Reference-Free Single-Point Holographic Imaging and Realization of an Optical Bidirectional Transducer

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel reference-free optical bidirectional transducer using a spatial light modulator, enabling simultaneous measurement and modulation of optical fields based on time-reversal symmetry, demonstrated at visible and infrared wavelengths.

Contribution

It presents the first scheme for a reference-free, bidirectional optical transducer leveraging time-reversal symmetry, combining measurement and modulation in a single device.

Findings

Successfully measured and modulated 128x128 optical modes

Operated at visible and short-wave infrared wavelengths

Demonstrated real-time, bidirectional optical information processing

Abstract

One of the fundamental limitations in photonics is the lack of a bidirectional transducer that can convert optical information into electronic signals or vice versa. In acoustics or at microwave frequencies, wave signals can be simultaneously measured and modulated by a single transducer. In optics, however, optical fields are generally measured via reference-based interferometry or holography using silicone-based image sensors, whereas they are modulated using spatial light modulators. Here, we propose a scheme for an optical bidirectional transducer using a spatial light modulator. By exploiting the principle of time-reversal symmetry of light scattering, two-dimensional reference-free measurement and modulation of optical fields are realized. We experimentally demonstrate the optical bidirectional transducer for optical information consisting of 128 x 128 spatial modes at visible and short-wave infrared wavelengths.