A high-resolution handheld OCT imaging system related to the optical imaging field solves the issues of handheld OCT systems with low resolution and the inability to measure the skin's stratum corneum thickness accurately. Through adopting the visible wavelength band of supercontinuum laser as the light source, mainly applying reflectors instead of lenses in the OCT system, and replacing fiber propagation with optical propagation in free space in the interference optical paths, to significantly reduce dispersion loss in the axial resolution and improve the axial resolution of OCT systems. The filter, attenuator, grating, camera, and other components are separated from the handheld module through modular design to reduce the handheld terminal's size and weight and realize the system construction. The invention improves the axial resolution, obtains the thickness information of whole-body skin's stratum corneum, and provides technical approaches for skin diagnosis and related medicine development.

A high-resolution handheld OCT imaging system related to the optical imaging field solves the issues of handheld OCT systems with low resolution and the inability to measure the skin's stratum corneum thickness accurately. Through adopting the visible wavelength band of supercontinuum laser as the light source, mainly applying reflectors instead of lenses in the OCT system, and replacing fiber propagation with optical propagation in free space in the interference optical paths, to significantly reduce dispersion loss in the axial resolution and improve the axial resolution of OCT systems. The filter, attenuator, grating, camera, and other components are separated from the handheld module through modular design to reduce the handheld terminal's size and weight and realize the system construction. The invention improves the axial resolution, obtains the thickness information of whole-body skin's stratum corneum, and provides technical approaches for skin diagnosis and related medicine development.

A reflective microscope objective lens includes a concave mirror system that reflects incoming radiation, a convex mirror in optical communication with the concave mirror system, and a primary concave mirror in optical communication with the convex mirror. The concave mirror system includes a first concave mirror. The primary concave mirror focuses outgoing radiation onto a focal plane wherein the concave mirror system. Characteristically, the convex mirror and the primary concave mirror are arranged to direct light along a non-concentric path.

A freeform folded optical system that include two freeform prisms with optical power. At least one of the freeform prisms is configured to fold the optical axis twice. Thus, embodiments of the freeform folded optical system fold the optical axis three or four times. Folding the optical axis three or four times in the freeform prisms allows for long focal lengths required for telephoto lens applications without requiring additional lens elements between the prisms. In addition, the configuration of the freeform folded optical system provides reduced Z-axis height when compared to conventional folded lens systems with similar optical characteristics.

A head-up display is configured to project an image on a transparent reflection member to cause an observer to visually recognize a virtual image, and includes a display device configured to display the image, and a projection optical system configured to project the image displayed by the display device as the virtual image for the observer. The projection optical system is configured to form the image as an intermediate image, and includes a first optical element configured to condense light, a first lens configured to condense light, and a second optical element configured to diffuse light. The first optical element, the first lens, and the second optical element are disposed in this order along an optical path from the display device.

An optical system includes at least one optical element which has an optically effective surface and which is designed for an operating wavelength of less than 30 nm. The optical system also includes a heating arrangement for heating this optical element and comprising a plurality of IR emitters for irradiating the optically effective surface with IR radiation. The IR emitters are activatable and deactivatable independently of each other to variably set different heating profiles in the optical element. The optical system further includes at least one beam shaping unit for shaping the beam of the IR radiation steered onto the optically effective surface by the IR emitters. The optical system also includes a multi-fiber head comprising a multi-fiber connector for connecting optical fibers. IR radiation from a respective one of the IR emitters is suppliable by way of each of these optical fibers.

The invention relates to an imaging system for imaging a surface on an astronomical body, such as the Earth. The imaging system such as a satellite imaging system comprises a telescope comprising at least first and second curved mirrors wherein the second mirror is located downstream of the first mirror, relative to a propagation direction of imaged light, a digital image sensor or a slit aperture arranged at the focal plane of the telescope, and an actuator system arranged for tilting the second mirror or other curved mirror located down-stream of the first curved mirror for scanning the line of sight of the imaging system in a scanning direction (221) on the surface within a field of view (231) of the imaging system.

A spectrograph that includes camera focusing optics with a primary mirror having a concave-shaped reflective mirror surface, a secondary mirror having a convex-shaped reflective mirror surface and positioned to receive light reflected by the primary mirror, a tertiary mirror having a concave reflective mirror surface and positioned to receive light reflected by the secondary mirror, and a field correcting lens comprising a convex lens surface in combination with a concave lens surface, wherein light received by said field correcting lens from said tertiary mirror enters said convex lens surface, traverses said field correcting lens, and exits from said concave lens surface. The optional field correcting lens is positioned such that the primary mirror, secondary mirror, tertiary mirror, and the field correcting lens share the common parent vertex axis.

A folded optical system includes a powered optical element, at least one folding mirror and an aperture and defines an optical path through the optical system. The powered optical element, the at least one folding mirror and the aperture are configured to fold the optical path at the aperture, thereby providing a compact optical system. The optical system may include an optical block that totally internally reflects the optical signal at the aperture. Optionally or alternatively, discrete optical components may be used, such as an aperture made of a conventional material or a metamaterial, an off-axis parabolic mirror or lens and one or more folding mirrors. Some embodiments include a wavelength dispersive element, so as to implement a spectrometer.

Methods and systems for single beam scanning capable of imaging the surface of a spherical body of arbitrary radius of curvature are provided. The spherical imaging methods and systems utilize one or more off-axis parabolic (OAP) mirror to perform a geometrical transformation of the spherical surface to a flat rectilinear imaging coordinate grid such that the single scanning beam maintains a normal incidence across the curved field of view of the spherical body. The imaging methods and systems project the spherical surface to a Cartesian plane and then the remapped surface is rapidly imaged by raster-scanning an illumination beam in the rectangular coordinate such that the OAP mirror produces a rectilinear image of the target. The imaging of the spherical surface is accomplished while maintaining the target, illumination source, and detector in a stationary position. The imaging systems and methods may utilize a single source and a single detector, and may incorporate a THz illumination source. The beam scanning imaging systems and methods may be applied to corneal tissue imaging.