Advances in Optics and Photonics 

About: Advances in Optics and Photonics is an academic journal published by Optica Publishing Group. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Photonics & Photon. It has an ISSN identifier of 1943-8206. Over the lifetime, 173 publications have been published receiving 30731 citations. The journal is also known as: Adv Opt Photonics.

Orbital angular momentum: origins, behavior and applications

Abstract: As they travel through space, some light beams rotate. Such light beams have angular momentum. There are two particularly important ways in which a light beam can rotate: if every polarization vector rotates, the light has spin; if the phase structure rotates, the light has orbital angular momentum (OAM), which can be many times greater than the spin. Only in the past 20 years has it been realized that beams carrying OAM, which have an optical vortex along the axis, can be easily made in the laboratory. These light beams are able to spin microscopic objects, give rise to rotational frequency shifts, create new forms of imaging systems, and behave within nonlinear material to give new insights into quantum optics.

Cylindrical vector beams: from mathematical concepts to applications

Abstract: An overview of the recent developments in the field of cylindrical vector beams is provided. As one class of spatially variant polarization, cylindrical vector beams are the axially symmetric beam solution to the full vector electromagnetic wave equation. These beams can be generated via different active and passive methods. Techniques for manipulating these beams while maintaining the polarization symmetry have also been developed. Their special polarization symmetry gives rise to unique high-numerical-aperture focusing properties that find important applications in nanoscale optical imaging and manipulation. The prospects for cylindrical vector beams and their applications in other fields are also briefly discussed.

Optical communications using orbital angular momentum beams

Abstract: Orbital angular momentum (OAM), which describes the “phase twist” (helical phase pattern) of light beams, has recently gained interest due to its potential applications in many diverse areas. Particularly promising is the use of OAM for optical communications since: (i) coaxially propagating OAM beams with different azimuthal OAM states are mutually orthogonal, (ii) inter-beam crosstalk can be minimized, and (iii) the beams can be efficiently multiplexed and demultiplexed. As a result, multiple OAM states could be used as different carriers for multiplexing and transmitting multiple data streams, thereby potentially increasing the system capacity. In this paper, we review recent progress in OAM beam generation/detection, multiplexing/demultiplexing, and its potential applications in different scenarios including free-space optical communications, fiber-optic communications, and RF communications. Technical challenges and perspectives of OAM beams are also discussed.

Structured-light 3D surface imaging: a tutorial

Abstract: We provide a review of recent advances in 3D surface imaging technologies. We focus particularly on noncontact 3D surface measurement techniques based on structured illumination. The high-speed and high-resolution pattern projection capability offered by the digital light projection technology, together with the recent advances in imaging sensor technologies, may enable new generation systems for 3D surface measurement applications that will provide much better functionality and performance than existing ones in terms of speed, accuracy, resolution, modularization, and ease of use. Performance indexes of 3D imaging system are discussed, and various 3D surface imaging schemes are categorized, illustrated, and compared. Calibration techniques are also discussed, since they play critical roles in achieving the required precision. Numerous applications of 3D surface imaging technologies are discussed with several examples.

Long-range surface plasmon polaritons

Abstract: Long-range surface plasmon polaritons (LRSPPs) are optical surface waves that propagate along a thin symmetric metal slab or stripe over an appreciable length (centimeters). Vigorous interest in LRSPPs has stimulated a large number of studies over three decades spanning a broad topical landscape. Naturally, a good segment of the literature covers fundamentals such as modal characteristics, excitation, and field enhancement. But a large portion also involves the LRSPP in diverse phenomena, including nonlinear interactions, molecular scattering, fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, transmission through opaque metal films and emission extraction, amplification and lasing, surface characterization, metal roughness and islandization, optical interconnects and integrated structures, gratings, thermo-, electro- and magneto-optics, and (bio)chemical sensing. Despite the breadth and depth of the research conducted to date, much remains to be uncovered, and the scope for future investigations is broad. We review the properties of the LRSPP, survey the literature involving this wave, and discuss the prospects for applications. Avenues for further work are suggested.