Abstract: A single mode wideband polarization maintaining (PM) fiber coupler, including: a first PM fiber having a first core and a pair of first stress members configured to provide a first mechanical stress to the first core; and a second PM fiber having a second core and a pair of second stress members configured to provide a second mechanical stress to the second core; wherein a length of the first PM fiber is fused with a corresponding length of the second PM fiber, wherein at least one geometry among the first core and the pair of first stress members is different from a corresponding at least one geometry among the second core and the pair of second stress members, and the difference in the at least one geometry between the first and second PM fibers causes a frustrated coupling between the first and second PM fibers.

Abstract: A laser scanning imaging system including: a first beam scanner; a first set of relay lenses; a second beam scanner; a second set of relay lenses; an objective lens; wherein the first beam scanner is configured to receive an input laser beam and scan the laser beam about one or more axes; the first set of relay lenses is configured to expand the laser beam scanned by the first beam scanner and conjugate a scanning plane of the first beam scanner with a scanning plane of the second beam scanner; the second beam scanner is configured to scan the laser beam relayed by the first set of relay lenses about one or more axes; the second set of relay lenses is configured to expand the laser beam scanned by the second beam scanner and project the scanning plane of the second beam scanner to a pupil of the objective lens.

Abstract: In a method of producing an anti-reflective surface, instead of etching subwavelength structures directly onto the substrate, a thin film layer of topcoat is deposited onto the surface of the substrate, and the anti-reflective surface is created by etching the structures into the topcoat. Because the thin film can be applied to substrates made of a large number of different materials, only common etching recipes need to be developed for a few thin film materials. The present method overcomes the shortcoming that existing methods of etching structures directly on a substrate would require a different etching recipe for each substrate made of a different material.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing hybrid optical coatings and hybrid mirror assemblies, including: a) providing a first optical coating having layers of alternating high and low refractive indices of crystalline materials on a first host substrate via an epitaxial growth technique; b) providing a second optical coating having layers of alternating high and low refractive indices of dielectric materials on a second host substrate via a physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique; c) directly bonding the first optical coating to the second optical coating; and d) removing the first host substrate.

Abstract: A photon detection device including: a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) configured to generate a detected signal when the SiPM absorbs a photon; an amplifier; and a transmission line stub between the SiPM and amplifier input. The SiPM connection is configured to transmit the detected signal to the amplifier and a transmission line stub is also configured to receive the SiPM signal and generate a time-delayed reflected signal back into the amplifier input; wherein the amplifier is configured to amplify a combination of the detected signal and the time-delayed reflected signal. The end of the transmission line stub is terminated with a complex impedance that can simultaneously absorb some components of the SiPM pulse response, and reflect others.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to combined frequency and angle compounding for speckle reduction in ultrasound imaging. Such combined frequency and angle compounding can result in a multiplicative speckle reduction compared to using either frequency compounding or angle compounding alone. Compounding methods of this disclosure can make use of the full aperture of the ultrasound probe when acquiring individual images, hence there can be no compromise in resolution. In disclosed embodiments, ultrasound images can be obtained while an ultrasound probe is moving and the relative position and orientation of the ultrasound images can be determined from a measurement of the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe. Certain embodiments can correct for the movement and distortion of an object being imaged during the image acquisition.

Abstract: A device that uses two intensity modulated frequency combs to measure distances with high precision and high data acquisition rate without any moving parts and without length ambiguity that is inherent conventional ranging based on two frequency combs. A modulation signal having a repetition rate identical to the repetition rate difference between the two combs is used to do a direct time-of-flight length measurement, hence avoiding the given length ambiguity while harvesting the increased precision of the dual-comb approach.

Abstract: A method of making a pre-aligned optical mount, including: mounting a desired optical element onto a housing; securing the housing onto a stage having at least four degrees of freedom; aligning the optical element with a specified optical axis by adjustment of the stage; machining the housing to match an optical platform onto which the housing is be mounted; wherein the housing is machined such that an optical axis of the optical element is aligned with a predefined optical axis with respect to the optical platform when the housing is mounted onto the optical platform.

Abstract: A system for generating a series of reducing intensity laser pulses from an ultrafast pulsed laser source. The reducing intensity series of pulses is equally temporally spaced between pulses from the laser source. The repeating series of reducing intensity laser pulses is fed to a microscope for imaging. The microscope is capable of detecting the fluorescence from a sample generated by each pulse in the series. The data is processed using knowledge of the pulse intensity, location on the test sample, and amount of fluorescence measured to create an increased dynamic range of the image relative to what can be obtained in a normal two-photon imaging system.

Abstract: A linear translator device, including: a first body; a second body; and a plurality of actuators; wherein each actuator includes a first part first part mounted to the first body and a second part is mounted to the second body, the first part includes a front end and a back end, the second part is configured to extend and retract parallel to the direction of motion; wherein the plurality of actuators are arranged so that the extending or retracting direction of the second part of one of the plurality of actuators is offset, parallel and opposite to that of another one of the plurality of actuators; and wherein at least a portion of the first part of the one of the plurality of actuators overlaps with a portion of the first part of the other one of the plurality of actuators in the direction of motion space.

Abstract: A mid-infrared broadband laser including: a femtosecond laser configured to generate a near-infrared light; nonlinear waveguide configured to broaden and/or shift a spectrum of the light from the femtosecond laser; and a nonlinear medium configured to generate a broadband light by mixing spectral components of the output from the non-linear waveguide. Optionally, at least one dispersion compensation element may be placed between the femtosecond laser and the nonlinear waveguide and/or between the nonlinear waveguide and the nonlinear medium.

Abstract: An optical image generation system including: a spatial light modulator (SLM) configured to receive an input collimated laser beam and modulate the wavefront of the laser beam; one or more optical elements configured to project the modulated laser beam onto a focal plane; a first mirror and a second mirror situated at the focal plane, an edge of the first mirror being adjacent to an edge of the second mirror, the first mirror reflects a first portion of the modulated laser beam in a first direction, the second mirror reflects a second portion of the modulated laser beam in a second direction; and an objective lens projects the first and second portions into a combined image; wherein the zeroth order diffraction is block or suppressed at the center of the focal plane.

Abstract: A method of pulse shaping using spectral filtering, positive chirp, and self-phase modulation to control the accumulated higher-order phase terms of the spectral phase. This pulse shaping method has particular advantage in fiber chirped pulse amplification (FCPA) systems, where there are two effects: (1) an offsetting of the fourth order phase via nonlinear phase accumulation, allowing for a higher Strehl ratio (i.e., a cleaner pulse), higher peak power pulse and (2) enabling power scaling to higher pulse energies without the increased nonlinear phase accumulation leading to pulse breakup. This technique can be used both in a passive system with no amplification to clean up an existing pulse, and in an amplifier system to enable higher performance operation (shorter pulses, cleaner pulses, higher energy pulses).

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrically pumped vertical cavity laser structure operating in the mid-infrared region, which has demonstrated room-temperature continuous wave operation. This structure uses an interband cascade gain region, two distributed mirrors, and a low-loss refractive index waveguide. A preferred embodiment includes at least one wafer bonded GaAs-based mirror.

Abstract: A method of optimizing the coupling to an optical fiber, including: generating a femtosecond laser pulse; directing a focus of the laser pulse to a longitudinal depth in the region beneath the endface of the optical fiber to generate microvoids; adjusting the intensity of the laser pulse at different depths, such that a refractive index profile is created in the region beneath the endface of the optical fiber.

Abstract: Disclosed is a piezoelectric inertial drive stage including a piezoelectric inertial driver, a slider and a holder. The driver includes a mounting portion for the mounting on the holder, a friction portion coupling to the slider, a flexure portion between the mounting portion and friction portion, a piezoelectric element with a first end bonded to the mounting portion and a second end bonded to a movement portion, the movement portion transferring the motion of the piezoelectric element to the friction portion to drive the slider.

Abstract: A braking device including: a piezoelectric element; and a braking portion. The braking portion is configured to be fixed to a member when the piezoelectric element is in a first state, and to be slidable along the member when the piezoelectric element is in a second state. The piezoelectric element changes from one state to another state when a voltage is applied.

Abstract: An optical material including: a silica host; and a Praseodymium dopant; wherein the Praseodymium atoms are configured to form nanoclusters in the silica host. In addition, the optical material may include an Ytterbium co-dopant. The nanoclusters include Ge, Te, Ta, Lu and/or F, Cl to minimize multi-phonon quenching. Moreover, the nanoclusters may be encapsulated in a low phonon energy shell to minimize energy transfer to the host matrix.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing substrate-transferred optical coatings, comprising: a) providing a first optical coating on a first host substrate as a base coating structure; b) providing a second optical coating on a second host substrate; c) bonding the optical coating of the base coating structure to the second optical coating, thereby obtaining one combined coating; d) detaching one of the first and the second host substrates from the combined coating; determining if the combined coating fulfills a predetermined condition; e) if the result of the determining step is negative, taking the combined coating together with the remaining host substrate as the base coating structure to be processed next and continuing with step b); f) if the result of the determining step is positive, providing an optical substrate and bonding the optical substrate to the combined coating; g) removing the other one of the first and the second host substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical probe system that is capable of high speed, high precision, and high resolution 3D digitalization of engineered objects. The 3D dimensional data of the engineered object is measured using a swept source optical coherence tomography system with improved speed, spatial resolutions, and depth range. Also disclosed is a type of coordinate measurement machine (CMM) that is capable of performing high speed, high resolution, and non-contact measurement of engineered objects. The mechanic stylus in the touch-trigger probe of a conventional CMM is replaced with an optical stylus with reconfigurable diameter and length. The distance from the center of the optical stylus to the measurement probe is optically adjusted to match the height of the object to be measured quickly, which eliminates one dimensional movement of the probe and greatly improves the productivity.