A gas sensing element that reflects light incoming along an optical path on a sensing face, where the light reflected by the gas sensing element changes depending on a quantity of a specific gas that is in contact with the gas sensing element, and where each of a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber bends the optical path. The gas sensing element, a light source, a photodetector, and a magnetic field applicator are disposed on a same side with respect to a virtual plane that is perpendicular to an incident plane of the incoming light to the sensing face of the gas sensing element and includes a point on the optical path where light goes out from the first optical fiber and a point on the optical path where light enters the second optical fiber.

Photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy system and method for accumulating separately a “pump on” light beam and a “pump off light beam reflecting off a sample. The system comprises: (a) a probe source for producing a probe beam, the probe beam is used for measuring spectral reflectivity of a sample, (b) a pump source for producing a pump beam, (c) at least one spectrometer, (d) a first modulation device to allow the pump beam to alternatingly modulate the spectral reflectivity of the sample, so that, a light beam reflecting from the sample is alternatingly a “pump on” light beam and a “pump off light beam, (e) a second modulation device in a path of the light beam reflecting off the sample to alternatingly direct the “pump on” light beam and the “pump off light beam to the at least one spectrometer, and (f) a computer.

A photoacoustic remote sensing system for imaging a subsurface structure in a sample, comprising exactly one laser source configured to generate a pulsed or intensity-modulated excitation beam configured to generate ultrasonic pressure signals in the sample at an excitation location, and an interrogation beam incident on the sample at the excitation location, a portion of the interrogation beam returning from the sample that is indicative of the generated ultrasonic pressure signals, an optical system configured to focus the excitation beam and the interrogation beam below a surface of the sample, a detector configured to detect the returning portion of the interrogation beam, and a processor configured to calculate an image of the sample based on a detected intensity modulation of the returning portion of the interrogation beam from below the surface of the sample.

In a defect detection device (10), an input receiver (161) receives an input, by a user, of information concerning the kind and size of a defect expected to be present in or on a test object. An exciter (11, 12) induces an elastic wave in the test object, with the frequency of the elastic wave being variable. A measurer (15) optically measures a vibration state of the surface of the test object caused by the elastic wave. A wavelength determiner (164) determines the wavelength of the elastic wave induced in the test object, based on the vibration state obtained by the measurer. A frequency selector (165) selects an appropriate frequency from a plurality of frequencies, based on the kind and size of the expected defect as well as the wavelength acquired for each of the plurality of frequencies by the wavelength determiner by varying the frequency of the elastic wave.

System for performing chemical spectroscopy on samples from the scale of nanometers to millimeters or more with a multifunctional platform combining analytical and imaging techniques including dual beam photo-thermal spectroscopy with confocal microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence detection, various vacuum analytical techniques and/or mass spectrometry. In embodiments described herein, the light beams of a dual-beam system are used for heating and sensing.

A counting method includes aggregating particles in a sample by action of first-direction dielectrophoretic force, dispersing the aggregated particles by action of second-direction dielectrophoretic force, which is different from the first-direction dielectrophoretic force, capturing a dispersion image including the dispersed particles, and determining the number of particles on the basis of the dispersion image.

A data processing method that is suitable for obtaining quantitative information from data obtained by OCT imaging. The image processing method includes acquiring original image data corresponding to a three-dimensional image of a cultured embryo obtained by optical coherence tomography imaging of the embryo and executing a region segmentation the three-dimensional image into a plurality of regions on the basis of the original image data. In the region segmentation, a local thickness calculation is performed on the three-dimensional image to determine an index value indicating a size of an object included in the three-dimensional image, the three-dimensional image is segmented into a region indicated by the index value greater than a predetermined first threshold and a region indicated by the index value less than the first threshold, and each of the regions resulting from the segmentation is further segmented by the watershed algorithm.

An optical detection apparatus includes a substrate, a light source, a light sensor, a light-guiding structure. The substrate has a top surface. The light source on the top surface is configured to generate detection light toward an object over the light source. The light sensor is located on the top surface. The light-guiding structure is above the top surface and at least partially above the light source. A central axis of the light-guiding structure is vertical to the top surface, and the light source and the light sensor are at opposite sides relative to the central axis. The light-guiding structure is configured to deflect the detection light from one of the opposite sides at which the light source is located to another one of the opposite side at which the light sensor is located, such that the detection light reflected by the object moves toward the light sensor.

An optical detection apparatus includes a substrate, a light source, a light sensor, a light-guiding structure. The substrate has a top surface. The light source on the top surface is configured to generate detection light toward an object over the light source. The light sensor is located on the top surface. The light-guiding structure is above the top surface and at least partially above the light source. A central axis of the light-guiding structure is vertical to the top surface, and the light source and the light sensor are at opposite sides relative to the central axis. The light-guiding structure is configured to deflect the detection light from one of the opposite sides at which the light source is located to another one of the opposite side at which the light sensor is located, such that the detection light reflected by the object moves toward the light sensor.

A Ramsey spectrometer is provided with an optical path, an optical path length stabilization circuit configured to stabilize a length of the optical path, a modulator optically connected to the optical path, the modulator being configured to generate resonant laser light of a first frequency f1 that causes a resonance of an atom, a molecule, or an ion as a spectroscopic target in pulses a plurality of times and generates non-resonant laser light of a second frequency f2 that does not cause the resonance, and a spectroscopic unit configured to spectroscope the spectroscopic target. The spectroscopic unit detects a state change of the spectroscopic target corresponding to the first frequency f1, the state change being caused by irradiating the resonant laser light to the spectroscopic target.