Steen G. Hanson

Optical vortex metrology for nanometric speckle displacement measurement

As an alternative to correlation-based techniques widely used in conventional speckle metrology, we propose a new technique that makes use of phase singularities in the complex analytic signal of a speckle pattern as indicators of local speckle displacements. The complex analytic signal is generated by vortex filtering the speckle pattern. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate the validity and the performance of the proposed optical vortex metrology with nano-scale resolution.

On polarization metrology (estimation) of the degree of coherence of optical waves

A new approach is proposed for estimating the degree of coherence of optical waves. The possibility of transformation of the spatial polarization distribution in the measured spatial intensity distribution for determining the degree of correlation of superposing waves, linearly polarized in the plane of incidence, is shown.

Optical vortex metrology based on the core structures of phase singularities in Laguerre-Gauss transform of a speckle pattern

A new technique for displacement measurement is proposed that makes use of phase singularities in the complex signal generated by a Laguerre-Gauss filter operation applied to a speckle pattern. The core structures of phase singularities are used as unique fingerprints attached to the object surface, and the displacement is determined by tracing the movement of registered phase singularities with their correspondence being identified by the fingerprints. Experimental results for translational and rotational displacement measurements are presented that demonstrate large dynamic range and high spatial resolution of the proposed optical vortex metrology.

Optical correlation diagnostics of rough surfaces with large surface inhomogeneities

The feasibilities for optical correlation diagnostics of rough surfaces with large surface inhomogeneities by determining the transformations of the longitudinal coherence function of the scattered field are substantiated and implemented.

New feasibilities for characterizing rough surfaces by optical-correlation techniques.

New feasibilities are considered for the optical-correlation diagnostics of rough surfaces with different distributions of irregularities. The influence of deviations of the height surface roughness distribution from a Gaussian probability distribution on the accuracy of optical analysis is discussed. Possibilities for the optical diagnostics of fractal surface structures are shown, and a set of statistical and dimensional parameters of the scattered fields for surface roughness diagnostics is determined. Finally, a multifunctional measuring device for estimating these parameters is proposed.

Self-action of continuous laser radiation and Pearcey diffraction in a water suspension with light-absorbing particles

Water suspension of light-absorbing nano-sized particles is an example of a medium in which non-linear effects are present at moderate light intensities favorable for optical treatment of organic and biological objects. We study experimentally the phenomena emerging in a thin layer of such a medium under the action of inhomogeneous light field formed due to the Pearcey diffraction pattern near a microlens focus. In this high-gradient field, the light energy absorbed by the particles induces inhomogeneous distribution of the medium refraction index, which results in observable self-diffraction of the incident light, here being strongly sensitive to the medium position with respect to the focus. This technique, based on the complex spatial structure of both the incident and the diffracted fields, can be employed for the detection and measurement of weak non-linearities.

Scattering of inhomogeneous circularly polarized optical field and mechanical manifestation of the internal energy flows

Based on the Mie theory and on the incident beam model via superposition of two plane waves, we analyze numerically the momentum flux of the field scattered by a spherical microparticle placed within the spatially inhomogeneous circularly polarized paraxial light beam. The asymmetry between the forward- and backward-scattered momentum fluxes in the Rayleigh scattering regime appears due to the spin part of the internal energy flow in the incident beam. The transverse ponderomotive forces exerted on dielectric and conducting particles of different sizes are calculated and special features of the mechanical actions produced by the spin and orbital parts of the internal energy flow are recognized. In particular, the transverse orbital flow exerts the transverse force that grows as a^3 for conducting and as a^6 for dielectric subwavelength particle with radius a, in compliance with the dipole mechanism of the field-particle interaction; the force associated with the spin flow behaves as a^8 in both cases, which testifies for the non-dipole mechanism. The results can be used for experimental identification and separate investigation of the spin and orbital parts of the internal energy flow in light fields.

Investigation of optical currents in coherent and partially coherent vector fields

We present the computer simulation results of the spatial distribution of the Poynting vector and illustrate motion of micro and nanoparticles in spatially inhomogeneously polarized fields. The influence of phase relations and the degree of mutual coherence of superimposing waves in the arrangements of two-wave and four-wave superposition on the characteristics of the microparticles motion has been analyzed. The prospects of studying temporal coherence using the proposed approach are made. For the first time, the possibility of diagnostics of optical currents in liquids caused by polarization characteristics of an optical field alone, using nanoscale metallic particles has been shown experimentally.

Measurement of small light absorption in microparticles by means of optically induced rotation.

The absorption parameters of micro-particles have been associated with the induced spin exerted upon the particle, when embedded in a circularly polarized coherent field. The induced rotational speed is theoretically analyzed, showing the influence of the beam parameters, the parameters of the particle and the tribological parameters of the surrounding fluid. The theoretical findings have been adequately confirmed in experiments.

Optical correlation algorithm for reconstructing phase skeleton of complex optical fields for solving the phase problem.

We propose an optical correlation algorithm illustrating a new general method for reconstructing the phase skeleton of complex optical fields from the measured two-dimensional intensity distribution. The core of the algorithm consists in locating the saddle points of the intensity distribution and connecting such points into nets by the lines of intensity gradient that are closely associated with the equi-phase lines of the field. This algorithm provides a new partial solution to the inverse problem in optics commonly referred to as the phase problem.