A new optical arrangement that creates high efficiency, high quality Fresnel Incoherent Correlation Holography (FINCH) holograms using transmission liquid crystal GRIN (TLCGRIN) diffractive lenses has been invented. This is in contrast to the universal practice in the field of using a reflective spatial light modulator (SLM) to separate sample and reference beams. Polarization sensitive TLCGRIN lenses enable a straight optical path, have 95% transmission efficiency, are analog devices without pixels and are free of many limitations of reflective SLM devices. An additional advantage is that they create an incoherent holographic system that is achromatic over a wide bandwidth. Two spherical beams created by the combination of a glass and a polarization sensitive TLCGRIN lenses interfere and a hologram is recorded by a digital camera. FINCH configurations which increase signal to noise ratios and imaging speed are also described.

The invention relates to a device for observing a sample, including: a light source able to emit an incident light wave that propagates towards a holder able to receive the sample; and an image sensor able to detect a light wave transmitted by the sample when the latter is placed between the light source and the image sensor.

The device is characterized in that the light source includes a light-emitting diode that is what is called micron-sized, a light-emission surface of which has a diameter or a largest diagonal smaller than 500 m.

The invention also relates to a method for observing a sample using such a device.

Disclosed is a coherence-adjustable digital holography system. More particularly, the coherence-adjustable digital holography system includes a light source part for generating low-interference light; a dispersion part for dispersing the generated light, an adjustment part for adjusting coherence by adjusting a spectrum bandwidth of the light which has passed through the dispersion part; and a detection part for detecting a holographic image of a subject from the adjusted light. In accordance with such a configuration, an interference fringe may be easily obtained through coherence adjustment, whereby the accuracy of a detected holographic image may be improved.

A system for three dimensional imaging of an object contained within a sample includes an image sensor, a sample holder configured to hold the sample, the sample holder disposed adjacent to the image sensor, and an illumination source comprising partially coherent light. The illumination source is configured to illuminate the sample through at least one of an aperture, fiber-optic cable, or optical waveguide interposed between the illumination source and the sample holder, wherein the illumination source is configured to illuminate the sample through a plurality of different angles.

Provided is a high-resolution reflection tomographic imaging system and method. The high-resolution reflection tomographic imaging system of the present disclosure may include an objective lens, a tube lens, a camera, an illumination element configured to introduce temporally coherent and spatially incoherent light, and a semi-reflective surface element configured to split the light into a sample and a reference beam between the tube lens and the camera, such that a sample beam from the sample and the reference beam cause interference for tomographic imaging.

A lens-free system for the three-dimensional imaging of objects contained within a sample places a sample holder between an image sensor and an illumination source, with the sample-sensor distance being much smaller than the sample-illumination source distance. Holographic images are taken at different angles as well as different lateral jogs within a single angle and are reconstructed into a three dimensional image of objects within the sample. The system may be a hand held, portable unit.

The invention provides a method for detecting objects in samples. The sample is held in the transmission path of light source to a detector, whereby light from the light source interacts with objects in the sample. The patterns of light incident on the detector subsequent to its interaction with the objects are directly used to determine the presence of objects in the sample.

The techniques, apparatus, material and systems are described for a portable camera device which can be attached to the camera port of a conventional transmission or reflection microscope for complex wave front analysis. At least one holographic element (BS, grating) splits the beam (s) containing the sample information in two beams (r,o) and filters (r, o) them. The proposed invention has a relaxed alignment sensitivity to displacement of the beam coming from the microscope. Besides since it compensates the coherence plane tilt angle between reference and object arms, it allows for creating high-visibility interference over the entire field of view. The full-field off-axis holograms provide the whole sample information.

Disclosed are optical interrogation apparatus that can produce lens-free images using an optoelectronic sensor array to generate a holographic image of sample objects, such as microorganisms in a sample. Also disclosed are methods of detecting and/or identifying microorganisms in a biological sample, such as microorganisms present in low levels. Also disclosed are methods of using systems to detect microorganisms in a biological sample, such as microorganisms present in low levels. In addition or as an alternative, the methods of using systems may identify microorganisms present in a sample and/or determine antimicrobial susceptibility of such microorganisms.