title: Focal-plane imaging of crossed beams in nonlinear optics experiments.
abstract: An application of focal-plane imaging that can be used as a real time diagnostic of beam crossing in various optical techniques is reported. We discuss two specific versions and demonstrate the capability of maximizing system performance with an example in a combined dual-pump coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering-interferometric Rayleigh scattering experiment (CARS-IRS). We find that this imaging diagnostic significantly reduces beam alignment time and loss of CARS-IRS signals due to inadvertent misalignments.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Sensing and Optical Measurement Branch, NASA Langley Research Center, 18 Langley Boulevard, Hampton, VA 23681, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bivolaru
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Herring
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity