Virtual optics and sensing of the retrieved complex field in the back focal plane using a constrained defocus...

Area of Science:

• Microscopy and Optical Physics
• Materials Science
• Nanophotonics

Background:

• The back focal plane of a microscope objective contains rich information about material properties.
• Current analysis primarily relies on measuring reflected intensity, limiting its potential.
• Surface plasmons and surface waves are crucial phenomena in localized regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the enhanced power of back focal plane analysis by incorporating phase information.
• To show that phase information provides a superior and easier method for sample assessment.
• To present a modified defocus phase retrieval algorithm for real-time measurements.

Main Methods:

• Accessing and analyzing phase information from the microscope's back focal plane.
• Utilizing a modified defocus phase retrieval algorithm.
• Acquiring only three images for reliable retrieval of arbitrary distributions.

Main Results:

• Phase information significantly enhances the analysis of material properties in the back focal plane.
• Reconstructed fields can be filtered, propagated, and analyzed across different domains.
• The modified algorithm enables real-time measurements with parallel image acquisition.

Conclusions:

• Incorporating phase information into back focal plane analysis offers a more powerful approach than intensity measurements alone.
• The developed phase retrieval algorithm facilitates efficient and real-time characterization of materials.
• This method holds significant potential for advancing the study of surface plasmons and waves.