Ultrafast laser processing of silk films by bulging and ablation for optical functional devices

Organic proteins are attractive owing to their unique optical properties,remarkable mechanical characteristics,and biocompatibility.Manufacturing multifunctional structures on organic protein films is essential for practical applications;however,the controllable fabrication of specific structures remains challenging.Herein,we propose a strategy for creating specific structures on silk film surfaces by modulating the bulging and ablation of organic materials.Unique surface morphologies such as bulges and craters with continuously varying diameters were generated based on the controlled ultrafast laser-induced crystal-form transition and plasma ablation of the silk protein.Owing to the anisotropic optical properties of the bulge/crater structures with different periods,the fabricated organic films can be used for large-scale inkless color printing.By simultaneously engineering bulge/crater structures,we designed and demonstrated organic film-based optical functional devices that achieves holographic imaging and optical focusing.This study provides a promising strategy for the fabrication of multifunctional micro/nanostructures that can broaden the potential applications of organic materials.

Comparative study of functional optical zone:small incision lenticule extraction versus femtosecond laser assisted excimer laser keratomileusis

AIM:To investigate the size of functional optical zone(FOZ)after small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE)versus femtosecond laser assisted excimer laser keratomileusis(FS-LASIK)for myopia correction and potential associated factors for FOZ.METHODS:A total of 133 patients who received corneal refractive surgery in our hospital between November 2018 and July 2021 were retrospectively enrolled.There were 63 patients(123 eyes)in SMILE group and 70patients(139 eyes)in FS-LASIK group.The size of FOZ was measured using Pentacam 3-dementional anterior segment analyzer before and 3mo after surgery,so as to analyze postoperative achieved functional optical zone(AFOZ)and its contributing parameters.RESULTS:When planned functional optical zone(PFOZ)was 6.5 mm for both groups,AFOZ was 1.45±0.27 and 1.67±0.25 mm smaller than preoperative FOZ in SMILE group and FS-LASIK group 3mo after surgery.AFOZ in SMILE group was significantly larger than that in FS-LASIK group(P<0.001).Variation of FOZ was negatively correlated with preoperative spherical equivalent(SE)and positively correlated with variation of mean keratometry value(△Km),variation of spherical aberration(△SA),and variation of Q-value(△Q,all P<0.001)in both groups.Multiple variable linear regression equations were△FOZ=1.354-0.1×pre-SE+0.336×△Q+1.462×△SA in SMILE group and△FOZ=1.512+0.137×△Q+0.468×△SA in FS-LASIK group.CONCLUSION:AFOZ is significantly smaller than preoperative FOZ in both SMILE and FS-LASIK groups.With the same PFOZ,larger AFOZ is achieved in SMILE group than in FS-LASIK group.

Analysis of the optical quality by determining the modulation transfer function for anterior corneal surface in myopes

AIM: To describe the characteristics of modulation transfer function (MTF) of anterior corneal surface, and obtain the the normal reference range of MTF at different spatial frequencies and optical zones of the anterior corneal surface in myopes. METHODS: Four hundred eyes from 200 patients were examined under SIRIUS corneal topography system. Phoenis analysis software was applied to simulate the MTF curves of anterior corneal surface at vertical and horizontal meridians at the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7mm optical zones of cornea. The MTF values at spatial frequencies of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 cycles/degree (c/d) were selected. RESULTS: The MTF curve of anterior corneal surface decreased rapidly from low to intermediate frequency (0-15cpd) at various optical zones of cornea, the value decreased to 0 slowly at higher frequency (>15cpd). With the increase of the optical zones of cornea, MTF curve decreased gradually. 3) In the range of 3 mm- 6 mm optical zones of the cornea, the MTF values measured at horizontal meridian were greater than the corresponding values at horizontal meridian of each spatial frequency, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). At 7 mm optical zones of cornea, the MTF values measured at horizontal meridian were less than the corresponding values at vertical meridian at 10-60 spatial frequencies (cpd), and the difference was statistically significant in 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 cpd(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: MTF can be used to describe the imaging quality of optical systems at anterior corneal surface objectively in detail.

Optical Transfer Function Reconstruction in Incoherent Fourier Ptychography

An optical transfer function （OTF） reconstruction model is first embedded into incoherent Fourier ptychography （IFP）. The leading result is a proposed algorithm that can recover both the super-resolution image and the OTF of an imaging system with unknown aberrations simultaneously. This model overcomes the difficult problem of OTF estimation that the previous IFP faces. The effectiveness of this algorithm is demonstrated by numerical simulations, and the superior reconstruction is presented. We believe that the reported algorithm can extend the original IFP for more complex conditions and may provide a solution by using structured light for characterization of optical systems＇ aberrations.

Solving the atmospheric scattering optical transfer function using the multi-coupled single scattering method

The atmospheric scattering optical transfer function （OTF） is solved by applying the multi-coupled single scattering （MCSS） method to the three-dimensional radiative transfer equation （RTE） under the periodic ground condition. This approach is a direct hit to the atmospheric scattering OTF using the same original context of modulation transfer function （MTF） measurement, i.e., images of sinusoidal grating at different spatial frequencies. Both the amplitude and phase shift of the OTF at various zenith and azimuth angles can be obtained at an arbitrary spatial frequency.

Temporal evolution of the optical path difference of a supersonic turbulent boundary layer

The density distribution of a supersonic turbulent boundary layer is measured with the nanoparticle-based planar laser scattering technique, and the temporal evolution of its optical path difference （OPD） in a short time interval is characterized by proper orthogonal decomposition （POD）. Based on the advantage of POD in capturing the energy of a signal, a temporal evolution model is suggested for the POD coefficients of the OPD. In this model, the first few coefficients vary linearly with time, and the others are modeled by Gaussian statistics. As an application, this method is used to compute the shortexposure optical transfer function.

Structural, Electronic and Optical Properties of Te-Doped GaAs Nanowires： the First Principles Study

The first-principles calculations have been performed to determine the effects of Te doping to the structural, electronic, and optical properties of Ga As NWs. The calculated formation energies show that the single Te energetically prefers to substitute the core Ga（Ef = 0.4111 eV） under As-rich conditions of Ga As nanowires, while on surface, the single Te tends to substitute the surface As site. With increasing the Te concentration, the favorable substitution sites are 2Te–Ga–A and 3Te–Ga–D. Thus, the stability of the structure of the electronic structure and optical properties are discussed.

Bandgap engineering to tune the optical properties of Be_xMg_(1-x)X(X=S, Se, Te) alloys

Structural, electronic, and optical properties of alloys BexMgl-xX （X = S, Se, Te） in the assortment 0 〈 x 〈 1 were theoretically reported for the first time in zinc-blende （ZB） phase. The calculations were carried out by using full-potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbitals （FP-LAPW＋lo） formalism contained by the framework of density functional theory （DFT）. Wu--Cohen （WC） generalized gradient approximation （GGA）, based on optimization energy, has been applied to calculate these theoretical results. In addition, we used Becke and Johnson （mBJ-GGA） potential, modified form of GGA functional, to calculate electronic structural properties up to a high precision degree. The alloys were composed with the concentrations x = 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 in pursuance of ＇special quasi-random structures＇ （SQS） approach of Zunger for the restoration of disorder around the observed site of alloys in the first few shells. The structural parameters have been predicted by minimizing the total energy in correspondence of unit cell volume. Our alloys established direct band gap at different concentrations that make their importance in optically active materials. Furthermore, density of states was discussed in terms of the contribution of Be and Mg s and chalcogen （S, Se, and Te） s and p states and observed charge density helped us to investigate the bonding nature. By taking into consideration of immense importance in optoelectronics of these materials, the complex dielectric function was calculated for incident photon energy in the range 0--15 eV.

Study of magnetic and optical properties of Zn1-xTMxTe(TM = Mn,Fe,Co,Ni) diluted magnetic semiconductors：First principle approach

We present structural,magnetic and optical characteristics of Zn_（1-x）TM_xTe（TM = Mn,Fe,Co,Ni and x = 6.25%）,calculated through Wien2 k code,by using full potential linearized augmented plane wave（FP-LAPW） technique.The optimization of the crystal structures have been done to compare the ferromagnetic（FM） and antiferromagnetic（AFM） ground state energies,to elucidate the ferromagnetic phase stability,which further has been verified through the formation and cohesive energies.Moreover,the estimated Curie temperatures T_c have demonstrated above room temperature ferromagnetism（RTFM） in Zn_（1-x）TM_xTe（TM =Mn,Fe,Co,Ni and x= 6.25%）.The calculated electronic properties have depicted that Mn- and Co-doped ZnTe behave as ferromagnetic semiconductors,while half-metallic ferromagnetic behaviors are observed in Fe- and Ni-doped ZnTe.The presence of ferromagnetism is also demonstrated to be due to both the p-d and s-d hybridizations between the host lattice cations and TM impurities.The calculated band gaps and static real dielectric constants have been observed to vary according to Penn＇s model.The evaluated band gaps lie in near visible and ultraviolet regions,which make these materials suitable for various important device applications in optoelectronic and spintronic.

Review on birefringence in borates based on birefringence-active functional groups and arrangements

As a fundamental parameter of the optical crystals,birefringence plays a vital role in many optical applications,such as phase modulation,light splitting,and polarization,especially the phase matching process of the nonlinear optical crystals.The big birefringence not only benefits to the miniaturization of related devices,but also broadens the phase-matching wavelength range of nonlinear optical crystals.The design and synthesis of crystals with large birefringence becomes a hot research topic due to its more and more important applications in the optical modulation and laser technology fields.Herein,crystals with birefringence greater than 0.05 in the borate system are reviewed and classified according to different birefringent active groups,and the relationship between structure and properties is thoroughly explored.It is hoped that this review will provide a clear understanding of what kinds of building units and arrangements would have more opportunity to get adequate birefringence in borate systems and provide the statistical references to encourage the emergence of better crystal materials with large birefringence.

Long-period grating inscription on polymer functionalized optical microfibers and its applications in optical sensing

We demonstrated long-period grating(LPG) inscription on polymer functionalized optical microfibers and its applications in optical sensing. Optical microfibers were functionalized with ultraviolet-sensitive polymethyl methacrylate jackets and, thus, LPGs could be inscribed on optical microfibers via point-by-point ultraviolet laser exposure. For a 2 mm long microfiber LPG(MLPG) inscribed on optical microfibers with a diameter of 5.4 μm, a resonant dip of 15 d B at 1377 nm was observed. This MLPG showed a high sensitivity of strain and axial force, i.e.,-1.93 pm∕με and-1.15 pm∕μN, respectively. Although the intrinsic temperature sensitivity of the LPGs is relatively low, i.e.,-12.75 pm∕°C, it can be increased to be-385.11 pm∕°C by appropriate sealing. Benefiting from the small footprint and high sensitivity, MLPGs could have potential applications in optical sensing of strain,axial force, and temperature.

New functions of VCSEL-based optical devices Invited Paper

We have seen a lot of unique features off vertical cavity surface emitting lasers （VCSELs）, such as low power consumption, wafer-level testing, small packaging capability, and so on. The market of VCSELs has been growing up rapidly in recent years and they are now the key devices in local area networks using multi-mode optical fibers. In addition, new functions on VCSELs have been demonstrated. In this paper, the recent advances of VCSEL photonics will be reviewed which include the wavelength engineering and the athermal operation based on microelectro mechanical system （MEMS） technologies. Also, this paper explores the potential and challenges for new functions of VCSELs, including high-speed control of optical phase, slow light devices, plasmonic VCSELs, and so on.

Photon statistics of pulse-pumped four-wave mixing in fiber with weak signal injection

We study the photon statistics of pulse-pumped four-wave mixing in fibers with weak coherent signal injection by measuring the intensity correlation functions of individual signal and idler fields. The experimental results show that the intensity correlation function of individual signal（idler） field g_（s（i））^（2） decreases with the intensity of signal injection. After applying narrow band filter in signal（idler） band, the value of g_（s（i））^（2） decreases from 1.9 ± 0.02（1.9 ± 0.02） to 1.03 ± 0.02（1.05 ± 0.02） when the intensity of signal injection varies from 0 to 120 photons/pulse. The results indicate that the photon statistics changes from Bose–Einstein distribution to Poisson distribution. We calculate the intensity correlation functions by using the multi-mode theory of four-wave mixing in fibers. The theoretical curves well fit the experimental results.Our investigation will be useful for mitigating the crosstalk between quantum and classical channels in a dense wavelength division multiplexing network.

A new near-field phase-correction method for superlens

A new phase-correction method in a realistic loss superlens imaging system is theoretically predicted. The image resolution is enhanced using the near-field active phase-correction method. Resolvable separation between two slits has been significantly improved to λ/20 for the symmetrical superlens system and λ/12 for unsymmetrical system.

Resolution enhancement of optical scanning holography with a spiral modulated point spread function

In optical scanning holography, one pupil produces a spherical wave and another produces a plane wave. They interfere with each other and result in a fringe pattern for scanning a three-dimensional object. The resolution of the hologram reconstruction is affected by the point spread function(PSF) of the optical system. In this paper, we modulate the PSF by a spiral phase plate, which significantly enhances the lateral and depth resolution. We explain the theory for such resolution enhancement and show simulation results to verify the efficacy of the approach.

Corneal functional optical zone under monocular and binocular assessment

Background:In this retrospective randomized case series,we compared bilateral symmetry between OD and OS eyes,intercorneal differences and Functional Optical Zone(FOZ)of the corneal aberrations.Methods:Sixty-seven normal subjects(with no ocular pathology)who never had any ocular surgery were bilaterally evaluated at Augenzentrum Recklinghausen(Germany).In all cases,standard examinations and corneal wavefront topography(OPTIKON Scout)were performed.The OD/OS bilateral symmetry was evaluated for corneal wavefront aberrations,and FOZ-values were evaluated from the Root-Mean-Square(RMS)of High-Order Wavefront-Aberration(HOWAb).Moreover,correlations of FOZ,spherical equivalent(SE),astigmatism power,and cardinal and oblique astigmatism for binocular vs.monocular,and binocular vs.intercorneal differences were analyzed.Results:Mean FOZ was 6.56±1.13 mm monocularly,6.97±1.34 mm binocularly,and 7.64±1.30 mm intercorneal difference,with all strongly positively correlated,showing that the diameter of glare-free vision is larger in binocular than monocular conditions.Mean SE was 0.78±1.30 D,and the mean astigmatism power(magnitude)was 0.46±0.52 D binocularly.The corresponding monocular values for these metrics were 0.78±1.30 D and 0.53±0.53 D respectively.SE,astigmatism magnitude,cardinal astigmatism component,and FOZ showed a strong correlation and even symmetry;and oblique astigmatism component showed odd symmetry indicating Enantiomorphism between the left and right eye.Conclusions:These results confirm OD-vs.-OS bilateral symmetry(which influences binocular summation)of HOWAb,FOZ,defocus,astigmatism power,and cardinal and oblique astigmatism.Binocular Functional Optical Zone calculated from corneal wavefront aberrations can be used to optimize refractive surgery design.

A new analytical edge spread function fitting model for modulation transfer function measurement

We propose a new analytical edge spread function （ESF） fitting model to measure the modulation transfer function （MTF）.The ESF data obtained from a slanted-edge image are fitted to our model through the non-linear least squares （NLLSQ） method.The differentiation of the ESF yields the line spread function （LSF）,the Fourier transform of which gives the profile of two-dimensional MTF.Compared with the previous methods,the MTF estimate determined by our method conforms more closely to the reference.A practical application of our MTF measurement in degraded image restoration also validates the accuracy of our model.

A review of dielectric optical metasurfaces for spatial differentiation and edge detection

Dielectric metasurfaces-based planar optical spatial differentiator and edge detection have recently been proposed to play an important role in the parallel and fast image processing technology.With the development of dielectric metasurfaces of different geometries and resonance mechanisms,diverse on-chip spatial differentiators have been proposed by tailoring the dispersion characteristics of subwavelength structures.This review focuses on the basic principles and characteristic parameters of dielectric metasurfaces as first-and second-order spatial differentiators realized via the Green's function approach.The spatial bandwidth and polarization dependence are emphasized as key properties by comparing the optical transfer flinctions of metasurfaces for different incident wavevectors and polarizations.To present the operational capabilities of a two-dimensional spatial differentiator in image information acquisition,edge detection is described to illustrate the practicability of the device.As an application example,experimental demonstrations of edge detection for different biological cells and a flower mold are discussed,in which a spatial differentiator and objective lens or camera are integrated in three optical pathway configurations.The realization of spatial differentiators and edge detection with dielectric metasurfaces provides new opportunities for ultrafast information identification in biological imaging and machine vision.

Experimental demonstration of 5-bit phase-shifted all-optical analog-to-digital converter

A 5-bit photonic analog-to-digital conversion under a sampling rate of 10 Gs/s is experimentally demon- strated. In the experiment, the birefringence walk-off in the scheme is compensated, and 16 high-extinction ratio optical transfer functions with different phase shifts are obtained. A I-GHz sinusoidal analog signal is sampled and Quantized by optical processing, and the effective number of bits obtained is 4.17.

Tight-binding models for ultracold atoms in optical lattices：general formulation and applications

Tight-binding models for ultracold atoms in optical lattices can be properly defined by using the concept of maximally localized Wannier functions for composite bands. The basic principles of this approach are reviewed here, along with different applications to lattice potentials with two minima per unit cell, in one and two spatial dimensions. Two independent methods for computing the tight-binding coefficients—one ab initio, based on the maximally localized Wannier functions, the other through analytic expressions in terms of the energy spectrum—are considered. In the one dimensional case, where the tight-binding coefficients can be obtained by designing a specific gauge transformation, we consider both the case of quasi resonance between the two lowest bands, and that between s and p orbitals. In the latter case, the role of the Wannier functions in the derivation of an effective Dirac equation is also reviewed. Then, we consider the case of a two dimensional honeycomb potential, with particular emphasis on the Haldane model, its phase diagram, and the breakdown of the Peierls substitution. Tunable honeycomb lattices, characterized by movable Dirac points, are also considered. Finally, general considerations for dealing with the interaction terms are presented.