We published a new paper in Optics Express where we report the realization of polarization sensitive split lens configurations. We propose and demonstrate the generalization of the split lens concept to vectorial split lenses, leading to light patterns with customized intensity and state of polarization. We demonstrate how these polarization split lenses can be experimentally implemented by means of an optical system using two liquid crystal spatial light modulators, each one phase modulating one orthogonal polarization component.
The proposed technique is a simple method to generate structured light beams with polarization diversity, with potential applications in polarimetry, customized illuminators or quantum optics.
Pascuala Garcia presented the communication entitled “On axis programmable microscope using liquid crystal spatial light modulator” at the SPIE Optical Metrology Conference, held in Munich in June 25th to 29th, 2007.
In her presentation, she showed an optical microscope system we have developed, that includes an LCOS SLM display to perform opto-digital filtering on-axis. We use a Hamamatsu SLM, free of flickering, which can be tuned to fully eliminate the zero order component of the encoded diffractive filter, therefore making use of the full space-bandwidth. The system was demonstrated by implementing different optical processing operations based on phase-only gratings such as phase-contrast, band-pass filtering, additive and subtractive imaging, or Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) imaging.
A related manuscript is available at the SPIE Proceedings in Optical Methods for Inspection, Characterization, and Imaging of Biomaterials III, edited by Pietro Ferraro, Simonetta Grilli, Monika Ritsch-Marte, Christoph K. Hitzenberger, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 10333, 103330Q (2017). Link
The PDGr is generated in a common path polarization interferometer with a Z optical architecture that uses two liquid-crystal on silicon (LCoS) displays. The programmable PDGr is capable to act as a simultaneous polarization state generator (PSG), yielding diffraction orders with different states of polarization. The same system is also shown to operate as a polarization state analyzer (PSA), therefore useful for the realization of a snapshot polarimeter. We analyze its performance using quantitative metrics such as the conditional number.
This work has been developed at the Department of Physics of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, with the participation of Ignacio Moreno.
It demonstrates a polarization gating method based on the experimentally measured Mueller matrices. Polarization gating refers to a collection of imaging methods based on the combination of different controlled polarization channels. Here, first the Mueller matrix is characterized, and then employed to evaluate different polarization channels. The methodology is applied on different biological samples.
We were very pleased that Prof. Kristiaan Neyts, Head of the Liquid Crystals and Photonics Group from the Ghent University, accepted our invitation to come to Elche and impart a seminar on liquid crystals in the frame of the 3rd TECNIT PhD Workshop of our university, held in March 29th.
Ignacio Moreno became the President of SEDOPTICAÂ –Â the Spanish Society of Optics. After three years as Vicepresident, he now becomes the President of the society for the period of the next three years.
SEDOPTICA joins researchers, academia and professionals of the area of Optics & Photonics in Spain.
During this period SEDOPTICA will reach its 50th anniversary in 2018.
We published a new paper in Journal of Optics entitled Solc filters in a reflective geometry. It presents the realization of  birefringent Solc type filter in a reflective geometry.
This geometry reduces by half the number of required retarders, ensures the same spectral retardance function in pairs of retarders. The key element is a quarter-wave Fresnel rhomb located in between the set of retarders and a mirror. We present two cases, one with multiple-order quartz retarders, and a second one that uses two liquid-crystal retarders, this last one being therefore tunable.
This is the second paper in the PhD Thesis of Abdelgahfour Messaaddi, and it has been done in collboration with our friend Asticio Vargas form Universidad de La Frontera , Temuco (Chile) and our friend Noureddine Bennis and his coworkers at the Military University of Technology, Warsaw (Poland).
A new paper entitled Arithmetics with q-plates was published in Applied Optics where we show the capability to form various q-plate equivalent systems using combinations of commercially available q-plates. We show operations like changing the sign of the q-value, or the addition and subtraction of q -plates. These operations only require simple combinations of q-plates and half-wave plates.
This work was developed in collaboration with our friends at San Diego State University.
This paper describes the exhibition with the same name that was developed to commemorate the International Year of Light, describing the life and work of 12 women that made relevant contributions to the science of light.
A new paper has been published in Applied Optics entitled New key based on tilted lenses for optical encryption, that describes a novel concept based on tilted spherical lenses for optical encryption using Lohmann’s type I systems. An experiment is presented, considering a hybrid encryption/decryption process where the image is numerically encrypted but optically decrypted.
This work was developed by our friends at the University of Valencia and we contributed by developing a experimental system that demonstrates the procedure.
We published a new paper in Optics Express where we report the realization of polarization sensitive split lens configurations. We propose and demonstrate the generalization of the split lens concept to vectorial split lenses, leading to light patterns with customized intensity and state of polarization. We demonstrate how these polarization split lenses can be experimentally implemented by means of an optical system using two liquid crystal spatial light modulators, each one phase modulating one orthogonal polarization component.
