Author: Barbara Wiersema

Abstract

lt is common knowledge in optics that, when only far fields are measured, there is a fundamental limit to the resolution given by the wavelength of the light. Yet research continues to beat this fundamental limit. Even a Nobel Prize was awarded for super-resolution some years ago. In this article we consider the apparent contradiction and explain under what circumstances the classical limit of resolution can be beaten. As will
be seen, these circumstances are quite special, but if they can be realised super-resolution is possible.

You can read the complete article here.

The article is from Photonics Magazine, published 2020 June by Zheng Xi and Paul Urbach

Master student Thomas van der Sijs of the Optics Group has published the paper: “Electromagnetic Scattering beyond the weak regime: Solving the problem of divergent Born series by Pade’ approximants” in Physical Review Research.

The paper introduces a new rigorous method to solve electromagnetic scattering problems in the strong scattering regime. Conventional methods such as FDTD, FEM or integral equation methods require computing the solution of a very large set of linear equations. In the paper Pade’ approximants are applied to solve the long standing problem of diverging Born series. In the proposed method only simple small systems have to be solved for all grid points separately inside the scattering object. This can be done in parallel, so that the method is very fast and requires very little computer memory.  The new method is not only useful for forward scattering problems but will also be very important for solving inverse problems, in particular to quantify the possibility of super-resolution by multiple scattering.  

Thomas will continue as PhD in the Optics Group in the framework of the Synoptics Programme.

 

Comparison between the results obtained with the new method (right) and the analytic solution (left) for the scattering of a plane wave by a cylinder of silicon in air with radius 400 nm, equal to the wavelength.

T. A. van der Sijs, O. El Gawhary, and H. P. Urbach 
Phys. Rev. Research 2, 013308 – Published 13 March 2020

Joseph Braat presents the Holst Memorial Lecture 2019 and receives the Holst Award medal from TU Eindhoven, Philips Research and Signify for his work in the field of imaging optics.

Holst Memorial Lecture Award

This year’s Holst Lecture will be the 43rd since 1977. The Holst Lecturer will join the ranks of eminent scientists and/or Nobel laureates like Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Hendrik Casimir, Ilya Prigogine, Arno Penzias, Nicholas Negroponte, Alan Heeger, John Craig Venter and Shuji Nakamura.

The first Holst Memorial Lecture was given in 1977 to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. With support from Philips Research, the Holst Lecture given by a most eminent scientist in a selected research domain to an audience consisting of university staff, students, representatives from industry and other guests with a general interest in science and technology became an annual tradition. Candidates for the Award are selected by a committee under the chairmanship of the Rector Magnificus of the TU/e, the CTO of Royal Philips and the CEO of Signify research.

Gilles Holst

The general theme chosen for these lectures reflects the important contribution of Dr. Gilles Holst (1886-1968) to the development of research and technology in the Netherlands: ‘the development of applied science, particularly mathematics and the natural sciences, for the benefit of industry on the one side and their implications for society on the other.’

In his own academic career Holst played an essential part in the discovery of superconductivity by Nobel laureate H. Kamerlingh Onnes, whilst working at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. However, Gilles Holst will be first and foremost remembered as the founding director of the famous ‘Nat Lab’, the Philips Physics Laboratory in Eindhoven, where he worked between 1914 and 1946. During his lifetime, Gilles Holst was chairman of two committees that were instrumental in establishing the University of Technology in Eindhoven in 1956.

Eindhoven region

The Eindhoven Region, often referred to as Brainport Eindhoven is Europe’s leading innovative top technology region and home to Royal Philips, Signify, NXP semiconductors and ASML. Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has according to Times Higher Education World University Ranking the highest score for collaboration with industry in the field of academic and scientific research. One of TU/e distinguished emeriti was Edsger W. Dijkstra, one of the most influential members of computing science’s founding generation and Turing Award winner 1972.

After the Lecture, the rector magnificus will present the Holst Memorial Lecturer with the Holst Memorial Lecture Award, a honorary medal designed by Dutch sculptor Jos Reniers. To honor the laureate, a dinner with speakers, management of Philips Research, Signify and TU/e and the Scientific Committee will be organized.

Award winning speaker 2019

The Holst Memorial Lecture Award Committee nominates prof.dr.ir. Joseph Braat for his important contributions in the field of Imaging Optics. Joseph Braat provided essential contributions that enabled, but reach far beyond optical recording (e.g. CD, DVD). These can be seen as a scientific and technological base for some of the technologies that would launch the successes of the so called Brainport Eindhoven region, including Imaging Optics in Wafer Steppers that drives Moore’s law in the Semiconductor Industry. His work still proves to be important for new ventures in Digital Pathology, Automotive Lighting and Smart Lighting.

Holst Memorial Lecture: ‘Optical imaging, the diffraction limit and methods to surpass it’

Joseph Braat (professor emeritus TU Delft and former scientist at Philips Research) will receive the Holst Memorial Lecture Award 2019 for his important contributions in the field of Imaging Optics on 21 November 2019 at TU Eindhoven.