113 research outputs found
Exploiting disorder for perfect focusing
We demonstrate experimentally that disordered scattering can be used to
improve, rather than deteriorate, the focusing resolution of a lens. By using
wavefront shaping to compensate for scattering, light was focused to a spot as
small as one tenth of the diffraction limit of the lens. We show both
experimentally and theoretically that it is the scattering medium, rather than
the lens, that determines the width of the focus. Despite the disordered
propagation of the light, the profile of the focus was always exactly equal to
the theoretical best focus that we derived.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Focusing and Compression of Ultrashort Pulses through Scattering Media
Light scattering in inhomogeneous media induces wavefront distortions which
pose an inherent limitation in many optical applications. Examples range from
microscopy and nanosurgery to astronomy. In recent years, ongoing efforts have
made the correction of spatial distortions possible by wavefront shaping
techniques. However, when ultrashort pulses are employed scattering induces
temporal distortions which hinder their use in nonlinear processes such as in
multiphoton microscopy and quantum control experiments. Here we show that
correction of both spatial and temporal distortions can be attained by
manipulating only the spatial degrees of freedom of the incident wavefront.
Moreover, by optimizing a nonlinear signal the refocused pulse can be shorter
than the input pulse. We demonstrate focusing of 100fs pulses through a 1mm
thick brain tissue, and 1000-fold enhancement of a localized two-photon
fluorescence signal. Our results open up new possibilities for optical
manipulation and nonlinear imaging in scattering media
Time-reversed adapted-perturbation (TRAP) optical focusing onto dynamic objects inside scattering media
The ability to steer and focus light inside scattering media has long been sought for a multitude of applications. At present, the only feasible strategy to form optical foci inside scattering media is to guide photons by using either implanted or virtual guide stars, which can be inconvenient and limits the potential applications. Here we report a scheme for focusing light inside scattering media by employing intrinsic dynamics as guide stars. By adaptively time-reversing the perturbed component of the scattered light, we show that it is possible to focus light to the origin of the perturbation. Using this approach, we demonstrate non-invasive dynamic light focusing onto moving targets and imaging of a time-variant object obscured by highly scattering media. Anticipated applications include imaging and photoablation of angiogenic vessels in tumours, as well as other biomedical uses
Speckle-scale focusing in the diffusive regime with time reversal of variance-encoded light (TROVE)
Focusing of light in the diffusive regime inside scattering media has long been considered impossible. Recently, this limitation has been overcome with time reversal of ultrasound-encoded light (TRUE), but the resolution of this approach is fundamentally limited by the large number of optical modes within the ultrasound focus. Here, we introduce a new approach, time reversal of variance-encoded light (TROVE), which demixes these spatial modes by variance encoding to break the resolution barrier imposed by the ultrasound. By encoding individual spatial modes inside the scattering sample with unique variances, we effectively uncouple the system resolution from the size of the ultrasound focus. This enables us to demonstrate optical focusing and imaging with diffuse light at an unprecedented, speckle-scale lateral resolution of ~5 µm
High-fidelity multimode fibre-based endoscopy for deep brain in vivo imaging
Progress in neuroscience constantly relies on the development of new
techniques to investigate the complex dynamics of neuronal networks. An ongoing
challenge is to achieve minimally-invasive and high-resolution observations of
neuronal activity in vivo inside deep brain areas. A perspective strategy is to
utilise holographic control of light propagation in complex media, which allows
converting a hair-thin multimode optical fibre into an ultra-narrow imaging
tool. Compared to current endoscopes based on GRIN lenses or fibre bundles,
this concept offers a footprint reduction exceeding an order of magnitude,
together with a significant enhancement in resolution. We designed a compact
and high-speed system for fluorescent imaging at the tip of a fibre, achieving
micron-scale resolution across a 50 um field of view, and yielding 7-kilopixel
images at a rate of 3.5 frames/s. Furthermore, we demonstrate in vivo
observations of cell bodies and processes of inhibitory neurons within deep
layers of the visual cortex and hippocampus of anesthetised mice. This study
forms the basis for several perspective techniques of modern microscopy to be
delivered deep inside the tissue of living animal models while causing minimal
impact on its structural and functional properties.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, Supplementary movie:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fm0G3TAIC49LVX6FaEiAtlefkWx1T2a5/vie
Translation correlations in anisotropically scattering media
Controlling light propagation across scattering media by wavefront shaping
holds great promise for a wide range of communications and imaging
applications. However, finding the right wavefront to shape is a challenge when
the mapping between input and output scattered wavefronts (i.e. the
transmission matrix) is not known. Correlations in transmission matrices,
especially the so-called memory-effect, have been exploited to address this
limitation. However, the traditional memory-effect applies to thin scattering
layers at a distance from the target, which precludes its use within thick
scattering media, such as fog and biological tissue. Here, we theoretically
predict and experimentally verify new transmission matrix correlations within
thick anisotropically scattering media, with important implications for
biomedical imaging and adaptive optics.Comment: main article (18 pages) and appendices (6 pages
Shaping speckles: spatio-temporal focussing of an ultrafast pulse through a multiply scattering medium
The multiple scattering of coherent light is a problem of both fundamental
and applied importance. In optics, phase conjugation allows spatial focussing
and imaging through a multiply scattering medium; however, temporal control is
nonetheless elusive, and multiple scattering remains a challenge for
femtosecond science. Here, we report on the spatially and temporally resolved
measurement of a speckle field produced by the propagation of an ultrafast
optical pulse through a thick strongly scattering medium. Using spectral pulse
shaping, we demonstrate the spatially localized temporal recompression of the
output speckle to the Fourier-limit duration, offering an optical analogue to
time-reversal experiments in the acoustic regime. This approach shows that a
multiply scattering medium can be put to profit for light manipulation at the
femtosecond scale, and has a diverse range of potential applications that
includes quantum control, biological imaging and photonics.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, published in Nature Communication
Recovering three-dimensional shape around a corner using ultrafast time-of-flight imaging
The recovery of objects obscured by scattering is an important goal in imaging and has been approached by exploiting, for example, coherence properties, ballistic photons or penetrating wavelengths. Common methods use scattered light transmitted through an occluding material, although these fail if the occluder is opaque. Light is scattered not only by transmission through objects, but also by multiple reflection from diffuse surfaces in a scene. This reflected light contains information about the scene that becomes mixed by the diffuse reflections before reaching the image sensor. This mixing is difficult to decode using traditional cameras. Here we report the combination of a time-of-flight technique and computational reconstruction algorithms to untangle image information mixed by diffuse reflection. We demonstrate a three-dimensional range camera able to look around a corner using diffusely reflected light that achieves sub-millimetre depth precision and centimetre lateral precision over 40 cm×40 cm×40 cm of hidden space.MIT Media Lab ConsortiumUnited States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Young Faculty AwardMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (Contract W911NF-07-D-0004
Wavefront shaping with disorder-engineered metasurfaces
Recently, wavefront shaping with disordered media has demonstrated optical manipulation capabilities beyond those of conventional optics, including extended volume, aberration-free focusing and subwavelength focusing. However, translating these capabilities to useful applications has remained challenging as the input–output characteristics of the disordered media (P variables) need to be exhaustively determined via O(P) measurements. Here, we propose a paradigm shift where the disorder is specifically designed so its exact input–output characteristics are known a priori and can be used with only a few alignment steps. We implement this concept with a disorder-engineered metasurface, which exhibits additional unique features for wavefront shaping such as a large optical memory effect range in combination with a wide angular scattering range, excellent stability, and a tailorable angular scattering profile. Using this designed metasurface with wavefront shaping, we demonstrate high numerical aperture (NA > 0.5) focusing and fluorescence imaging with an estimated ~2.2 × 10^8 addressable points in an ~8 mm field of view
Controlling waves in space and time for imaging and focusing in complex media
In complex media such as white paint and biological tissue, light encounters nanoscale refractive-index inhomogeneities that cause multiple scattering. Such scattering is usually seen as an impediment to focusing and imaging. However, scientists have recently used strongly scattering materials to focus, shape and compress waves by controlling the many degrees of freedom in the incident waves. This was first demonstrated in the acoustic and microwave domains using time reversal, and is now being performed in the optical realm using spatial light modulators to address the many thousands of spatial degrees of freedom of light. This approach is being used to investigate phenomena such as optical super-resolution and the time reversal of light, thus opening many new avenues for imaging and focusing in turbid medi
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