Spatial coherence control and analysis via micromirror-based mixed-state ptychography

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method combining a thermal source, DMD, and ptychography to enable spatial coherence control and analysis, facilitating advancements in microscopy, nanophotonics, and optical manipulation.

Contribution

It presents a new approach for engineering and analyzing spatially partially coherent light using a combined thermal source, DMD, and ptychography, which was previously challenging.

Findings

Enables low-cost coherence control.

Facilitates applications in micromanipulation and nanophotonics.

Provides a joint analysis method for partially coherent light.

Abstract

Flexible and fast control of the phase and amplitude of coherent light, enabled by digital micromirror devices (DMDs) and spatial light modulators (SLMs), has been a driving force for recent advances in optical tweezers, nonlinear microscopy, and wavefront shaping. In contrast, engineering spatially partially coherent light remains widely elusive due to the lack of tools enabling a joint analysis and control sequence. Here, we report an approach to coherence engineering that combines a quasi-monochromatic, thermal source and a DMD together with a ptychographic scanning microscope. The reported method opens up new routes to low-cost coherence control, with applications in micromanipulation, nanophotonics, and quantitative phase contrast imaging.