Abstract: A resonant fiber optic gyroscope comprises: a ring resonator including a fiber coil fabricated from a first type of hollow core fiber; a light source to produce at least two light beams, wherein a first light beam is configured to travel in a clockwise direction in the ring resonator and a second light beam is configured to travel in a counterclockwise direction in the ring resonator; a filter resonator assembly coupled between the light source and the ring resonator including: at least two short pieces of optical fiber shorter in length than the fiber coil, the at least two short pieces of optical fiber fabricated from the first type of hollow core fiber; and wherein prior to the beams entering the ring resonator, a plurality of reflective devices are configured to condition the beams such that they excite the fundamental mode of the hollow core fiber within the ring resonator.

Abstract: A color measurement system is provided that includes an integrating sphere having at least one specular component included (SCI) sensor configured to output a signal in response to light incident thereupon and at least one specular component excluded (SCE) sensor configured to output a signal in response to light incident thereupon, a sample port, a SCE port, a light source configured to direct a beam of light into the sphere and provide illumination at the sample port and a specular component excluded port. The system also includes a processor having a memory and configured by code to activate the light source so as to cause a beam of light to be directed into the sphere and provide illumination to the sample port. The processor is also configured to receive a signal output by the SCI sensor and a signal output by the SCE sensor.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to an OCT apparatus configured to generate to electromagnetic (e.g., optical) signals having two different polarization states. Two or more silicon optical amplifiers (SOAs) can be configured to maintain a respective polarization state in an optical input signal provided from a light source (e.g., a broadband light source). The different polarization states can be combined by an optical combiner (e.g., a polarization maintaining fiber coupler) and provided to drive a reference arm and a sample arm implemented in an OCT system.

Abstract: A laser radar system using collocated laser beams to unambiguously detects a range of a target and a range rate at which the target is moving relative to the laser radar system. Another aspect of various embodiments of the invention may relate to a laser radar system that uses multiple laser radar sections to obtain multiple simultaneous measurements (or substantially so), whereby both range and range rate can be determined without various temporal effects introduced by systems employing single laser sections taking sequential measurements. In addition, other aspects of various embodiments of the invention may enable faster determination of the range and rate of the target, a more accurate determination of the range and rate of the target, and/or may provide other advantages.

Abstract: A technique and device to determine the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation in a certain range of wavelengths comprising: splitting said radiation into more than one beam; let these beams counter-propagate in a Sagnac-type ring interferometer; and imprinting a wavelength-dependent angular tilt onto the wavefront of each beam by at least one dispersive element which preferably is a transmission grating or grism; and re-combining the multiple beams on a detector that exhibits spatial resolution and can therefore resolve the fringes formed by interference; and perform the mathematical operations to determine the spectrum of said radiation from the obtained interferogram, wherein the dispersive element is mounted on a stage providing linear and/or rotational movement.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a apparatus and method for measuring a waveform of a light wave. A light wave measurement apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a pulse separation unit to separate an input light wave into a fundamental pulse and a signal pulse, a time delay adjustment unit to adjust a time delay between the fundamental pulse and the signal pulse, a focusing unit to focus the fundamental pulse and the signal pulse whose time delay is adjusted on an ionization material, and an ionization yield measurement unit to measure an ionization yield from electrons and/or ions generated by the focused fundamental pulse and signal pulse. The waveform of the input light wave is obtained by obtaining an ionization yield modulation changed by the signal pulse as a function of the time delay.

Abstract: The invention is an electromechanical resonator, comprising a fixed portion and an oscillator oscillating at a resonant frequency and comprising a fluidic channel. The channel defines a fluidic circuit, can receive a fluid, and can be deformed at the resonant frequency. The resonator includes a waveguide, defining a photonic circuit, guiding a light wave between an input and an output of the waveguide and being able to be deformed at the resonant frequency. The waveguide input can be connected to a light source and the waveguide output can be connected to a photodetector able to form a signal representative of the light wave propagated by the waveguide towards the photodetector, the light wave being modulated at a frequency dependent on the resonant frequency. A variation in a mass of the fluid, inducing a variation in the resonant frequency, may be detected via the signal formed by the photodetector.

Abstract: A shearing interferometer includes first and second shearing plates disposed opposite to each other. The first shearing plate includes a first front surface and a first back surface, and splits an input beam input to the first front surface into first and second beams reflected at the first front and back surfaces, respectively. The second shearing plate includes a second front surface and a second back surface. The second shearing plate splits the first beam into third and fourth beams reflected at the second front and back surfaces, respectively, and splits the second beam into fifth and sixth beams reflected at the second front and back surfaces, respectively. Each of the first and second shearing plates has a thickness which limits a phase delay between the fourth beam and the fifth beam to a degree determined to allow interference to occur between the fourth beam and the fifth beam.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus of the invention is for generating a tomographic image corresponding to a cross-section of an imaging object. The image processing apparatus 1 comprises: a data acquisitor 20 which obtains image data corresponding to a plurality of imaging with respect to the imaging object; and an image generator 30 which generates the tomographic image corresponding to the cross-section parallel to the depth direction based on the image data. The plurality of imaging are performed with mutually different focus positions in a depth direction and imaging ranges overlapped in the depth direction. The image generator 30 sets a value of each pixel in the tomographic image at a value obtained by a calculation process between the image data of a same position of the imaging object corresponding to the pixel obtained at each of the plurality of imaging.

Abstract: An observation apparatus observes an observation object moving in a flow path with a fluid, and includes a light source, a splitting unit, a combining unit, a collimator, a cylindrical lens, an objective lens, a collimator, a cylindrical lens, an objective lens, a modulation unit, an imaging unit, an analysis unit, and the like. The imaging unit includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a direction intersecting with a moving direction of an image of the observation object on a light receiving plane on which the image of the observation object moving in the flow path is formed, and receives combined light output from the combining unit to repeatedly output a detection signal indicating a one-dimensional interference image. The analysis unit generates a two-dimensional image of the observation object on the basis of the detection signal.

Abstract: Metrology targets, production processes and optical systems are provided, which enable metrology of device-like targets. Supplementary structure(s) may be introduced in the target to interact optically with the bottom layer and/or with the top layer of the target and target cells configurations enable deriving measurements of device-characteristic features. For example, supplementary structure(s) may be designed to yield Moiré patterns with one or both layers, and metrology parameters may be derived from these patterns. Device production processes were adapted to enable production of corresponding targets, which may be measured by standard or by provided modified optical systems, configured to enable phase measurements of the Moiré patterns.

Abstract: An optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) measurement is produced from an OFDR apparatus that includes a tunable laser source coupled to a sensing interferometer and a monitor interferometer. The sensing interferometer is also coupled to a waveguide, e.g., an optical sensing fiber. Sensor interferometric data obtained by the OFDR measurement is processed in the spectral domain (e.g., frequency) with one or more parameters to compensate for the optical dispersion associated with the sensing interferometer data. A Fourier Transform of the dispersion-compensated sensing interferometric data in the spectral domain is performed to provide a dispersion-compensated OFDR measurement information in the temporal (e.g., time) domain.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are presented for multichannel optical coherence tomography. Light from a wavelength tuneable or steppable optical source is separated into one or more sample beams and one or more reference beams, and the one or more sample beams directed onto a sample to form one or more interaction regions. A plurality of returning probe beams are collected and mixed with the one or more reference beams to form an interference pattern comprising a plurality of interferograms having at least two distinct carrier frequencies. The multichannel optical apparatus can be provided with polarisation discrimination by mixing the returning probe beams with two orthogonally polarised reference beams to form one or more interference patterns each comprising a plurality of interferograms having at least two distinct carrier frequencies.

Abstract: Dual laser frequency combs can rapidly measure high resolution linear absorption spectra. However, one-dimensional linear techniques cannot distinguish the sources of resonances in a mixture of different analytes, nor separate inhomogeneous and homogeneous broadening. These limitations are overcome by acquiring high resolution multi-dimensional non-linear coherent spectra with frequency combs.

Abstract: A measurement apparatus (10) for determining a shape of an optical surface. An illumination module (16) produces an illumination wave (34), an interferometer (18) splits the wave into a test wave (50), which is directed onto the optical surface, and a reference wave (52). The relative tilt between the waves produces a multi-fringe interference pattern (66) in a detection plane (62) of the interferometer when the waves are superposed. A pupil plane (28) of the illumination module is arranged in a Fourier plane of the detection plane and the illumination module is configured to produce the illumination wave so that the intensity distribution thereof in the pupil plane includes at least one spatially isolated and contiguous surface region (38) such that a rectangle (74) with the smallest possible area fitted to the surface region or the totality of surface regions has an aspect ratio of at least 1.5:1.

Abstract: Microscope (2) comprising a coherent light source (4) producing a coherent light beam (7), a light beam guide system (6) comprising a beam splitter (14) configured to split the coherent light beam (7) into a reference beam (7a) and a sample illumination beam (7b), a sample holder (18) configured to hold a sample (1) to be observed, a sample illumination device (28) configured to direct the sample illumination beam (7b) through the sample and into a microscope objective (37), a beam reuniter (16) configured to reunite the reference beam and sample illumination beam after passage of the sample illumination beam through the sample to be observed, and a light sensing system (8) configured to capture at least phase and intensity values of the coherent light beam downstream of the beam reuniter.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a metrology system. In one example, a metrology system includes a laser source adapted to transmit a light beam, a lens adapted to receive at least a portion of the light beam from the laser source, a first beam splitter positioned to receive at least the portion of the light beam passing through the lens, a first beam displacing device adapted to cause a portion of the light beam received from the beam splitter to be split into two or more sub-light beams a first recording device having a detection surface, and a first polarizer that is positioned between the first displacing device and the first recording device, wherein the first polarizer is configured to cause the two or more sub-light beams provided from the first displacing device to form an interference pattern on the detection surface of the first recording device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a laser sensor for self-mixing interferometry. The laser sensor comprises at least one semiconductor laser light source emitting laser radiation and at least one photodetector (6) monitoring the laser radiation of the laser light source. The laser light source is a VECSEL having a gain medium (3) arranged in a layer structure (15) on a front side of a first end mirror (4), said first end mirror (4) forming an external cavity with an external second end mirror (5). The proposed laser sensor provides an increased detection range and can be manufactured in a low-cost production process.

Abstract: An optical sensor system includes an optical sensor arrangement that includes a Fabry-Perot structure having two reflective surfaces spaced apart at a distance from each other. A spectral acquisition arrangement acquires successive spectral responses from the optical sensor arrangement during successive time intervals. A spectral analysis arrangement detects a periodicity in at least one of the successive spectral responses that have been acquired. The spectral analysis arrangement further detects a phase evolution of the periodicity throughout the successive spectral responses. The phase evolution of the periodicity provides a relatively precise measurement of a variation in an optical path length between the two reflective surfaces of the Fabry-Perot structure. A variation in a physical quantity can cause the variation in the optical path length. Accordingly, a relatively precise measurement of the physical quantity can be achieved.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to an OCT apparatus configured to generate to electromagnetic (e.g., optical) signals having two different polarization states. Two or more silicon optical amplifiers (SOAs) can be configured to maintain a respective polarization state in an optical input signal provided from a light source (e.g., a broadband light source). The different polarization states can be combined by an optical combiner (e.g., a polarization maintaining fiber coupler) and provided to drive a reference arm and a sample arm implemented in an OCT system.