High fidelity generation of complex optical field through scattering medium with iterative wavefront optimization

TL;DR

This paper introduces a feedback-based wavefront shaping method with phase retrieval and genetic algorithms to generate high-fidelity complex optical fields through scattering media, enabling advanced light manipulation for various applications.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach combining phase retrieval and multi-objective genetic algorithms for precise complex field generation through scattering media.

Findings

Achieved high fidelity in complex optical field generation

Demonstrated control over both amplitude and phase of light fields

Validated method through experimental tests

Abstract

Light scattering within scattering media presents a substantial obstacle to optical transmission. A speckle pattern with random amplitude and phase distribution is observed when coherent light travels through strong scattering media. Fortunately, wavefront shaping has been successfully employed with a spatial light modulator to recover intensity targets after scattering media, such as a sharp focus point or specified two-dimensional patterns. There have, however, been few studies that attempted to separately manipulate the amplitude and phase of the focusing field. In this paper, we propose a feedback-based wavefront shaping method to generate complex optical fields through scattering medium. A reliable phase retrieval approach is introduced to provide the complex feedback information, i.e., the amplitude and phase of the focusing field. Accordingly, in order to modulate the speckle field into a desired complex structured optical field, a multi-objective genetic algorithm is used to find the best phase map. To demonstrate the proposed method's high performance, experimental tests have been carried out. High fidelity is demonstrated in the generation of diverse complex light fields, both in amplitude and phase. Our findings may facilitate the manipulation of light field through scattering medium, and are anticipated to further promote future applications such as optogenetics, vortex optical communication, and optical trapping through scattering media.