A fast-Fourier-transform method of topography and interferometry is proposed. By computer processing of a noncontour type of fringe pattern, automatic discrimination is achieved between elevation and depression of the object or wave-front form, which has not been possible by the fringe-contour-generation techniques. The method has advantages over moire topography and conventional fringe-contour interferometry in both accuracy and sensitivity. Unlike fringe-scanning techniques, the method is easy to apply because it uses no moving components.

Fourier-transform method of fringe-pattern analysis for computer-based topography and interferometry

The term photonic crystals appears because of the analogy between electron waves in crystals and the light waves in artificial periodic dielectric structures. During the recent years the investigation of one-, two-and three-dimensional periodic structures has attracted a widespread attention of the world optics community because of great potentiality of such structures in advanced applied optical fields. The interest in periodic structures has been stimulated by the fast development of semiconductor technology that now allows the fabrication of artificial structures, whose period is comparable with the wavelength of light in the visible and infrared ranges.

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/6354/16969/00781867.pdf

Photonic crystals

International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors 2003の要求清浄度について － シリコンウエハ表面と雰囲気環境に要求される清浄度, 分析方法の現状について －

A self-scanned 1024 element photodiode array and minicomputer are used to measure the phase (wavefront) in the interference pattern of an interferometer to lambda/100. The photodiode array samples intensities over a 32 x 32 matrix in the interference pattern as the length of the reference arm is varied piezoelectrically. Using these data the minicomputer synchronously detects the phase at each of the 1024 points by a Fourier series method and displays the wavefront in contour and perspective plot on a storage oscilloscope in less than 1 min (Bruning et al. Paper WE16, OSA Annual Meeting, Oct. 1972). The array of intensities is sampled and averaged many times in a random fashion so that the effects of air turbulence, vibrations, and thermal drifts are minimized. Very significant is the fact that wavefront errors in the interferometer are easily determined and may be automatically subtracted from current or subsequent wavefrots. Various programs supporting the measurement system include software for determining the aperture boundary, sum and difference of wavefronts, removal or insertion of tilt and focus errors, and routines for spatial manipulation of wavefronts. FFT programs transform wavefront data into point spread function and modulus and phase of the optical transfer function of lenses. Display programs plot these functions in contour and perspective. The system has been designed to optimize the collection of data to give higher than usual accuracy in measuring the individual elements and final performance of assembled diffraction limited optical systems, and furthermore, the short loop time of a few minutes makes the system an attractive alternative to constraints imposed by test glasses in the optical shop.

Digital wavefront measuring interferometer for testing optical surfaces and lenses

Fogging occurs when moisture condensation takes the form of accumulated droplets with diameters larger than 190 nm or half of the shortest wavelength (380 nm) of visible light. This problem may be effectively addressed by changing the affinity of a material’s surface for water, which can be accomplished via two approaches: i) the superhydrophilic approach, with a water contact angle (CA) less than 5°, and ii) the superhydrophobic approach, with a water CA greater than 150°, and extremely low CA hysteresis. To date, all techniques reported belong to the former category, as they are intended for applications in optical transparent coatings. A well-known example is the use of photocatalytic TiO2 nanoparticle coatings that become superhydrophilic under UV irradiation. Very recently, a capillary effect was skillfully adopted to achieve superhydrophilic properties by constructing 3D nanoporous structures from layer-by-layer assembled nanoparticles. The key to these two “wet”-style antifogging strategies is for micrometer-sized fog drops to rapidly spread into a uniform thin film, which can prevent light scattering and reflection from nucleated droplets. Optical transparency is not an intrinsic property of antifogging coatings even though recently developed antifogging coatings are almost transparent, and the transparency could be achieved by further tuning the nanoparticle size and film thickness. To our knowledge, the antifogging coatings may also be applied to many fields that do not require optical transparency, including, for example, paints for inhibiting swelling and peeling issues and metal surfaces for preventing corrosion. These types of issues, which are caused by adsorption of moisture, are hard to solve by the superhydrophilic approach because of its inherently “wet” nature. Thus, a “dry”-style antifogging strategy, which consists of a novel superhydrophobic technique that can prevent moisture or microscale fog drops from nucleating on a surface, is desired. Recent bionic researches have revealed that the self-cleaning ability of lotus leaves and the striking ability of a water-strider’s legs to walk on water can be attributed to the ideal superhydrophobicity of their surfaces, induced by special microand nanostructures. To date, the biomimetic fabrication of superhydrophobic microand/or nanostructures has attracted considerable interest, and these types of materials can be used for such applications as self-cleaning coatings and stain-resistant textiles. Although a superhydrophobic technique inspired by lotus leaves is expected to be able to solve such fogging problems because the water droplets can not remain on the surface, there are no reports of such antifogging coatings. Very recently, researchers from General Motors have reported that the surfaces of lotus leaves become wet with moisture because the size of the fog drops are at the microscale—so small that they can be easily trapped in the interspaces among micropapillae. Thus, lotuslike surface microstructures are unsuitable for superhydrophobic antifogging coatings, and a new inspiration from nature is desired for solving this problem. In this communication, we report a novel, biological, superhydrophobic antifogging strategy. It was found that the compound eyes of the mosquito C. pipiens possess ideal superhydrophobic properties that provide an effective protective mechanism for maintaining clear vision in a humid habitat. Our research indicates that this unique property is attributed to the smart design of elaborate microand nanostructures: hexagonally non-close-packed (ncp) nipples at the nanoscale prevent microscale fog drops from condensing on the ommatidia surface, and hexagonally close-packed (hcp) ommatidia at the microscale could efficiently prevent fog drops from being trapped in the voids between the ommatidia. We also fabricated artificial compound eyes by using soft lithography and investigated the effects of microand nanostructures on the surface hydrophobicity. These findings could be used to develop novel superhydrophobic antifogging coatings in the near future. It is known that mosquitoes possess excellent vision, which they exploit to locate various resources such as mates, hosts, and resting sites in a watery and dim habitat. To better understand such remarkable abilities, we first investigated the interaction between moisture and the eye surface. An ultrasonic humidifier was used to regulate the relative humidity of the atmosphere and mimic a mist composed of numerous tiny water droplets with diameters less than 10 lm. As the fog was C O M M U N IC A IO N

The dry-style antifogging properties of mosquito compound eyes and artificial analogues prepared by soft lithography: a superhydrophobic state with high adhesive force

Precision measurements of 240 nm-pitch one-dimensional grating standards were carried out using an atomic force microscope (AFM) with a high-resolution three-axis laser interferometer (nanometrological AFM). Laser sources of the three-axis laser interferometer in the nanometrological AFM were calibrated with an I2-stabilized He–Ne laser at a wavelength of 633 nm. The results of the precision measurements using the nanometrological AFM have direct traceability to the length standard. The uncertainty in the pitch measurements was estimated in accordance with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement. The primary source of uncertainty in the measurements was derived from interferometer nonlinearity, and its value was approximately 0.115 nm. Expanded uncertainty (k = 2) of less than 0.31 nm was obtained. It is suggested that the nanometrological AFM is a useful instrument for the nanometrological standard calibration.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-0233/14/4/309/pdf

Uncertainty in pitch measurements of one-dimensional grating standards using a nanometrological atomic force microscope

A physiologically motivated, dynamical model of cardiovascular autonomic regulation is shown to be capable of generating long-range correlated and multifractal heart rate. Virtual disease simulations are carried out systematically to account for the disease-induced relative dysfunction of the parasympathetic and the sympathetic branches of the autonomic control. Statistical agreement of the simulation results with those of real life data is reached, suggesting the possible use of the model as a state-of-the-art basis for further understanding of the physiological correlates of complex heart rate dynamics.

Model for complex heart rate dynamics in health and diseases

Recent experimental studies suggest that there is evidence for a synchronization between human heartbeat and respiration. We develop a physiologically plausible model for this cardiorespiratory synchronization, and numerically show that the model can exhibit stable synchronization against given perturbations. In our model, in addition to the well-known influence of respiration on heartbeat, the influence of heartbeat (and hence blood pressure) on respiration is also important for cardiorespiratory synchronization.

https://www.bgu.ac.il/~ashkena/Papers/PRE_051923.pdf

Model for cardiorespiratory synchronization in humans

The temporal coherence function of the femtosecond pulse train from femtosecond optical frequency comb (FOFC) has been studied. The theoretical derivation, which is based on the electric field equations of a pulse train, has been used to model the temporal coherence function of the FOFC and shows good agreement with experimental measurements which are taken with a modified Michelson interferometer. The theoretical and experimental points of view provide useful information for applications of FOFC in imaging and metrology.

Analysis of the temporal coherence function of a femtosecond optical frequency comb

A heterodyne interference system was developed for position measurement. A stabilized optical-frequency comb is used as the laser source. The preliminary experiment to measure a distance of 22.478 m shows a drift of 1.6 μm in 20 minutes after the temperature compensation. Comparison and frequency shift experiments have been done for a distance of about 7.493 m. The experimental results show that the drift is mainly caused by environmental condition changes and the vibration of the table and floor also has some effects. It was verified that the absolute distance measurement can be realized by fringe scanning and frequency-shifting methods.

http://www.nanolab.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/pdffiles/2011-1R04.pdf

Kiyoshi Takamasu

Papers

Uncertainty in pitch measurements of one-dimensional grating standards using a nanometrological atomic force microscope

Model for complex heart rate dynamics in health and diseases

Model for cardiorespiratory synchronization in humans

Analysis of the temporal coherence function of a femtosecond optical frequency comb

Space position measurement using long-path heterodyne interferometer with optical frequency comb.