Using back focal plane interferometry to probe the influence of Zernike aberrations in optical tweezers

Optical Tweezers Assembled Nanodiamond Quantum Sensors

Here we show that gradient force optical tweezers can be used to mediate the self-assembly of nanodiamonds into superstructures, which can serve as optically trapped nanoscale quantum probes with superior magnetic resonance sensing capabilities. Enhanced fluorescence rates from nitrogen-vacancy NV- defect centers enable rapid acquisition of optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), and shape-induced forces can improve both positioning accuracy and orientation control. The use of confocal imaging can isolate the signal from individual nanodiamonds within the assembly, thereby retaining the desirable properties of a single crystal probe. The improvements afforded by the use nanodiamond assemblies has the potential to resolve dynamic changes through, for example, real-time monitoring of the ODMR contrast.

Sub-millisecond switching of multi-level liquid crystal on silicon spatial light modulators for increased information bandwidth

Sub-millisecond response time with a refresh rate higher than 2000 frames per second (fps) and no degradation of the contrast ratio or diffraction efficiency is demonstrated in working liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) spatial light modulators (SLMs) with 8-bit grey levels of amplitude and phase modulations. This makes possible to achieve an information bandwidth of about 190 Gb s^-1 with a 4k LCOS operating at 10-bit phase modulation levels. The normalised contrast stays at almost the unit level for a frame rate up to 1700 fps and at higher than 0.9 for 2500 fps. The diffraction efficiency stays above -1.0 dB for a frame rate up to 2400 fps. Such a fast response allows us to eliminate image blurring in replaying a fast movie.

Structured Back Focal Plane Interferometry (SBFPI)

Back focal plane interferometry (BFPI) is one of the most straightforward and powerful methods for achieving sub-nanometer particle tracking precision at high speed (MHz). BFPI faces technical challenges that prohibit tunable expansion of linear detection range with minimal loss to sensitivity, while maintaining robustness against optical aberrations. In this paper, we devise a tunable BFPI combining a structured beam (conical wavefront) and structured detection (annular quadrant photodiode). This technique, which we termed Structured Back Focal Plane Interferometry (SBFPI), possesses three key novelties namely: extended tracking range, low loss in sensitivity, and resilience to spatial aberrations. Most importantly, the conical wavefront beam preserves the axial Gouy phase shift and lateral beam waist that can then be harnessed in a conventional BFPI system. Through a series of experimental results, we were able to tune detection sensitivity and detection range over the SBFPI parameter space. We also identified a figure of merit based on the experimental optimum that allows us to identify optimal SBPFI configurations that balance both range and sensitivity. In addition, we also studied the resilience of SBFPI against asymmetric spatial aberrations (astigmatism of up to 0.8 λ) along the lateral directions. The simplicity and elegance of SBFPI will accelerate its dissemination to many associated fields in optical detection, interferometry and force spectroscopy.

Aberration correction in holographic optical tweezers using a high-order optical vortex

Holographic optical tweezers are a powerful optical trapping and manipulation tool in numerous applications such as life science and colloidal physics. However, imperfections in the spatial light modulator and optical components of the system will introduce detrimental aberrations to the system, thereby degrading the trapping performance significantly. To address this issue, we develop an aberration correction technique by using a high-order vortex as the correction metric. The optimal Zernike polynomial coefficients for quantifying the system aberrations are determined by comparing the distorted vortex and the ideal one. Efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparing the optical trap intensity distribution, trap stiffness, and particle dynamics in a Gaussian trap and an optical vortex trap, before and after aberration corrections.