Abstract: The invention relates to a spot generator (10) having: —an entrysurface (12) for receiving an incident light beam (20) and an exit surface (14) for (22, 24) transmitting the light beam, the entry surface defining an entryside (16) and the exit surface defining an exit side (18). According to the invention, the spot generator is designed to modulate the incident light beam to generate on the exit side a first plurality (22) and a second plurality (24) of separate light spots, each light spot belonging to the first plurality having a first angular spectrum and each light spot belonging to the second plurality having a second angular spectrum different than the first angular spectrum. Advantageously, the spot generator comprises a periodic binary phase structure. The invention further relates to a multi-spot scanning microscope and to a method of imaging a microscopic sample.

Abstract: The invention relates to a spot-generator (10) having: an entrance surface (12) for receiving an incident light beam (20) and an exit surface (14) for transmitting the light beam, the entrance surface defining an entrance side (16) and the exit surface defining an exit side (18), wherein the spot generator is designed to modulate the incident light beam to generate on the exit side a plurality of separate light spots. According to the invention, the plurality of light spots comprises a first light spot (22) generated in a first focal plane (24) and a second light spot (26) generated in a second focal plane (28), the first focal plane and the second focal plane being essentially perpendicular to the mean propagation direction of the exit light beam, and wherein the first light spot (22) differs from every other light spot generated on the exit side by the spot generator in the projection of its position on a plane essentially perpendicular to the mean propagation direction of the exit light beam.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of encoding a set of data on an information carrier comprising data areas each intended to store a data, each data area being characterized by a transmission coefficient and a phase-shift coefficient, said method comprising a step of calculating the transmission coefficient and phase-shift coefficient of said data areas so that an output light pattern corresponding to the intensity pattern of said set of data is generated at a given distance from the information carrier, via interference between light outputted by said data areas in response of an array of light spots periodically applied to non-adjacent data areas.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of adjusting a desired spectrum of light emitted by a gas discharge lamp during its operation, said gas discharge lamp comprising a first ionizable substance and a second substance which is less readily ionizable than the first substance. According to the invention, the gas discharge lamp is operated such that gases of both substances cans be excited, while the partial pressure of the first substance is adjusted in dependence on the desired spectrum. For this purpose, for example, the current through the lamp may be modulated. In an alternative embodiment, this is suitably achieved in that the partial mercury pressure is varied, for example through an adjustment of the temperature of a mercury amalgam present in the gas discharge lamp. The invention also relates to a gas discharge lamp whose color can be varied during its operation, and to a luminaire provided with a supply for such a lamp.