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Pietro Ferraro

Publications and source records attributed to Pietro Ferraro.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Spectral characterization of integrated acousto-optic tunable filters by means of laser frequency modulation spectroscopy.

The spectral characteristics of an integrated acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) as well as its responsivity to the rf driving signal and sensitivity to temperature changes are experimentally investigated and quantified using a diode-laser-based interrogation system. A spectroscopic technique, exploiting the rf frequency modulation of the laser beam and the phase-sensitive detection of the AOTF transmission, has been used for this purpose. That allows for the generation of a dispersivelike signal, which serves as a reference for tracking any wavelength change of the filter's peak with high resolution. The possibility of using the integrated AOTF as a spectrum analyzer with this interrogation scheme for fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensing is also discussed.

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Three-dimensional image fusion by use of multiwavelength digital holography.

We present three-dimensional (3D) image fusion by use of digital holography. We demonstrate experimentally that, through the image fusion technique with multiresolution wavelet decomposition, it is possible to increase the details and contrast of 3D reconstructed images obtained by multiwavelength digital holography. Although there is substantial activity in the fields of image fusion and holography, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of 3D image fusion by use of digital holography.

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Controlling image size as a function of distance and wavelength in Fresnel-transform reconstruction of digital holograms.

A method for controlling the size of amplitude and phase images reconstructed from digital holograms by the Fresnel-transform method is proposed and demonstrated. The method can provide a constant reconstruction pixel width in the reconstructed image plane, independent of the recording and reconstruction distance. The proposed method makes it possible to maintain the size of an object for a sequence of digital holograms recorded at different distances and, therefore, to subtract phase maps for an object recorded at different distances. Furthermore, the method solves the problem of superimposition in multiwavelength digital holography for color display and holographic interferometry applications.

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Talbot self-image effect in digital holography and its application to spectrometry.

For the first time to the authors' knowledge, the Talbot effect has been observed and investigated in digital holography. By numerical reconstruction of holograms, the Talbot self-imaging phenomenon is observed by reconstruction of the amplitude of the image at different distances and (or) wavelengths. A simple spectrometer based on Talbot self-imaging in digital holography is proposed and demonstrated.

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Interferometric analysis of reorientational nonlinear phenomena at 10.6 microm in a nematic liquid crystal.

We describe an infrared interferometric technique based on a two-dimensional spatial fringe analysis Fourier method for investigating the characteristic ring diffraction pattern generated by the self-phase-modulation effect induced in nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) by an infrared laser beam and for measuring the nonlinear refractive index of the NLCs. The experimental setup employs a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a cw CO2 laser emitting at 10.6 microm and a pyroelectric optoelectronic sensor matrix to detect the modulated ring-pattern intensity distribution formed in the far field by a nematic E7 sample. A Fourier-transform-based analysis of the interference fringe pattern allows comparison of the measurements with the theoretical ring-pattern intensity distribution. We show that accurate determination of the nonlinear refractive index can be obtained by analyzing the two-dimensional phase distribution of the modulated ring pattern.

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Digital holographic microscope with automatic focus tracking by detecting sample displacement in real time.

We propose a new method for focus tracking during the recording of a sequence of digital holograms while the sample experiences axial displacement. Corrected reconstruction distances can be automatically calculated, and well-focused amplitude and phase-contrast images can be obtained for each digitized hologram. The method is demonstrated for inspection of microelectromechanical systems subjected to thermal load. The method can be applied as a quasi-real-time procedure.

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Method for measuring the refractive index and the thickness of transparent plates with a lateral-shear, wavelength-scanning interferometer.

A new method for measuring simultaneously the thickness and the refractive index of a transparent plate is proposed. The method is based on a simple, variable lateral-shear, wavelength-scanning interferometer. To achieve highly accurate measurements of both refractive index n and thickness d we use several means to determine these two quantities. We finely tune a distributed-feedback diode laser light source to introduce a phase shift into the detected signal, whereas we make the sample rotate to produce variable lateral shearing. Phase shifting permits precise determination of the optical thickness, nd, whereas refractive index n is obtained from the retrieved phase of the overall interference signal for all incidence angles.

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Compensation of the inherent wave front curvature in digital holographic coherent microscopy for quantitative phase-contrast imaging.

An approach is proposed for removing the wavefront curvature introduced by the microscope imaging objective in digital holography, which otherwise hinders the phase contrast imaging at reconstruction planes. The unwanted curvature is compensated by evaluating a correcting wave front at the hologram plane with no need for knowledge of the optial parameters, focal length of the imaging lens, or distances in the setup. Most importantly it is shown that a correction effect can be obtained at all reconstruction planes. Three different methods have been applied to evaluate the correction wave front and the methods are discussed in detail. The proposed approach is demonstrated by applying digital holography as a method of coherent microscopy for imaging amplitude and phase contrast of microstructures.

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Reflective grating interferometer: a folded reversal and shearing wave-front interferometer.

The reflecting grating interferometer (RGI) is a folded and reversal wave-front interferometer sensitive only to asymmetrical aberrations such as third-order coma. The RGI can isolate and evaluate coma both in nearly collimated and in noncollimated beams. We propose a RGI with a different optical configuration that includes a lateral shearing in addition to folding and reversal operations. With lateral shear, the RGI also becomes sensitive to other terms of third-order aberrations such as defocusing, astigmatism, and spherical aberration. Optical path difference equations for interpreting interferograms and numerical simulations are presented to show how the interferometer works in the shearing configuration. Its potential applications are described and discussed.

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