System for demonstrating arbitrary multi-spot beam steering from spatial light modulators

A graphical user interface is used to program sequences of analog phase patterns onto a 512 x 512 pixel, electrically-addressed spatial light modulator (SLM). Hand sketches made with a digital pen are used to prescribe the footprints, velocities and trajectories of multiple, independently-controlled diffracted spots. The interface is intended to demonstrate to potential end-users, who are not knowledgeable about diffractive optical design, to what degree SLM's may be considered to produce arbitrary multi-spot beam steering. Using the interface, scanning sequences are created, programmed, run through, and diffracted from a SLM that simultaneously scans multiple patterns on distinct trajectories.