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Physical optics
About: Physical optics is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5342 publications have been published within this topic receiving 101388 citations. The topic is also known as: wave optics.
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29 Oct 2010
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an overview of the optical scanning holographic applications in wave optics and Holography, and present a survey of the current state of the art.
Abstract: Mathematical Background and Linear System.- Wave Optics and Holography.- Optical Scanning Holography: Principles.- Optical Scanning Holography: Applications.- Optical Scanning Holography: Advances.
113 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a new experiment demonstrates that two breathers, when their initial shapes and propagations are properly controlled, can collide to make a new giant ''rogue'' wave.
Abstract: Recently nonlinear fiber optics has revealed the existence of ``breathers,'' a new form of solitons with periodic oscillations on a finite background. But, how do such breathers, when they appear at the same time, interact with each other? A new experiment demonstrates that two such breathers, when their initial shapes and propagations are properly controlled, can collide to make a new giant ``rogue'' wave.
113 citations
TL;DR: An approach to optical microscopy that enables full control over the three-dimensional polarization vector at the focal spot of a high-numerical-aperture lens is proposed and finds that only a small set of low-order azimuthal spatial harmonics contributes to the focused field on axis.
Abstract: We propose an approach to optical microscopy that enables full control over the three-dimensional polarization vector at the focal spot of a high-numerical-aperture lens. The input field to the lens is linearly polarized and no polarization optics are needed. This technique utilizes the azimuthal spatial degree of freedom of the input field. We find that only a small set of low-order azimuthal spatial harmonics contributes to the focused field on axis, and a simple transformation exists between the linear vector space of these harmonics and the three-dimensional polarization-vector space. Controlling the relative complex weights of these azimuthal harmonics produces any desired three-dimensional state of polarization.
113 citations
TL;DR: The scattering phase function and the degree of linear polarization for small crystals oriented randomly in space have been computed using the geometric ray tracing theory and assuming that the crystals are homogeneous and isotropic.
Abstract: The scattering phase function and the degree of linear polarization for small crystals oriented randomly in space have been computed using the geometric ray tracing theory and assuming that the crystals are homogeneous and isotropic. Calculations have been carried out for the main crystal geometries. Detection of halos from crystals other than hexagonal water ice is briefly discussed. The crystal size and shape parameters have also been averaged over some simple distributions in order to examine general light scattering properties of sharp-edged particles. A scalar physical optics correction has been developed for the geometric optics phase functions. Results can be applied to light scattering from regoliths and planetary rings, and possibly also to atmospheric halos. Retroreflecting crystals in the regolith would cause an opposition spike, a phenomenon observed for many bright satellites.
112 citations
TL;DR: The sensitivity of the single-mode receiver surpasses that of a classical two-pinhole setup with a coherence factor of 0.8 by a factor of 4 and the advantage increases rapidly when a still higher coherence factors is desired.
Abstract: Single-mode optical fibers provide the ideal receiver optics for dynamic light-scattering measurements. Theoretical analysis shows that with a single-mode fiber one can achieve a theoretical limit of 1 for the coherence factor while maintaining a high light-collection efficiency. In fact, the sensitivity of the single-mode receiver surpasses that of a classical two-pinhole setup with a coherence factor of 0.8 by a factor of 4 and the advantage increases rapidly when a still higher coherence factor is desired. In addition, a single-mode fiber receiver offers the possibility of working with an arbitrary large scattering volume and with an arbitrary working distance. All these features are also demonstrated experimentally by a remarkably simple apparatus that consists, essentially, of a commercial laser beam delivery assembly.
111 citations