A cat's-eye swept source laser designed for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and spectroscopy, focusing on reducing relative intensity noise (RIN). It features a semiconductor gain chip and a cat's-eye configuration with an adjustable bandpass filter managed by an angle-control actuator, optimizing wavelength tuning and noise reduction. This efficient design can eliminate the need for a thermoelectric cooler, simplifying the system and reducing costs. The laser supports various imaging techniques, offering improved signal-to-noise ratios and high-resolution images.

An interferometer includes a short-coherence source and an internal path-matching assembly contained within its housing. Because path matching occurs within the housing of the interferometer, it is removed from external environmental factors that affect measurements. Therefore, a single cateye measurement of an exemplary surface can be performed in advance and stored as a calibration for subsequent radius-of-curvature measurements. In one embodiment, a path-matching stage is incorporated into a dynamic interferometer where orthogonally polarized test and reference beams are fed to a dynamic imaging system. In another embodiment, orthogonal linearly polarized test and reference beams are injected into a remote dynamic interferometer by means of one single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber.

A gradient of gravity is defined by a change in the optical path length required to maintain equality in optical path lengths of two beam arms which direct light beams to impinge upon and reflect from two freefalling test masses.

A line-field swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) system features a cat's-eye tunable laser that is free-space coupled to an interferometer. The laser employs a single angled facet (SAF) edge-emitting gain chip producing a beam with multiple spatial modes. By preserving these higher-order modes through free-space couplingavoiding single-mode fiberthe system generates a line with a more uniform, top-hat intensity profile when projected onto a sample, such as a patient's retina. This profile mitigates the Gaussian power roll-off typically associated with single spatial mode beams, ensuring adequate signal-to-noise ratio across the line while adhering to optical safety limits. The laser cavity includes a thin-film interference bandpass filter mounted on an angle control actuator, allowing for wavelength sweeping by tilt-tuning the filter. The system integrates a line-scan sensor and is designed for manufacturability, offering improved imaging quality for ophthalmic diagnostics and other applications requiring high-resolution, cross-sectional imaging.