Asymmetric two-dimensional diffraction grating via a vortex field in an inverted-Ytype atomic system

We propose a theoretical scheme to realize a two-dimensional(2D)diffraction grating in a four-level inverted-Y-type atomic system coupled by a standing-wave(SW)field and a Laguerre-Gaussian(LG)vortex field.Owing to asymmetric spatial modulation of the LG vortex field,the incident probe field can be lopsidedly diffracted into four domains and an asymmetric 2D electromagnetically induced grating is created.By adjusting the detunings of the probe field and the LG vortex field,the intensities of the LG vortex field and the coherent SW field,as well as the interaction length,the diffraction properties and efficiency,can be effectively manipulated.In addition,the effect of the azimuthal parameter on the Fraunhofer diffraction of the probe field is also discussed.This asymmetric 2D diffraction grating scheme may provide a versatile platform for designing quantum devices that require asymmetric light transmission.

Dynamic shaping of vectorial optical fields based on two-dimensional blazed holographic grating

We propose a vectorial optical field generation system based on two-dimensional blazed grating to high-efficiently generate structured optical fields with prescribed amplitude,phase,and polarization.In this system,an optimized blazed grating hologram is written on a spatial light modulator(SLM)and can diffract the majority of the incident light into the first-order diffractions of the x and y directions,which then serve as base vectors for synthesizing desired vector beams.Compared with the conventional cosine grating used in the previous work,the proposed two-dimensional,blazed grating has a much higher efficiency.Both computer simulation and optical experiment validate that a conversion efficiency up to 5 times that of the former work is achieved.Our method can facilitate applications of the optical field manipulation.

A modified phase diversity wavefront sensor with a diffraction grating

The phase diversity wavefront sensor is one of the tools used to estimate wavefront aberration, and it is often used as a wavefront sensor in adaptive optics systems. However, the performance of the traditional phase diversity wavefront sensor is limited by the accuracy and dynamic ranges of the intensity distribution at the focus and defocus positions of the CCD camera. In this paper, a modified phase diversity wavefront sensor based on a diffraction grating is proposed to improve the ability to measure the wavefront aberration with larger amplitude and higher spatial frequency. The basic principle and the optics construction of the proposed method are also described in detail. The noise propagation property of the proposed method is also analysed by using the numerical simulation method, and comparison between the diffraction grating phase diversity wavefront sensor and the traditional phase diversity wavefront sensor is also made. The simulation results show that the diffraction grating phase diversity wavefront sensor can obviously improve the ability to measure the wavefront aberration, especially the wavefront aberration with larger amplitude and higher spatial frequency.

Analysis and Prediction of Effect of Turning Marks Diffraction on Image Quality of Optical System

Single-point diamond turning (SPDT) is widely used in the machining of infrared materials and metal-based mirrors. Diamond tips can scratch material, replicate the shape of the tip, and create annular turning marks on optical surfaces, which can have unpredictable adverse effects on imaging. In order to predict the effect of turning marks diffraction on the degradation of imaging quality, a model of the influence of SPDT processing parameters on the reduction of system imaging MTF under the influence of ideal grating turning marks diffraction was established. The results show that the depth of the turning mark will lead to the decline of MTF, especially the low frequency information. Finally, a method is proposed to reduce the effect of turning marks diffraction through changing the processing parameters. .

Detecting High-Refractive-Index Media Using Surface Plasmon Sensor with One-Dimensional Metal Diffraction Grating

We experimentally detect high-refractive-index media (n > 1.5) using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor with a diffraction grating. While SPR sensors are generally based on the attenuated total reflection method using metal films, here, we focus on a method using a diffraction grating, which can detect relatively higher refractive-index media and is suitable for device miniaturization. In this study, we used the rigorous coupled-wave analysis method to simulate the dependence of the reflectance on an incident angle for media with refractive index values up to 1.700. In the experiment, a medium (n = 1.660 - 1.700) was successfully detected using this grating. Under the conditions of the grating (period: 600 nm, Au thickness: 40 nm) using a red laser (λ: 635 nm), a sharp decline in the reflectance and a rise in the transmittance at certain angles were confirmed, demonstrating the extraordinary transmission enabled by SPR. Because excitation angles changed with changes in the refractive index, we concluded that this method can be applied to sensors that detect high-refractive-index media.

A novel single-order diffraction grating: Random position rectangle grating

Spectral diagnosis of radiation from laser plasma interaction and monochromation of radiation source are hot and important topics recently. Grating is one of the primary optical elements to do this job. Although easy to fabricate, traditional diffraction grating suffers from multi-order diffraction contamination. On the other hand, sinusoidal amplitude grating has the nonharmonic diffraction property, but it is too difficult to fabricate, especially for x-ray application. A novel nonharmonic diffraction grating named random position rectangle grating（RPRG） is proposed in this paper. Theoretical analysis and experiment results show that the RPRG is both higher order diffraction suppressing and not difficult to fabricate. Additionally, it is highly efficient; its first order absolute theoretical diffraction efficiency reaches 4.1%. Our result shows that RPRG is a novel tool for radiation diagnosis and monochromation.

Diffraction of an ultrashort pulsed beam with arbitrary polarization state from a volume holographic grating in LiNbO3 crystals

Based on a modified coupled wave theory of Kogelnik, we have studied the diffraction of an ultrashort pulsed beam with an arbitrary polarization state from a volume holographic grating in photorefractive LiNbO3 crystals. The results indicate that the diffracted intensity distributions in the spectral and temporal domains and the diffraction efficiency of the grating are both changed by the polarization state and spectral bandwidth of the input pulsed beam. A method is given of choosing the grating parameters and input conditions to obtain a large variation range of the spectral bandwidth of the diffracted pulsed beam with an appropriate diffraction efficiency. Our study presents a possibility of using a volume holographic grating recorded in anisotropic materials to shape a broadband ultrashort pulsed beam by modulating its polarization state.

Analysis of restriction factors of widening diffraction bandwidth of multilayer dielectric grating

In order to design a multilayer dielectric grating with wide-bandwidth diffraction spectrum, the restriction factors of both the reflection bandwidth of multilayer dielectric high-reflectivity mirror and the guided-mode resonance phe- nomenon are studied in detail. The reflection characteristics of high-reflectivity mirror in zeroth and -lst transmitted diffraction orders are quantitatively evaluated. It is found that the reflection bandwidth of high-reflectivity mirror in -lst transmitted diffraction order, which determines the final diffraction bandwidth of multilayer dielectric grating, is evidently compressed. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the reducing of grating period is an effective approach to the elimination of guided mode resonance over a required broad band range both spectrally and angularly. In addition, the expressions for calculating the maximum period ensuring no guided mode resonance in the required bandwidth are derived. Finally, two high-efficiency pulse-compression gratings with broad-band are presented.

Two-dimensional non-spatial filtering based on holographic Bragg gratings

The filter made up of two gratings performs as a two-dimensional non-spatial filtering. This paper reports that the volume Bragg gratings are fabricated by interfering two collimated coherent laser beams in photopolymer. Diffraction efficiency of a single grating is up to 78% in Bragg＇s condition, then a two-dimensional non-spatial filter, which consists of two volume Bragg gratings and a half-wave plate, enables the laser beam filtered in two dimensions with the diffraction efficiency of 54%. The Bragg＇s condition and effect of polarisation on performances of the two-dimension filter are also discussed.

Diffraction Pattern of a Rotated Grating

Diffraction patterns of a rotated grating are investigated from both theoretical and experimental points of view. It is shown that as the grating rotates, the angle of deviation of each diffracted line relative to the incident light goes through a minimum, and that the angle between any two successive diffracted lines goes through a minimum value which is the same for all adjacent diffracted lines. It is also shown that the angle between diffraction lines with n=1 and n=-1 is not sensitive to small variations of the grating from being normal to the incident light. Finally, a method is suggested for determining the line distance of a diffraction grating with high accuracy.

Optical diffraction gratings embedded in BK-7 glass by low-density plasma formation using femtosecond laser

The optical embedded diffraction gratings with the internal refractive index modification in BK-7 glass plates were demonstrated using low-density plasma formation excited by a high-intensity femtosecond （130 fs） Ti： sapphire laser （λp=790 rim）. The refractive index modifications with diameters ranging from 400 nm to 4 gm were photoinduced after plasma formation occurred upon irradiation with peak intensities of more than 1 ×10^13 W/cm2. The graded refractive index profile was fabricated to be a symmetric around the center of the point at which low-density plasma occurred. The maximum refractive index change （An） was estimated to be 1.5x10 2. Several optical embedded gratings in BK-7 glass plate were demonstrated with refractive index modification induced by the scanning of low-density plasma formation.

LO-RAY-LIGH@ Diffraction Gratings in UV-VIS Spectroscopy

It has been more than half a century since the release of the first Shimadzu UV-VIS （UV-visible） spectrophotometer QB-50 in 1952, and during this time more than 160,000 UV-VIS spectrometers have been produced and installed in a wide variety of different applications. A lot of technical innovations have been implemented to improve the performance and significantly reduce the stray light levels. The latest innovation during development of sophisticated spectrophotometers is based on a new holographic exposure method and optimized etching process which has made it possible to produce both high-efficient and exceptionally low stray light gratings. These LO-RAY-LIGH~ gratings have guaranteed values of stray light at the intermediate position between zero-order and first-order lights. The values are measured by Shimadzu＇s laser stray-light-measuring system. The latest development in the series of UV-VIS spectrophotometers is the UV-2700 which is a true double beam double monochromator system in a compact design for high-precision spectral analysis of a wide range of samples including organic and inorganic compounds, biological samples, optical materials and photovoltaics. The high performance optical system is designed with ＂LO-RAY-LIGH＂ diffraction gratings, featuring highest efficiency and exceptionally low stray light. The spectrophotometer operates in the wavelength range from 185 nm to 900 nm and allows highly sophisticated applications such as direct measurement of high density samples up to 8 absorbance units without dilution.

Bragg-Angle Diffraction in Slant Gratings Fabricated by Single-Beam Interference Lithography

A single-beam interference-lithography scheme is demonstrated for the fabrication of large-area slant gratings, which requires exposure of the photoresist thin film spin-coated on a glass plate with polished side-walls to a single laser beam in the ultraviolet and requires small coherence length of the laser. No additional beam splitting scheme and no adjustments for laser-beam overlapping and for optical path-length balancing are needed. Bragg-angle diffractions are observed as strong optical extinction that is tunable with changing the angle of incidence. This device is important for the design of efficient filters, beam splitters, and photonic devices.

Two-Dimensional Talbot Effect with Atomic Density Gratings

We report the experimental observation of two-dimensional Talbot effect when a resonance plane wave interacts with a two-dimensional atomic density grating generated by standing wave manipulation of ultracold Bose gases. Clear self-images of the grating and sub-images with reversed phase or fractal patterns are observed. By calculating the autocorrelation functions of the images, the behavior of periodic Talbot images is studied. The Talbot effect with two-dimensional atomic density grating expands the applications of the Talbot effect in a wide variety of research fields.

Study of transmission grating diffraction efficiencies for soft X-ray

Tansmission grating spectrometers are extensively used to measure absthlute X-ray spectra in a photon-energy range below 1000 eV. The transmission grating,as its dispersive element, must be calibrated to obtain its danaction efficiencies. Calibrations of absolute distraction efficiencies of the tlansmission grating at photon energyof 844eV have been carried out on Beliing Synchrotron mediation Facility. With theaid of grating model, all of the grating structure paraxneters have been determinedand the absolute dchaction efficiencies in a photon-energy range below 2000eV havealso been calculated and discussed.

Optimizing the Conditions for Residual Stress Measurement Using a Two-Dimensional XRD Method with Specimen Oscillation

In order to optimize the conditions for residual stress measurement using a two-dimensional X-ray diffraction (2D-XRD) in terms of both efficiency and accuracy. The measurements have been conducted on three stainless steel specimens in this study. The three specimens were processed by annealing, a cavitating jet in air and a disc grinder, with each method introducing different residual stresses at the surface. The specimens were oscillated in the ω-direction, representing a right-hand rotation of the specimen about the incident X-ray beam. The range of the oscillation, Δω, was varied and optimum Δω was determined. Moreover, combinations of the tilt angle between the specimen surface normal and the diffraction vector, ψ, with the rotation angle about its surface normal, f, have been studied with a view to find the most optimum condition. The results show that the use of ω oscillations is an effective method for improving analysis accuracy, especially for large grain metals. The standard error rapidly decreased with increasing range of the ω oscillation, especially for the annealed specimen which generated strong diffraction spots due to its large grain size.

Single order soft X-ray diffraction with quasi-random radius pinhole array spectroscopic photon sieves

A novel single order diffraction grating in the soft X-ray region, called quasi-random radius pinhole array spectro- scopic photon sieves （QRSPS）, is proposed in this paper. This new grating is composed of pinholes on a substrate, whose radii are quasi-random, while their centers are regular. Analysis proves that its transmittance function across the grating bar is similar to that of sinusoidal transmission gratings. Simulation results show that the QRSPS can suppress higher-order diffraction effectively. And the QRSPS would still retain its characteristic of single order diffraction when we take the effect of X-ray penetration into account. These properties indicate that the QRSPS can be used in the soft X-ray spectra measurement.

OPTICAL STORAGE MECHANISM AND HIGH-ORDER DIFFRACTION PROPERTIES OF NITROAZOBENZENE-CONTAINING POLYESTER FILMS

Using Nd:YAG second harmonic pulse (100 ps), the optical storage properties of two novel polyesters, poly [4'-bis (N, N-oxyethylene) imino-4-nitroazobenzene succinyl] and poly [2'-chloro-4'-bis (N, N-oxyethylene) imino-4-nitroazobenzene succinyl] have been studied by multiwave mixing. The high-order diffractions of the orientation gratings induced by anisotropy via the reorientation of nitroazobenzene groups and optical information storage with long-term stability have been realized by multiwave mixing in their films. Up to 3rd order forward diffraction was detected in two wave mixing, while up to 4th order backward diffraction was observed in degenerated four wave mixing. The recording mechanism was explained by the trans-cis-trans isomerization cycles of azobenzene groups. The isomerization of these azobenzene groups probably undergoes with inversion mechanism under the experimental conditions. The information recorded in these films has been kept for more than 6 months.

The Use of Light Diffracted from Grating Etched onto the Backside Surface of an Atomic Force Microscope Cantilever Increases the Force Sensitivity

A reflecting diffraction grating has been etched onto the backside of a standard cantilever for atomic force microscopy, and the diffracted light has been used to monitor the angular position of the cantilever. It is shown experimentally that for small angles of incidence and for large reflection angles, the force sensitivity can be improved by few times when an appropriate detection scheme based on the position sensitive (duolateral) detector is used. The first demonstration was performed with a one micron period amplitude diffraction grating onto the backside of an Al-coated cantilever etched by a focused ion beam milling for the experiments in air and an analogous 600 nm-period grating for the experiments in air and in water.

High-efficiency asymmetric diffraction based on PT-antisymmetry in quantum dot molecules

We present preparation of asymmetric grating with higher diffraction efficiency in quantum dot molecules by combining the tunneling effect and parity-time antisymmetry.In the presence of tunneling between two quantum dots,the system exhibits the striking PT antisymmetry via spatially modulating the driving field and the detuning with respect to the driven transition.For this reason,the asymmetric grating could be achieved.The results show that the diffraction efficiency can be adjustable via changing the driving intensity,detuning,tunneling strength,and interaction length,and then the high-order diffraction can be reached.The scheme provides a feasible way to obtain the direction-controlled diffraction grating,which can be helpful for optical information processing and realization of controllable optical self-image.