Tomographic reconstruction of refractive index fields based on laser beam deflection measurement

Refractive index as one of the most important optical properties of materials is the key to utilize refractive index elements. However, it is very difficult to measure or estimate refractive index of media, especially for multi-dimensional inhomogeneous refractive index distribution. Therefore, an inverse scheme is presented for reconstructing refractive index field in rectangular gradient index medium based on ray deflection measurement in this work. A collection of rays from given positions along given directions transit the semitransparent medium and all exit boundary positions are recorded to construct the objective function of inverse problem. Runge–Kutta ray tracing technique is employed to simulate the curved ray path determined by Fermat principle in gradient-index medium. Conjugate gradient method as an inverse algorithm is used to reconstruct refractive index field. A series of simulation experiments are done to show the performance of the inverse strategy we developed. The results indicate that this inverse strategy for reconstructing refractive index field is accurate and effective.