The present invention discloses a photo-alignment apparatus that realizes a desirable distribution through a single exposure and a method of manufacturing an optical element. The photo-alignment apparatus comprises a light source, a linear polarization film, a pixelated electronic-control phase retarder, and a phase retardation plate; the light source is used to provide light for a exposure; the linear polarization film is configured to convert the light emitted by the light source into a linearly-polarized light having a polarization direction parallel to the direction of the transmission axis of the linear polarization film; the pixelated electronic-control phase retarder is configured to generate phase retardations distributed in a desirable pattern; and the phase retardation plate is used to generate a non-pixelated phase retardation. With this photo-alignment apparatus, a polarization distribution of a desirable pattern can be generated, and a corresponding alignment profile can be formed on a polarization sensitive medium.

A viewing angle control film includes, in order, a first polarizer in which an absorption axis is in a direction perpendicular to a film surface; a first phase difference plate which is a /4 plate and has a patterned optical anisotropic layer; and a second phase difference plate which is a /4 plate and has a patterned optical anisotropic layer, in which the patterned optical anisotropic layers have a constant phase difference and are divided into a plurality of belt-like regions in the same plane, directions of slow axes in one belt-like region match each other and directions of slow axes of belt-like regions adjacent to each other are different from each other in the patterned optical anisotropic layer, and the belt-like region of the first phase difference plate and the belt-like region of the second phase difference plate are disposed so as to intersect with each other in a plane direction.

A wearable display device 1 includes a display panel 11, an eyepiece 31, and an optical element 21 that is disposed between the display panel 11 and the eyepiece 31, in which the optical element 21 includes an optically-anisotropic layer 23 that is formed of a cured layer of a composition including a liquid crystal compound 24, and the optically-anisotropic layer 23 has a liquid crystal alignment pattern AP1 in which a direction of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound 24 changes while continuously rotating along at least one in-plane direction of the optically-anisotropic layer 23.

Aspects of the present disclosure describe techniques for controlling quantum states of ions in an ion chain for a quantum operation. For example, a method is described that includes providing, from a first direction, a global optical beam to the ions in the ion chain, and providing, from a second direction different from the first direction, to each ion in a subset of the ions in the ion chain, a respective addressing optical beam. The method further includes dynamically controlling each of the addressing optical beams being provided by using a respective channel in a multi-channel acousto-optic modulator (AOM) to implement, with the ion chain, one or more quantum gates in a sequence of quantum gates of the quantum operation. Aspects of a quantum information processing (QIP) system that includes the multi-channel AOM for performing the method are also described.

A method for actuating an acoustooptical element includes generating an actuation signal by a direct digital synthesis (DDS) method using a signal value sequence made up of at least two frequency components. A signal generator for actuating an acoustooptical element is configured to perform the method. An arrangement includes the signal generator and the acoustooptical element. A microscope includes the arrangement.

Three-dimensional printing methods and systems use a derived geometry and aligns anisotropic inclusions in any orientation at any number of discrete volumetric sections. Structural, thermal, or geometry-based analyses are combined with inclusion alignment computations and print preparation methods and provided to 3D printers to produce composite material parts that meet demanding geometric needs as well as enhanced structural and thermal requirements. In one example, optimal inclusion alignment vectors associated with a section of the object are calculated based on specifications for the object, segmenting a three-dimensional model of the object into layer slices, grouping each section within each layer slice having similar alignment vectors and combining the groupings and generating printing instructions for the object according to the grouped alignment vectors.

An apparatus for reducing a chromatic spread angle of light diffracted at an acousto-optic element includes the acousto-optic element and a first and a second focusing optical unit. The acousto-optic element is disposed in a beam path of an incident light beam and is configured to generate the diffracted light from the incident light beam such that the diffracted light emanates from a virtual interaction point of the acousto-optic element. The first focusing optical unit is disposed in the beam path upstream of the acousto-optic element and the second focusing optical unit is disposed in the diffracted light such that a focus of the incident light beam is situated downstream of the first focusing optical unit in the acousto-optic element and the virtual interaction point is located in a front focus of the second focusing optical unit.

Images of samples that are illuminated with polarized light are captured. Azimuth and inclination data are extracted from the captured images. The azimuth and inclination data are used to quantify MTRs.

An optical arrangement has an optical beam path for illuminating a sample space with a sequence of laser light pulses generated in a laser cycle, the optical arrangement. At least one laser light source is configured to generate the sequence of laser light pulses along the optical beam path. A wavelength-selective pulse picker is situated in the optical beam path and has, in a predefined illumination clock timing synchronizable with the laser light pulses, an open state in which the pulse picker is light-transparent to at least one laser light pulse towards the sample space. The open state has at least two different transmission states which differ with regard to their respective transmission spectrums, and wherein the two transmission states are switchable on and/or off independently of one another.

A tunable filter for microscope includes an optical element having a surface with one or more steps formed thereon; a conductive layer formed on the surface with the steps; one or more crystals secured to each step; and electrodes positioned on each surface of each crystal.