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 Contrary to astronomy where a Fourier transform predicts the diffraction pattern, Fourier optics is no longer valid in the case of a high numerical aperture optics, and the vectorial nature of the optical fields cannot be ignored for such non-paraxial imagers.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，创新成像方法通过对照明和成像条件的高级控制来起作用。 例如，在天文学中，为具有高对比度成像技术的外部球星，在解剖冠状动脉后，从恒星中的确切预测衍射模式的图像以发现任何不规则性。 这些不可预测的异常与恒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器仪器中的精确光行为。 这些成像器利用光学系统生成的已知点扩散函数（PSF）来提取更多从天然图像中找到的信息。 凭借这种令人难以置信的知识，天文学家具有直接的外部图像。 在过去的几十年中，天文学的进步激发了成像的创新。 激光引导的恒星和自适应光学器件已经从天文学转移到显微镜。 因此，需要高级超分辨率显微镜准确预测显微镜产生的PSF。 借助非常详细的PSF，我们将提取新信息，以前从标准的视觉表示中无法实现。 与天文学相反，在高数值光圈光学元件的情况下，傅立叶变换预测衍射模式的天文学不再有效，并且对于此类非同顺型成像器，光场的矢量性质不容忽视。 但是，缺乏形式主义和设计工具阻碍了我们利用超级分辨率充分利用其全部潜力的能力。 我的研究小组与光学，光子和激光器中心（COPL）的激光和生物光谱专家合作，以推进这一领域。 现代光学设计软件的力量和非主导矢量场理论可以合并，以构建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方式的技术开发。 此外，我们的一般模型和工具不仅可以预测PSF的幅度，还可以预测整个焦平面的相位和极化特征。 超越强度为许多应用开辟了道路，例如极化分子成像。 此外，面临所有问题的直接场电子加速度也将从我们的研究计划中受益。 该研究计划的目的是利用当前仅通过强度的测量和设计工具丢弃的幅度，相位和极化中已知的信息。 这将通过在极端条件下了解光的振幅，相位和极化所需的形式主义的发展以及提供急需的能力，以进一步提高天文学，超级分辨率显微镜和直接现场电子加速度。