Photorefractive phase coupling measurement using self-stabilized recording technique

The measurement of the phase shift φ between the transmited and difracted beams interfering along the same direction behind the hologram recorded in a photorefractive crystal is directly and accurately measured using a self-stabilized recording technique. The measured phase shift as a function of the applied electric field allows computing the Debye screening lenght and the effectively applied field coefficient of an undoped Bi 12TiO 20 crystal. The result is in good agreement with the already available information about this sample. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Light microscopic evaluation and scanning electron microscopic analysis of horse eyes following deep anterior lamellar keratectomy

Objective To describe the technique of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) with Descemet's membrane (DM) exposure in horse eyes. Also, to compare the efficacy and safety of viscodissection and big-bubble techniques for DALK. Animals studied Thirty-four ex vivo horse eyes. Procedure Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty was performed in 34 ex vivo horse eyes. Two groups (Group V - viscodissection - 2% sodium hyaluronate; Group A - air - big-bubble) of 17 eyes were studied. Other than the substance used, the surgical technique was similar for both groups. Nonperforated eyes were submitted for light microscopic histologic evaluation and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis. Results Group V - Perforations occurred in 18% of the eyes during surgery. Light microscopy revealed exposure of DM in 28% of the eyes with mean thickness of the remaining stroma being 70.4μm. Group A - Perforations occurred in 42% of the eyes. Light microscopy revealed exposure of DM in 60% of the eyes with mean thickness of the remaining stroma being 23.3μm. No significant differences in safety, efficacy and thickness of the remaining stroma (including all eyes or excluding those with DM exposure) were observed. SEM of the surgical site revealed a more even surface in those eyes with DM exposure compared to eyes with thicker remaining stroma in both groups. Conclusions We describe two DALK techniques (viscodissection and big-bubble) for use in horses. No significant differences in safety, efficacy and thickness of the remaining stroma were observed. However, a nonsignificant trend toward the big-bubble technique being more efficacious but less safe was observed. © 2012 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

Lensometry by two-laser holography with photorefractive Bi12TiO20

Refractive and profilometric measurements of lenses were performed through holography with a photorefractive Bi12TiO20 crystal as the recording medium. Two properly aligned diode lasers emitting in the red region were employed as light sources. Both lasers were tuned in order to provide millimetric and sub-millimetric synthetic wavelengths. The surfaces of the test lens were covered by a 25-μm opaque plastic tape in order to allow the lens profilometry upon illuminating them with a collimated beam. The resulting holographic images appear covered by interference fringes corresponding to the wavefront geometry of the wave scattered by the lens. For refractive index measurement a diffusely scattering flat surface was positioned behind the uncovered lens which was also illuminated by a plane wave. The resulting contour interferogram describes the form of the wavefront after the beam traveled back and forth through the lens. The fringe quantitative evaluation was carried out through the four-stepping technique and the resulting phase map and the Branch-cut method was employed for phase unwrapping. The only non-optical procedure for lens characterization was the thickness measurement, made by a dial caliper. Exact ray tracing calculation was performed in order to establish a relation between the output wavefront geometry and the lens parameters like radii of curvature, thickness and refractive index. By quantitatively comparing the theoretical wavefront geometry with the experimental results relative uncertainties bellow 3% for refractive index and 1 % for focal length were obtained. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Effects of ethyl-cyanoacrylate and octyl-cyanoacrylate on experimental corneal lesions in rabbits

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Emprego de escama de sardinha (Sardinella brasiliensis - STEIDACHNER, 1859), conservada em glicerina, em ceratoplastias lamelares experimentais em cães

Estudou-se experimentalmente a escama de sardinha (Sardinella brasiliensis) como substituto de córneas no reparo de ceratectomias superficiais em cães. Utilizaram-se 14 animais, machos e fêmeas, sem raça definida, com peso médio de 10 kg, considerados sadios. Analisaram-se, macro e microscopicamente, as córneas receptoras bem como o material implantado aos 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 e 60 dias de pós-operatório. As evidências clínicas para a enxertia lamelar mostraram fotofobia e blefarospasmo mais incidentes nos períodos iniciais e intermediários, com tendência à regressão nos tardios. Revelaram edema discreto e igualmente regressivo; neoformação vascular mais incidente nas fases intermediárias e pouco nas tardias. O estudo microscópico evidenciou quadro reacional compatível com padrão benigno a exemplo do que fora visto macroscopicamente. Ambos retrataram boa adesividade da prótese, epitélio e estroma neoformados, sob e sobrepostos a ela. A transparência das córneas receptoras, junto às zonas de enxertia, manteve-se por 14 dias. Para a enxertia interlamelar, observou-se quadro reacional pouco significativo. Para ambas as enxertias, não foram observados sinais de extrusão do material implantado. A escama de sardinha pode ser empregada para fins tectônicos, com bons resultados em ceratoplastias lamelares em cães.

Excision of sclerocorneal limbus in dogs and resulting clinical events: study of an experimental model

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Corneal epithelial inclusion cyst in a dog

Relata-se o caso de um cisto de inclusão epitelial em um cão macho, boxer, com 7 anos de idade. O cisto havia sido observado por trinta dias, era único, não congênito e apenas um olho estava acometido. Sete meses antes da consulta, o cão apresentou ulceração corneana indolente, tratada com ceratectomia e recobrimento de terceira pálpebra. O cisto foi removido através de ceratectomia superficial, seguida de enxerto conjuntival pediculado. A recuperação foi descomplicada e não houve recidiva após sete meses de pós-operatório.

Enhanced multiwavelength holographic profilometry by laser mode selection

A method for improving the accuracy of surface shape measurement by multiwavelength holography is presented. In our holographic setup, a Bi12TiO20 photorefractive crystal was the holographic recording medium, and a multimode diode laser emitting in the red region was the light source in a two-wave mixing scheme. on employing such lasers the resulting holographic image appears covered with interference fringes corresponding to the object relief, and the interferogram spatial frequency is proportional to the diode laser's free spectral range (FSR). Our method consists in increasing the effective free spectral range of the laser by positioning a Fabry-Perot etalon at the laser output for mode selection. As larger effective values of the laser FSR were achieved, higher-spatial-frequency interferograms were obtained and therefore more sensitive and accurate measurements were performed. The quantitative evaluation of the interferograms was made through the phase-stepping technique, and the phase map unwrapping was carried out through the cellular-automata method. For a given surface, shape measurements with different interferogram spatial frequencies were performed and compared with respect to measurement noise and visual inspection. (c) 2007 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Multi-wavelength holography in Bi12TiO20 crystals: Applications in refractometry

We present a recent development in holography with multimode, large free-spectral range (FSR) diode lasers in photorefractive sillenite crystals. A novel refractometry method based on this type of holographic recording in Bi12TiO20 (BTO) crystals is proposed. The holographic image of a prism-shaped transparent sample appears covered of interference fringes, and as the sample is properly translated, the fringes run along the holographic image. An expression providing the refractive index of the medium as a function of the sample displacement and the correspondent number of running fringes was derived. The refractive indexes of optical (BK7) glass, ethanol, hexan, cumene and aqueous solution of NaCl with different concentrations were measured in order to test the method. The obtained results are in good agreement with the ones reported in literature or measured by us using a commercial Abbe refractometre. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiple active levels in Bi12TiO20 crystals

The existence of multiple active levels in a photorefractive Bi12TiO20 crystal is here investigated at 514.5nm wavelength. We carry out two-wave mixing experiments using symmetrically incident beams of equal intensities. A large amplitude fast phase modulation in one of the beams reduces the fringes visibility and improves the detection of the generated frequency modulated signals in both (R and S) output directions. Diffraction efficiencies of the phase (photorefractive) and the absorption (photochromic) gratings are quantitatively computed as functions of the grating period. Results show that the absorption grating has two distinct components: one associated to the photorefractive trap density modulation and another related to local light-induced effects between different levels. The photorefractive grating was also investigated at 633nm and 594nm (besides 514.5nm) and a significant quenching of the photorefractive effect was observed at these wavelengths.

Denisiuk-type reflection holography display with sillenite crystals for imaging and interferometry of small objects

A novel setup for imaging and interferometry through reflection holography with Bi12TiPO20(BTO) sillenite photorefractive crystals is proposed. A variation of the lensless Denisiuk arrangement was developed resulting in a compact, robust and simple interferometer. A red He-Ne laser was used as light source and the holographic recording occurred by diffusion with the grating vector parallel to the crystal [0 0 1]-axis. In order to enhance the holographic image quality and reduce noise a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) was positioned at the BTO input and the crystal was tilted around the [0 0 1]-axis. This enabled the orthogonally polarized transmission and diffracted beams to be separated by the PBS, providing the holographic image only. The possibility of performing deformation and strain analysis as well as vibration measurement of small objects was demonstrated. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measurement of low-derivative surface lenses by two-laser holography with Bi12TiO20 crystals

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Design, construction, and performance of a real-time holographic refractometry prototype for liquid analysis

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

X-ray-induced conductivity in iron-doped lithium niobate crystals

Illumination of photorefractive, iron-doped lithium niobate crystals (LiNbO 3:Fe) with x-rays generates a conductivity that we determine from the speed of hologram erasure. The doping levels of the crystals and the acceleration voltage of our x-ray tube are varied. A theoretical model is presented, which describes the obtained results. A decrease of the conductivity with increasing Fe 2+ concentration can be explained by assuming that holes are the dominant charge carriers for this short-wavelength illumination.

Enhanced multi-wavelength holographic profilometry by laser mode selection

The application of multi-wavelength holography for surface shape measurement is presented. In our holographic setup a Bi12TiO 20 (BTO) photorefractive crystal was the holographic recording medium and a multimode diode laser emitting in the red region was the light source in a two-wave mixing scheme. The holographic imaging with multimode lasers results in multiple holograms in the BTO. By employing such lasers the resulting holographic image appears covered of interference fringes corresponding to the object relief and the interferogram spatial frequency is proportional to the diode laser free spectral range (FSR). We used a Fabry-Perot étalon at the laser output for laser mode selection. Thus, larger effective values of the laser FSR were achieved, leading to higher-spatial frequency interferograms and therefore to more sensitive and accurate measurements. The quantitative evaluation of the interferograms was performed through the phase stepping technique (PST) and the phase map unwrapping was carried out through the Cellular-Automata method. For a given surface, shape measurements with different interferogram spatial frequencies were performed and compared, concerning measurement noise and visual inspection.