Vectorial adaptive optics

TL;DR

Vectorial adaptive optics (V-AO) extends traditional adaptive optics to correct both polarization and phase aberrations, enhancing optical system performance by manipulating complex vector fields through sensor-based, sensorless, or hybrid feedback methods.

Contribution

This paper introduces V-AO, a novel technique for vectorial feedback correction in adaptive optics, enabling control over polarization and phase in optical systems.

Findings

V-AO improves focal quality in optical systems.

V-AO corrects vectorial aberrations from biological samples.

V-AO can be implemented via sensor feedback, sensorless, or hybrid methods.

Abstract

Adaptive optics normally concerns the feedback correction of phase aberrations. Such correction has been of benefit in various optical systems, with applications ranging in scale from astronomical telescopes to super-resolution microscopes. Here we extend this powerful tool into the vectorial domain, encompassing higher-dimensional feedback correction of both polarisation and phase. This technique is termed vectorial adaptive optics (V-AO). We show that V-AO can be implemented using sensor feedback, indirectly using sensorless AO, or in hybrid form combining aspects of both. We validate improvements in both vector field state and the focal quality of an optical system, through correction for commonplace vectorial aberration sources, ranging from objective lenses to biological samples. This technique pushes the boundaries of traditional scalar beam shaping by providing feedback control of extra vectorial degrees of freedom. This paves the way for next generation AO functionality by manipulating the complex vectorial field.