Optical angular momentum conversion in a nanoslit: reply.

We respond to a Comment on our Letter [Opt. Lett.37, 4946 (2012)], in which we reported on the spin-to-orbital optical angular momentum conversion of a circular nanoslit in a thin metal layer. We claimed, in an unfortunately worded sentence, that the conversion efficiency was independent of the slit's dichroism, which the Comment pointed out was incorrect. We acknowledge this and reiterate our original intention that as long as the dichroism is not too large, then it has little effect on the conversion efficiency in our system.

Surface plasmon lasing observed in metal hole arrays.

Surface plasmons in metal hole arrays have been studied extensively in the context of extraordinary optical transmission, but so far these arrays have not been studied as resonators for surface plasmon lasing at optical frequencies. We experimentally study a metal hole array with a semiconductor (InGaAs) gain layer placed in close (20 nm) proximity of the metal hole array. As a function of increasing pump power, we observe an intense and spectrally narrow peak, with a clear threshold. This laser emission is donut shaped and radially polarized. Three experimental observations support that the system shows surface plasmon lasing. First, the full wavelength dispersion of the observed resonances can be understood by using a single surface plasmon mode of the system. Second, the polarization of these resonances is as expected for surface plasmons. Third, the magnitude of the avoided crossing, which results from mode coupling at the holes, has a similar magnitude as found in simulations using surface plasmons.

Optical angular momentum conversion in a nanoslit.

We demonstrate partial conversion of circularly polarized light into orbital angular momentum-carrying vortex light with opposite-handed circular polarization. This conversion is accomplished in a novel manner using the birefringent properties of a circular subwavelength slit in a thin metal film. Our technique can be applied over a very wide range of frequencies and even allows the creation of anisotropic vortices when using a slit without circular symmetry.

A subwavelength slit as a quarter-wave retarder.

We have experimentally studied the polarization-dependent transmission properties of a nanoslit in a gold film as a function of its width. The slit exhibits strong birefringence and dichroism. We find, surprisingly, that the transmission of the polarization parallel to the slit only disappears when the slit is much narrower than half a wavelength, while the transmission of the perpendicular component is reduced by the excitation of surface plasmons. We exploit the slit's dichroism and birefringence to realize a quarter-wave retarder.

High-resolution resonant and nonresonant fiber-scanning confocal microscope.

We present a novel, hand-held microscope probe for acquiring confocal images of biological tissue. This probe generates images by scanning a fiber-lens combination with a miniature electromagnetic actuator, which allows it to be operated in resonant and nonresonant scanning modes. In the resonant scanning mode, a circular field of view with a diameter of 190 µm and an angular frequency of 127 Hz can be achieved. In the nonresonant scanning mode, a maximum field of view with a width of 69 µm can be achieved. The measured transverse and axial resolutions are 0.60 and 7.4 µm, respectively. Images of biological tissue acquired in the resonant mode are presented, which demonstrate its potential for real-time tissue differentiation. With an outer diameter of 3 mm, the microscope probe could be utilized to visualize cellular microstructures in vivo across a broad range of minimally-invasive procedures.

Plasmonic tomography of optical vortices.

We present a method for analyzing the wavefront of optical vortices that does not involve interferometry but rather uses surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). We employ a subwavelength slit in a gold film to cut slices from an optical vortex beam and measure the diffraction of the generated SPPs by scattering them off a second slit. By moving the slits across the vortex beam, we create a tomogram, from which we can determine the vortex charge of the incident beam at a glance. We present results for vortex beams of integer- and half-integer-vortex charge.

Improved depth resolution in near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy using obliquely oriented fibers.

We demonstrate a significant improvement of depth selectivity when using obliquely oriented fibers for near-infrared (NIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. This is confirmed by diffuse reflectance measurements of a two-layer tissue-mimicking phantom across the spectral range from 1,000 to 1,940 nm. The experimental proof is supported by Monte Carlo simulations. The results reveal up to fourfold reduction in the mean optical penetration depth, twofold reduction in its variation, and a decrease in the number of scattering events when a single fiber is oriented at an angle of 60 deg. The effect of reducing the mean optical penetration depth is enhanced by orienting both fibers inwardly. Using outwardly oriented fibers enables more selective probing of deeper layers, while reducing the contribution from surface layers. We further demonstrate that the effect of an inward oblique arrangement can be approximated to a decrease in fiber-to-fiber separation in the case of a perpendicular fiber arrangement. This approximation is valid in the weak- or absorption-free regime. Our results assert the advantages of using obliquely oriented fibers when attempting to specifically address superficial tissue layers, for example, for skin cancer detection, or in noninvasive glucose monitoring. Such flexibility could be further advantageous in a range of minimally invasive applications, including catheter-based interventions.

Low-cost spectroscopy with a variable multivariate optical element.

Here, successful realization of a variable multivariate optical element (VMOE) based on a transmissive liquid crystal (LC) panel is reported. In contrast to conventional multivariate optical elements (MOEs), a single VMOE is a dynamic system, allowing measurement of numerous analytes in different mixtures. Furthermore, VMOE has superior spectral resolution in comparison to a conventional MOE. It is demonstrated here that the system implemented in a Raman spectrometer predicts the concentration of each individual component in toluene-acetonitrile-cyclohexane mixtures with a prediction error of <6% (mass percentage). With a dedicated optical design of the setup, a prediction error smaller than 2% is expected to be feasible for the current chemical system.

Collapse of optical vortices.

We theoretically and experimentally investigate the self-focusing of optical vortices in Kerr media. We observe collapse to a distinct self-similar profile, which becomes unstable to azimuthal perturbations. We analyze the azimuthal modulational instability for ring-shaped vortices and predict the number of azimuthal maxima solely as a function of power and topological charge. In our experiments, the observed multiple-filamentation patterns are in excellent agreement with our theoretical analysis.