Nonlinear Imaging using Object-Dependent Illumination

Abstract

Nonlinear imaging systems can surpass the limits of linear optics, but nearly all rely on physical media and atomic/molecular response to work. These materials are constrained by their physical properties, such as frequency selectivity, environmental sensitivity, time behavior, and fixed nonlinear response. Here, we show that electro-optic spatial light modulators (SLMs) can take the place of traditional nonlinear media, provided that there is a feedback between the shape of the object and the pattern on the modulator. This feedback creates a designer illumination that generalizes the field of adaptive optics to include object-dependent patterns. Unlike physical media, the SLM response can provide a wide range of mathematical functions, operate over broad bandwidths at high speeds, and work equally well at high power and single-photon levels. We demonstrate the method experimentally for both coherent and incoherent light.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jan 24, 2019
Source ID
10.1038/s41598-018-37030-7

Entities

People

  • Alexandre S. Goy
  • Jason W Fleischer
  • Jen-tang Lu

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.