Abstract: An illumination delivery system provides a spatially and angularly uniform shaped beam output with sufficient intensity to illuminate a sample surface for defect inspection. Light is transmitted through a shaped fiber optic bundle, a homogenizer, a diffuser, and an optional focusing optics system.

Abstract: Where short TR MRI imaging sequences are required (e.g., for contrast media imaging), NMR signal strength losses are reduced by including an extra peparatory nutation pulse at an interval TR prior to the usual nutation sequence used to elicit an NMR RF response. The "dead time" during such a TR interval for one slice is utilized for eliciting and receiving NMR RF responses from at least one other slice and sending the extra preparatory nutation pulse into yet another slice thus effecting a multi-slice procedure with an effective TR less than the actual time between repetitions of a complete multi-slice projection sequence while yet retaining high signal strength.