Spatial Light Modulator User Guide

A spatial light modulator (SLM) is device that alters the amplitude, phase, or polarization of a wavefront in space and time. SLMs alter the beam through either reflection or transmission of the incoming wavefront.

The LTC is lucky enough to own an SLM of our own. Our SLM is a Cambridge Correlators SDE1024 SLM.

SLMs are either optically- or electrically-adressed. The addressing mode refers to the type of input signal that controls the optical properties of the SLM. This input signal encodes information on how to modify the incident light.

We use MATLAB to control our spatial light modulator. Although the LTC does not currently own its own copy, MATLAB can be accessed via Stony Brook's Virtual SINC Site. Stony Brook's Virtual SINC site allows students, staff, and facility access to site-licensed, academic software anywhere, anytime. In order to access Stony Brook's Virtual SINC site, the Citrix Receiver must first be dowloaded on the computer you are using. Once the download is complete, you access the Virtual SINC site using your Stony Brook NetID and password.

MATLAB is a professional-grade computation and visualization tool and has a wide range of capabilities. Its usefulness has caused its spread across academia and industry and knowing how to code in MATLAB is a very useful skill to have as a young physicist.