Phase-shifting interferometry based on principal component analysis

An asynchronous phase-shifting method based on principal component analysis (PCA) is presented. No restrictions about the background, modulation, and phase shifts are necessary. The presented method is very fast and needs very low computational requirements, so it can be used with very large images and/or very large image sets. The method is based on obtaining two quadrature signals by the PCA algorithm. We have applied the proposed method to simulated and experimental interferograms, obtaining satisfactory results

Analysis of the principal component algorithm in phase-shifting interferometry

We recently presented a new asynchronous demodulation method for phase-sampling interferometry. The method is based in the principal component analysis (PCA) technique. In the former work, the PCA method was derived heuristically. In this work, we present an in-depth analysis of the PCA demodulation method

High dynamic range imaging method for interferometry

We demonstrate a method to easily and quickly extend the dynamic range imaging capabilities of the camera in a typical interferometric approach. The camera dynamic range is usually low and limited to 256 gray levels. Also, it is well known that one may have over or under-exposed regions in the interferogram (due to non-uniform illumination) which makes these image regions not reliable. In our proposed method it is not necessary to obtain or use the non-linear camera response curve in order to extend the camera dynamic range. We obtain a sequence of differently exposed interferograms, typically five or six; after that, we compute the corresponding normalized fringe patterns and modulation maps using a typical normalization method. These normalized patterns are combined through a temporal weighted average using as weights the corresponding modulation maps. We show a set of experimental results that prove the effectiveness of the proposed method

Optical inspection of liquid crystal variable retarder inhomogeneities

Liquid crystal variable retarders (LCVRs) are starting to be widely used in optical systems because of their capacity to provide a controlled variable optical retardance between two orthogonal components of incident polarized light or to introduce a known phase shifting (PS) between coherent waves, both by means of an applied voltage. Typically, the retardance or PS introduced by an LCVR is not homogeneous across the aperture. On the one hand, the LCVR glass substrates present a global bend that causes an overall variation of the retardance or PS. On the other hand, in the manufacturing process of an LCVR, there sometimes appears a set of micro-air bubbles that causes local retardance or PS inhomogeneities. In this work, we present an interferometric technique based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer that is insensitive to vibrations and capable of inspecting and characterizing the LCVR's retardance or PS inhomogeneities. The feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated in the experimental results, where the LCVR retardance is measured with an error of about 0:2 rad. The thickness of possible micro-air bubbles is obtained with a resolution of about 50 nm

A Novel Photoconductive PVK/SiO_2 Interpenetrated Network Prepared by the Sol−Gel Process

In this work, we describe the preparation of a novel photoconductive sol−gel material based on an organic/inorganic interpenetrating network (IPN). The composition of the sol−gel photoconductive material mimics the well-known polymeric one based on poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) as the charge-transporting matrix and 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF) as the sensitizer. The resulting photoconductive material (PVK/SiO_2 IPN) shows a photosensitivity of 10^-11 cm/(Ω W) in range to that reported for some analogue polymeric compounds and the highest ever reported for hybrid sol−gel materials

The optical design of a far infrared imaging FTS for SPICA

This paper describes the optical design of the far infrared imaging spectrometer for the JAXA's SPICA mission. The SAFARI instrument, is a cryogenic imaging Fourier transform spectrometer (iFTS), designed to perform backgroundlimited spectroscopic and photometric imaging in the band 34-210 μm. The all-reflective optical system is highly modular and consists of three main modules; input optics module, interferometer module (FTS) and camera bay optics. A special study has been dedicated to the spectroscopic performance of the instrument, in which the spectral response and interference of the instrument have been modeled, as the FTS mechanism scans over the total desired OPD range

SAFARI optical system architecture and design concept

SpicA FAR infrared Instrument, SAFARI, is one of the instruments planned for the SPICA mission. The SPICA mission is the next great leap forward in space-based far-infrared astronomy and will study the evolution of galaxies, stars and planetary systems. SPICA will utilize a deeply cooled 2.5m-class telescope, provided by European industry, to realize zodiacal background limited performance, and high spatial resolution. The instrument SAFARI is a cryogenic grating-based point source spectrometer working in the wavelength domain 34 to 230 μm, providing spectral resolving power from 300 to at least 2000. The instrument shall provide low and high resolution spectroscopy in four spectral bands. Low Resolution mode is the native instrument mode, while the high Resolution mode is achieved by means of a Martin-Pupplet interferometer. The optical system is all-reflective and consists of three main modules; an input optics module, followed by the Band and Mode Distributing Optics and the grating Modules. The instrument utilizes Nyquist sampled filled linear arrays of very sensitive TES detectors. The work presented in this paper describes the optical design architecture and design concept compatible with the current instrument performance and volume design drivers

Exoplanet atmospheres Characterization Observatory payload short-wave infrared channel: EChO SWiR

EChO (Exoplanet atmospheres Characterization Observatory), a proposal for exoplanets exploration space mission, is considered the next step for planetary atmospheres characterization. It would be a dedicated observatory to uncover a large selected sample of planets spanning a wide range of masses (from gas giants to super-Earths) and orbital temperatures (from hot to habitable). All targets move around stars of spectral types F, G, K, and M. EChO would provide an unprecedented view of the atmospheres of planets in the solar neighbourhood. The consortium formed by various institutions of different countries proposed as ESA M3 an integrated spectrometer payload for EChO covering the wavelength interval 0.4 to 16 µm. This instrument is subdivided into 4 channels: a visible channel, which includes a fine guidance system (FGS) and a VIS spectrometer, a near infrared channel (SWiR), a middle infrared channel (MWiR), and a long wave infrared module (LWiR). In addition, it contains a common set of optics spectrally dividing the wavelength coverage and injecting the combined light of parent stars and their exoplanets into the different channels. The proposed payload meets all of the key performance requirements detailed in the ESA call for proposals as well as all scientific goals. EChO payload is based on different spectrometers covering the spectral range mentioned above. Among them, SWiR spectrometer would work from 2.45 microns to 5.45 microns. In this paper, the optical and mechanical designs of the SWiR channel instrument are reported on

Local fringe density determination by adaptive filtering

We demonstrate a method to easily and quickly determine the local fringe density map of a fringe pattern. The method is based on an isotropic adaptive bandpass filter that is tuned at different frequencies. The modulation map after applying a specific bandpass frequencies filter presents a maximum response in the regions where the bandpass filter and fringe frequencies coincide. We show a set of simulations and experimental results that prove the effectiveness of the proposed method

Multi-plane phase retrieval methods to recover free-aberrations object complex field via SLM

This paper explains two iterative phase recovery methods where the goal of each one is different. The Phase Diversity method is used to recover the wavefront aberrations in optical incoherent imaging systems when an extended object is illuminated. The purpose of the Multi-plane Phase Retrieval method is recovering the object complex field seen from the image plane, therefore the object has to be illuminated with coherent light. Both methods are simultaneously used to pick out the aberrations and free aberrations object phase. The use of both methods is proposed as a methodology for the integration of optical instruments