Related papers: Precise wavefront characterization of X-ray optica…
Betatron x-ray sources from laser-plasma accelerators combine compactness, high peak brightness, femtosecond pulse duration and broadband spectrum. However, when produced with Terawatt class lasers, their energy was so far restricted to a…
Three-photon (3P) microscopy is getting traction due to its superior performance in deep tissues. Yet, aberrations and light scattering still pose one of the main limitations in the attainable depth ranges for high-resolution imaging. Here,…
Linear optics is a promising route to building quantum technologies that operate at room temperature and can be manufactured scalably on integrated photonic platforms. However, scaling up linear optics requires high-performance operation…
We are developing instrumentation for a telescope design capable of measuring linear X-ray polarization over a broad-band using conventional spectroscopic optics. Multilayer-coated mirrors are key to this approach, being used as Bragg…
The measurement and correction of optics parameters has been a major concern since the advent of strong focusing synchrotron accelerators. A review of typical imperfections in accelerator optics together with measurement and correction…
Astronomers working with faint targets will benefit greatly from improved image quality on current and planned ground-based telescopes. At present, most adaptive optic systems are targeted at the highest resolution with bright guide stars.…
Development of x-ray phase contrast imaging applications with a laboratory scale source have been limited by the long exposure time needed to obtain one image. We demonstrate, using the Betatron x-ray radiation produced when electrons are…
Nuclear instruments that require precise characterization and calibration of their optical components need well-characterized optical light sources with the desired wavelength, intensity, and directivity. This paper presents a novel…
Direct imaging of exoplanets relies on complex wavefront sensing and control architectures. In addition to fast adaptive optics systems, most of the future high-contrast imaging instruments will soon be equipped with focal plane wavefront…
We devised and built a versatile facility for the calibration of the next generation X-ray polarimeters with unpolarized and polarized radiation. The former is produced at 5.9 keV by means of a Fe55 radioactive source or by X-ray tubes,…
Optical mixing experiments show the ability of amplifying a weak optical signal by superposing it with a stronger one. This principle has been demonstrated also for weak signals at the quantum level, down to a single photon. In the present…
In astrophysics, several key questions in the hard X soft Gamma-ray range (above 100 keV) require sensitivity and angular resolution that are hardly achievable with current technologies. Therefore, a new kind of instrument able to focus…
Imaging exo-Earths is an exciting but challenging task because of the 10^-10 contrast ratio between these planets and their host star at separations narrower than 100 mas. Large segmented aperture space telescopes enable the sensitivity…
We introduce wavefront shaping as a tool for optimizing the sensitivity in nano-optomechanical measurement schemes. We perform multimode output analysis of an optomechanical system consisting of a focused laser beam coupled to the…
Synchrotron radiation facilities provide highly polarized X-ray beams across a wide energy range. However, the exact type and degree of polarization varies according to the beamline and experimental setup. To accurately determine the angle…
The design and characterization of a new laser-desorption molecular beam source, tailored for use in x-ray-free-electron-laser and ultrashort-pulse-laser imaging experiments, is presented. It consists of a single mechanical unit containing…
The LAMP (Lightweight Asymmetry and Magnetism Probe) X-ray telescope is a mission concept to measure the polarization of X-ray astronomical sources at 250 eV via imaging mirrors that reflect at incidence angles near the polarization angle,…
Wavefront sensing is a set of techniques providing efficient means to ascertain the shape of an optical wavefront or its deviation from an ideal reference. Due to its wide dynamical range and high optical efficiency, the Shack-Hartmann is…
Using simultaneous optical (VLT/FORS2) and X-ray (XMM-Newton) data of NGC 5408, we present the first ever attempt to search for a reverberation signal in an ultraluminous X-ray source (NGC 5408 X-1). The idea is similar to AGN broad line…
Aberration correctors are essential elements for achieving atomic resolution in state-of-the-art electron microscopes. Conventional correctors are based on a series of multipolar electron lenses, but more versatile alternatives are…