This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 9379 including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction, and Conference Committee listing.

The characterization of laser pulses with pulse durations in few-cycle range is highly challenging because the transfer of spatial and temporal information is sensitive against even slight amplitude and phase distortions. It can be improved by exploiting the propagation features of distortion-tolerant nondiffracting beams. The availability of novel types of MEMS components enables to realize smart and robust autocorrelators which combine low-dispersion and adaptive functionality of MEMS mirrors with the self-reconstructing properties of non-diffracting beams shaped by axicons. Two basic concepts of adaptive non-collinear, nonlinear autocorrelation are presented here: (a) autocorrelation with adaptive selfreconstruction, and (b) discrete phase shifting methods. By tuning the superposition angle in non-collinear autocorrelation it is possible to bypass the corruption of temporal information by distortions. This is demonstrated by performing autocorrelation experiments with a MEMS-type Fresnel mirror with hysteresis compensation. It is show that a spatially located distortion can be sampled in temporal domain. Phase-shifting approaches promise improvements with respect to the time resolution.

The work of design, fabrication and characterization of spiral phase plates for the generation of Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams with non-null radial index is presented. Samples were fabricated by electron beam lithography on polymethylmethacrylate layers over glass substrates. The optical response of these phase optical elements was measured and the purity of the experimental beams was investigated in terms of Laguerre-Gaussian modes contributions. The farfield intensity pattern was compared with theoretical models and numerical simulations, while the expected phase features were confirmed by interferometric analyses. The high quality of the output beams confirms the applicability of these phase plates for the generation of high-order Laguerre-Gaussian beams. A novel application consisting in the design of computer-generated holograms encoding information for light beams carrying phase singularities is shown. A numerical code based on iterative Fourier transform algorithm has been developed for the computation of the phase pattern of phase-only diffractive optical element for illumination under LG beams. Numerical analysis and preliminary experimental results confirm the applicability of these devices as high-security optical elements.

We present newly conceived liquid-crystal-based retardation waveplates in which the optic axis distribution has a “superelliptically” symmetric azimuthal structure with a topological charge q superimposed. Such devices, named superelliptical q-plates, act as polarization-to-spatial modes converters that can be used to produce optical beams having peculiar spiral spectra. These spectra reflect the topological charge of the optic axis distribution as well as the symmetry properties of the underlying superellipse. The peculiar capability of q-plates of producing optical modes entangled with respect to spin and orbital angular momentum is here extended to superelliptical q-plates in order to create more complex optical modes structurally inseparable with respect to polarization and spatial degrees of freedom. Such superelliptical modes can play a crucial role in studying polarization singularities or to develop polarization metrology.

We present a method to tailor not only amplitude and phase of a complex light field, but also the transverse states of polarization. Starting from the implementation of spatially inhomogeneous distributions of polarization, so called Poincaré beams, we realized a holographic optical technique that allows arbitrarily modulating the states of polarization by a single phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM). Moreover, the effective amplitude modulation of higher order beams performed by a phase-only SLM is shown. We will demonstrate the capabilities of our method ranging from the modulation of higher order Gaussian modes including desired polarization characteristics to the generation of polarization singularities at arbitrary points in the transverse plane of Poincaré beams.

Topological structure of monstar in π-symmetric fields with index I_c = +1/2 and three radial lines ending at C-point is an intermediate structure having properties of lemon and star. We experimentally realized monstar pattern in polarization ellipse orientation via three different routes, from lemon pattern using topologically-invariant squeezing and / or rotation transformations. Our results suggest that lemon and monstar can smoothly transform into each other under any or combination of these transformations leading to one interpretation that monstar is an anisotropic lemon.

We present analysis and measurements of the polarization patterns produced by non-collinear superpositions of Laguerre-Gauss spatial modes in orthogonal polarization states, which are known as Poincaré modes. Our findings agree with predictions (I. Freund Opt. Lett. 35, 148-150 (2010)), that superpositions containing a C-point lead to a rotation of the polarization ellipse in 3-dimensions. Here we do imaging polarimetry of superpositions of first- and zero-order spatial modes at relative beam angles of 0-4 arcmin. We find Poincaré-type polarization patterns showing fringes in polarization orientation, but which preserve the polarization-singularity index for all three cases of C-points: lemons, stars and monstars.

Spatially varying polarization modulation with polarization singularities are realized using a birefringent wedge pair (BWP), which is due to coherent superposition of orthogonally polarized beams. We studied the degree of polarization, visibility and the degree of local coherence as a function of spatial coherence using Stokes polarimetric technique in and around the identified polarization singular patterns in the beam cross-section. Through these we illustrate the unification of coherence and polarization.

We prepare heralded single photons in a non-separable superposition of polarization and spatial modes using an in-beam polarization interferometer enabled by a spatial light modulator. We diagnose the quantum state using two techniques: quantum state tomography and imaging polarimetry. The results are in very good agreement with the expectations.

We propose a new method, based on Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SH-WFS), to achieve high-accuracy position detection of phase singular points of optical vortex (OV) beam. The method calculates evaluation values related to phase slopes of incoming wavefront from Hartmanngram recorded by SH-WFS, and then determines precisely the position of the singular points by calculating the centroid of the 3x3-evaluation-value distribution centered at peak position. A main point is that, in evaluation-value calculation, we use a closed contour connecting the centers of 8-connected, instead of 2x2, lenslet apertures. Theoretical analysis shows that the measurement errors can be greatly reduced in comparison to that of 2x2 closed contour. Proof experiments were performed to confirm its accuracy by measuring singular points of OV beams generated by a liquid crystal on silicon spatial light modulator. The root-mean-square error of the measured position of singular points was approximately 0.052, in units of the lens size of lenslet array used in the SH-WFS. The method achieves fast-speed and sub-lens size spatial resolution detection, is suitable for real-time control applications.

For the control and further improvement of applications concerning the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light the detailed knowledge about the properties of the used OAM beam is required. We present a detailed analysis method for vortex beams carrying OAM, which is based on an all optical holographic correlation filter technique. For this purpose, the beam is decomposed into a complete and orthogonal set of vortex modes, which enables the real-time determination of the underlying OAM state spectrum, of total OAM , OAM density distribution and position of occurring phase singularities.

We present a study of dynamical stabilisation of an overdamped, microscopic pendulum realised using optical tweezers. We first derive an analytical expression for the equilibrium dynamically stabilised pendulum position in a regime of high damping and high modulation frequency of the pendulum pivot. This model implies a threshold behavior for stabilisation to occur, and a continuous evolution of the angular position which, unlike the underdamped case, does not reach the fully inverted position. We then test the theoretical predictions using an optically trapped microparticle subject to fluid drag force, finding reasonable agreement with the threshold and equilibrium behavior at high modulation amplitude. Analytical theory and experiments are complemented by Brownian motion simulations.

We have previously demonstrated on-demand dynamic coupling of an optically manipulated wave-guided optical waveguide (WOW) using diffractive techniques on a “point and shoot” approach. In this work, the generation of the coupling focal spots is done in real-time following the position of the WOW. Object-tracking routine has been added in the trapping program to get the position of the WOW. This approach allows continuous coupling of light through the WOWs which may be useful in some application. In addition, we include a GPC light shaper module in the holography setup to efficiently illuminate the spatial light modulator (SLM). The ability to switch from on-demand to continuous addressing with efficient illumination leverages our WOWs for potential applications in stimulation and nonlinear optics.

In this work, the trapping efficiency of new fiber optical tweezers structures fabricated using photo polymerization and focused ion beam milling techniques is evaluated. The first fabrication methods may present limited capabilities on the tailoring of the structures, and therefore limited operation features. On the other hand, with focused ion beam milling a vast myriad of structures may be accurately fabricated, and contrarily to conventional fabrication methods, more specialized manipulation tools can be developed. In this regard, the performance of FOT for the trapping of yeast cells using spherical lenses (photo polymerization) and spiral phase lenses (FIB) will be presented. In addition, finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations of the full vectorial optical propagation through the designed structures and the corresponding calculation of the optical forces are presented and different designs are evaluated.

We have previously proposed and demonstrated optimal beam shaping of contiguous light patterns using the Generalized Phase Contrast (GPC) method. The concept has been packaged into a compact add-on module, which we call the GPC light shaper (LS) that can be conveniently integrated to existing optical setups requiring optimal illumination of devices such as spatial light modulators (SLMs). In this work, we integrated the GPC LS into a holography setup to generate more intense focal spots and extended patterns. The output of the holography setup with the GPC LS is compared with a similar setup but using only hard-truncated beams. Our results show that, we get a ~3x gain in intensity of the generated patterns when using GPC LS.

We present a non-iterative holographic technique for efficient and versatile laser beam shaping along arbitrary 3D curves. Light beams with intensity shaped for several 3D curves: Tilted ring, Viviani’s curve, Archimedean spiral, and trefoil-knotted curve have been experimentally generated and applied for optical trapping of micrometer-sized dielectric particles. The high intensity gradients and independent phase control prescribed along the curve make this kind of laser trap attractive for multiple particle manipulation and allow for forward and backward motion to the light source. Indeed, different configurations of tractor beam traps are experimentally demonstrated. This technique can also be applied for laser micro-machining.

Several different optical methods have recently been proposed for the potential separation of chiral molecules according to their intrinsic handedness. Applying fundamental symmetry and electrodynamical principles provides a perspective that casts doubt over the viability of some of the more extravagant claims. However there is a genuine basis for achieving chiral separation by using circularly polarized light to deliver chirally sensitive optical forces. The mechanism comes into play when molecules (or nanoscale particles) are optically trapped in a laser beam by forward Rayleigh scattering, as a result of trapping forces that depend on positioning within the beam profile. In such a setup, chiral molecules experience subtle additional forces associated with a combination of electric and magnetic transition dipoles; when circularly polarized light is used for the trapping, a discriminatory response can be identified that has the capacity to separate left- and righthanded molecular isomers. Here, clear differences can be observed between the behavior of isotropic liquids and poled solutions or liquid crystals. Detailed analysis provides an objective basis to assess new prospects for the recognition and differentiation of molecules with opposite chiral form, identifying and paving the way for future commercial applications.

We investigate the evanescent field at the surface of laser written waveguides. The waveguides are written by a direct femtosecond laser writing process into fused silica, which is then sanded down to expose the guiding layer. These waveguides support eigenmodes which have an evanescent field reaching into the vacuum above the waveguide. We study the governing wave equations and present solution for the fundamental eigenmodes of the modified waveguides.

Although optical functional devices as waveguides and sensors are of utmost importance for metrology on the nano scale, the micro-and nano-assembly by optical means of functional materials to create such optical elements has yet not been considered. In the last years, an elegant strategy based on holographic optical tweezers (HOT) has been developed to design and fabricate permanent and dynamic three-dimensional micro- and nanostructures based on functional nanocontainers as building blocks. Nanocontainers that exhibit stable and ordered voids to hierarchically organize guest materials are especially attractive. Zeolite L are a type of porous micro-sized crystals which features a high number of strictly one-dimensional, parallel aligned nanochannels. They are highly interesting as building blocks of functional nano-and microsystems due to their potential as nanocontainers to accommodate various different guest molecules and to assemble them in specific configurations. For instance, based on zeolite L crystals, microscopic polarization sensors and chains of several microcrystals for hierarchical supramolecular organization have been realized. Here, we demonstrate the ability of nanocontainers in general, and zeolite L crystals in particular to represent the basic constituent of optical functional microsystems. We show that the capability of HOT to manipulate multitude of non-spherical microparticles in three dimensions can be exploited for the investigation of zeolite L nanocontainers as dynamic optical waveguides. Moreover, we implement as additional elements dye-loaded zeolite L to sense the guiding features of these novel waveguides with high spatial precision and microspheres to enhance the light coupling into the zeolite L waveguides. With this elaborated approach of using nanocontainers as tailored building blocks for functional optical systems a new era of bricking optical components in a lego-like style becomes feasible.

We demonstrate a method to determine the Brownian motion and the diffusion coefficient of a nanoparticle in water in a plane that is parallel to a solid boundary and as function of the distance normal to that boundary by using an optical tweezers instrument. A solution of 190 nm-diameter fluorescent polystyrene nanoparticles in de-ionized (DI) water is introduced in a micro-chamber built from two thin glass substrates. A single particle is trapped by the tweezers and optically moved in the z-direction normal to a substrate. By analyzing a scatter plot of the time-dependent positions of the nanoparticle in the x-y plane in a histogram, the diffusion coefficient parallel to the substrate of the Brownian particle constrained by the substrate is determined as a function of the distance between the substrate and the nanoparticle. The experimental results indicate the increased drag effect on the nanoparticle when it is close to the substrate, as evidenced by an experimental diffusion coefficient nearby the substrate that is about half of that of the particle in the bulk fluid.