Physics issues in diffraction limited storage ring design

Diffraction limited electron storage ring is considered a promising candidate for future light sources,whose main characteristics are higher brilliance,better transverse coherence and better stability.The challenge of diffraction limited storage ring design is how to achieve the ultra low beam emittance with acceptable nonlinear performance.Effective linear and nonlinear parameter optimization methods based on Artificial Intelligence were developed for the storage ring physical design.As an example of application,partial physical design of HALS(Hefei Advanced Light Source),which is a diffraction limited VUV and soft X-ray light source,was introduced.Severe emittance growth due to the Intra Beam Scattering effect,which is the main obstacle to achieve ultra low emittance,was estimated quantitatively and possible cures were discussed.It is inspiring that better performance of diffraction limited storage ring can be achieved in principle with careful parameter optimization.

1178 J,527 nm near diffraction limited laser based on a complete closed-loop adaptive optics controlled off-axis multi-pass amplification laser system

A 1178 J near diffraction limited 527 nm laser is realized in a complete closed-loop adaptive optics(AO)controlled off-axis multi-pass amplification laser system.Generated from a fiber laser and amplified by the pre-amplifier and the main amplifier,a 1053 nm laser beam with the energy of 1900 J is obtained and converted into a 527 nm laser beam by a KDP crystal with 62%conversion efficiency,1178 J and beam quality of 7.93 times the diffraction limit(DL).By using a complete closed-loop AO configuration,the static and dynamic wavefront distortions of the laser system are measured and compensated.After correction,the diameter of the circle enclosing 80%energy is improved remarkably from 7.93DL to 1.29DL.The focal spot is highly concentrated and the 1178 J,527 nm near diffraction limited laser is achieved.

Higher-order harmonics of general limited diffraction Bessel beams

In this paper, we extensively study the higher-order harmonic generation of the general limited diffraction m-th- order Bessel beam. The analysis is based on successive approximations of the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov （KZK） equation. Asymptotic expansions are presented for higher-order harmonic Bessel beams in near and far fields. The validity of asymptotic approximation is also analyzed. The higher-order harmonic of the Bessel beam with the lowest zero-order is taken as a special example.

A STUDY OF HIGH FRAME RATE ULTRASONIC IMAGING WITH LIMITED DIFFRACTION BEAMS

Objective To investigate a new class of solutions to the isotropic/homogeneous scalar wave equation, which termed limited diffraction beams and realize ultrasonic 3D imaging. Methods Limited diffraction beams were derived. We performed the study of 3D pulse echo imaging with limited diffraction array beam. To obtain high frame rate images, a single plane wave pulse (broadband) was transmitted with the arrays. Echoes received with the same arrays were processed with Fourier method to construct 3D images. Results Compared with traditional pulse echo imaging, this method has a larger depth of field, high frame rate, and high signal to noise ratio. Conclusion The new method has prospect of high frame rate 3D imaging. In addition, the imaging system based this method is easily implemented and has high quality image.

Numerical Simulation of Super-Resolution Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM) Using Heintzmann-Cremer Algorithm with Non-Continuous Spatial Frequency Support

We report a comprehensive numerical study of super resolution (SR) structured illumination microscopy (SIM) utilizing the classic Heintzmann-Cremer SIM process and algorithm. In particular, we investigated the impact of the diffraction limit of the underlying imaging system on the optimal SIM grating frequency that can be used to obtain the highest SR enhancement with non-continuous spatial frequency support. Besides confirming the previous theoretical and experimental work that SR-SIM can achieve an enhancement close to 3 times the diffraction limit with grating pattern illuminations, we also observe and report a series of more subtle effects of SR-SIM with non-continuous spatial frequency support. Our simulations show that when the SIM grating frequency exceeds twice that of the diffraction limit, the higher SIM grating frequency can help achieve a higher SR enhancement for the underlying imaging systems whose diffraction limit is low, though this enhancement is obtained at the cost of losing resolution at some lower resolution targets. Our simulations also show that, for underlying imaging systems with high diffraction limits, however, SR-SIM grating frequencies above twice the diffraction limits tend to bring no significant extra enhancement. Furthermore, we observed that there exists a limit grating frequency above which the SR enhancement effect is lost, and the reconstructed images essentially have the same resolution as the one obtained directly from the underlying imaging system without using the SIM process.

A waveguide metasurface based quasi-far-field transverse-electric superlens

The imaging capability of conventional lenses is mainly limited by the diffraction of light,and the so-called superlens has been developed allowing the recovery of evanescent waves in the focal plane.However,the remarkable focusing behavi-or of the superlens is greatly confined in the near-field regime due to the exponential decay of evanescent waves.To tackle this issue,we design a waveguide metasurface-based superlens with an extraordinary quasi-far-field focusing capability beyond the diffraction limit in the present work.Specifically,we analyze the underlying physical mechanism and provide experimental verification of the proposed superlens.The metasurface superlens is formed by an array of gradient nanoslits perforated in a gold slab,and supports transverse-electric(TE)waveguide modes under linearly polar-ized illumination along the long axis of the slits.Numerical results illustrate that exciting such TE waveguide modes can modulate not only optical phase but also evanescent waves.Consequently,some high-spatial-frequency waves can con-tribute to the focusing of the superlens,leading to the quasi-far-field super-resolution focusing of light.Under 405 nm illu-mination and oil immersion,the fabricated superlens shows a focus spot of 98 nm(i.e.λ/4.13)at a focal distance of 1.49μm(i.e.3.68λ)using an oil immersion objective,breaking the diffraction limit ofλ/2.38 in the quasi-far field regime.The developed metasurface optical superlens with such extraordinary capabilities promises exciting avenues to nanolitho-graphy and ultra-small optoelectronic devices.

Structured illumination microscopy and its new developments

Optical microscopy allows us to observe the biological structures and processes within living cells.However,the spatial resolution of the optical microscopy is limited to about half of the wavelength by the light di®raction.Structured illumination microscopy(SIM),a type of new emerging super-resolution microscopy,doubles the spatial resolution by illuminating the specimen with a patterned light,and the sample and light source requirements of SIM are not as strict as the other super-resolution microscopy.In addition,SIM is easier to combine with the other imaging techniques to improve their imaging resolution,leading to the developments of diverse types of SIM.SIM has great potential to meet the various requirements of living cells imaging.Here,we review the recent developments of SIM and its combination with other imaging techniques.

Fluorescence Nanoscopy in Neuroscience

Fluorescence nanoscopy provides imaging techniques that overcome the diffraction-limited resolution barrier in light microscopy,thereby opening up a new area of research in biomedical imaging in fields such as neuroscience.Here,we review the foremost fluorescence nanoscopy techniques,including descriptions of their applications in elucidating protein architectures and mobility,the real-time determination of synaptic parameters involved in neural processes,three-dimensional imaging,and the tracking of nanoscale neural activity.We conclude by discussing the prospects of fluorescence nanoscopy,with a particular focus on its deployment in combination with related techniques(e.g.,machine learning)in neuroscience.

Analysis of detection limit to time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering nanoscopy

In the implementation of CARS nanoscopy, signal strength decreases with focal volume size decreasing. A crucial problem that remains to be solved is whether the reduced signal generated in the suppressed focal volume can be detected. Here reported is a theoretical analysis of detection limit （DL） to time-resolved CARS （T-CARS） nanoscopy based on our proposed additional probe-beam-induced phonon depletion （APIPD） method for the low concentration samples. In order to acquire a detailed shot-noise limited signal-to-noise （SNR） and the involved parameters to evaluate DL, the T-CARS process is described with full quantum theory to estimate the extreme power density levels of the pump and Stokes beams determined by saturation behavior of coherent phonons, which are both actually on the order of ~ 109 W/cm2. When the pump and Stokes intensities reach such values and the total intensity of the excitation beams arrives at a maximum tolerable by most biological samples in a certain suppressed focal volume （40-nm suppressed focal scale in APIPD method）, the DL correspondingly varies with exposure time, for example, DL values are 103 and 102 when exposure times are 20 ms and 200 ms respectively.

FDTD Studies of Metallic Cylinder Arrays： Plasmon Waveguide and Y-Splitter

The plasmon waveguide based on double chain of gold cylinders is studied using the finite-difference time-domain method （FDTD）. The wavelength of the incident Gaussian beam ranges from 650 to 1200nm, and the corresponding attenuation factors are calculated. We also present a Y-splitter with 90° splitting angle, each branch in the form of double chains. The transmission efficiencies for different wavelengths are evaluated.

Supercritical metalens at h-line for high-resolution direct laser writing

Supercritical lens(SCL)can break the diffraction limit in the far field and has been demonstrated for high-resolution scanning confocal imaging.Its capability in sharper focusing and needle-like long focal depth should allow high-resolution lithography at violet or ultraviolet(UV)wavelength,however,this has never been experimentally demonstrated.As a proof of concept,in this paper SCLs operating at 405 nm(h-line)wavelength with smaller full-width-at-half-maximum focal spot and longer depth of focus than conventional Fresnel zone lens while maintaining controlled side lobes are designed for direct laser writing(DLW)lithography.Aluminum nitride(AlN)with a high refractive index and low loss in UVvisible range is used to fabricate nanopillar-based metasurfaces structure for the metalens.Grating arrays with improved pitch resolution are fabricated using the SCLs with sub-diffraction-limit focusing capability.The AlN-based metasurface for SCLs at short wavelength for DLW could extend further to UV or deep UV lithography and might be of great interest to both the research and industry applications.

Conceptual design of Hefei advanced light source

The conceptual of Hefei Advanced Light Source, which is an advanced VUV and Soft X-ray source, was developed at NSRL of USTC. According to the synchrotron radiation user requirements and the trends of SR source development, some accelerator-based schemes were considered and compared; furthermore storage ring with ultra low emittance was adopted as the baseline scheme of HALS. To achieve ultra low emittance, some focusing structures were studied and optimized in the lattice design. Compromising of emittance, onmomentum and off-momentum dynamic aperture and ring scale, five bend acromat (FBA) was employed. In the preliminary design of HALS, the emittance was reduced to sub nm·rad, thus the radiation up to water window has full lateral coherence. The brilliance of undulator radiation covering several eVs to keVs range is higher than that of HLS by several orders. The HALS should be one of the most advanced synchrotron radiation light sources in the world.

Principles of electromagnetic waves in metasurfaces

Metasurfaces are artificially structured thin films with unusual properties on demand. Different from metamaterials, the metasurfaces change the electromagnetic waves mainly by exploiting the boundary conditions, rather than the constitutive parameters in three dimensional(3D) spaces. Despite the intrinsic similarities in the operational principles, there is not a universal theory available for the understanding and design of metasurface-based devices. In this article, we propose the concept of metasurface waves(M-waves) and provide a general theory to describe the principles of them. Most importantly, it is shown that the M-waves share some fundamental properties such as extremely short wavelength, abrupt phase change and strong chromatic dispersion, which make them different from traditional bulk waves. It is shown that these properties can enable many important applications such as subwavelength imaging and lithography, planar optical devices, broadband anti-reflection, absorption and polarization conversion. Our results demonstrated unambiguously that traditional laws of diffraction, refraction, reflection and absorption should be revised by using the novel properties of M-waves. The theory provided here may pave the way for the design of new electromagnetic devices and further improvement of metasurfaces. The exotic properties of metasurfaces may also form the foundations for two new sub-disciplines called "subwavelength surface electromagnetics" and "subwavelength electromagnetics".

Recent Advances in Super-Resolution Fluorescence Imaging and Its Applications in Biology

Fluorescence microscopy has become an essential tool for biological research because it can be minimally invasive, acquire data rapidly, and target molecules of interest with specific labeling strategies. However, the diffraction-limited spatial resolution, which is classically limited to about 200 nm in the lateral direction and about 500 nm in the axial direction, hampers its application to identify delicate details of subcellular structure. Extensive efforts have been made to break diffraction limit for obtaining high-resolution imaging of a biological specimen. Various methods capable of obtaining super-resolution images with a resolution of tens of nanometers are currently available. These super-resolution techniques can be generally divided into three primary classes： （1） patterned illumination- based super-resolution imaging, which employs spatially and temporally modulated illumination light to reconstruct sub-diffraction structures; （2） single-molecule localization-based super-resolution imaging, which localizes the profile center of each individual fluo- rophore at subdiffraction precision; （3） bleaching/blinking-based super-resolution imaging. These super-resolution techniques have been utilized in different biological fields and provide novel insights into several new aspects of life science. Given unique technical merits and commercial availability of super-resolution fluorescence microscope, increasing applications of this powerful technique in life science can be expected.

Phase control of femtosecond pulses on the nanoscale using second harmonic nanoparticles

Investigations of ultrafast processes occurring on the nanoscale require a combination of femtosecond pulses and nanometer spatial resolution.However,controlling femtosecond pulses with nanometer accuracy is very challenging,as the limitations imposed both by dispersive optics on the time duration of a pulse and by the spatial diffraction limit on the focusing of light must be overcome simultaneously.In this paper,we provide a universal method that allows full femtosecond pulse control in subdiffraction-limited areas.We achieve this aim by exploiting the intrinsic coherence of the second harmonic emission from a single nonlinear nanoparticle of deep subwavelength dimensions.The method is proven to be highly sensitive,easy to use,quick,robust and versatile.This approach allows measurements of minimal phase distortions and the delivery of tunable higher harmonic light in a nanometric volume.Moreover,the method is shown to be compatible with a wide range of particle sizes,shapes and materials,allowing easy optimization for any given sample.This method will facilitate the investigation of light–matter interactions on the femtosecond–nanometer level in various areas of scientific study.

Fundamental algorithm and computational codes for the light beam propagation in high power laser system

The fundamental algorithm of light beam propagation in high powerlaser system is investigated and the corresponding computational codes are given. It is shown that the number of modulation ring due to the diffraction is related to the size of the pinhole in spatial filter (in terms of the times of diffraction limitation, i.e. TDL) and the Fresnel number of the laser system; for the complex laser system with multi-spatial filters and free space, the system can be investigated by the reciprocal rule of operators.