A new projector design combines one spatial light modulator that affects only the phase of the illumination, and one spatial light modulator that only affects its amplitude (intensity). The phase-only modulator curves the wavefront of light and acts as a pre-modulator for a conventional amplitude modulator. This approach works with both white light and laser illumination, generating a coarse image representation efficiently, thus enabling, within a single image frame, significantly elevated highlights as well as darker black levels while reducing the overall light source power requirements.

A new projector design combines one spatial light modulator that affects only the phase of the illumination, and one spatial light modulator that only affects its amplitude (intensity). The phase-only modulator curves the wavefront of light and acts as a pre-modulator for a conventional amplitude modulator. This approach works with both white light and laser illumination, generating a coarse image representation efficiently, thus enabling, within a single image frame, significantly elevated highlights as well as darker black levels while reducing the overall light source power requirements.

A phase object visualization apparatus includes: an illumination optical system 11 that illuminates a phase object; an image formation optical system 12 that forms an image from light from sample S that corresponds to the phase object; and light blocking unit 10 for blocking light, the light blocking unit 10 being disposed between the sample S and an image plane formed by the image formation optical system 12, and including an aperture at a position decentered from the optical axis of the image formation optical system 12. The position of the aperture is such that an area occupied on the aperture by 0-order diffraction light from the sample S illuminated by the illumination optical system 11 becomes smaller than the total area of the aperture.

A phase object visualization apparatus includes: an illumination optical system 11 that illuminates a phase object; an image formation optical system 12 that forms an image from light from sample S that corresponds to the phase object; and light blocking unit 10 for blocking light, the light blocking unit 10 being disposed between the sample S and an image plane formed by the image formation optical system 12, and including an aperture at a position decentered from the optical axis of the image formation optical system 12. The position of the aperture is such that an area occupied on the aperture by 0-order diffraction light from the sample S illuminated by the illumination optical system 11 becomes smaller than the total area of the aperture.

A new projector design combines one spatial light modulator that affects only the phase of the illumination, and one spatial light modulator that only affects its amplitude (intensity). The phase-only modulator curves the wavefront of light and acts as a pre-modulator for a conventional amplitude modulator. This approach works with both white light and laser illumination, generating a coarse image representation efficiently, thus enabling, within a single image frame, significantly elevated highlights as well as darker black levels while reducing the overall light source power requirements.

A new projector design combines one spatial light modulator that affects only the phase of the illumination, and one spatial light modulator that only affects its amplitude (intensity). The phase-only modulator curves the wavefront of light and acts as a pre-modulator for a conventional amplitude modulator. This approach works with both white light and laser illumination, generating a coarse image representation efficiently, thus enabling, within a single image frame, significantly elevated highlights as well as darker black levels while reducing the overall light source power requirements.

The invention discloses an optical imaging system and an imaging method regulated based on a spatial coherence structure, including the steps of: building a 4f imaging system; detecting, by a first optical detector, the shape of the spectrum domain obstacle in the 4f imaging system; designing a spatial coherence structure of the incident beam based on the shape of the spectrum domain obstacle, so that all the modes of the incident beam can pass through the opening in the obstacle; and placing an object to be detected in the optical path and detecting, by the second optical detector, the optical imaging information of the object to be detected. According to the present invention, in the case where the frequency plane of the 4f optical imaging system is partially occluded, imaging without speckles is enabled, utilization of the systematic light is substantially improved, and the signal-to-noise ratio in imaging is improved.

A multiple mirror for multiplying a single incident wavefront of electromagnetic radiation into a plurality of outgoing wavefronts, including at least one first mirror, onto which the incident wavefront first falls, and a second mirror, on which the wavefront is last reflected, wherein the mirror planes are superimposed in the direction of movement of the first wavefront. The first mirror is partially transparent to the electromagnetic radiation and the second mirror is fully reflective.

An optical image generation system including: a spatial light modulator (SLM) configured to receive an input collimated laser beam and modulate the wavefront of the laser beam; one or more optical elements configured to project the modulated laser beam onto a focal plane; a first mirror and a second mirror situated at the focal plane, an edge of the first mirror being adjacent to an edge of the second mirror, the first mirror reflects a first portion of the modulated laser beam in a first direction, the second mirror reflects a second portion of the modulated laser beam in a second direction; and an objective lens projects the first and second portions into a combined image; wherein the zeroth order diffraction is block or suppressed at the center of the focal plane.

A novel projection system includes a light source, a phase modulator, an amplitude modulator, and a controller having temporal lightfield simulation capabilities. The phase modulator spatially modulates a lightfield from the light source to generate an intermediate image on the amplitude modulator. The amplitude modulator spatially modulates the intermediate image to form a final image. The controller models the phase state of the phase modulator during transitions between phase modulator frames and generates lightfield simulations of the intermediate image during the transition. The controller utilizes the lightfield simulations to generate and provide sets of amplitude drive values to the amplitude modulator at a faster rate than that at which the phase modulator is capable of switching.