Wave front manipulator with diffractive components
A wave front manipulator can include an optical axis and at least two diffractive optical components, which are arranged successively along the optical axis. The diffractive optical components each can include a diffractive structure having a number of diffractive holographic structural elements. The wave front manipulator is designed to vary a wave front between at least two different states via the diffractive structures of the at least two diffractive optical components.
1 . A wavefront manipulator defining an optical axis along which light propagates through the wavefront manipulator, the wavefront manipulator comprising:
at least two diffractive optical components, which are arranged one behind the other along the optical axis, each of which comprising a diffractive structure having a plurality of diffractive holographic structure elements, wherein the wavefront manipulator can vary a light wavefront via the diffractive structures of the at least two diffractive optical components between at least two states that deviate from one another, and
at least one device for acoustically varying the state of the light wavefront.
2 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein the wavefront manipulator can vary the light wavefront between discrete states or continuously via the diffractive structures of the at least two diffractive optical components.
3 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein the wavefront manipulator further comprises at least one device for mechanically varying the state of the light wavefront.
4 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , further comprising a first diffractive optical component and a second diffractive optical component, wherein the first diffractive optical component and the second diffractive optical component are arranged so as to be movable relative to one another in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.
5 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 4 , wherein the first diffractive optical component and the second diffractive optical component are each arranged so as to be laterally displaceable with respect to one another in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis and/or rotatable about an axis arranged parallel to the optical axis.
6 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein the diffractive structure of at least one of the diffractive optical components is variable with regard to its diffractive properties by changing a voltage applied to the diffractive optical component or by changing a current intensity flowing through the diffractive optical component.
7 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein the diffractive structure of at least one of the diffractive optical components comprises a center and the distances between each of the plurality of diffractive holographic structure elements decreases or increases as the distance from the center increases in the lateral direction.
8 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein the distance and/or the orientation of adjacent diffractive holographic structure elements is described by a polynomial in dependence on the distance from a center of the diffractive structure.
9 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of diffractive holographic structure elements comprise elevations or depressions or discolorations or chemical material changes.
10 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of diffractive holographic structure elements of at least one of the diffractive optical components comprise regions which are spatially adjacent to one another in the transverse direction and have refractive indices that deviate from one another.
11 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the plurality of diffractive holographic diffractive structures has a variable refractive index distribution.
12 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 11 , wherein the refractive index difference increases or decreases as the distance of the region from a center of the diffractive structure increases.
13 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the diffractive structures comprises a volume hologram and/or a surface hologram and/or an amplitude hologram and/or a phase hologram and/or a transmission hologram and/or a white light hologram and/or a hologram that can be reconstructed under white light and/or a true-color hologram.
14 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the diffractive optical components comprises a plate or sheet or film.
15 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein the wavefront manipulator comprises four diffractive optical components, wherein a first and a second of the diffractive optical components are arranged immediately adjacent to one another and are displaceable with respect to one another in a first lateral direction, and wherein a third and a fourth of the diffractive optical components are arranged immediately adjacent to one another and are displaceable with respect to one another in a second lateral direction.
16 . The wavefront manipulator of claim 1 , wherein the wavefront manipulator comprises three diffractive optical components, wherein a third of the diffractive optical components is arranged in the direction of the optical axis between a first and a second of the diffractive optical components.
17 . A waveguide arrangement comprising at least one waveguide and at least one wavefront manipulator according to claim 1 , wherein the wavefront manipulator is operatively connected to the waveguide.
18 . The waveguide arrangement of claim 17 , wherein the at least one wavefront manipulator is an input coupling element and/or an output coupling element in relation to the waveguide and/or the at least one wavefront manipulator is at least partially integrated into the waveguide.
19 . An optical device comprising the wavefront manipulator of claim 1 and/or the waveguide arrangement of claim 17 .
20 . The optical device of claim 19 , wherein the optical device is a waveguide or an objective lens or a camera or an optical observation device or a display apparatus.
21 . The optical device of claim 20 , wherein, when the optical device is a camera, the camera is a holographic camera and/or a camera for a cell phone and/or a microscope camera, when optical device is a display apparatus, the display apparatus is a pair of smartglasses or a projector or a head-up display or a microscope.
22 . A method of using at least one wavefront manipulator and/or the waveguide arrangement as provided in claim 17 , comprising focusing light wavefronts via the at least one wavefront manipulator and/or the waveguide arrangement.
23 . A wavefront manipulator defining an optical axis along which light propagates through the wavefront manipulator, the wavefront manipulator comprising:
at least two diffractive optical components, which are arranged one behind the other along the optical axis, each of which comprising a diffractive structure having a plurality of diffractive holographic structure elements, wherein the wavefront manipulator can vary a wavefront via the diffractive structures of the at least two diffractive optical components between at least two states that deviate from one another, and
at least one device for electrically varying the state of the wavefront,
wherein the first diffractive optical component and the second diffractive optical component are each arranged so as to be rotatable about an axis arranged parallel to the optical axis.
24 . A wavefront manipulator defining an optical axis along which light propagates through the wavefront manipulator, the wavefront manipulator comprising:
at least two diffractive optical components, which are arranged one behind the other along the optical axis, each of which comprising a diffractive structure having a plurality of diffractive holographic structure elements, wherein the wavefront manipulator can vary a wavefront via the diffractive structures of the at least two diffractive optical components between at least two states that deviate from one another, and
at least one device for electrically varying the state of the wavefront,
wherein the diffractive structure of at least one of the diffractive optical components is variable with regard to its diffractive properties by changing a voltage applied to the diffractive optical component or by changing a current intensity flowing through the diffractive optical component.