Abstract: Provided is a position locating instrument for a position locating method in which position locating instruments that transmit and receive light beams are arranged in series connection. The position locating instruments reduce error factors and improve measurement accuracy by providing all or some of necessary position and attitude parameters. The position locating instrument has at least one light emission port through which light from a wavelength-changeable light source is emitted; and at least one light receiving port that receives light emitted or reflected by an adjacent position locating instrument. The light emitted from the light emission port has a fanlike pattern and has an emission angle varying, as a monotonic function of a wavelength of the light, in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the light spreads in the fanlike pattern.

Abstract: Provided is a swept light source including one end surface coupled to a wavelength filter constituted of a diffraction grating and an end mirror via a light deflector and another end surface including a gain medium facing an output coupling mirror and which configures a laser cavity between the end mirror and the output coupling mirror, wherein a drive voltage having an AC voltage on which a DC bias voltage is superimposed is output from a control voltage source of the light deflector to an electrode pair of an electro-optic crystal, light is radiated from a light emitter to the electro-optic crystal, and incident light from the gain medium incident along an optical axis perpendicular to a direction of an electric field formed by the control voltage is deflected in a direction parallel to the electric field, so that wavelength sweeping is performed.

Abstract: Provided is a swept light source including one end surface coupled to a wavelength filter constituted of a diffraction grating and an end mirror via a light deflector and another end surface including a gain medium facing an output coupling mirror and which configures a laser cavity between the end mirror and the output coupling mirror, wherein a drive voltage having an AC voltage on which a DC bias voltage is superimposed is output from a control voltage source of the light deflector to an electrode pair of an electro-optic crystal, light is radiated from a light emitter to the electro-optic crystal, and incident light from the gain medium incident along an optical axis perpendicular to a direction of an electric field formed by the control voltage is deflected in a direction parallel to the electric field, so that wavelength sweeping is performed.

Abstract: Provided is a position locating instrument for a position locating method in which position locating instruments that transmit and receive light beams are arranged in series connection. The position locating instruments reduce error factors and improve measurement accuracy by providing all or some of necessary position and attitude parameters. The position locating instrument has at least one light emission port through which light from a wavelength-changeable light source is emitted; and at least one light receiving port that receives light emitted or reflected by an adjacent position locating instrument. The light emitted from the light emission port has a fanlike pattern and has an emission angle varying, as a monotonic function of a wavelength of the light, in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the light spreads in the fanlike pattern.

Abstract: A wavelength swept light source includes a sawtooth waveform as a main waveform and an exponential component of the sawtooth waveform to the controlled voltage of the electro-optic deflector. The controlled voltage is controlled so that, as an oscillation wavelength to be swept is swept towards a longer wavelength side, a change rate of the oscillation wavelength is increased.

Abstract: A variable focusing lens is provided that can change the focal length at a high speed. The variable focusing lens includes: a single crystal electrooptic material having inversion symmetry; a first anode formed on a first surface of the electrooptic material; a second cathode provided to have an interval to the first anode; and a first cathode and a second anode that are formed on a second surface opposed to the first surface and that are formed at positions opposed to the first anode and the second cathode. An optical axis is set so that, when light enters through a third face orthogonal to the first surface, light exists through a fourth surface opposed to the third face. A voltage applied between the first and the second pair of electrodes is changed to thereby change the focal point of light emitted from the fourth surface of the electrooptic material.

Abstract: In a wavelength swept light source using a polygon mirror in a well-known art, an oscillation wavelength roughly linearly varies in an upwardly slight convex shape with respect to time. On the other hand, in a wavelength swept light source of SS-OCT, the wavelength is required to vary so that a wavenumber (inverse of wavelength) linearly varies on a time axis. The wavelength swept light source of the well-known art has had a drawback that such wavelength variation cannot be implemented; non-linear distortion occurs in a resultant OCT image; and thereby, a point spread function cannot be kept sharp.

Abstract: The present invention provides a small spectroscope that has a short response time. A spectroscope according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a beam deflector that includes an electro-optic crystal, having an electro-optic effect, and paired electrodes used to apply an electric field inside the electro-optic crystal; spectroscopic means for dispersing light output by the beam deflector; and wavelength selection means for selecting light having an arbitrary wavelength from the light dispersed and output by the spectroscopic means.

Abstract: A variable focusing lens is provided that can change the focal length at a high speed. The variable focusing lens includes: a single crystal electrooptic material having inversion symmetry; a first anode formed on a first surface of the electrooptic material; a second cathode provided to have an interval to the first anode; and a first cathode and a second anode that are formed on a second surface opposed to the first surface and that are formed at positions opposed to the first anode and the second cathode. An optical axis is set so that, when light enters through a third face orthogonal to the first surface, light exists through a fourth surface opposed to the third face. A voltage applied between the first and the second pair of electrodes is changed to thereby change the focal point of light emitted from the fourth surface of the electrooptic material.

Abstract: To provide a variable-focal length lens capable of altering its focal length at high speed. The variable-focal length lens has an electrooptic material and electrodes formed on an incident surface of light and on an exit surface of the light of the electrooptic material. An optical axis is set so that the light is inputted into a gap where the electrodes of the incident surface are not formed and is outputted from a gap where the electrodes of the exit surface are not formed. A focus of the light that is transmitted through the electrooptic material becomes variable by varying an applied voltage between the electrodes of the incident surface and the electrodes of the exit surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a small spectroscope that has a short response time. A spectroscope according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a beam deflector that includes an electro-optic crystal, having an electro-optic effect, and paired electrodes used to apply an electric field inside the electro-optic crystal; spectroscopic means for dispersing light output by the beam deflector; and wavelength selection means for selecting light having an arbitrary wavelength from the light dispersed and output by the spectroscopic means.

Abstract: To provide a variable-focal length lens capable of altering its focal length at high speed. The variable-focal length lens has an electrooptic material and electrodes formed on an incident surface of light and on an exit surface of the light of the electrooptic material. An optical axis is set so that the light is inputted into a gap where the electrodes of the incident surface are not formed and is outputted from a gap where the electrodes of the exit surface are not formed. A focus of the light that is transmitted through the electrooptic material becomes variable by varying an applied voltage between the electrodes of the incident surface and the electrodes of the exit surface.

Abstract: An optical memory medium (2) has cores (21) each constituting a planar optical waveguide and clads (22) sandwiching each core, and has a data image (203) in which data is recorded as a scattering factor and a pair of positioning marks (201, 202) which are scattering factors required for positioning at an interface between a core (21) and a clad (22) or in the core (21). A read light (103) travels while spreading in the core (21) and scatters and interferes by the data image (203), and data is reproduced from a data reproduction light (1031) generated by this scattering and interference. A pair of positioning lights (101, 102) are caused to enter the core (21) with offsets with respect to the read light (103) in opposite directions along a thickness direction of the core (21), and scatter and interfere at the pair of positioning marks (201, 202).

Abstract: An information coding apparatus, an information decoding apparatus, and a method and a program therefor are provided, which can represent a large amount of information with a small number of pixels. Information bits which are inputted are coded as a block of a two-dimensional image made up from m (where m is a natural number)×n (where n is a natural number) pixels. Specifically, pixels which represent the information bits are arranged in a code area, which is an area of (m?o)×(n?p) pixels within a code block of m×n pixels (where o and p are natural numbers which satisfy 0<o<m and 0<p<n); and, no pixels which represent the information bits are arranged in a guide area, which is an area of the other pixels within the code block of m×n pixels.

Abstract: An optical memory medium (2) has cores (21) each constituting a planar optical waveguide and clads (22) sandwiching each core, and has a data image (203) in which data is recorded as a scattering factor and a pair of positioning marks (201, 202) which are scattering factors required for positioning at an interface between a core (21) and a clad (22) or in the core (21). A read light (103) travels while spreading in the core (21) and scatters and interferes by the data image (203), and data is reproduced from a data reproduction light (1031) generated by this scattering and interference. A pair of positioning lights (101, 102) are caused to enter the core (21) with offsets with respect to the read light (103) in opposite directions along a thickness direction of the core (21), and scatter and interfere at the pair of positioning marks (201, 202).

Abstract: An optical waveguide capable of having various characteristics and a method of manufacture thereof as well as a method of manufacturing a crystal film are provided. An optical functional material KTaxNb1?xO3 is used as an optical waveguide. The input optical signal is transmitted to the KTaxNb1?xO3 film. The KTaxNb1?xO3 film undergoes changes in optical property when an external voltage signal is applied to the electrode. Therefore, as it passes through the KTaxNb1?xO3 film, the input optical signal is modulated by the characteristic change. The modulated optical signal is taken out as an output optical signal.

Abstract: An optical memory medium includes at least one multi-layered waveguide hologram ROM that uses diffracted light based on incident light to a multi-layered waveguide hologram to read out data, and at least one memory that is integrally constituted with the multi-layered waveguide hologram ROM and is used to read and write data. A reproduction apparatus for the optical memory medium includes a light inputting unit for inputting light into the multi-layered waveguide hologram of the optical memory medium, a light receiving element for receiving light diffracted by the multi-layered waveguide hologram from the light input by the light inputting unit and for converting into an electric signal, and a data record reproduction unit for reading and writing data with respect to the memory of the optical memory medium.

Abstract: An optical waveguide capable of having various characteristics and a method of manufacture thereof as well as a method of manufacturing a crystal film are provided. An optical functional material KTaxNb1-xO3 is used as an optical waveguide. The input optical signal is transmitted to the KTaxNb1-xO3 film. The KTaxNb1-xO3 film undergoes changes in optical property when an external voltage signal is applied to the electrode. Therefore, as it passes through the KTaxNb1-xO3 film, the input optical signal is modulated by the characteristic change. The modulated optical signal is taken out as an output optical signal.

Abstract: An optical waveguide capable of having various characteristics and a method of manufacture thereof as well as a method of manufacturing a crystal film are provided. An optical functional material KTaxNb1-xO3 is used as an optical waveguide. The input optical signal is transmitted to the KTaxNb1-xO3 film. The KTaxNb1-xO3 film undergoes changes in optical property when an external voltage signal is applied to the electrode. Therefore, as it passes through the KTaxNb1-xO3 film, the input optical signal is modulated by the characteristic change. The modulated optical signal is taken out as an output optical signal.

Abstract: An optical waveguide capable of having various characteristics and a method of manufacture thereof as well as a method of manufacturing a crystal film are provided. An optical functional material KTaxNb1-xO3 is used as an optical waveguide. The input optical signal is transmitted to the KTaxNb1-xO3 film. The KTaxNb1-xO3 film undergoes changes in optical property when an external voltage signal-is applied to the electrode. Therefore, as it passes through the KTaxNb1-xO3 film, the input optical signal is modulated by the characteristic change. The modulated optical signal is taken out as an output optical signal.