A ring-shaped random laser in momentum space is designed by directly coupling a random laser with a commercial optical fiber. By using a simple approach of selectively coating the random gain layer on the surface of the fiber, red and yellow random lasers are respectively achieved with low threshold values and a good emission direction due to the guiding role of optical fibers. The unique coupling mechanism leads to a random laser with a ring shape in momentum space, which is an excellent illuminating source for high-quality imaging with an extremely low speckle noise. More importantly, a triple-state color-switchable random laser with yellow, red and yellow-red dual-colors can be flexible, and is obtained by simply moving the pump position. The results may promote the practical applications of random lasers in the fields of sensing, in vivo biological imaging, and high brightness full-field illumination.

A ring-shaped random laser in momentum space.

Fizeau interferometer with binary phase Fresnel-zone plate reference for precision measurement of large convex lens

A temporal 4-step polarization phase-shifting technique for digital speckle pattern interferometry (DSPI) with one fixed and two rotatable polarizers is proposed. The fixed polarizer is used to filter out the reflected object beam in one polarization direction, and the two rotatable polarizers are used to perform the 4 times phase shifts. The Jones derivation illustrates the object surface phase distribution can be derived from the 4 speckle pattern interferograms, which are bright, gloomy, bright, and gloomy successively. The experiment shows that the proposed temporal polarization phase-shifting technique is able to extract the phase change caused by a tiny out-of-plane displacement. Unlike the PZT-driven phase-shifting, the polarization phase-shifting in this method is stable and accurate in the long term.

Temporal Polarization Phase-shifting for Digital Speckle Pattern Interferometry

We present a technique for the measurement of surface form error of an optical surface using a ring source and polarization phase-shifting interferometry (PPSI). The ring source, generated using a refracting axicon, is projected onto a rotating diffuser to reduce the spatial coherence noise generated by the spatially coherent He-Ne laser and to enhance the interference fringe contrast. PPSI is applied to extract the phase [and hence the optical path difference (OPD)] from the interference fringes formed by a Fizeau cavity using the ring source. The OPD values are least-square fitted to a plane and the surface form errors are evaluated from the deviations of the OPD values from the fitted reference plane. A two-step subtraction method to reduce the system errors and the effect of the ring source diameter on the effective measurement area of the test surface are discussed. The main advantage of the technique is that the perturbations in the Fizeau cavity are negligible during the phase shifts as the phase shifts between the interfering beams are introduced outside the cavity.

Measurement of surface form error of an optical surface with reduced interferometric spatial coherence artifacts using a ring source and polarization phase-shifting interferometry.

S. D. Sharma

Papers

Measurement of surface form error of an optical surface with reduced interferometric spatial coherence artifacts using a ring source and polarization phase-shifting interferometry.