Speckle patterns formed by broadband terahertz radiation and their applications for ghost imaging

Speckle patterns can be very promising for many applications due to their unique properties. This paper presents the possibility of numerically and experimentally formation of speckle patterns using broadband THz radiation. Strong dependence of the statistical parameters of speckles, such as size and sharpness on the parameters of the diffuser are demonstrated: the correlation length and the mean square deviation of the phase surface inhomogeneity. As the surface correlation length is increasing, the speckle size also increases and its sharpness goes down. Alternatively, the magnification of the standard deviation of the surface height leads to the speckle size diminishing and growth of the speckle sharpness. The dimensions of the experimentally formed speckles correspond to the results of numerical simulation. The possibility of utilizing formed speckle patterns for the implementation of the ghost imaging technique has been demonstrated by methods of numerical modeling.

Speckle Patterns formed by Broadband Terahertz Radiation and their Applications for Ghost Imaging

Speckle patterns can be very promising for some applications due to their unique properties. This paper presents the possibility of numerically and experimentally formation of speckle patterns using broadband THz radiation. Strong dependence of the statistical parameters of speckles, such as size and sharpness on the parameters of the diffuser are demonstrated: the correlation length and the mean square deviation of the phase surface inhomogeneity. As the surface correlation length increasing, the speckle size increases and its sharpness decreases. Alternatively, increasing of the surface height standard deviation leads to a speckle size decreasing and sharpness increasing. The dimensions of the individual experimentally formed speckles correspond to obtained results of numerical simulation. The possibility of the formed speckle patterns application for the implementation of the ghost imaging technique has been demonstrated by methods of numerical modeling.

A New Pattern Quality Assessment Criterion and Defocusing Degree Determination of Laser Speckle Correlation Method

The laser speckle correlation method has found widespread application for obtaining information from vibrating objects. However, the resolution and accuracy of the laser speckle correlation method as they relate to the defocusing degree have not been analyzed sufficiently. Furthermore, the possible methods for speckle pattern quality assessment and enhancement have not been studied. In this study, the resolution and accuracy of the laser speckle correlation method are analyzed, and it is found that they are affected by the defocusing degree and speckle pattern quality, respectively. A new speckle pattern quality criterion combining the mean intensity gradient and frequency spectrum was proposed, called CMZ. The quality of the speckle pattern is higher when the CMZ is closer to zero. The proposed criterion was verified by simulated speckle patterns and real speckle patterns with different speckle sizes, densities, and gray contrasts. In the experimental setup stage, a suitable defocusing degree can be selected based on the resolution requirement and optimal speckle size, and other experimental parameters can be determined according to the CMZ criterion. Rotation and vibration experiments verified the effectiveness of the laser speckle correlation method and confirmed the reliability of the experiment preparation based on proposed CMZ criterion.

A Portable Compact System for Laser Speckle Correlation Imaging of Artworks Using Projected Speckle Pattern

Artworks have a layered structure subjected to alterations caused by various factors. The monitoring of defects at sub-millimeter scale may be performed by laser interferometric techniques. The aim of this work was to develop a compact system to perform laser speckle imaging in situ for effective mapping of subsurface defects in paintings. The device was designed to be versatile with the possibility of optimizing the performance by easy parameters adjustment. The system exploits a laser speckle pattern generated through an optical diffuser and projected onto the artworks and image correlation techniques for the analysis of the speckle intensity pattern. A protocol for the optimal measurement was suggested, based on calibration curves for tuning the mean speckle size in the acquired intensity pattern. The system was validated in the analysis of detachments in an ancient painting model using a short pulse thermal stimulus to induce a surface deformation field and standard decorrelation algorithms for speckle pattern matching. The device is equipped with a compact thermal camera for preventing any overheating effects during the phase of the stimulus. The developed system represents a valuable nondestructive tool for artwork diagnostics, allowing the monitoring of subsurface defects in paintings in out-of-laboratory environment.

Analysis of Strain Field Heterogeneity at the Microstructure Level and Inverse Identification of Composite Constituents by Means of Digital Image Correlation

The present paper is devoted to the theoretical study on the estimation of the full-field strain at the microstructural level of composite materials by means of Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The main aim of the paper is to investigate the influence of speckle size on the accuracy of the strain field measurement at the microscale. The DIC analysis was conducted based on artificial speckle patterns generated numerically and the deformation behavior of the composites was simulated by using the finite element method (FEM). This approach gives the opportunity to compare the results of the DIC in terms of speckle size with the reference FEM solution. Moreover, the paper focuses on the inverse identification of the material constants of the composite constituents by using information associated with the measured strain field. The inverse problem is solved by using a novel two-step optimization procedure, which reduces the problem complexity. The feasibility and accuracy of the proposed approach are presented by analysis of two exemplary microgeometries representing the microstructures of fiber reinforced composites.

Overcoming the challenges of high-energy X-ray ptychography

X-ray ptychography is a coherent diffraction imaging technique with a high resolving power and excellent quantitative capabilities. Although very popular in synchrotron facilities nowadays, its implementation with X-ray energies above 15 keV is very rare due to the challenges imposed by the high energies. Here, the implementation of high-energy X-ray ptychography at 17 and 33.6 keV is demonstrated and solutions to overcome the important challenges are provided. Among the particular aspects addressed are the use of an efficient high-energy detector, a long synchrotron beamline for the high degree of spatial coherence, a beam with 1% monochromaticity providing high flux, and efficient multilayer coated Kirkpatrick–Baez X-ray optics to shape the beam. The constraints imposed by the large energy bandwidth are carefully analyzed, as well as the requirements to sample correctly the high-energy diffraction patterns with small speckle size. In this context, optimized scanning trajectories allow the total acquisition time to be reduced by up to 35%. The paper explores these innovative solutions at the ID16A nano-imaging beamline by ptychographic imaging of a 200 nm-thick gold lithography sample.