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

Effective manipulation of cavity resonant modes is crucial for emission control in laser physics and applications. Using the concept of parity-time symmetry to exploit the interplay between gain and loss (i.e., light amplification and absorption), we demonstrate a parity-time symmetry-breaking laser with resonant modes that can be controlled at will. In contrast to conventional ring cavity lasers with multiple competing modes, our parity-time microring laser exhibits intrinsic single-mode lasing regardless of the gain spectral bandwidth. Thresholdless parity-time symmetry breaking due to the rotationally symmetric structure leads to stable single-mode operation with the selective whispering-gallery mode order. Exploration of parity-time symmetry in laser physics may open a door to next-generation optoelectronic devices for optical communications and computing.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/346/6212/972.full.pdf

Single-mode laser by parity-time symmetry breaking.

Sensing technology has been widely investigated and utilized for gas detection. Due to the different applicability and inherent limitations of different gas sensing technologies, researchers have been working on different scenarios with enhanced gas sensor calibration. This paper reviews the descriptions, evaluation, comparison and recent developments in existing gas sensing technologies. A classification of sensing technologies is given, based on the variation of electrical and other properties. Detailed introduction to sensing methods based on electrical variation is discussed through further classification according to sensing materials, including metal oxide semiconductors, polymers, carbon nanotubes, and moisture absorbing materials. Methods based on other kinds of variations such as optical, calorimetric, acoustic and gas-chromatographic, are presented in a general way. Several suggestions related to future development are also discussed. Furthermore, this paper focuses on sensitivity and selectivity for performance indicators to compare different sensing technologies, analyzes the factors that influence these two indicators, and lists several corresponding improved approaches.

A Survey on Gas Sensing Technology

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has emerged as a valuable method for investigating cells and tissues. QPI operates on unlabelled specimens and, as such, is complementary to established fluorescence microscopy, exhibiting lower phototoxicity and no photobleaching. As the images represent quantitative maps of optical path length delays introduced by the specimen, QPI provides an objective measure of morphology and dynamics, free of variability due to contrast agents. Owing to the tremendous progress witnessed especially in the past 10–15 years, a number of technologies have become sufficiently reliable and translated to biomedical laboratories. Commercialization efforts are under way and, as a result, the QPI field is now transitioning from a technology-development-driven to an application-focused field. In this Review, we aim to provide a critical and objective overview of this dynamic research field by presenting the scientific context, main principles of operation and current biomedical applications. Over the past 10–15 years, quantitative phase imaging has moved from a research-driven to an application-focused field. This Review presents the main principles of operation and representative basic and clinical science applications.

Quantitative phase imaging in biomedicine

Many procedures in modern clinical medicine rely on the use of electronic implants in treating conditions that range from acute coronary events to traumatic injury. However, standard permanent electronic hardware acts as a nidus for infection: bacteria form biofilms along percutaneous wires, or seed haematogenously, with the potential to migrate within the body and to provoke immune-mediated pathological tissue reactions. The associated surgical retrieval procedures, meanwhile, subject patients to the distress associated with re-operation and expose them to additional complications. Here, we report materials, device architectures, integration strategies, and in vivo demonstrations in rats of implantable, multifunctional silicon sensors for the brain, for which all of the constituent materials naturally resorb via hydrolysis and/or metabolic action, eliminating the need for extraction. Continuous monitoring of intracranial pressure and temperature illustrates functionality essential to the treatment of traumatic brain injury; the measurement performance of our resorbable devices compares favourably with that of non-resorbable clinical standards. In our experiments, insulated percutaneous wires connect to an externally mounted, miniaturized wireless potentiostat for data transmission. In a separate set-up, we connect a sensor to an implanted (but only partially resorbable) data-communication system, proving the principle that there is no need for any percutaneous wiring. The devices can be adapted to sense fluid flow, motion, pH or thermal characteristics, in formats that are compatible with the body's abdomen and extremities, as well as the deep brain, suggesting that the sensors might meet many needs in clinical medicine.

Bioresorbable silicon electronic sensors for the brain

The temperature behavior of 1.5 mum GaInNAsSb edge-emitting lasers is analyzed through variation of cavity length and temperature. Monomolecular recombination and intervalence band absorption dominate the threshold current, and carrier leakage becomes important at elevated temperatures

The temperature sensitivity of GaAs-based 1.5 /spl mu/m GaInNAsSb lasers

Abstract Compact visible wavelength achromats are essential for miniaturized and lightweight optics. However, fabrication of such achromats has proved to be exceptionally challenging. Here, using subsurface 3D printing inside mesoporous hosts we densely integrate aligned refractive and diffractive elements, forming thin high performance hybrid achromatic imaging micro-optics. Focusing efficiencies of 51–70% are achieved for 15μm thick, 90μm diameter, 0.3 numerical aperture microlenses. Chromatic focal length errors of less than 3% allow these microlenses to form high-quality images under broadband illumination (400–700 nm). Numerical apertures upwards of 0.47 are also achieved at the cost of some focusing efficiency, demonstrating the flexibility of this approach. Furthermore, larger area images are reconstructed from an array of hybrid achromatic microlenses, laying the groundwork for achromatic light-field imagers and displays. The presented approach precisely combines optical components within 3D space to achieve thin lens systems with high focusing efficiencies, high numerical apertures, and low chromatic focusing errors, providing a pathway towards achromatic micro-optical systems. 

/pdf/hybrid-achromatic-microlenses-with-high-numerical-apertures-3nz379tf.pdf

Hybrid achromatic microlenses with high numerical apertures and focusing efficiencies across the visible

We present electrically pumped GaInNAsSb VCSELs at 1.46 mum, the longest wavelength on GaAs to date. At -20 C, pulsed at 0.1% duty cycle, the threshold current density was 4.5 kA/cm2, with a peak output power of 0.77 mW

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/9407/29846/01361440.pdf

GaInNAsSb/GaNAs VCSELs at 1.46 /spl mu/m

Diffraction phase microscopy is a non-destructive in-situ characterization tool with nanometer height resolution that can measure 3-dimensional topography. We apply it to characterize microdroplets during evaporation without any a priori assumptions about the droplet geometry.

Lynford L. Goddard

Papers

The temperature sensitivity of GaAs-based 1.5 /spl mu/m GaInNAsSb lasers

Hybrid achromatic microlenses with high numerical apertures and focusing efficiencies across the visible

GaInNAsSb/GaNAs VCSELs at 1.46 /spl mu/m

Characterizing microdroplet evaporation using diffraction phase microscopy