Noise and signal scaling factors in digital holography in weak illumination: relationship with shot noise.

We have performed off-axis heterodyne holography with very weak illumination by recording holograms of the object with and without object illumination in the same acquisition run. We have experimentally studied how the reconstructed image signal (with illumination) and noise background (without) scale with the holographic acquisition and reconstruction parameters that are the number of frames and the number of pixels of the reconstruction spatial filter. The first parameter is related to the frequency bandwidth of detection in time, the second one to the bandwidth in space. The signal to background ratio varies roughly like the inverse of the bandwidth in time and space. We have also compared the noise background with the theoretical shot-noise background calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. The experimental and Monte Carlo noise background agree very well with each other.

Rotational stability and clinical outcomes after implantation of a new monofocal toric intraocular lens with double C-loop design.

PURPOSE: To investigate rotational stability and visual outcomes of patients unilaterally or bilaterally implanted with a new monofocal toric intraocular lens (IOL). SETTING: Ophthalmology service, clinique Beausoleil, avenue de Lodève, Montpellier. DESIGN: Single-center retrospective study. METHODS: This study included patients who underwent routine cataract surgery with the PODEYE toric (BVI/PhysIOL SA, Liège, Belgium) IOL using the ZEISS CALLISTO eye®. Biometry and keratometry data, refractive outcomes, rotational stability, and astigmatism correction were recorded. IOL rotation was evaluated using an image analysis technique. Postoperative assessments were performed at 1 week, 1 month, and 4 to 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: Clinical outcomes of 102 patients (136 eyes) were analyzed. Patients had a mean age of 74 years. Of the included eyes, 25% had an axial length greater than 24.5mm. Median postoperative IOL rotation from baseline (surgery) was 2̊. With the exception of one outlier (15̊ rotation), IOL rotation was ≤ 6̊ (1 month) and ≤ 10̊ (4-6 months) in 100% of the eyes. No surgical IOL re-positioning was required. Median postoperative corrected distance visual acuity was -0.08 logMAR, and median postoperative subjective cylinder was between 0.25 and 0.50 D. CONCLUSION: The PODEYE toric IOL showed high rotational stability, allowing for correction of corneal astigmatism during cataract surgery.

Theoretical study of acousto-optical coherence tomography using random phase jumps on ultrasound and light.

Acousto-optical coherence tomography (AOCT) is a variant of acousto-optic imaging (also called ultrasonic modulation imaging) that makes it possible to get the z resolution with acoustic and optic continuous wave beams. We describe here theoretically the AOCT effect, and we show that the acousto-optic "tagged photons" remain coherent if they are generated within a specific z region of the sample. We quantify the z selectivity for both the "tagged photon" field and for the Lesaffre et al. [Opt. Express 17, 18211 (2009)] photorefractive signal.

Acousto-optical coherence tomography using random phase jumps on ultrasound and light.

Imaging objects embedded within highly scattering media by coupling light and ultrasounds (US) is a challenging approach. In deed, US enable direct access to the spatial localization, though resolution can be poor along their axis (cm). Up to now, several configurations have been studied, giving a millimetric axial resolution by applying to the US a microsecond pulse regime, as is the case with conventional echography. We introduce a new approach called Acousto-Optical Coherence Tomography (AOCT), enabling us to get a millimetric resolution with continuous US and light beams by applying random phase jumps on US and light. An experimental demonstration is performed with a self-adaptive holographic setup containing a photorefractive GaAs bulk crystal and a single large area photodetector.

Detection of the tagged or untagged photons in acousto-optic imaging of thick highly scattering media by photorefractive adaptive holography.

We propose an original adaptive wavefront holographic setup based on the photorefractive effect (PR), to make real-time measurements of acousto-optic signals in thick scattering media, with a high flux collection at high rates for breast tumor detection. We describe here our present state of the art and understanding on the problem of breast imaging with PR detection of the acousto-optic signal.

In situ monitoring of the photorefractive response time in a self-adaptive wavefront holography setup developed for acousto-optic imaging.

The measurement of optical contrasts within thick biological tissues can be performed with the hybrid technique of acousto-optic imaging, but it has been shown that an acquisition rate in the 1-10kHz range is required for a good efficiency. This comes from the interferometric nature of the signal, blurred by speckle decorrelation in a time t(c), due to a decrease of the speckle pattern contrast at the exit of the sample. An holographic setup that associates a fast and large area single photodetector and a photorefractive crystal, can measure in real-time the acousto-optic signal: this is the so-called self-adaptive wavefront holography technique. Nevertheless, it is essential to size the photorefractive response time ( t(PR)) of the crystal with t(c) in order to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurement. This time mainly depends on the overall light intensity within the crystal. We have developed an original in situ method to determine t(PR) with the combination of acoustic pulses and a frequency de-tuning of the reference beam. We can measure precisely this time but also monitor it according to a theoretical model that we have previously described. We are able to adapt the response time of the setup to the decorrelation time of the medium under study.