Abstract: The invention relates to an optical coherence microscopy system for fast, phase resolved imaging by means of optical coherence microscopy with decoupled illumination and detection apertures, producing a dark-field effect with an enhanced optical contrast. The setup uses a light source with an appropriate temporal coherence, an interferometer and an array detector combined with a spectrometer. The dark-field effect is produced by optical filter means in the illumination and detection paths, positioned in conjugated planes of the sample microscope objective. These optical means comprise for example refractive or diffractive elements, amplitude or phase masks, or programmable spatial light modulators. The object is scanned via a scanning unit allowing a point scan of the object.

Abstract: An adjustable pinhole, in particular for a beam path for illumination and/or detection in a laser-scanning microscope. The pinhole consists of at least two planar basic modules, which have frame-like joints, on which at least one blade is arranged in a displaceable manner in one direction, whereby the basic component advantageously contains at least one integrated, preferably optical or electromagnetic actuator. A device is provided at the blade, or connected with it, for preferably optical or electromagnetic detection of the position, and is provided, advantageously, with two asymmetric apertures, with mutually opposite orientation, for optical detection of the position, whereby in front of or behind the apertures, a slit is provided, oriented preferably at a right angle to the direction of displacement, and the quantity of light passing through the slit is detected separately for each aperture.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a functional optical coherent imaging (fOCI) platform comprising at least one active camera unit (ACU) comprising a coherent and/or a partially coherent light source, and means for spectral filtering and imaging a selected body area of interest; an image processing unit (IPU) for pre-processing data received from an ACU; at least one stimulation unit (STU) transmitting a stimulation to a subject; at least one body function reference measurement unit (BFMU); a central clock and processing unit (CCU), with interconnections to the ACU, the IPU, the STU, for collecting pre-processed data from the IPU, stimuli from the STU body function reference data from the BFMU in a synchronized manner; a post-processing unit (statistical analysis unit, SAU); and an operator interface (HOD.

Abstract: In a system and a method for examining an object containing a fluid liquid, the object is illuminated with measuring light and images are temporarily shortly subsequently recorded. The images are evaluated per pixel to determine perfusion data from a high frequency portion above 1 kHz and to determine further information about properties of the object from a low frequency portion below 100 Hz, such as a degree of oxygenation of hemoglobin, a concentration of hemoglobin or a concentration of ICG. This information determined by evaluation is displayed in a form of an image in superposition with a white light image of the object.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method combining achromatic complex FDOCT signal reconstruction with a common path and dual beam configuration. The complex signal reconstruction allows resolving the complex ambiguity of the Fourier transform and to enhance the achievable depth range by a factor of two. The dual beam configuration shares the property of high phase stability with common path FDOCT. This is of importance for a proper complex signal reconstruction and is in particular useful in combination with handheld probes such as in endoscopy and catheter applications. The advantages of the present invention are in particular the flexibility to choose arbitrarily positioned interfaces in the sample arm as reference together with the possibility to compensate for dispersion.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for displaying a part of a brain of a patient is provided. Laser Doppler images are acquired before and after a stimulation. The laser Doppler images comprise information about a blood motion or about a perfusion at the acquired part. Then, the blood motion images acquired before and after the stimulation are compared to identify areas in the brain of the patient which are related to the stimulation. The identified areas are displayed in dependence of topography data representing a topography of the brain.

Abstract: The invention concerns an optical imaging apparatus comprising (o) a light source (1), (p) sample holding means, (q) an interferometer, (r) reference means, (s) an objective (8) which is adapted to have its sample side focal plane crossing a sample held in said sample holding means, (t) optical or electro-optical means (2, 3, 5, 16) adapted to produce a ring shaped or multi-spot light source in the front focal plane (17) or any conjugated plane (17?) of said objective (8), at least one detector. The invention also includes a method for using said apparatus where the sample is illuminated by an interference pattern and the depth information is obtained by using optical Coherence Tomography.

Abstract: A high-speed laser perfusion imaging instrument including a laser source, a detector, a signal-processing unit, data memory, and a screen to display results. A section of a sample surface is illuminated with laser light; reemitted light from the irradiated surface is collected by focusing optics on a 2D array of integrating photodetectors having elements that can be accessed individually or in a pre-defined selection of pixels at high speed. This 2D array measures intensity variations at each individual pixel. Average amplitude and mean frequency of the measured signal contain information about concentration and speed of moving blood cells. For real-time imaging, exposure time is used as a parameter to measure relative perfusion changes. These data are stored and processed with the signal-processing unit to deliver 2D flow maps of the illuminated sample section, and allow a simple overlay between a conventional image and processed flow maps.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for displaying a part of a brain of a patient is described. Laser-Doppler-images are acquired before and after a stimulation. The laser-Doppler-images include information about a blood motion or about a perfusion at the acquired part. Then, the blood motion images acquired before and after the stimulation are compared to identify areas in the brain of the patient which are related to the stimulation.

Abstract: Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique with high axial resolution in the micro-meter-scale range combined with a high sensitivity allowing for example to probe weakly back-scattering structures beneath the surface of biological tissues up to several millimeters. A major improvement of this conventional technique represents Fourier Domain OCT with a further decrease in image acquisition time and additional sensitivity. The apparatus including appropriate signal processing reconstructs the depth profile from the spectrally resolved light signal generated by a broadband source and an interferometric imaging system. By frequency shifting the light fields with frequency shifting means in the reference and sample arm a phase resolved signal at high speed can be registered. Therefore the reference arm does not rely on arm length changes or delays. The beating signal generated in this way shows high phase stability.

Abstract: A method and a microscopy imaging apparatus for generating an optically sectioned image of a specimen are provided. The method comprises the steps of: illuminating the specimen with a modulating, spatially periodic illumination pattern; imaging said specimen on a conjugate image plane; acquiring a plurality of signals at respective positions on said image plane, each signal corresponding to the incident light intensity at that position and having an oscillatory component caused by the modulation of the illumination pattern; and measuring a characteristic of the oscillatory component of each of the signals, whereby the measured characteristics when combined in their relative positions generate an optically sectioned image of the specimen.

Abstract: An adjustable pinhole, in particular for a beam path for illumination and/or detection in a laser-scanning microscope. The pinhole consists of at least two planar basic modules, which have frame-like joints, on which at least one sharp edge is arranged in a displaceable manner in one direction, whereby the basic component advantageously contains at least one integrated, preferably optical or electromagnetic positioning element. A device is provided at the sharp edge, or connected with it, for preferably optical or electromagnetic detection of the position, and is provided, advantageously, with two asymmetric apertures, with mutually opposite orientation, for optical detection of the position, whereby in front of or behind the apertures, a slit is provided, oriented preferably at a right angle to the direction of displacement, and the quantity of light passing through the slit is detected separately for each aperture.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and device for identifying luminescent molecules according to the fluorescence correlation spectroscopy method.

Abstract: A method and a microscopy imaging apparatus for generating an optically sectioned image of a specimen are provided. The method comprises the steps of: illuminating the specimen with a modulating, spatially periodic illumination pattern; imaging said specimen on a conjugate image plane; acquiring a plurality of signals at respective positions on said image plane, each signal corresponding to the incident light intensity at that position and having an oscillatory component caused by the modulation of the illumination pattern; and measuring a characteristic of the oscillatory component of each of the signals, whereby the measured characteristics when combined in their relative positions generate an optically sectioned image of the specimen.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for fixing at least one location in an examination field (9) with respect to a coordinate system (13). The method includes determining, in response to a request (65), coordinates of a first location (59) as a first coordinate set (x, y, z) allocated to the first location (59). A first recording and a second recording of topological data (69) in a spatially extended area around the first location (59) in the examination field (9) are obtained. The first and second recordings are compared to determine a displacement (&Dgr;x, &Dgr;y, &Dgr;z) of the first location (59) of the examination field (9) with respect to the coordinate system (13), the coordinates of the first coordinate set (x, y, z) allocated to the first location (59) are changed dependent upon the determined displacement (&Dgr;x, &Dgr;y, &Dgr;z) such that the changed coordinates substantially correspond to the coordinates of the first location (59) in the examination field (9) after the displacement thereof.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for fixing at least one location in an examination field (9) with respect to a coordinate system (13). The method includes determining, in response to a request (65), coordinates of a first location (59) as a first coordinate set (x, y, z) allocated to the first location (59). A first recording and a second recording of topological data (69) in a spatially extended area around the first location (59) in the examination field (9) are obtained. The first and second recordings are compared to determine a displacement (&Dgr;x, &Dgr;y, &Dgr;z) of the first location (59) of the examination field (9) with respect to the coordinate system (13), the coordinates of the first coordinate set (x, y, z) allocated to the first location (59) are changed dependent upon the determined displacement (&Dgr;x, &Dgr;y, &Dgr;z) such that the changed coordinates substantially correspond to the coordinates of the first location (59) in the examination field (9) after the displacement thereof.

Abstract: A laser adapter 2 for mounting on a surgical microscope 4 includes a compactly configured laser 9 which supplies a therapeutic laser beam 10 at a suitable wavelength. In addition, a pulse energy monitoring device is provided in the laser adapter 4 which is used for the on-line energy measurement of the emitted laser pulses and whose output signals are applied as parameters for controlling the pulse energy emitted by the laser 9.

Abstract: An arrangement for spatially resolved acquisition of an object which is illuminated by an illumination arrangement, wherein a relative movement is generated between the illumination arrangement and the object by moving the object and/or the illumination arrangement and, in addition to at least one confocally arranged detection element for confocal acquisition of the light coming from points on the object, there is provided at least one additional detection element for the acquisition of object light at least posterior in time to the confocal acquisition. For at least two-dimensionally spatially resolved measurement of time processes, especially of fluorescence decay times, preferably at the ocular fundus, using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope, the radiation receiver is at least a series of detectors which are arranged in such a way that there is a series of additional detector elements in addition to the confocal detector element at least subsequently in the scanning direction.

Abstract: An axially optically pumped laser 11 is penetrated coaxially by a target beam .lambda..sub.2. This penetration of the pumped laser occurs via light conductor 2 by means of laser diode 31. The pumped laser 11 can be an erbium--YAG laser. For this purpose, the dispersion, diffraction and reflection of an incoupling optic 12, of laser 11 and a focusing device 13 are suitably matched to each other in order that the pump light .lambda..sub.3, work beam .lambda..sub.1 and target beam .lambda..sub.2 are suitably guided and are suitable for small diameters. The laser arrangement is suitable as a medical device for ears, nose and throat and eyes and can be utilized with an endoscope.

Abstract: At least one narrow-band emitting pump radiation source is provided in a laser arrangement having a laser medium to be pumped. The supplied pump radiation includes at least two pump radiation components which are different with respect to power. The component with lower power functions to generate a visible target beam. Such a laser arrangement is especially suitable in a medical laser system.