Overview

Nemaktis is an open-source platform including tools for propagating and visualising optical fields in complex birefringent media such as liquid crystal (LC) layers. It includes three backends implementing advanced numerical methods for light propagation, as well as an easy-to-use high level interface in python allowing to quickly setup a simulation and visualize optical microraphs of a LC structure as in a real microscope. It goes well beyond the Jones method usually used in LC research, by accurately modeling diffraction, walk-off, focusing effects, Koehler illumination…

If you want a platform for easily comparing experimental images and numerical micrographs from simulated or theoretical birefringent structures, you are in the right place!

License

Nemaktis is released under MIT license so you can use it freely. Please cite the following publications if you use Nemaktis to prepare a figure in a scientific paper:

Contributors

  • High-level interface, ray-tracing and beam propagation backends: Guilhem Poy, Slobodan Žumer.
  • Diffraction transfer matrix backend: Andrej Petelin, Alex Vasile.

Highlights

  • Easy-to-use scripting interface in python
  • Support for Koehler illumination setup (multiple incoming plane waves)
  • Support for arbitrary number of isotropic layers around the birefringent object (e.g. glass plates).
  • Support for arbitrary uniaxial media (biaxial support coming soon).
  • Graphical user interface to visualize optical fields, with interactive sliders for the parameters of the microscope.

Limitations

  • Paraxial propagation is assumed for the BPM backend (but the PSF of the microscope can be set with a high NA).
  • No support for reflection microscopy
  • No support (yet) for biaxial media

The last two limitations should be lifted in the future since the associated theoretical framework is already ready (I just need to find students or the time to code everything!). If you want to implement new features that you think could benefit the whole software, please contact me (address below)!

Concerning the paraxial approximation, I can mention that I have also developped a closed-source wide-angle beam propagation method, which can model non-linear optical systems, wide-angle deflection of light beams by birefringent structures, waveguiding… If you are interested in starting a collaboration on this closed-source software, please send me a quick message explaining the optics problem that you want to solve.

Contact