Chunghyun Park

Dynamic active wave plate using random nanoparticles

Current non-invasive imaging and manipulation of biological systems heavily rely on using light as the probing tool. However, light propagation through highly turbid media such as biological tissue undergo multiple light scattering which results in significant scrambling of light paths and polarization information. Here we demonstrate the full control of polarization dependent light paths through a highly scattering medium by only shaping the incoming wavefront. The resulting polarized state is independent of the incident beam’s polarization and has no spatial restrictions. We also show that a turbid medium can be used as a dynamic wave plate by controlling the phase of combined orthogonal polarization states. This approach may find direct applications in efficient energy transfer for photothermal therapy and the transfer of angular momentum in optical manipulation of biological systems.

Active spectral filtering through turbid media.

We demonstrate controlled wavelength-dependent light focusing through turbid media using wavefront shaping. Due to the dispersion caused by multiple light scattering, light propagation through turbid media can be independently controlled between different wavelengths. Foci with various wavelengths can be generated by applying different optimized wavefronts to a highly scattering layer. Given the linearity of the transmission matrix, multiple foci with different wavelengths can also be simultaneously constructed.

Superresolution imaging with optical fluctuation using speckle patterns illumination

Superresolution fluorescence microscopy possesses an important role for the study of processes in biological cells with subdiffraction resolution. Recently, superresolution methods employing the emission properties of fluorophores have rapidly evolved due to their technical simplicity and direct applicability to existing microscopes. However, the application of these methods has been limited to samples labeled with fluorophores that can exhibit intrinsic emission properties at a restricted timescale, especially stochastic blinking. Here, we present a superresolution method that can be performed using general fluorophores, regardless of this intrinsic property. Utilizing speckle patterns illumination, temporal emission fluctuation of fluorophores is induced and controlled, from which a superresolution image can be obtained exploiting its statistical property. Using this method, we demonstrate, theoretically and experimentally, the capability to produce subdiffraction resolution images. A spatial resolution of 500 nm, 300 nm and 140 nm with 0.4, 0.5 and 1.4 NA objective lenses respectively was achieved in various samples with an enhancement factor of 1.6 compared to conventional fluorescence microscopy.

Scattering Optical Elements: Stand-Alone Optical Elements Exploiting Multiple Light Scattering

Optical design and fabrication techniques are crucial for making optical elements. From conventional lenses to diffractive optical elements and to recent metasurfaces, various types of optical elements have been proposed to manipulate light where optical materials are fabricated into desired structures. Here, we propose a scattering optical element (SOE) that exploits multiple light scattering and wavefront shaping. Instead of fabricating optical materials, the SOE consists of a disordered medium and a photopolymer-based wavefront recorder, with shapes impinging on light on demand. With the proposed stand-alone SOEs, we experimentally demonstrate control of various properties of light, including intensity, polarization, spectral frequency, and near field. Due to the tremendous freedom brought about by disordered media, the proposed approach will provide unexplored routes to manipulate arbitrary optical fields in stand-alone optical elements.

Strong Carrier Localization and Diminished Quantum-confined Stark Effect in Ultra-thin High-Indium-content InGaN Quantum Wells with Violet Light Emission

Here, we report on the optical and structural characteristics of violet-light-emitting, ultra-thin, high-Indium-content (UTHI) InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs), and of conventional low-In-content MQWs, which both emit at similar emission energies though having different well thicknesses and In compositions. The spatial inhomogeneity of In content, and the potential fluctuation in high-efficiency UTHI MQWs were compared to those in the conventional low-In-content MQWs. We conclude that the UTHI InGaN MQWs are a promising structure for achieving better quantum efficiency in the visible and near-ultraviolet spectral range, owing to their strong carrier localization and reduced quantum-confined Stark effect.

Time-reversing a monochromatic subwavelength optical focus by optical phase conjugation of multiply-scattered light

Due to its time-reversal nature, optical phase conjugation generates a monochromatic light wave which retraces its propagation paths. Here, we demonstrate the regeneration of a subwavelength optical focus by phase conjugation. Monochromatic light from a subwavelength source is scattered by random nanoparticles, and the scattered light is phase conjugated at the far-field region by coupling its wavefront into a single-mode optical reflector using a spatial light modulator. Then the conjugated beam retraces its propagation paths and forms a refocus on the source at the subwavelength scale. This is the first direct experimental realisation of subwavelength focusing beyond the diffraction limit with far-field time reversal in the optical domain.

Multiphoton ionization of aluminum and copper planar target

The total charge of the emitted ions from the planar metal targets irradiated by the mode‐locked ruby laser was measured. The dependence of the total emitted ions on the laser fluence is consistent with the theory of the multiphoton ionization in the low fluence region. However, it shows saturation phenomena at the higher fluence regions. These saturations could be explained by the depletion of the neutral atoms and the level shifting of the intermediate state due to the strong Stark effect.

Investigating carrier localization and transfer in InGaN/GaN quantum wells with V-pits using near-field scanning optical microscopy and correlation analysis

The V-pits and potential fluctuations in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) are key factors for understanding the performance of InGaN/GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, photoluminescence (PL) measurements using conventional optical microscopy only provide ensemble information due to the spatial resolution limit, known as the diffraction barrier, which hinders the analysis of dislocations and potential fluctuations. Here, in order to investigate the influence of the V-pits and potential fluctuations on local optical properties, we performed nanoscopic luminescence mapping for standard and V-pit InGaN/GaN MQWs samples with different sized V-pits using near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) with illumination mode (I-mode) at various laser excitation powers. From the nanoscopic PL mapping data, we could clearly observe luminescence features associated with dislocations and potential fluctuations in the InGaN/GaN MQWs. We also employed correlation analysis to quantitatively analyze the nanoscopic PL mapping data for the different MQWs samples. Based on the results of NSOM PL with I-mode and correlation analysis, we could demonstrate that carrier transfer in the MQWs sample with large sized V-pits is suppressed by deeper potential fluctuations and higher energy barriers compared to the standard sample.

Real-time monitoring and visualization of the multi-dimensional motion of an anisotropic nanoparticle

As interest in anisotropic particles has increased in various research fields, methods of tracking such particles have become increasingly desirable. Here, we present a new and intuitive method to monitor the Brownian motion of a nanowire, which can construct and visualize multi-dimensional motion of a nanowire confined in an optical trap, using a dual particle tracking system. We measured the isolated angular fluctuations and translational motion of the nanowire in the optical trap, and determined its physical properties, such as stiffness and torque constants, depending on laser power and polarization direction. This has wide implications in nanoscience and nanotechnology with levitated anisotropic nanoparticles.

Full-field sub-wavelength imaging with a multiple scattering

We demonstrate the scattering superlens using elastic scattering to obtain sub-diffraction resolution. Scattering from disordered nanoparticles enables to reconstruct the sub-wavelength image of the target through time-reversal and transmission matrix.