Coherent beam combining of a narrow-linewidth long-pulse Er3+-doped multicore fiber amplifier.

Active phase locking of a multicore erbium-doped fiber amplifier is demonstrated for 180 ns narrow-linewidth pulses at 1545 nm. A spatial light modulator is used at the input of the amplifier to control the optical phase of 7 beams injected in the hexagonally-arranged cores, ensuring efficient combining through a SPGD algorithm. At the output, combining is performed using a diffractive optical element. This experiment establishes multicore amplifiers as a promising way to scale the energy of Brillouin-limited pulsed amplifiers for LIDAR applications. We also present a simple lensless technique to measure phase shifts between pairs of adjacent channels that could be implemented in future active coherent combining systems.

Piston and tilt interferometry for segmented wavefront sensing.

We present a novel interferometric technique dedicated to the measurement of relative phase differences (pistons) and tilts of a periodically segmented wavefront. Potential applications include co-phasing of segmented mirrors of Keck-like telescopes as well as coherent laser beam combining. The setup only requires a holes mask selecting the center part of each element, a diffracting component, and a camera. Recorded interferogram is made of many subareas with sinusoidal fringe pattern. From each pattern, piston is extracted from fringe shift and tilts from fringe frequency and orientation. The pattern analysis is simple enough to enable kilohertz rate operation. The λ ambiguities are solved by a two-wavelength measurement. This technique is compatible with a very high number of elements and can be operated in the presence of atmospheric turbulence.

Collective phase measurement of an array of fiber lasers by quadriwave lateral shearing interferometry for coherent beam combining.

We present a new configuration of quadriwave lateral shearing interferometer dedicated to phase detection for beam-combining purposes. Assuming that the fibers are disposed in a matrix arrangement, our scheme gives direct access to the phase step between adjacent fibers in two dimensions. Experimentally recorded interferograms are made only of two-wave interference fringes that scroll as the phase evolves in the fibers. This simplicity allows fast treatment by the spatial demodulation process, and the phase map from the fibers can be estimated in real time. No external reference is required, and the technique is fully compatible with a high number of fibers.

In situ optical testing of infrared lenses for high-performance cameras.

We propose to evaluate infrared lenses with a dedicated analyzer having the same mechanical interface as the usual cameras. The proposed analysis is based on a wavefront measurement and allows a diagnostic of possible internal defects of the analyzed lens. The infrared lens analyzer described is constituted with a quadriwave lateral shearing interferometer and works with a blackbody light. We describe the response of this interferometer and an innovative method to obtain the wavefront under test. We finally present the experimental analysis of long-wavelength infrared lenses and the particular case of a modified lens that generates a large spherical aberration.

Generation of achromatic and propagation-invariant spot arrays by use of continuously self-imaging gratings.

A particular class of Montgomery's self-imaging objects that we call continuously self-imaging gratings (CSIG's) is introduced. When they are illuminated by a plane wave, these objects produce a field whose intensity profile is a propagation- and wavelength-invariant biperiodic array of bright spots. The mathematical construction of these objects and their intrinsic properties are described. On a practical level, CSIG's are compact and achromatic nondiffracting array generators. We show that a good CSIG approximation can be realized by a two-level phase grating that is experimentally tested.

Mission-driven evaluation of imaging system quality.

Image-quality criteria are usually intended to achieve the best possible image at a given sampling rate, which is ill-suited to applications where the detection of well-defined geometric and radiometric properties of scenes or objects are paramount. The quality criterion developed here for designing observation systems is based on properties of the objects to be viewed. It is thus an object-oriented imaging quality criterion rather than an image-oriented one. We also propose to go beyond optimization and calibrate a numerical scale that can be used to rate the quality of the service delivered by any observation system.

Extended hartmann test based on the pseudoguiding property of a hartmann mask completed by a phase chessboard.

We propose to add a specific phase chessboard to the classical Hartmann mask used for wave-front sensing. By doing this we obtain a pseudoguiding of the energy issuing from this mask, allowing for an increase in the sensitivity of the Hartmann test. This property is illustrated by experiment, and a comparison between classical and new Hartmanngrams is presented.

Modulation transfer function measurement of an infrared focal plane array by use of the self-imaging property of a canted periodic target.

We present a new technique for measuring the modulation transfer function (MTF) of a focal plane array (FPA). The main idea is to project a periodic pattern of thin lines that are canted with respect to the sensor's columns. Practically, one aims the projection by using the self-imaging property of a periodic target. The technique, called the canted periodic target test, has been validated experimentally on a specific infrared FPA, leading to MTF evaluation to as great as five times the Nyquist frequency.

Modulation transfer function assessment for sampled imaging systems: effect of intensity variations in periodic thin-line targets.

Different techniques have been proposed to assess the modulation transfer function (MTF) of sampled imaging systems. Some of these are based on the use of periodic targets made up of thin lines or points. The main potential problem of implementation concerning these methods is the fact that, in specific experiments, it may be difficult to ensure a good balance in intensity between the individual lines or points. An analytical model permitting a first estimation of the actual importance of this problem is presented. The error in the MTF assessment for two generic cameras is then estimated, taking into account the experimental process.

Three-wave lateral shearing interferometer.

The three-wave lateral shearing interferometer is an interferometer specially designed for optical testing. It determines three noncollinear phase gradients from one single-fringe pattern. From these quantities, two orthogonal derivatives and the measurement error are estimated, allowing the reconstruction of the aberrated wave front. This new interferometer has several benefits; among them is that its sensitivity and dynamics can be easily adjusted to the analyzed aberrations.