Abstract: A diagnosis apparatus comprises a shutter (11) disposed between a light source (1) and a lens (12) opposed to biological tissue (13); a multi-channel spectrometer (polychromator) (16) for detecting a light emitting plume (14); a photodetector (5) for detecting a portion of a laser pulse from the light source (1); an oscilloscope (6) which monitors an output from the photodetector (5) to thereby measure a delay time of a gate trigger pulse supplied to a high-speed gate image intensifier (17); a pulse generator (8) capable of independently and freely adjusting the delay times of two output pulses in synchronization with the laser pulse; a gate controller (7) connected to the pulse generator (8) and the oscilloscope (6); the high-speed gate image intensifier (17) intensifying and imaging the output of the multi-channel spectrometer (16) whose gate is opened by the gate controller (7) over a period on the order of nanosecond; a CCD camera (9) capturing an output image from the high-speed gate image intensifier (1

Abstract: Light from a light source is converged by a converging lens and is irradiated to an object to be measured through a converging lens, the object to be measured or the converging lens and the reference light mirror are displaced so as to maximize intensities of interference light at the reference light mirror and the front and rear surfaces of the object to be measured, and displaced distances of the object to be measured or the converging lens and the reference light mirror at a position where an intensity of interference light becomes maximum at the rear surface and a position where an intensity of interference light becomes maximum are obtained in order to simultaneously measure a refractive index and a thickness of the object to be measured.

Abstract: An optical switching device for switching the transmission of light waves is provided. The main feature of the present invention is the usage of a light-transmitting, crystalline material having a temperature dependent index of refraction. That is, the light transmission condition is altered by controlling the temperature of such a material. In one form of the present invention, a main waveguide and a branched waveguide are provided and light waves are switched between the main and branched waveguides by controlling the temperature of a particlar portion of the intersection region. In another form of the present invention, a pair of waveguides is oppositely arranged in an end-to-end relation with a gap therebetween, and a switching region is defined in the gap. When the switching region is heated, the waveguides are optically connected; whereas, they are optically disconnected at normal temperature condition.