Related papers: Gamma Ray Fresnel lenses - why not?
The gravitational field of the sun will focus light from a distant source to a focal point at a minimal distance of 550 Astronomical Units from the sun. A proposed mission to this gravitational focus could use the sun as a very large lens,…
High-energy phenomena in the cosmos, and in particular processes leading to the emission of gamma- rays in the energy range 10 MeV - 100 GeV, play a very special role in the understanding of our Universe. This energy range is indeed…
Gravitational and plasma lensing share the same mathematical formalism in the limit of geometrical optics. Both phenomena can be effectively described by a projected, two-dimensional deflection potential whose gradient causes an…
Hard X / soft gamma-ray polarimetric analysis can be performed efficiently by the study of Compton scattering anisotropy in a detector composed of fine pixels. But in the energy range above 100 keV where sources flux are extremely weak and…
High-resolution x-ray microscopy requires a high photon flux to measure the signal from weakly scattering samples. This exposes samples to high radiation doses, potentially damaging or destroying them through radiation damage. In this work,…
Currently, no light source exists which is both narrow-band and speckle-free with sufficient brightness for full-field imaging applications. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are excellent spatially incoherent sources, but are tens of nanometers…
The need for precise manipulation of nanoparticles in gaseous or near-vacuum environments is encountered in many studies that include aerosol morphology, nanodroplet physics, nanoscale optomechanics, and biomolecular physics. Photophoretic…
It is well known that the solar gravitational field can be considered as a telescope with a prime focus at locations beyond 550 au. In this work we present a new derivation of the wave-optical properties of the system, by adapting the…
Recently, there has been an explosion of interest in metalenses for imaging. The interest is primarily based on their sub-wavelength thicknesses. Diffractive lenses have been used as thin lenses since the late 19th century. Here, we show…
Astronomical imaging with micro-arcsecond ($\mu$as) angular resolution could enable breakthrough scientific discoveries. Previously-proposed $\mu$as X-ray imager designs have been interferometers with limited effective collecting area. Here…
Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are a mysterious flash phenomenon detected in radio wavelengths with a duration of only a few milliseconds, and they may also have prompt gamma-ray flashes. Here we carry out a blind search for msec-duration…
Gravitational lensing deflects light. A single lens deflector can only shear images, but cannot induce rotations. Multiple lens planes can induce rotations. Such rotations can be observed in quadruply imaged sources, and can be used to…
Perfect lensing using negative refractive index materials and radiationless electromagnetic interference both provide extreme subwavelength focusing by "amplifying" evanescent wave components that are usually lost. This paper provides a…
We propose a new kind of interferometric array that yields images of high dynamic range and large field. The numerous individual apertures in this array form a pattern related to a Fresnel zone plate. This array can be used for…
The resolution of far-field optical microscopes, which rely on propagating optical modes, is widely believed to be limited because of diffraction to a value on the order of a half-wavelength $\lambda /2$ of the light used. Although…
Lens design uses a calculation of the lens' surfaces that permit to obtain an image from a given object. A set of general rules and laws permits to calculate the essential points of the optical system such as distances, thickness, pupils,…
The question on X-ray extreme focusing (smallest reachable spot size) brings us to the idea for using the wave features of X-ray propagation in media. As known, wave features are revealed at propagation in ultra-narrow collimators as well…
This year, 2015, marks the centenary of the publication of Einsteins Theory of General Relativity and it has been named the International Year of Light and light-based technologies by the UN General Assembly. It is thus timely to discuss…
Gravitational lensing is generally treated in the geometric optics limit; however, when the wavelength of the radiation approaches or exceeds the Schwarzschild radius of the lens, diffraction becomes important. Although the magnification…
Conventional microscope objective lenses are diffraction limited, which means that they cannot resolve features smaller than half the illumination wavelength. Under white light illumination, such resolution limit is about 250-300 nm for an…