NEWS

LightTrans VirtualLab™ Software Course in September 2013

(June 12, 2013)

Our next software course is scheduled for September 23-27, 2013. It will take place at our main office in Jena. The first part (September 23-24) is intended for users without or with low knowledge of VirtualLab™. It gives an ”Introduction to LightTrans VirtualLab™” and is intended to facilitate part...

New Management Board

(May 30, 2013)

LightTrans has appointed a new management board with the following chief officers: Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Michael Kuhn Chief Financial Officer: Petra Wyrowski Chief Product Officer: Christian Hellmann Chief Sales Officer: Dr. Hagen Schweitzer The goal of the new board is to continue the su...

Visit us at LASER 2013

(April 30, 2013)

LightTrans invites you to visit us at LASER World of Photonics in Munich (May 13-16). Our team is looking forward to welcome you at our booth B2.242. We will be glad to demonstrate you the new features of VirtualLab 5 in detail. As a highlight we offer a free seminar Modeling of Laser Systems and ...

Unified modeling for nano, micro and macro optics

Interferogram of a polychromatic spherical wave and a vortex wave.

The VirtualLab™ Starter Toolbox enables the simulation of laser optics, micro optical systems, diffractive optics, interferometers, imaging and illumination systems. Optical systems may contain refractive, diffractive, hybrid, Fresnel and GRIN lenses, diffractive optical elements, diffusers, beam shapers, diffractive beam splitters, computer generated holograms, phase plates, elements with free form surfaces and micro lens arrays. Based on unified optical modeling, the light propagation can be modeled using different propagation models ranging from geometrical optics to physical optics.

VirtualLab™ provides parametric optimization for optical systems, e.g. laser systems. Diffraction, interference, polarization effects and aberrations can be taken into account during the optimization.

VirtualLab™’s unique customization features enable the simulation of user defined surface profiles, light sources, transmissions and index modulated media just by entering a formula. In addition various import filters allow to import surface and laser data from other software and measurement devices.

Your Benefit

Hybrid surface of bifocal lens.
  • Modeling of lenses, micro and diffractive optical components on one platform.
  • Optical modeling from geometrical to physical optics including diffraction, interference, aberrations, polarization and vectorial effects.
  • Simulation of temporal and spatial partially coherent light sources as for example LED’s, Excimer lasers and multimode lasers.
  • Modeling of ultrashort pulses.
  • Components with customized surface profiles and index modulated media.
  • Parametric optimization for laser systems.

Selected Features

Simulation of high NA laser and imaging systems. The Starter Toolbox enables the investigation of paraxial and non-paraxial laser and imaging systems including diffraction effects, interference effects, aberrations, polarization and vectorial effects. Lens data can be imported from Zemax. Programmable interface, light source, transmission and medium allow to customize optical components just by entering a formula. The toolbox allows for example the evaluation of  the fiber coupling efficiency, beam parameters, PSF, MTF and power density in focal regions.

Simulation of micro and diffractive optical components. You can analyze the optical effects of diffractive, hybrid, Fresnel and GRIN lenses, diffractive optical elements, diffusers, beam shapers, diffractive beam splitters, computer generated holograms, phase plates and micro lens arrays. Simulations of light propagation include diffraction, interference, stray light, efficiency, uniformity, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and zero order intensity. Measured data of micro structured height profiles can be imported  from ASCII and bitmap files into VirtualLab™.

Modeling of ultrashort pulses. VirtualLab™ enables the modeling and propagation of ultrashort pulses through laser systems. The propagation includes diffraction effects, interference effects,  aberrations, polarization and vectorial effects. The pulse shape can be visualized depending on the lateral laser beam position.

Simulation of temporal and spatial partially coherent light. Several real light sources, as for example, LED’s, Excimer lasers, multimode lasers, thermal sources generate temporal and spatial partially coherent light. The coherence properties of real light distributions can be included in simulations.  This is important especially for optical systems whose optical functions are based on diffraction and interference effects.

Far field intensity pattern of a diffractive diffuser illuminated by a monochromatic LED.

Parametric optimization and parameter run. The parametric optimization allows to optimize a great variety of optical systems e.q. laser systems. Based on field tracing techniques and an electromagnetic representation of light, VirtualLab™ provides fully vectorial results as input for a broad set of merit functions that define the target of optimization problems. Alternatively, the parameter run provides a framework to vary parameters automatically in a predefined or a random way as used for Monte Carlo simulations.

Customized surface profiles, light sources, transmissions and index modulated media. Programmable interface, light source, transmission and index modulated medium allow customizing optical components just by entering a formula. No external DLL or development environment is required. This enables for example the fast modeling of components with user defined freeform diffractive, refractive or hybrid surface profiles.