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

A topical review of numerical and experimental studies of supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber is presented over the full range of experimentally reported parameters, from the femtosecond to the continuous-wave regime. Results from numerical simulations are used to discuss the temporal and spectral characteristics of the supercontinuum, and to interpret the physics of the underlying spectral broadening processes. Particular attention is given to the case of supercontinuum generation seeded by femtosecond pulses in the anomalous group velocity dispersion regime of photonic crystal fiber, where the processes of soliton fission, stimulated Raman scattering, and dispersive wave generation are reviewed in detail. The corresponding intensity and phase stability properties of the supercontinuum spectra generated under different conditions are also discussed.

Supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber

Switches, and Actuators Masahiro Irie,*,† Tuyoshi Fukaminato,‡ Kenji Matsuda, and Seiya Kobatake †Research Center for Smart Molecules, Rikkyo University, Nishi-Ikebukuro 3-34-1, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8501, Japan ‡Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N20, W10, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University, Sugimoto 3-3-138, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan

Photochromism of Diarylethene Molecules and Crystals: Memories, Switches, and Actuators

Objective: To demonstrate optical coherence tomography for high-resolution, noninvasive imaging of the human retina. Optical coherence tomography is a new imaging technique analogous to ultrasound B scan that can provide cross-sectional images of the retina with micrometer-scale resolution. Design: Survey optical coherence tomographic examination of the retina, including the macula and optic nerve head in normal human subjects. Settings Research laboratory. Participants: Convenience sample of normal human subjects. Main Outcome Measures: Correlation of optical coherence retinal tomographs with known normal retinal anatomy. Results: Optical coherence tomographs can discriminate the cross-sectional morphologic features of the fovea and optic disc, the layered structure of the retina, and normal anatomic variations in retinal and retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses with 10- μm depth resolution. Conclusion: Optical coherence tomography is a potentially useful technique for high depth resolution, cross-sectional examination of the fundus.

Optical Coherence Tomography of the Human Retina

Current medical imaging technologies allow visualization of tissue anatomy in the human body at resolutions ranging from 100 micrometers to 1 millimeter. These technologies are generally not sensitive enough to detect early-stage tissue abnormalities associated with diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis, which require micrometer-scale resolution. Here, optical coherence tomography was adapted to allow high-speed visualization of tissue in a living animal with a catheter-endoscope 1 millimeter in diameter. This method, referred to as "optical biopsy," was used to obtain cross-sectional images of the rabbit gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts at 10-micrometer resolution.

In Vivo Endoscopic Optical Biopsy with Optical Coherence Tomography

Real-time, ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) is demonstrated in the 1.4-1.7-microm wavelength region with a stretched-pulse, passively mode-locked, Er-doped fiber laser and highly nonlinear fiber. The fiber laser generates 100-mW, linearly chirped pulses at a 51-MHz repetition rate. The pulses are compressed and then coupled into a normally dispersive highly nonlinear fiber to generate a low-noise supercontinuum with a 180-nm FWHM bandwidth and 38 mW of output power. This light source is stable, compact, and broadband, permitting high-speed, real-time, high-resolution OCT imaging. In vivo high-speed OCT imaging of human skin with approximately 5.5-microm resolution and 99-dB sensitivity is demonstrated.

Real-time, ultrahigh-resolution, optical coherence tomography with an all-fiber, femtosecond fiber laser continuum at 1.5 µm

We report the analysis of ultrawideband supercontinuum generation in a highly nonlinear dispersion-shifted fiber. A >1000-nm-spanning white-light continuum is generated by pumping the femtosecond fiber laser pulse at λ=1.56 μm into the extreme vicinity of the zero-dispersion wavelength of the fiber. The supercontinuum pulses are characterized with the experimentally observed sonogram traces. The numerical calculation based on the nonlinear Schrodinger equation is used to investigate the mechanism of the supercontinuum generation, and these results are in good agreement with experiment. We show that there are two stages with different spectral-broadening processes in the propagation evolution. Self-phase modulation and group-velocity dispersion play an important role in the first spectral broadening. Through an increase the propagation distance, further spectral broadening occurs due to the soliton self-frequency shift and the trapping effect by the redshifted soliton pulse through cross-phase modulation. Additionally, we show that the temporal and spectral interferences between the generated supercontinuum components cause the oscillating fine structure on the temporal waveform and the spectrum.

Experimental and numerical analysis of widely broadened supercontinuum generation in highly nonlinear dispersion-shifted fiber with a femtosecond pulse

A new phenomenon of pulse trapping by the ultrashort soliton pulse of an optical fiber has been experimentally observed. The trapped pulse in the normal-dispersion region copropagates with the soliton pulse in the anomalous-dispersion region along the fiber, and the wavelength of the trapped pulse is shifted to satisfy the condition of group-velocity matching. The wavelengths of the soliton pulse and the trapped pulse change almost continuously as the power of the soliton pulse is varied. Almost perfect conversion efficiencies are observed for soliton self-frequency shift and pulse trapping.

Pulse trapping by ultrashort soliton pulses in optical fibers across zero-dispersion wavelength

We have been investigating ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography using supercontinuum. Low noise, Gaussian like supercontinua were generated at five wavelength regions. Ultrahigh resolution cross-sectional and three dimensional imaging were demonstrated for biomedical tissues and materials.

Ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography

We propose and demonstrate the use of subharmonically synchronized laser pulses for low-noise lock-in detection in stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy. In the experiment, Yb-fiber laser pulses at a repetition rate of 38 MHz are successfully synchronized to Ti:sapphire laser pulses at a repetition rate of 76 MHz with a jitter of <8 fs by a two-photon detector and an intra-cavity electro-optic modulator. By using these pulses, high-frequency lock-in detection of SRS signal is accomplished without high-speed optical modulation. The noise level of the lock-in signal is found to be higher than the shot noise limit only by 1.6 dB. We also demonstrate high-contrast, 3D imaging of unlabeled living cells.

Norihiko Nishizawa

Papers

Real-time, ultrahigh-resolution, optical coherence tomography with an all-fiber, femtosecond fiber laser continuum at 1.5 µm

Experimental and numerical analysis of widely broadened supercontinuum generation in highly nonlinear dispersion-shifted fiber with a femtosecond pulse

Pulse trapping by ultrashort soliton pulses in optical fibers across zero-dispersion wavelength

Ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography

Stimulated Raman scattering microscope with shot noise limited sensitivity using subharmonically synchronized laser pulses