Polarization is a vector nature of light that plays an important role in optical science and engineering. While existing textbook treatments of light assume beams with spatially homogeneous polarization, there is an increasing interest in vectorial optical fields with spatially engineered states of polarization. New effects and phenomena have been predicted and observed for light beams with these unconventional polarization states. This edited review volume aims to provide a comprehensive overview and summarize the latest developments in this important emerging field of optics. This book will cover the fundamentals including mathematical and physical descriptions, experimental generation, manipulation, focusing, propagation, and the applications of the engineered vectorial optical fields in focal field engineering, plasmonic focusing and optical antenna, single molecular imaging, optical tweezers/trapping, as well as optical measurements and instrumentations.

Vectorial optical fields are a type of structured optical fields with inhomogeneous polarization distribution. They are referred to be inhomogenously polarized optical fields due to the fact that different locations across the wavefront have different state of polarizations (SOP). Cylindrical vector (CV) beams are considered one special class of vectorial optical fields where the polarization states are arranged with cylindrical symmetry in the beam cross section. Plenty of unique properties originated from their special intrinsic symmetry have distinguished the vectorial fields from general optical beams with homogeneous polarization. When such beams are focused by a high numerical aperture (NA) objective lens, focal field properties have led to many applications including but not limited to particle manipulation, optical nanofabrication, beam shaping and optical imaging. In addition, the properties of spin and orbital angular momentum at the focus of vectorial fields have been an attractive area of interest, which may have considerable potential applications including, optical tweezers, light-matter interaction, and particle trapping. This dissertation consists of an experimental part and numerical part. In the experimental part, I will describe an experimental setup to generate vectorial optical fields with complex intensity distribution and engineered polarization pattern. The experimental setup is called Vectorial Optical Field Generator (VOF-Gen), which is capable of generating an optical field with arbitrarily independent controls of phase, amplitude, and polarization on the pixel level utilizing high resolution reflective phase-only liquid crystal (LC) spatial light modulator (SLM). Experimental results will be presented, where various vectorial optical fields containing phase, amplitude, polarization modulations are successfully demonstrated. In the numerical part, I will introduce a numerical model for the so-called 4Pi microscopic focusing system. Full mathematical description and numerical analysis using this system will be discussed in detail for calculating and focusing of vectorial optical fields. The 4Pi microscopic system will be used to calculate vectorial optical fields with structured intensity and polarization at the pupil plane when a dipole emitter is positioned at the focus point. Notably, when the problem is reversed and the engineered pupil plane vector fields are used to illuminate the system, many focusing properties can be explored under tailoring the two-counter propagating beams using the 4Pi microscopic focusing system. For example, designing an optical spot with three-dimensional homogenized intensity structure can be obtained at the focus if electric and magnetic dipoles are placed to oscillate at the focal point. Further focusing investigation on the complex behavior of the optical angular momentum at the focal point will be explored when vector fields are focused with various focusing and incident beam conditions.

This book provides a cutting-edge research overview on the latest developments in the field of Optics and Photonics. All chapters are authored by the pioneers in their field and will cover the developments in Quantum Photonics, Optical properties of 2D Materials, Optical Sensors, Organic Opto-electronics, Nanophotonics, Metamaterials, Plasmonics, Quantum Cascade lasers, LEDs, Biophotonics and biomedical photonics and spectroscopy.

Generation of optical fields with complex spatial distribution in the cross section is of great interest in application areas where exotic optical fields are desired, including particle manipulation, optical nanofabrication, beam shaping and optical imaging. The dissertation is organized in two parts. In the first part, different aspects of the optical field are controlled with different approaches used in four projects. First, a diffractive optics element (DOE) Simulator consisting of 4-f imaging systems and reflective spatial light modulator (SLM) is introduced, where the phase is modulated. In the second project, a complex optical filter design using optical antennas is presented for optical needle field generation, using the amplitude and binary phase modulation. In the third example, a "Bull's Eye" structure on fiber end is analyzed and demonstrated as a polarization sensitive device for cylindrical vector beam generation, where the SOP can be controlled. As the last demonstration, the vectorial beam is constructed by superimposing x-polarized Gaussian and y-polarized Laguerre Gaussian is introduced as one type of second order full Poincare beams, which can be realized using liquid crystal (LC) based device. The demands to arbitrarily tailor the properties of optical fields lead to our Vector Optical Field Generator (VOF-Gen). In the second part, a vectorial optical field generator capable of creating arbitrarily complex beam cross section is designed, built and tested. Based on two reflective phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulators, this generator is capable of controlling all the parameters of the spatial distributions of an optical field, including the phase, amplitude and polarization (ellipticity and orientation) on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Various optical fields containing phase, amplitude and/or polarization modulations are successfully generated and tested using Stokes parameter measurement to demonstrate the its capability and versatility.

Polarization involves the vectorial nature of light fields. In current applications of optical science, the electromagnetic description of light with its vector features has been shown to be essential: In practice, optical radiation also exhibits randomness and spatial non-uniformity of the polarization state. Moreover, propagation through photonic devices can alter the correlation properties of the light field, resulting in changes in polarization. All these vectorial properties have been gaining importance in recent years, and they are attracting increasing attention in the literature. This is the framework and the scope of the present book, which includes the authors’ own contributions to these issues.

Three-Dimensional Microfabrication Using Two-Photon Polymerization, Second Edition offers a comprehensive guide to TPP microfabrication and a unified description of TPP microfabrication across disciplines. It offers in-depth discussion and analysis of all aspects of TPP, including the necessary background, pros and cons of TPP microfabrication, material selection, equipment, processes and characterization. Current and future applications are covered, along with case studies that illustrate the book's concepts. This new edition includes updated chapters on metrology, synthesis and the characterization of photoinitiators used in TPP, negative- and positive-tone photoresists, and nonlinear optical characterization of polymers. This is an important resource that will be useful for scientists involved in microfabrication, generation of micro- and nano-patterns and micromachining. - Discusses the major types of nanomaterials used in the agriculture and forestry sectors, exploring how their properties make them effective for specific applications - Explores the design, fabrication, characterization and applications of nanomaterials for new Agri-products - Offers an overview of regulatory aspects regarding the use of nanomaterials for agriculture and forestry

Currently, many areas of optical techniques including imaging, inspection and communication emphasize the utilization of the high-dimensional information encoded in optical fields. There is also a requirement for novel measurement techniques to extract this high-dimensional information with high-speed and accuracy. We firstly introduce a scan-free direct measurement technique that is capable of simultaneously characterizing the amplitude and phase of a coherent scalar optical field. Our direct measurement approach is constituted of a weak polarization perturbation which is followed by the recording of a polarization-resolving imaging process. The weak perturbation rotates the linear polarization on the spatial frequency domain of the detected field without noticeably changing the properties of the optical field. Then the high-dimensional Stokes parameter profiles are recorded in a single-shot such that the amplitude and phase profiles of the optical field are presented without some of the common complications from imaging or digital processing methods. Because our approach does not require an additional reference beam, the common-path optical configuration can minimize the effects of vibration and reduce the complication of the optical system. We have also developed our technique to measure the high-dimensional information encoded in an optical vector field, which has spatially varying polarization and phase profiles. Through a sequence of separating polarization components, a weak polarization perturbation, and a polarization-resolving imaging process, the final readout is directly related to the complex amplitude profile of the two polarization components of the vector beam. We experimentally demonstrate that our direct measurement technique can characterize both scalar and optical vector fields in a single-shot proving its use as a high-speed, extremely high-resolution, unambiguous measurement technique.

Central to this thesis is the characterisation and exploitation of electromagnetic properties of light in imaging and measurement systems. To this end an information theoretic approach is used to formulate a hitherto lacking, quantitative definition of polarisation resolution, and to establish fundamental precision limits in electromagnetic systems. Furthermore rigorous modelling tools are developed for propagation of arbitrary electromagnetic fields, including for example stochastic fields exhibiting properties such as partial polarisation, through high numerical aperture optics. Finally these ideas are applied to the development, characterisation and optimisation of a number of topical optical systems: polarisation imaging; multiplexed optical data storage; and single molecule measurements. The work has implications for all optical imaging systems where polarisation of light is of concern.

A complete basic undergraduate course in modern optics for students in physics, technology, and engineering. The first half deals with classical physical optics; the second, quantum nature of light. Solutions.