Encoding Arbitrary Phase and Amplitude Modes on Laser Light with A Digital Micro-Mirror Device

Controlling the amplitude and phase structure of laser light is important for many applications in atomic, molecular, and optical physics where the ability to configure light has vastly improved probing and tailoring interactions between light and matter. The introduction of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) and the digital micro-mirror Device (DMD) have enabled programmable control of laser light in applications such as optical tweezers, trapping, and imaging. The DMD is a faster alternative to the LC-SLM that can configure the amplitude and phase structure of light at rates upwards of 4kHz via millions of binary controlled micro-mirrors. Commercially available DMDs, commonly used by projector systems, are an economical and robust tool for crafting laser light in the lab. We demonstrate the DMD’s ability to encode an arbitrary phase and amplitude mode on a laser beam via diffraction patterns, produce flat top probe beams, and generate a known reference for holographic imaging of cold atoms. Due to the programmable nature of the DMD, the beams engineered by these devices will improve the existing absorption imaging of atom clouds through real time stabilization of probe beam shaping, alignment, and positioning.