A spatial filter is made by forming a structure comprising a focusing element and an opaque surface, the opaque surface being disposed remotely from the focusing element in substantially the same plane as a focal plane of the focusing element; and by forming a pinhole in the opaque surface at or adjacent to a focal point of the focusing element by transmitting a substantially collimated laser beam through the focusing element so that a point optimally corresponding to the focal point is identified on the opaque surface and imperfection of the focusing element, if any, is reflected on the shape and position of the pinhole so formed.

An aquatic environment water parameter testing system and related methods and chemical indicator elements. The aquatic environment water parameter testing system includes an electronics portion having an optical reader element and a sample chamber portion having a chemical indicator element which may be removably connected. A chemical indicator element may include an information storage and communication element used, in part, to provide identification of a chemical indicator of the chemical indicator element. Conductivity and/or temperature may be utilized to calibrate readings by the optical reader element. A chemical indicator element may also include a thin film material having particular optical characteristics tied to the light from a light source, such as a light source of an optical reader element.

The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and system for measuring the content of either one or more gas analytes that may be part of a gas. The present invention applies a spectroscopic method that utilizes an extremely narrow linewidth laser beam that is absorbed when its wavelength is swept across the interval containing the absorption line of the analyte. The method, apparatus and system of the present invention is applicable to any analyte in gas phase that is part of a gas mixture, or to any analyte in a plasma phase, as well as analytes in other environments.

An apparatus for measuring a concentration of amyloid-beta within a sample includes signal generation circuitry and a detector. The signal generation circuitry generates a first signal having an applied first orbital angular momentum signature and applies the first signal to the sample. The detector receives the first signal after it passes through the sample and determines the concentration of the amyloid-beta within the sample based on a detected second orbital angular momentum signature within the first signal received from the sample. The detector provides an output of the determined concentration as an indication for determining an early onset of Alzheimer's.

A method and system for optical angular momentum (OAM) spectroscopy includes generating a beam of light having a single OAM mode. A first spectrum of the beam of light is detected and the beam of light is passed through a gas to attenuate the beam of light in accordance with a presence and concentration of a respective gas. A second spectrum the beam of light is coherently detected and a difference between the first and second spectrum for the beam of light is analyzed to determine the presence and concentration of the respective gas.

This invention is within the technical field of corundum appraisal, and it involves an examination method to determine whether corundum has undergone beryllium diffusion treatment. Procedurally, a highly sensitive Raman spectrometer (S/N>10,000) is used to scan and examine the samples. The spectrometer is fitted with a tailor-made probe having a large facula and surface area. Specially developed software is then used to perform an intensity correction and a background elimination to obtain a specific Raman spectral range (250-120 cm-1) with the corrected intensity and a smooth baseline. The corrected and standardized Raman characteristic peak at 804 cm-1 (side-band) is used as a basis to determine whether the corundum has undergone beryllium diffusion treatment. This invention method has the advantages of being non-destructive, simple, fast, and practical. Also, it can accurately determine whether corundum has been treated.

The devices and systems disclosed herein provide multiple optical capabilities in a single device or system. Methods for using these devices and systems are provided. These devices and systems are configurable for operation in each of a spectroscopy mode, a fluorescence mode, and a luminescence mode, and are capable of performing spectroscopic, fluorescence, and luminescence observations, measurements, and analyses when operated in the corresponding spectroscopy mode, fluorescence mode, or luminescence mode. These devices and systems include mirror dispersion elements having multiple faces including an optical dispersion element on one face (e.g., a diffraction grating or a prism) and a reflective element on another face (e.g., a mirror). These multiple capabilities eliminate the need to move or load a sample in multiple devices when subjecting a sample to multiple analyses, and thus provide greater accuracy, precision, and speed while reducing complexity and cost of sample analysis.

Embodiments of the subject invention relate to a method and apparatus for performing measurements using multiphoton or second harmonic generation (SHG) scattered radiation from a sample including a turbid (scattering) medium includes providing a beam of laser pulses from a laser source having high pulse energies and a repetition rate; splitting the beam of laser pulses into two or more partial beams and focussing and overlaying the partial beams on a sample including the turbid medium; and detecting multiphoton and second harmonic radiation scattered from the sample.

An apparatus for performing a sensing application may a substrate having a plurality of nano-fingers positioned to receive the dispensed solution , first and second reservoirs, first and second dispensers to dispense first and second solutions from the first and second reservoirs onto first and second subsets of the plurality of nano-fingers. The plurality of nano-fingers are flexible, such that the plurality of nano-fingers are configurable with respect to each other. The apparatus may include an illumination source to illuminate the first and second solutions and an analyte introduced around the plurality of nano-fingers, wherein light is to be emitted from the analyte in response to being illuminated. The apparatus may include a detector to detect the light emitted from the analyte.

Monitoring device and method for monitoring a fluid in subsea equipment, wherein the monitoring device includes a sensing element in contact with the fluid, at least one detector and a waveguide, where the sensing element is configured to implement an evanescent field absorption technique, the at least one detector is configured to detect an attenuated optical signal fed into the waveguide by at least one radiation source, and where the attenuation is caused by evanescent field absorption due to the fluid.