano-García, Benito Canales-Pacheco and Noel-Ivan Toto-Arellano

Photonics 2022, 9(3), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9030125 - 23 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1697

Abstract

In this research, we report using optical components such as cubic beam splitters, lenses, diffraction gratings, and mirrors from broken, obsolete, or disused electronic devices to implement a simultaneous polarization-based phase-shifting interferometric system. The system is composed of a polarized Mach–Zehnder interferometer (PMZI) which generates a sample pattern coupled to a 4f imaging system with a diffraction grating placed on its Fourier plane. Such a diffractive element replicates the pattern generated by the PMZI, and each replica is centered and modulated by each diffraction order generated by the grating. The corresponding individual phase shifts are controlled by placing linear polarizers with known angles in front of each replica. Experimental results are presented using several phase samples such as an oil drop, a pseudoscorpion claw, a microarthropod, and red blood cells. In addition, a comparison of the retrieved phase was conducted by employing two different phase demodulation algorithms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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9 pages, 33943 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Broadband Near-Field Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Imaging with a Laser-Driven Light Source

by Chen Nan, Wang Yue, Xia Yang and Liu Tao

Photonics 2022, 9(2), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics9020097 - 08 Feb 2022

Viewed by 2815

Abstract

The scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM) has become a powerful imaging and nano-spectroscopy tool, which is widely used in the characterization of electronic and photonic devices, two-dimensional materials and biomolecules. However, in the published literature, nano-spectroscopy is mainly employed in the mid-infrared band, and the near-infrared (NIR) nano-spectroscopy with broadband spectral range has not been well discussed. In the present paper, we introduce a home-built near-field NIR spectroscopy and imaging set-up that is based on a laser-driven light source (LDLS). By mapping the Ge-Au periodic grating sample and the photonic topology device, a ~30 nm spatial resolution and the excellent capability of characterizing complex samples are demonstrated. Spectra obtained by experiment reveal the optical band-gap of Ge with a spectral resolution of 25 cm⁻¹, and a spectral range from 900 to 2000 nm. This technology is expected to provide a novel and unique approach for near-field NIR spectroscopy and imaging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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11 pages, 3815 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simulated Annealing Applied to HIO Method for Phase Retrieval

by Yicheng Zhang and Mingjie Sun

Photonics 2021, 8(12), 541; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics8120541 - 29 Nov 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1999

Abstract

Phase retrieval utilizing Fourier amplitudes plays a significant role in image recovery. Iterative phase retrieval algorithms have been developed to retrieve phase information that cannot be recorded by detectors directly. However, iterative algorithms face the problem of being trapped in local minima due to the nonconvexity of phase retrieval, and most existing works addressed this by optimizing in multiple runs parallelly to improve the possibility that one of these could reach the global minimum. Alternatively, we propose in this work to increase the probability of reaching the global minimum with one arbitrary initial distribution by adapting simulated annealing in the standard hybrid input-output (HIO) algorithm. Numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method reconstructs images with mean square errors 50.12% smaller than those reconstructed by HIO. More importantly, the proposed method can be applied to any HIO-based algorithm with multiple runs to further improve the performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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13 pages, 2752 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Two- and Three-Beam Interference Pattern Generation in Structured Illumination Microscopy

by Jiuling Liao, Lina Liu, Tingai Chen, Xianyuan Xia, Hui Li and Wei Zheng

Photonics 2021, 8(12), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics8120526 - 23 Nov 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2340

Abstract

Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) provides wide-field optical sectioning in the focal plane by modulating the imaging information using fringe pattern illumination. For generating the fringe pattern illumination, a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) is commonly used due to its flexibility and fast refresh rate. However, the benefit of different pattern generation, for example, the two-beam interference mode and the three-beam interference mode, has not been clearly investigated. In this study, we systematically analyze the optical sectioning provided by the two-beam inference mode and the three-beam interference mode of DMD. The theoretical analysis and imaging results show that the two-beam interference mode is suitable for fast imaging of the superficial dynamic target due to reduced number of phase shifts needed to form the image, and the three-beam interference mode is ideal for imaging three-dimensional volume due to its superior optical sectioning by the improved modulation of the illumination patterns. These results, we believe, will provide better guidance for the use of DMD for SIM imaging and also for the choice of beam patterns in SIM application in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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13 pages, 3039 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Wide-Field Telescope Alignment Using the Model-Based Method Combined with the Stochastic Parallel Gradient Descent Algorithm

by Min Li, Ang Zhang, Junbo Zhang and Hao Xian

Photonics 2021, 8(11), 463; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics8110463 - 22 Oct 2021

Viewed by 1387

Abstract

To acquire images with higher accuracy of wide-field telescopes, deformable mirrors with more than 100 actuators are used, making the telescope alignment more complex and time-consuming. Furthermore, the position of the obscuration caused by the secondary mirror in the experiment system is changed with the difference of fields of view, making the response matrix of the deformable mirror different in various fields of view. To solve this problem, transfer functions corresponding to different fields of view are calculated according to the wavefront edge check and boundary conditions. In this paper, a model-based method combined with the stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm is used. The experiment results show that our method can correct the aberrations with a high accuracy in both on-axis and off-axis fields, indicating that the effective actuators are well chosen corresponding to different fields of view. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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16 pages, 4664 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Passive Athermal Optical Design Method Considering Thermal-Induced Surface Deformation

by Tao Liu, Chong Wang, Yi Yu, Zhenyu Liu and Fengyun He

Photonics 2021, 8(9), 396; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics8090396 - 16 Sep 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2831

Abstract

Temperature variation not only results in changes in refractive index, radius, thickness, and air space, but also leads to surface deformation due to the mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients between glass and mechanical materials. However, existing passive athermal optical design methods cannot optimize thermal-induced surface deformation, and optimization methods usually focus on structural optimization or thermal control rather than optical optimization. Here, we investigate the deterioration in image quality caused by thermal-induced surface deformation and propose a passive athermal optical design method to reduce deterioration. To this end, MATLAB was utilized to jointly call finite element analysis (FEA) software (COMSOL) and optical design software (Code V) to realize the data exchange of an optical–mechanical–thermal integrated analysis for iterative optical optimization. This process makes automatic iterative optimization possible by transforming parametric FEA results into Zernike coefficients in each iteration of optimization. The theoretical and design examples indicate that our method can effectively reduce the degradation in image quality with surface deformation. Our method provides an optical optimization approach for optical designers to work on a passive athermal optical design by considering thermal-induced surface deformation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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15 pages, 5538 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design and Fabrication of Large-Size Powersphere for Wireless Energy Transmission via Laser

by Tiefeng He, Guobing Pan, Libin Zhang, Fang Xu, Can Yang, Chi Chiu Chan, Meng Wang and Guoliang Zheng

Photonics 2021, 8(2), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics8020035 - 30 Jan 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2420

Abstract

The powersphere is a device used for maximizing the conversion of light in wireless energy transmission via laser. It is a spherical structure made up of thousands of photovoltaic cells. Due to the large dimensions and existence of many holes in the spherical surface, there are some drawbacks in machining, such as limited movement space of the machines, long cycle, low precision, and high cost. In this context, with a powersphere irradiated by the laser as the model, the principle of powersphere is deduced theoretically. It is proven that the illuminance value at any position on the inner wall of the powersphere is equal, and the calculation formula of this value is derived. Based on this theory and the comparative analysis of processing methods and the results of processing experiments, the structure of the powersphere is designed. The experimental processing of the powersphere is carried out by selecting the welding method. Finally, two hemispherical powersphere frames are processed, which are connected by screws to form a ball frame for the installation of photovoltaic cells. The results show that the improved design and fabricating method can process the powersphere quickly, accurately, and economically. A comparative experiment of powersphere and photovoltaic panel was carried out. The experimental results show that the powersphere has the function of light uniformity and repeated use of laser. So, the designed and processed powersphere is consistent with the theoretical analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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Review

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10 pages, 1599 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of Silent Substitution Devices for Melanopsin Stimulation in Humans

by Vincent Conus and Martial Geiser

Photonics 2020, 7(4), 121; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics7040121 - 30 Nov 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4206

Abstract

One way to study the specific response of the non-visual melanopsin photoreceptors of the human eye is to silence the response of cones and rods. Melanopsin photoreceptors (ipRGC), highlighted in the early 2000s, are intimately linked to the circadian rhythm and therefore to our sleep and wakefulness. Rest and sleep regulation, health and cognitive functions are all linked to ipRGC and play an important role in work and human relationships. Thus, we believe that the study of ipRGC responses is important.We searched and reviewed scientific articles describing instrumentation dedicated to these studies. PubMed lists more than 90,000 articles created since the year 2000 that contain the word circadian but only 252 with silent substitution. In relation to melanopsin, we found 39 relevant articles from which only 11 give a device description for humans, which is incomplete in most cases. We did not find any consensus for light intensity description, melanopsin contrast, sequences of melanopsin light stimulation and optical setup to expose the retina to the light. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Instrumentation)

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