VirtualLab Fusion Release 2021.1

With the advent of modern technologies in the area of optical projection systems and laser material processing units, the request of more specialized optical components becomes more and more pressing. One type of component that is frequently used in these areas are microlens arrays. To fully understand the optical characteristics of such components, the simulation of the propagated light at various positions behind the microlens array is necessary. In this use case we investigate the field after the component in the near field, the focal zone, and the far field.

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Apart from Hermite- and Laguerre-Gaussian modes there is a third kind of rigorous and orthogonal solution family for the paraxial wave equation – the so-called Ince Gaussian modes. These solutions are defined in elliptical coordinates and have the benefit of allowing for a transition between Hermite- and Laguerre-Gaussian modes by means of an elliptical parameter. These modes have advantages in the area of optical tweezers and particle-trapping applications. This use case presents the Ince-Gaussian Beam Source in VirtualLab Fusion and shows how to define an individual mode.

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Ince-Gaussian modes are the third complete family of exact and orthogonal solutions of the paraxial wave equation alongside the Hermite-Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian modes. Ince-Gaussian modes have a diversiform transverse pattern. In this document, following in the steps of Chu et al. [Opt. Express 16, 19934-19949 (2008)], a Dove prism-embedded unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used to simulate the generation of vortex array laser beams based on Ince-Gaussian modes. The resulting vortex array laser beam generated by the proposed interferometric setup maintains its beam profile during propagation, also through a focus. Thus, the proposed vortex array laser beams hold great promise for application in optical tweezers and atom traps in the form of two-dimensional arrays.

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Ince-Gaussian modes are a well-known exact and orthogonal solution family for the paraxial wave equation. This kind of source mode can be advantageous for different applications in the areas of optical tweezers and particle trapping. In this use case we demonstrate the focal properties of the Ince Gaussian Beam Source in VirtualLab Fusion by propagating the modes through a GRIN medium. This medium represents a thermal lens, an effect which can be encountered often in applications for high-energy laser beams.

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Young’s double-slit experiment was carried out with a spatially extended, partially coherent source. In this document, we use the Multiple Light Source to set up the extended source so that the disturbances at the slits are a mixture of incoherent and coherent radiation, and the vibrations are therefore partially correlated. The characteristic blurred interference fringe is obtained, and the van Cittert-Zernike theorem, which studies how the complex degree of coherence varies with propagation distance, is demonstrated.

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Free-space optical communication uses free space as a medium between transceivers, e.g., fibers. For longer propagation distances of the optical beam in free space, the atmospheric turbulence effects cannot be ignored. In this use case, we reproduce the experiments of Zheng et al. [Opt. Express 24 (2016)] to explore the atmospheric turbulence effects on the coupling efficiency between the free-space optical beam and few-mode fibers. 

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Fibers are widely used as sources in optical systems. Investigating the effects of the aberrations of the optical system on the propagation of the fiber modes is therefore worthwhile. In this use case, we employ a specific fiber, either step- or graded-index, as a source to generate a couple of propagating modes, and evaluate the diffraction pattern after the propagation of said modes through an aberrated optical system.

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Arrays of vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) diodes are of interest for various applications, e.g. beam splitters and pattern generators. In order to be able to investigate optical systems with this kind of light source an appropriate source model is required. In this document it is shown how a VCSEL array source can be modeled in VirtualLab Fusion.

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Vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) diodes are of interest for numerous applications, such as optical sensors and pattern generators. In order to be able to investigate these kinds of setups in VirtualLab Fusion, an appropriate source model is required. In this use case, we demonstrated how to achieve the desired intensity distribution of a specific VCSEL source via parametric optimization of two uncorrelated Gaussian modes with the help of the multiple light source.

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When circularly polarized light propagates through a biaxial crystal along one of its optic axes, the transmitted field evolves into a cone, a phenomenon which is known as conical refraction. Several applications have been developed based on this effect, such as Bessel beam generation and optical tweezers. With the fast-physical-optics simulation technology in VirtualLab Fusion, conical refraction from a KGd crystal is demonstrated.

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When a linearly polarized beam is focused and then propagated through a uniaxial crystal, even when along the optic axis, complicated conversions may take place between different polarization components. Such an effect can be utilized for e.g. generation of optical vortices. Taking calcite crystal as an example, the conversion of polarization in uniaxial crystals is demonstrated in VirtualLab Fusion. The optical vortices generated within the process are visualized.

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For any kind of design process for modern optical applications, information on the energy density and the phase of an incoming field are from critical value. The wavefront of the incident light can be deformed as it propagates through a system because of various reasons. A quite common tool to measure this deformation is the so-called Shack-Hartmann Sensor, which uses a microlens array to visualize the wavefront of an incoming field through the displacements of the corresponding spots in the focal plane. In this use case we demonstrate this behavior by propagating fields with variously shaped wavefronts (a plane wave and two spherical waves with different values of the numerical aperture) through a microlens array.

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Stop in a lens system is important because it directly determines the light interaction with the edge of the aperture of the lens surface, which exsited physically in the manufactured lens system. Therefore, different positions of the stop might have an influence on the Point Spread Function (PSF). VirtualLab Fusion provides an ease way to investigate this influence by considering the diffraction, if necessary, from the edge of each surface, especially with inclined illumination.

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Multilayer birefringent reflective polarizers have big advantages in liquid crystal display (LCD) applications. They can recycle the backlight so as to improve the optical efficiency of LCDs. In this use case, we reproduce the experiments in Li et. al. J. Display Technol. 5, 335-340 (2009) to explore the relationship between the number of alternate birefringent layers and the Bragg reflection condition in VirtualLab Fusion. Then the variation of the reflectance efficiency with different wavelengths and incident angles is further investigated.

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Microlens arrays are getting more and more attention in various optical applications, such as digital projectors, optical diffusers, and 3D imaging. VirtualLab Fusion applies an advanced field tracing algorithm to simulate this multi-channel situation. In this use case, the configuration method and usage of the Microlens Array component are introduced.

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Optical anisotropy, also known as birefringence, is the reason for various optical phenomena and the related applications. VirtualLab Fusion provides a fast and rigorous field tracing analysis algorithm which applies an S-matrix solver and works in the k-domain. In this use case, the basic configuration of an anisotropic medium is introduced.

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The Fiber Mode Calculator can be used to calculate linearly polarized (LP) propagation modes in a cylindrically symmetric fiber, either  step-index with a single core or graded-index with an infinite parabolic profile. The corresponding polynomials to describe these modes are Bessel for step-index fibers and  Laguerre for graded-index fibers. This use case shows how to use the calculator and the configuration of the sampling parameters of mode fields.

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Being able to include multiple light sources in a system is fundamental for many applications, like imaging or illumination. VirtualLab Fusion provides advanced options to tackle this kind of challenges. In this document, we provide a brief overview of how to set up multiple light sources and give several simulation examples.

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