Oleg Soloviev

Correction of low order aberrations using continuous deformable mirrors.

By analyzing the Poisson equation describing the static behavior of membrane and bimorph deformable mirrors and biharmonic equation describing the continuous facesheet mirror with push-pull actuators, we found that to achieve a high quality correction of low-order aberrations these mirrors should have sufficient number of actuators positioned outside the correction aperture. In particular, any deformable mirror described by the Poisson equation requires at least two actuators to be placed outside the working aperture per period of the azimuthal aberration of the highest expected order. Any deformable mirror described by the biharmonic equation, such as a continuous facesheet mirror with push-pull actuators, requires at least four actuators to be placed outside the working aperture per period of the azimuthal aberration of the highest expected order, and these actuators should not be positioned on a single circle.

Hartmann-Shack test with random masks for modal wavefront reconstruction

The paper discusses the influence of the geometry of a Hartmann-(Shack) wavefront sensor on the total error of modal wavefront reconstruction. A mathematical model is proposed, which describes the modal wavefront reconstruction in terms of linear operators. The model covers the most general case and is not limited by the orthogonality of decomposition basis or by the method chosen for decomposition. The total reconstruction error is calculated for any given statistics of the wavefront to be measured. Based on this estimate, the total reconstruction error is calculated for regular and randomised Hartmann masks. The calculations demonstrate that random masks with non-regular Fourier spectra provide absolute minimum error and allow to double the number of decomposition modes.

Phase extraction from three and more interferograms registered with different unknown wavefront tilts

We propose phase retrieval from three or more interferograms corresponding to different tilts of an object wavefront. The algorithm uses the information contained in the interferogram differences to reduce the problem to phase shifting. Three interferograms is the minimum for restoring the phase over most of the image. Four or more interferograms are needed to restore the phase over the whole image. The method works with images including open and closed fringes in any combination.

Model-based wavefront sensorless adaptive optics system for large aberrations and extended objects.

A model-based wavefront sensorless (WFSless) adaptive optics (AO) system with a 61-element deformable mirror is simulated to correct the imaging of a turbulence-degraded extended object. A fast closed-loop control algorithm, which is based on the linear relation between the mean square of the aberration gradients and the second moment of the image intensity distribution, is used to generate the control signals for the actuators of the deformable mirror (DM). The restoration capability and the convergence rate of the AO system are investigated with different turbulence strength wave-front aberrations. Simulation results show the model-based WFSless AO system can restore those images degraded by different turbulence strengths successfully and obtain the correction very close to the achievable capability of the given DM. Compared with the ideal correction of 61-element DM, the averaged relative error of RMS value is 6%. The convergence rate of AO system is independent of the turbulence strength and only depends on the number of actuators of DM.

Pupil filters for extending the field-of-view in light-sheet microscopy.

Pupil filters, represented by binary phase modulation, have been applied to extend the field of view of a light-sheet fluorescence microscope. Optimization has been used, first numerically to calculate the optimum filter structure and then experimentally, to scale and align the numerically synthesized filter in the microscope. A significant practical extension of the field of view has been observed, making the reported approach a valuable tool on the path to wide-field light-sheet microscopy.

Adaptive illumination based on direct wavefront sensing in a light-sheet fluorescence microscope

A methodology for the adaptive control and correction of phase aberrations in the illumination arm of a light-sheet fluorescence microscope has been developed. The method uses direct wavefront sensing on epi-fluorescent light to detect the aberration present in the sample. Using this signal, the aberrations in the illumination arm are subsequently corrected with a spatial light modulator in a feedforward mode. Adaptive correction, resulting in significant improvement in the axial resolution, has been demonstrated by imaging Tg(fli:GFP) zebrafish embryos.

Speckle imaging through turbulent atmosphere based on adaptable pupil segmentation

We report on the first results to our knowledge obtained with adaptable multiaperture imaging through turbulence on a horizontal atmospheric path. We show that the resolution can be improved by adaptively matching the size of the subaperture to the characteristic size of the turbulence. Further improvement is achieved by the deconvolution of a number of subimages registered simultaneously through multiple subapertures. Different implementations of multiaperture geometry, including pupil multiplication, pupil image sampling, and a plenoptic telescope, are considered. Resolution improvement has been demonstrated on a ∼550 m horizontal turbulent path, using a combination of aperture sampling, speckle image processing, and, optionally, frame selection.

High speed wavefront sensorless aberration correction in digital micromirror based confocal microscopy

The quality of fluorescence microscopy images is often impaired by the presence of sample induced optical aberrations. Adaptive optical elements such as deformable mirrors or spatial light modulators can be used to correct aberrations. However, previously reported techniques either require special sample preparation, or time consuming optimization procedures for the correction of static aberrations. This paper reports a technique for optical sectioning fluorescence microscopy capable of correcting dynamic aberrations in any fluorescent sample during the acquisition. This is achieved by implementing adaptive optics in a non conventional confocal microscopy setup, with multiple programmable confocal apertures, in which out of focus light can be separately detected, and used to optimize the correction performance with a sampling frequency an order of magnitude faster than the imaging rate of the system. The paper reports results comparing the correction performances to traditional image optimization algorithms, and demonstrates how the system can compensate for dynamic changes in the aberrations, such as those introduced during a focal stack acquisition though a thick sample.

Lensless coherent imaging by sampling of the optical field with digital micromirror device

We have experimentally demonstrated a lensless coherent microscope based on direct registration of the complex optical field by sampling the pupil with a sequence of two-point interferometers formed by a digital micromirror device. Complete registration of the complex amplitude in the pupil of the imaging system, without any reference beam, provides a convenient link between the experimental and computational optics. Unlike other approaches to digital holography, our method does not require any external reference beam, resulting in a simple and robust registration setup. Computer analysis of the experimentally registered field allows for focusing the image in the whole range from zero to infinity, and for virtual correction of the aberrations present in the real optical system, by applying the adaptive wavefront corrections to its virtual model.

Silicon micro-optics for smart light control

We present an overview of the results of our recent research in the field of adaptive optical components based on silicon microtechnologies, including membrane deformable mirrors, spatial light modulators, liquid-crystal correctors, wavefront sensors, and both spherical and aspherical micro-optical components. We aim at the realization of adaptive optical systems using standard-technology solutions.