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In polarimetry it is important to characterize the polarization properties of the instrument itself to disentangle real astrophysical signals from instrumental effects. This article deals with the accurate measurement and modeling of the…
The last decade has seen applications of Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) methods for a wide range of problems from space physics to cosmology. With the advent of these methods, in which space is discretized into a mesh of many individual…
We demonstrate a new versatile method for 3D super-resolution microscopy by using a deformable mirror to shape the point spread function of our microscope in a continuous and controllable way. We apply this for 3D STORM imaging of…
Spaced-based mirrors are a developing use-case for Additive Manufacturing (AM), the process that builds a part layer-by-layer. The increased geometric freedom results in novel and advantageous designs previously unachievable.…
The results obtained using the temperature monitoring systems of the 6-m BTA telescope primary mirror, dome space, and external environment are reported. We consider the factors that affect the development of microturbulence in the…
Recent developments in thin-film fabrication and processing open up interesting possibilities for both established and emerging optics technologies. There, one of the key questions requiring more complete understanding is by how much one…
A conventional refractive lens surface can act as a positive (converging) or negative (diverging) lens, but the same surface cannot act as both. We show that a geometric phase metasurface lens can have the unique property of acting both as…
We describe a new concept for a MEMS-based active spatial filter for astronomical spectroscopy. The goal of this device is to allow the use of a diffraction-limited spectrometer on a seeing limited observation at improved throughput over a…
Measurement of the optical transmission matrix (TM) of an opaque material is an advanced form of space-variant aberration correction. Beyond imaging, TM-based methods are emerging in a range of fields including optical communications,…
In astronomy and microscopy, distortions in the wavefront affect the dynamic range of a high contrast imaging system. These aberrations are either imposed by a turbulent medium such as the atmosphere, by static or thermal aberrations in the…
We develop a comprehensive approach to simulate the deformation of mirrors and lenses due to thermal and mechanical stresses that couples efficiently to photon-based optics simulations. This expands upon previous work where we demonstrated…
We have been successful in developing light and durable mirrors made of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) laminates for the reflector of the new CANGAROO-II 7 m telescope. The reflector has a parabolic shape (F/1.1) with a 30 m^2…
Off-axis parabolic mirrors (OAPs) are occasionally desirable for specialized applications, but are known to introduce field-dependent astigmatic aberrations. In an experiment where optical tweezers are formed by OAPs, another OAP is added…
The method of wavefront shaping to control optical properties of opaque media is a promising technique for authentication applications. One of the main challenges of this technique is the sensitivity of the wavefront-sample coupling to…
Optical resonators are increasingly important tools in science and technology. Their applications range from laser physics, atomic clocks, molecular spectroscopy, and single-photon generation to the detection, trapping and cooling of atoms…
Fundamentally new technology is described for constructing low areal mass density (1kg/m^2), high precision (< 10micron RMS) reflectors scalable to large apertures (10 to 20 meters) for use as the primary element of a telescope system. A…
Here we demonstrate the all-optical manipulation of polymeric membranes in microfluidic environments. The membranes are decorated with handles for their use in holographic optical tweezers setups. Our results show that due to their form…
We discuss experimental studies of the interaction between a nanoscopic object and a photonic crystal membrane resonator of quality factor Q=55000. By controlled actuation of a glass fiber tip in the near-field of a photonic crystal, we…
Reducing a set of diverse bulk-optic-based optical components to a single ultrathin and compact element that enables the same complex functionality has become an emerging research area, propelling further integration and miniaturization in…
Active transmissive metasurfaces are central building blocks for future compact, cascadable optical systems, enabling the stacking of multiple functional layers for advanced dynamic beam shaping, photonic neural networks, depth sensing, and…