Adam Piotr Czerwiński

High order kinoforms as a broadband achromatic diffractive optics for terahertz beams

We discuss thin optical structures that allow chromatic aberrations to be avoided in the THz domain. The paper contains the theoretical considerations, computer modeling and experimental evaluation of the high order kinoform diffractive elements in the THz range. According to the obtained results application of the high order kinoforms enables broadband operation in the THz range.

Modeling of the optical system illuminated by quasi-monochromatic spatially incoherent light: new numerical approach

This Letter presents a new method for modeling of complex optical setups illuminated by quasi monochromatic spatially incoherent light. The algorithm provides better performance and quality than other modeling methods both for isoplanatic and nonisoplanatic systems. The algorithm maintains energy relations, image orientation, and magnification of the system. Computer modeling and experimental results are presented.

Detection of the THz waves from the 5m distance

We report on technical aspects connected with detection of the terahertz (THz) waves reflected from a small target which is situated at the distance of 5 meters. Details of experimental setup are presented. An optical parametric oscillator (OPO) was used as a THz nanosecond pulses radiation source and a hot-electron bolometer (HEB) was applied for pulse detection. A method of spectrum calculation from experimental data is described. Measured reflectance spectra of few materials are presented with explanation of the origin of water vapor hole burning in the reflectance spectrum.

Detection of THz nanosecond pulses by fast Hot Electron Bolometer

The paper presents the way that colour can serve solving the problem of calibration points indexing in a camera geometrical calibration process. We propose a technique in which indexes of calibration points in a black-and-white chessboard are represented as sets of colour regions in the neighbourhood of calibration points. We provide some general rules for designing a colour calibration chessboard and provide a method of calibration image analysis. We show that this approach leads to obtaining better results than in the case of widely used methods employing information about already indexed points to compute indexes. We also report constraints concerning the technique. Nowadays we are witnessing an increasing need for camera geometrical calibration systems. They are vital for such applications as 3D modelling, 3D reconstruction, assembly control systems, etc. Wherever possible, calibration objects placed in the scene are used in a camera geometrical calibration process. This approach significantly increases accuracy of calibration results and makes the calibration data extraction process easier and universal. There are many geometrical camera calibration techniques for a known calibration scene [1]. A great number of them use as an input calibration points which are localised and indexed in the scene. In this paper we propose the technique of calibration points indexing which uses a colour chessboard. The presented technique was developed by solving problems we encountered during experiments with our earlier methods of camera calibration scene analysis [2]-[3]. In particular, the proposed technique increases the number of indexed points points in case of local lack of calibration points detection. At the beginning of the paper we present a way of designing a chessboard pattern. Then we describe a calibration point indexing method, and finally we show experimental results. A black-and-white chessboard is widely used in order to obtain sub-pixel accuracy of calibration points localisation [1]. Calibration points are defined as corners of chessboard squares. Assuming the availability of rough localisation of these points, the points can be indexed. Noting that differences in distances between neighbouring points in calibration scene images differ slightly, one of the local searching methods can be employed (e.g. [2]). Methods of this type search for a calibration point to be indexed, using a window of a certain size. The position of the window is determined by a vector representing the distance between two previously indexed points in the same row or column. However, experiments show that this approach has its disadvantages, as described below. * E-mail: A.Nowakowski@ire.pw.edu.pl Firstly, there is a danger of omitting some points during indexing in case of local lack of calibration points detection in a neighbourhood (e.g. caused by the presence of non-homogeneous light in the calibration scene). A particularly unfavourable situation is when the local lack of detection effects in the appearance of separated regions of detected calibration points. It is worth saying that such situations are likely to happen for calibration points situated near image borders. Such points are very important for the analysis of optical nonlinearities, and a lack of them can significantly influence the accuracy of distortion modelling. Secondly, such methods may give wrong results in the case of optical distortion with strong nonlinearities when getting information about the neighbouring index is not an easy task. Beside this, the methods are very sensitive to a single false localisation of a calibration point. Such a single false localisation can even result in false indexing of a big set of calibration points. To avoid the above-mentioned problems, we propose using a black-and-white chessboard which contains the coded index of a calibration point in the form of colour squares situated in the nearest neighbourhood of each point. The index of a certain calibration point is determined by colours of four nearest neighbouring squares (Fig.1). An order of squares in such foursome is important. Because the size of a colour square is determined only by the possibility of correct colour detection, the size of a colour square can be smaller than the size of a black or white square. The larger size of a black or white square is determined by the requirements of the exact localisation step which follows the indexing of calibration points [3]. In this step, edge information is extracted from a blackand-white chessboard. This edge information needs larger Artur Nowakowski, Wladyslaw Skarbek Institute of Radioelectronics, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 15/19, 00-665 Warszawa, A.Nowakowski@ire.pw.edu.pl Received February 10, 2009; accepted March 27, 2009; published March 31, 2009 http://www.photonics.pl/PLP

THz Diffractive Optical Element for Passive Imaging

We propose a specially designed THz diffractive element for imaging purposes. The designing process was performed to obtain low attenuation and small weight. The element is optimized for broadband application, especially for remote detection of harmful materials. It provides low both chromatic and geometric aberrations.

Hot Electron Bolometer for detection of fast terahertz pulses from Optical Parametric Oscillator

Detection of nanosecond pulses by fast and sensitive Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB) is reported. Pulses were generated by an Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO)-based source. The laser can be tuned in the range 0.7-2.5 THz; its repetition rate equals to 53Hz, duration of the pulse is about 10-20ns, energy is 10nJ and spectral width 50GHz. HEB operates at temperature of about 8.8K in a cryogenic refrigeration system. A sensitive element is a bridge from a 4-mm thick NbN film integrated with a planar logarithmic spiral antenna on a high-resistive silicon. HEB works in 0.3-3THz range with NEP ~3x10-13 W/Hz1/2 and dynamic range 0.1 uW. Thanks to exploitation of hot electrons in superconducting state, the detector is very fast with minimum response time equals to 50ps. The THz radiation is focused with a silicon lens, and then is coupled to a sensitive bolometer using the planar antenna. THz radiation from the OPO, through a set of mirrors and attenuators, was coupled to the detector. The distance between the source and detector was about 3m. Full Width at Half Maximum of the recorded pulses was about 20 ns. Moreover, we measured linearity of the detector in the range 0.7- 2.0 THz by rotation of the polarizer axis. The pulses were averaged and integrated for better stability. We obtained a good similarity to the theoretical curve of the polarizer.