Systems for confocal Raman spectroscopy of points of interest or regions of interest with concurrent imaging are disclosed. The imaging may be used for real time selection of points of interest or regions of interest for Raman spectroscopy and to monitor for unwanted motions of a sample while Raman spectra are acquired. Disclosed embodiments apply Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) in a confocal Raman spectroscopy system. A single laser may be used as a light source for both RCM and micro-Raman spectroscopy. A Faraday optical isolator may be applied to extract RCM signals for imaging Systems as described herein have example application for ex vivo sample and in vivo skin measurement.

A method for controlling the flow of gas through a spectrometer, comprising: flowing a gas through a volume of the spectrometer, the volume being a volume through which light from a sample passes along a first path to reach a first detector and the gas being transparent to the light in a spectral region analysed by the spectrometer; transmitting light from a light source along a second path through the gas to a second detector; detecting an intensity of the light from the light source at the second detector at one or more wavelengths of the light; comparing the detected intensity of the light to a respective setpoint corresponding to a desired transmittance of the gas in the volume of the spectrometer and generating at least one error signal based on the comparison; and adjusting a flow rate of the gas through the volume of the spectrometer based on the error signal, in particular to minimise the difference between the detected intensity and setpoint.

A processing apparatus combines a plurality of images based on a plurality of object images formed on an imaging plane of an image sensor by a plurality of lens units and to generate a combined image, and includes at least one processor or circuit that serves as an acquisition task configured to acquire information on a center position of each of the plurality of object images on the imaging plane, information on a correspondence relationship between the center position and positions of the plurality of images in the combined image, and conversion information for converting a first coordinate system in the imaging plane into a second coordinate system in the combined image, the conversion information being generated based on a correction function for correcting the plurality of object images, and a processing task configured to generate the combined image using the conversion information.

A detector (110) for an optical detection of at least one object (112) is proposed. The detector (110) comprises: —at least one transfer device (120), wherein the transfer device (120) comprises at least two different focal lengths (140) in response to at least one incident light beam (136); —at least two longitudinal optical sensors (132), wherein each longitudinal optical sensor (132) has at least one sensor region (146), wherein each longitudinal optical sensor (132) is designed to generate at least one longitudinal sensor signal in a manner dependent on an illumination of the sensor region (146) by the light beam (136), wherein the longitudinal sensor signal, given the same total power of the illumination, is dependent on a beam cross-section of the light beam (136) in the sensor region (146), wherein each longitudinal optical sensor (132) exhibits a spectral sensitivity in response to the light beam (136) in a manner that two different longitudinal optical sensors (132) differ with regard to their spectral sensitivity; wherein each optical longitudinal sensor (132) is located at a focal point (138) of the transfer device (120) related to the spectral sensitivity of the respective longitudinal optical sensor (132); and —at least one evaluation device (150), wherein the evaluation device (150) is designed to generate at least one item of information on a longitudinal position and/or at least one item of information on a color of the object (112) by evaluating the longitudinal sensor signal of each longitudinal optical sensor (132). Thereby, a simple and, still, efficient detector for an accurate determining of a position and/or a color of at least one object in space is provided.

A protective sheath having a closed end and an open end is sized to receive a hand held spectrometer. The spectrometer can be placed in the sheath to calibrate the spectrometer and to measure samples. In a calibration orientation, an optical head of the spectrometer can be oriented toward the closed end of the sheath where a calibration material is located. In a measurement orientation, the optical head of the spectrometer can be oriented toward the open end of the sheath in order to measure a sample. To change the orientation, the spectrometer can be removed from the sheath container and placed in the sheath container with the calibration orientation or the measurement orientation. Accessory container covers can be provided and placed on the open end of the sheath with samples placed therein in order to provide improved measurements.

Exemplary apparatus for method for forming at least one spectral encoding endoscopy configuration. For example, it is possible to modify a spacer configuration and an lens optics configuration to have respective predetermined lengths, and also to modify a dispersive optics configuration to have a further predetermined length. Further, the modified spacer and modified lens optics configurations can be attached to one another to form a combined spacer-lens optics configuration. The modified dispersive optics configuration can be attached to a substrate to form to form a grating substrate configuration. Additionally, the combined spacer-lens optics configuration can be connected to an optical fiber, and the modified attached dispersed optics configuration can be connected to the modified attached lens optics configuration to form the spectral encoding endoscopy configuration(s) which can extends along a particular axis. The dispersive optics configuration can be modified to be at a predetermined angle with respect to the particular axis.

Systems and methods disclosed herein, in accordance with one or more embodiments provide for imaging gas in a scene, the scene having a background and a possible occurrence of gas. In one embodiment, a method and a system adapted to perform the method includes: controlling a thermal imaging system to capture a gas IR image representing the temperature of a gas and a background IR image representing the temperature of a background based on a predetermined absorption spectrum of the gas, on an estimated gas temperature and on an estimated background temperature; and generating a gas-absorption-path-length image, representing the length of the path of radiation from the background through the gas, based on the gas image and the background IR image. The system and method may include generating a gas visualization image based on the gas-absorption-path-length image to display an output image visualizing a gas occurrence in the scene.

A lens scanning mode hyperspectral imaging system and a rotor unmanned aerial vehicle include: an imaging lens, an imaging spectrometer and a surface array detector arranged in sequence and coaxial to a main optic axis, wherein the imaging spectrometer and the surface array detector are connected and mounted to each other; wherein the lens scanning mode hyperspectral imaging system further includes: a driving device for driving the imaging lens to translate relative to a plane where a slit of the imaging spectrometer is. The hyperspectral imaging system of the present invention overcomes the technical bias in the prior art that the imaging lens must be fixed, and the present invention provides relative motion between the target object and the imaging spectrometer by the lens scanning mode for imaging, which solves the image distortion problem of conventional hyperspectral imaging system using a slit scanning mode or a scanning mode.

An apparatus for carrying out polarization resolved Raman spectroscopy on a sample (11), in particular a crystalline or polycrystalline sample, the apparatus comprises: at least one light source (13, 87, 93, 95, 97), in particular at least one laser, for providing excitation radiation to a surface of the sample (11), an optical system which is configured to simultaneously collect at least one on-axis Raman beam (21, 109) and at least one off-axis Raman beam (23, 111) from Raman light scattered by the sample (11) in response to exposing the surface to the excitation radiation, the at least one on-axis Raman beam (21, 109) being scattered from the sample (11) in a direction that is aligned with an optical axis of an objective (41) of the optical system for collecting the at least one on-axis Raman beam (21, 109), the at least one off-axis Raman beam being scattered from the sample in a direction that is inclined with regard to an optical axis of an objective (41) of the optical system for collecting the at least one off-axis Raman beam (23, 111), the optical system comprises at least one polarizer device (25, 113) for generating at least one polarized on-axis Raman beam (31, 33) from the at least one on-axis Raman beam (21, 109) and at least one polarized off-axis Raman beam (35) from the at least one off-axis Raman beam (23, 111), and the optical system comprises at least one spectrometer (37, 47 81, 83, 85) for generating, in particular simultaneously, an optical spectrum from each of the at least one polarized on-axis Raman beam (31, 33) and the at least one polarized off-axis Raman beam (35).

A stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) spectrometer for real-time, high-resolution molecular analysis of gases is based on two hollow-core fibres illuminated by a single high-power, short-pulse laser pump. The first fibre is prefilled with high-concentration target gases. Interaction of each target gas inside the first fibre, with the laser pump, generates Raman signals corresponding to the target gases. The combined beam of the Raman signals and the pump laser beam is directed into the second fibre containing the measured target gases. Interaction of each target gas with the combined beam generates the Stimulated Raman Growth (SRG), i.e., amplification of the Raman signal, which is proportional to the corresponding target gas concentration. A receiver subsystem receives the beam from the second fibre, spectrally separates it to wavelengths corresponding to each target gas, extracts the SRG value corresponding to each target gas and calculates the concentration of each target gas.