Advanced optical design tools for high resolution imaging

用于高分辨率成像的先进光学设计工具

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-05962
• 负责人: Thibault, Simon
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: Université Laval
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=710082
• 关键词: Advanced; optical; design; tools; resolution

Nowadays, innovative imaging methods work by an advanced control of the lighting and imaging conditions. For example in astronomy, to image exoplanets with high contrast imaging techniques, the image of the exact predicted diffraction pattern from a star after the coronagraph is dissected to find any irregularity. These unpredicted anomalies are associated with an exoplanet around the star. This is feasible because we have models and tools to calculate the exact light behavior in the planet imager instrument. These imagers exploit the known point spread function (PSF) produced by the optical system to extract much more information that can be found from a native image. With this incredible level of knowledge, astronomers have a direct image of an exoplanet. Over the past decades, advances in astronomy inspired innovation in imaging. Laser-guided star and adaptive optics have already been transferred from astronomy to microscopy. It is therefore desirable for advanced super-resolution microscopy to predict exactly the PSF produced by the microscope. With a very detailed PSF, we will extract new information, which was previously unobtainable from the standard visual representation. Contrary to astronomy where a Fourier transform predicts the diffraction pattern, Fourier optics is no longer valid in the case of a high numerical aperture optics, and the vectorial nature of the optical fields cannot be ignored for such non-paraxial imagers. However, the lack of formalism and design tools has hindered our ability to exploit the super-resolution to its full potential. My research group works in collaboration with experts in lasers and biophotonics at the Centre for Optics, Photonics and Lasers (COPL) to advance this field. The power of modern optical design software and the non-paraxial vectorial field theory could be combined to build new unprecedented models and optical design tools to support the development of technologies for the next generation of high resolution imaging modalities. Moreover, our general model and tools will predict not only the amplitude of the PSF but also the phase and polarisation characteristics of the entire focal plane. Going beyond the intensity opens the way to many applications such as polarimetric molecular imaging. Further, direct-field electron acceleration which is facing all the concerns mentioned will also benefit from our research program. The goal of this research program is to exploit the wealth of information known to be present in the amplitude, phase and polarization currently discarded by intensity-only measurements and design tools. This will be crystallized with the development of the formalism required to know the amplitude, phase and polarization of light in extreme conditions and with the creation of tools to provide the much-needed capabilities to further advance astronomy, super-resolution microscopy and direct-field electron acceleration.

如今，创新的成像方法通过对照明和成像条件的先进控制来工作。 例如，在天文学中，为了用高对比度成像技术对系外行星进行成像，在日冕之后，对来自星星的精确预测衍射图案的图像进行解剖以发现任何不规则性。 这些无法预测的异常现象与星星周围的系外行星有关。 这是可行的，因为我们有模型和工具来计算行星成像仪仪器中的精确光行为。 这些成像器利用由光学系统产生的已知点扩散函数（PSF）来提取可以从原生图像中找到的更多信息。 有了这种令人难以置信的知识水平，天文学家就有了系外行星的直接图像。 在过去的几十年里，天文学的进步激发了成像方面的创新。 激光引导的星星和自适应光学已经从天文学转移到显微镜。 因此，它是理想的先进的超分辨率显微镜，以准确地预测由显微镜产生的PSF。 有了非常详细的PSF，我们将提取新的信息，这是以前无法从标准的视觉表示。 与傅里叶变换预测衍射图案的天文学相反，傅里叶光学器件在高数值孔径光学器件的情况下不再有效，并且对于这种非傍轴成像器，光场的矢量性质不能被忽略。 然而，形式主义和设计工具的缺乏阻碍了我们充分利用超分辨率的能力。 我的研究小组与光学，光子学和激光中心（COPL）的激光和生物光子学专家合作，以推进这一领域的发展。 现代光学设计软件和非傍轴矢量场理论的力量可以结合起来，建立新的前所未有的模型和光学设计工具，以支持下一代高分辨率成像模式的技术开发。 此外，我们的通用模型和工具不仅可以预测PSF的振幅，还可以预测整个焦平面的相位和偏振特性。 超越强度为许多应用开辟了道路，如偏振分子成像。 此外，直接场电子加速，这是面临的所有提到的关注也将受益于我们的研究计划。 该研究计划的目标是利用目前仅由强度测量和设计工具丢弃的振幅，相位和偏振中已知的丰富信息。 随着了解极端条件下光的振幅、相位和偏振所需的形式主义的发展，以及为进一步推进天文学、超分辨率显微镜和直接场电子加速提供急需能力的工具的创建，这一点将得到明确。