A system is described that combines spectropolarimetry with scatterometry. The system uses an annular mirror and liquid crystal devices to control the angle of the incident light cone, the polarization and wavelength, an imaging setup and one or more video cameras so that spectroseopic-polarimetric-scatterometric images can be grabbed rapidly. The system is also designed to incorporate additional imaging modes such as interference, phase contrast, fluorescence and Raman spectropolarimetric imaging.

An imaging system uses a dynamically varying coded mask, such as a spatial light modulator (SLM), to time-encode multiple degrees of freedom of a light field in parallel and a detector and processor to decode the encoded information. The encoded information may be decoded at the pixel level (e.g., with independently modulated counters in each pixel), on a read-out integrated circuit coupled to the detector, or on a circuit external to the detector. For example, the SLM, detector, and processor may create modulation sequences representing a system of linear equations where the variables represent a degree of freedom of the light field that is being sensed. If the number of equations and variables form a fully determined or overdetermined system of linear equations, the system of linear equations' solution can be determined through a matrix inverse. Otherwise, a solution can be determined with compressed sensing reconstruction techniques with the constraint that the signal is sparse in the frequency domain.

The invention relates to a light modulation element, preferably exploiting the flexoelectric effect comprising a cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two substrates (1), each provided with an electrode structure (2), wherein at least one of the substrates is provided with a photoresist pattern consisting of periodic substantially parallel stripes (3) which is additionally provided with an alignment layer (4). The invention is further related to a method of production of said light modulation element and to the use of said light modulation element in various types of optical and electro-optical devices, such as electro-optical displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), non-linear optic (NLO) devices, and optical information storage devices.

An optoelectronic system includes a concentration layer, a modulation layer including an array of light modulators, an exit layer that receives the modulation layer output having a modulation layer output spatial distribution and remaps the modulation layer output spatial distribution to a modified spatial distribution. A collector layer receives the modified spatial distribution to produce a collector layer output. A detector receives the collector layer output. A processor controls the modulation layer and receives the detector output to generate an image. The collector layer can receive the modified spatial distribution at a plurality of collector layer inputs and combine the plurality of collector layer inputs at a collector layer output. Modulators can be configured to direct couple modulated light to a collector layer, without using an exit layer. Configurations with spatial light modulator modules and sub-modules are described.

A projection system arranged to receive an image for projection. The image is a colour image comprising a first colour component and a second colour component. The system is arranged to calculate a first hologram of the first colour component and a second hologram of the second colour component. The system is further arranged to add content of the second colour component to the first colour component before calculating the first hologram. The first hologram contains information of the first colour component and information of at least a portion of the second colour component. The system is further arranged to form a first holographic reconstruction by illuminating the first hologram with first colour light and to form a second holographic reconstruction by illuminating the second hologram with second colour light. The first holographic reconstruction changes the chromaticity of the at least a portion of the second colour component.

A method for implementing folding M×N wavelength selective switch is provided. A one-dimensional single-mode fiber optic collimator array, a short-focus cylindrical mirror, a first long-focus cylindrical mirror, a retroreflector, a transmission phase diffraction grating, a second long-focus cylindrical mirror, a liquid crystal spatial light modulator, and a liquid crystal graphic loading control system are provided along beam transmission direction. The same set of optical elements is used for incident light and outgoing light by ingenious folding structure. The input port and output port of optical signal are consistent in spatial arrangement, thereby reducing space and improving port utilization. Based on composite liquid crystal chips, a working area of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator is doubled, and a quantity of accommodating ports is greatly increased. A quantity of M×N ports of the WSS can be increased greatly by the above structure and design.

A phase and phase/amplitude spatial light modulator arrangement for generating a complex-valued light field with a spatial light modulator, a phase element and an optical system. The phase and amplitude spatial light modulator arrangement is configured to generate a light field that is adjustable in amount and phase. A method realizes operation of a combined spatial light modulator for generating a complex-valued light field. Here, the method includes adapting an optical characteristic in several areas of a phase element. A further method realizes operation of an optical arrangement for modulating different light wavelengths by adjusting several wave influences in several areas of a phase modulator. A last method realizes operation of an optical arrangement by adjusting an amplitude spatial light modulator for modulating light intensities in at least two optical paths.

A method of fabricating an electrically-controlled birefringence cell. The cell has a cell gap no more than 20 micrometers. The cell has an alignment layer arranged to impart a pretilt on liquid crystal in contact with the alignment layer. The method comprises processing the alignment layer to achieve a surface anchoring value between the liquid crystal and alignment layer of less than 1 mJ/m.sup.2.

A compressed sensing imaging method and a compressed sensing imaging system are provided. In the method, multiple grayscale masks having multiple elements with grayscale values represented by floating-point values or continuous values are generated as sensing matrices based on a compressed sensing theory. A spatial light modulator is controlled to modulate an electromagnetic wave projected on an object under test according to the grayscale value of each element in each grayscale mask, and a physical property of the electromagnetic wave passing through the object under test is detected to obtain multiple measured values. An image reconstruction algorithm is executed to reconstruct an image of the object under test by using the grayscale masks and the measured values obtained from the electromagnetic wave modulated by each grayscale mask.

A voltage-controlled optical wedge is formed by creating an adjustable voltage gradient along the length of a relatively large-sized LC cell. A pair of bias voltages (AC voltages) are applied at the opposing side terminations of the LC cell, their RMS values selected to create a continuous phase variation along the length of the cell, where a defined phase variation is associated with a specific beam steering angle. Adjustments in the applied bias voltages (specifically, changes in the RMS values of the bias voltages) result in changing the beam steering angle, providing for active, controllable beam steering as a function of time. The LC cell may be configured to provide either a linear or nonlinear continuous phase variation, as preferred for different beam steering applications.