Thesis (Ph. D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-104). Also available in electronic version. Access restricted to campus users.

No description available.

No description available.

Interferometry with computer generated holograms (CGH) has evolved to be a standard technology for optical testing and metrology. By controlling the phase of the diffracted light, CGHs are capable of generating reference wavefronts of any desired shape, which allows using of interferometers for measuring complex aspheric surfaces. Fabrication errors in CGHs, however, cause phase errors in the diffracted wavefront, which directly affects the accuracy and validity of the interferometric measurements. Therefore, CGH fabrication errors must be either calibrated or budgeted. This dissertation is a continuation and expansion of the analysis and calibration of the wavefront errors caused by CGH in optical testing. I will focus on two types of error: encoding error and etching variation induced errors. In Topic one, the analysis of wavefront error introduced by encoding the CGH is discussed. The fabrication of CGH by e-beam or laser writing machine specifically requires using polygon segments to approximate the continuously smooth fringe pattern of an ideal CGH. Wavefront phase errors introduced in this process depend on the size of the polygon segments and the shape of the fringes. We propose a method for estimating the wavefront error and its spatial frequency, allowing optimization of the polygon sizes for required measurement accuracy. This method is validated with both computer simulation and direct measurements from an interferometer. In Topics two, we present a new device, the Diffractive Optics Calibrator (DOC), for measuring etching parameters, such as duty-cycle and etching depth, for CGH. The system scans the CGH with a collimated laser beam, and collects the far field diffraction pattern with a CCD array. The relative intensities of the various orders of diffraction are used to fit the phase shift from etching and the duty cycle of the binary pattern. The system is capable of measuring variations that cause 1 nm peak-to-valley (P-V) phase errors. The device will be used primarily for quality control of the CGHs. DOC is also capable of generating an induced phase error map for calibration. Such calibration is essential for measuring freeform aspheric surfaces with 1 nm root-mean-square (RMS) accuracy.

Interferometry with computer generated holograms (CGH) has evolved to be a standard technology for optical testing and metrology. By controlling the phase of the diffracted light, CGHs are capable of generating reference wavefronts of any desired shape, which allows using of interferometers for measuring complex aspheric surfaces. Fabrication errors in CGHs, however, cause phase errors in the diffracted wavefront, which directly affects the accuracy and validity of the interferometric measurements. Therefore, CGH fabrication errors must be either calibrated or budgeted. This dissertation is a continuation and expansion of the analysis and calibration of the wavefront errors caused by CGH in optical testing. I will focus on two types of error: encoding error and etching variation induced errors. In Topic one, the analysis of wavefront error introduced by encoding the CGH is discussed. The fabrication of CGH by e-beam or laser writing machine specifically requires using polygon segments to approximate the continuously smooth fringe pattern of an ideal CGH. Wavefront phase errors introduced in this process depend on the size of the polygon segments and the shape of the fringes. We propose a method for estimating the wavefront error and its spatial frequency, allowing optimization of the polygon sizes for required measurement accuracy. This method is validated with both computer simulation and direct measurements from an interferometer. In Topics two, we present a new device, the Diffractive Optics Calibrator (DOC), for measuring etching parameters, such as duty-cycle and etching depth, for CGH. The system scans the CGH with a collimated laser beam, and collects the far field diffraction pattern with a CCD array. The relative intensities of the various orders of diffraction are used to fit the phase shift from etching and the duty cycle of the binary pattern. The system is capable of measuring variations that cause 1 nm peak-to-valley (P-V) phase errors. The device will be used primarily for quality control of the CGHs. DOC is also capable of generating an induced phase error map for calibration. Such calibration is essential for measuring freeform aspheric surfaces with 1 nm root-mean-square (RMS) accuracy.

The Epoch of Reionization (EoR) is the transitional period in the universe's evolution which starts when the first luminous sources begin to ionize the intergalactic medium for the first time since recombination, and ends when the most of the hydrogen is ionized by about a redshift of 6. Observations of the 21cm emission from hyperfine splitting of the hydrogen atom can carry a wealth of cosmological information from this epoch since the redshifted line can probe the entire volume. The GMRT-EoR experiment is an ongoing effort to make a statistical detection of the power spectrum of 21cm neutral hydrogen emission due to the patchwork of neutral and ionized regions present during the transition. In this work we detail approximately five years of observations at the GMRT, comprising over 900 hours, and an in-depth analysis of about 50 hours which have lead to the first upper limits on the 21cm power spectrum in the range z=8.1 to 9.2. This includes a concentrated radio frequency interference (RFI) mitigation campaign around the GMRT area, a novel method for removing broadband RFI with a singular value decomposition, and calibration with a pulsar as both a phase and polarization calibrator. Preliminary results from 2011 showed a 2-sigma upper limit to the power spectrum of (70 mK)^2. However, we find that foreground removal strategies tend to reduce the cosmological signal significantly, and modeling this signal loss is crucial for interpretation of power spectrum measurements. Using a simulated signal to estimate the transfer function of the real 21cm signal through the foreground removal procedure, we are able to find the optimal level of foreground removal and correct for the signal loss. Using this correction, we report a 2-sigma upper limit of (248 mK)^2 at k=0.5 h/Mpc.

The Epoch of Reionization (EoR) is the transitional period in the universe's evolution which starts when the first luminous sources begin to ionize the intergalactic medium for the first time since recombination, and ends when the most of the hydrogen is ionized by about a redshift of 6. Observations of the 21cm emission from hyperfine splitting of the hydrogen atom can carry a wealth of cosmological information from this epoch since the redshifted line can probe the entire volume. The GMRT-EoR experiment is an ongoing effort to make a statistical detection of the power spectrum of 21cm neutral hydrogen emission due to the patchwork of neutral and ionized regions present during the transition. In this work we detail approximately five years of observations at the GMRT, comprising over 900 hours, and an in-depth analysis of about 50 hours which have lead to the first upper limits on the 21cm power spectrum in the range z=8.1 to 9.2. This includes a concentrated radio frequency interference (RFI) mitigation campaign around the GMRT area, a novel method for removing broadband RFI with a singular value decomposition, and calibration with a pulsar as both a phase and polarization calibrator. Preliminary results from 2011 showed a 2-sigma upper limit to the power spectrum of (70 mK)^2. However, we find that foreground removal strategies tend to reduce the cosmological signal significantly, and modeling this signal loss is crucial for interpretation of power spectrum measurements. Using a simulated signal to estimate the transfer function of the real 21cm signal through the foreground removal procedure, we are able to find the optimal level of foreground removal and correct for the signal loss. Using this correction, we report a 2-sigma upper limit of (248 mK)^2 at k=0.5 h/Mpc.

Two collimated laser beams, wavelength O-514 μm are overlapped within a crystal of heavily iron doped lithium niobate to form a one-dimensional volume holographic grating, a few mm long, designed to behave as a highly selective filter at near infra-red wavelengths. A novel recording geometry is described and a variety of diagnostic experiments are undertaken to determine the main characteristics of the grating. A filter fabricated using this method is used to obtain single mode operation from a 1-55 μm semiconductor laser. The historical survey of holography contained in chapter one emphasizes the dynamic properties and applications of photorefractive recording materials. Standard results of two mathematical theories, kinematic and coupled-wave, are used in chapter two to predict the properties of a Bragg grating when replayed with infra-red light. Chapter three details the recording materials suitable for an infra-red filter, followed by a discussion on the concept of 'scaling'. The recording mechanism of iron doped lithium niobate, including its fixing and erasure process, is presented in chapter four as a basis for selecting the most advantageous crystal characteristics. Mathematical models describing the complex dynamic recording process in iron doped lithium niobate are introduced in chapter five. A novel recording geometry involving the use of two prisms is critically described in chapter six, from initial conception to final implementation. The performance of the grating as an infra-red filter is assessed in chapter seven by measuring the angular response of the transmitted and diffracted beams at a wavelength of 1-152 microns. Chapter eight discusses the applications for volume holographic filters, with particular reference to one example. In chapter nine general conclusions are drawn and future directions for research are suggested. A number of appendices are also included.

Demand for high-resolution imaging capabilities for both space-based and ground-based imaging systems has created significant interest in improving the design of multi-aperture interferometry imaging systems. Interferometers are a desirable alternative to single aperture imaging systems due to the fact that the angular resolution of a single aperture system is dependent on the diameter of the aperture and the resolution of the image recording device (CCD or otherwise) which quickly results in increased size, weight, and cost. Interferometers can achieve higher angular resolutions with lower resolution recording mediums and smaller apertures by increasing the distance between the apertures. While these systems grow in both size, mechanical, and computational complexity, methods of testing large scale designs with small scale demonstration systems currently do not exist. This paper documents the performance of a small scale multi-aperture intensity correlation interferometer which is used to view a double slit image. The interferometer consists of 2 avalanche photo-diodes connected to a data acquisition computer. The image is produced by shining light through the double slit image an image containment system. The sensors are placed at the far end of the image containment system, and their voltages are recorded and digitally filtered. This study presents the formulation of the design parameters for the interferometer, the assembly and design of the interferometer, and then analyzes the results of the imaging experiment and the methods used to attempt to prevent unwanted noise from corrupting the expected interference pattern. Codes in C and C++ are used to collect and analyze the data, respectively, while Matlab® was used to produce plots of binary data. The results of the analysis are then used to show that a small scale intensity correlation interferometer is indeed feasible and has promising performance.

This thesis is concerned with the experimental determination of surface displacements of material foils by means of an automatic evaluation of the holographic interferograms obtained in testing. The experimental work utilizes a newly developed method referred to as the "holographic-electro-optical" technique that employs a specially designed microcomputer unit. The experimental procedure and the microcomputer organization are fully described. The application of this technique is illustrated by the evaluation of strain field and thickness changes at a large number of points on both sides of a commercial newsprint paper sample subjected to uniaxial loads. Furthermore, a new quantity called the "volumetric mass density" is introduced for this material for the first time that is experimentally evaluated and correlated to the obtained strain field. In the conclusion of this thesis general remarks concerning the holographic-electro-optical technique are given and the obtained results for the newsprint sample and future research are indicated.