The invention provides an elastomeric optical device having a first optical state and a second optical state. The device is transparent when in the first optical state and translucent or opaque when in the second optical state. The device comprises, in sequence, a first transparent electrode, a dielectric layer, an elastomer layer, and a second transparent electrode. The elastomer layer preferably has certain mechanical properties, such as a Shore OOO hardness of less than 15, and/or certain chemical properties, such as being substantially devoid of unreacted sites. The second transparent electrode is configured to compress the elastomer layer in response to an electric field between the first and second transparent electrodes, such that when the elastomeric optical device is in the second optical state, the elastomer layer is compressed between the first and second transparent electrodes. Methods of operating an elastomeric optical device are also provided.

An apparatus includes an elastically deformable optical element holder situated to receive an optical element having a plurality of holder contact surfaces, the optical element holder including a plurality of receiving portions adjacent to an aperture and corresponding to respective holder contact surfaces, each receiving portion displaceable through deformation of the optical element holder so that the optical element is insertable in the aperture so as to be cushionably supported in a predetermined position with the receiving portions in contact with the respective holder contact surfaces.

A multi core optical fiber that includes a plurality of cores disposed in a cladding. The plurality of cores include a first core and a second core. The first core has a first propagation constant β.sub.1, the second core has a second propagation constant β.sub.2, the cladding has a cladding propagation constant β.sub.0, and (I).

A form birefringent optical element includes a structured layer and a dielectric environment disposed over the structured layer. At least one of the structured layer and the dielectric environment includes a nanovoided polymer, the nanovoided polymer having a first refractive index in an unactuated state and a second refractive index different than the first refractive index in an actuated state. Actuation of the nanovoided polymer can be used to reversibly control the form birefringence of the optical element. Various other apparatuses, systems, materials, and methods are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to methods for calibrating and controlling a polarization modulator, for example a photoelastic modulator (PEM) device on a CD measurement instrument, the method comprising scanning the control input voltage (V.sub.in) at a fixed wavelength (λ.sub.meas); and recording the CD scan, wherein the control input voltage (V.sub.in) determines the peak retardation (δ) at the fixed wavelength (λ.sub.meas), and wherein the method is repeated for one or more fixed wavelengths. An augmented drive function allows the PEM to be operated with greater accuracy over the full wavelength range, and measurement of resonant frequency provides a means to continually correct for temperature related drift of retardation.

A high-brightness squeezed light source includes a plurality of light squeezing elements and a photonic summing device. The light squeezing elements each output respective squeezed light responsive to receipt of unsqueezed light. The photonic summing device receives the squeezed light output by each of the light squeezing elements and coherently adds the squeezed light to generate a high-brightness squeezed light output. The high-brightness squeezed light output has a greater brightness than the outputs of the light squeezing elements, and a same degree of squeezing as one or more of the outputs of the light squeezing elements.

A transparent optical element includes a primary electrode, a secondary electrode overlapping at least a portion of the primary electrode, an electroactive layer disposed between and abutting the primary electrode and the secondary electrode, and a control system operably coupled to at least one of the primary electrode and the secondary electrode and adapted to provide a drive signal to actuate the electroactive layer within an aperture of the transparent optical element.

A transparency-adjusting apparatus includes a transparency-adjustable film including a polymer and an array of pores that are three-dimensionally ordered and connected to each other, and a compressive-strain adjusting part that adjusts a compressive strain of the transparency-adjustable film in a vertical direction. A transparency of the transparency-adjustable film varies depending on the compressive strain. The pores are arranged to tilt from the vertical direction.

A graded-index optical element may include a nanovoided material including a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The nanovoided material may be transparent between the first surface and the second surface. Additionally, the nanovoided material may have a predefined change in effective refractive index in at least one axis due to a change in at least one of nanovoid size or nanovoid distribution along the at least one axis. Various other elements, devices, systems, materials, and methods are also disclosed.

This disclosure discloses a display panel, a method for driving the same, and a display device. The display panel includes a first substrate and a second substrate arranged opposite each other, and a plurality of pixel elements located between the first substrate and the second substrate, where each of the plurality of pixel elements includes a photonic crystal light-modulating structure. The photonic crystal light-modulating structure can be configured to adjust an intensity of light emitted from the pixel element, so as to take the place of a liquid crystal layer in the prior art.