Some embodiments are directed to a system for measuring vibrations of a surface of a mechanical part, by digital holography. The system includes a source of radiation emitting in a predetermined range of frequencies, a first separator element configured to define a first incident ray and a reference ray, a module for shaping a second incident ray from the first incident ray, and an optical element configured to make the reference ray and a radiation produced by a reflection of the incident ray on the surface of the mechanical part interfere. The module for shaping the second incident ray includes diffracting optical elements having a diffraction structure to diffract the incident radiation. The structure is from a polymer, sol-gel or photoresin material resting against a glass substrate, the structure including elements etched in a plane parallel and/or orthogonal to the substrate, with dimensions from 100 nanometres to 100 micrometres.

Example apparatuses and methods relating to imaging systems are provided. An example imaging system may include an optical source configured to generate an optical beam, a beam splitter configured to split the optical beam into a reference beam and an object beam, and a beam combiner configured to route a combined beam with reference beam and object beam components along a common path into a target medium. In this regard, the target medium may act upon the combined beam to form a common path interference beam. The example imaging system may further include an imaging sensor configured to receive the common path interference beam and generate common path interference beam data associated with the common path interference beam, and an image data processor configured to analyze the common path interference beam data to generate image data describing the target medium.

A system for measuring vibrations of a surface (VSURF) of a mechanical part (M), comprising a source (SOURCE) of radiation (L), a first separator element (ELI) configured to define a first incident ray (LB1) and a reference ray (RLB), a shaping module (DOEM) producing a second incident ray (LB2) from said first incident ray (LB1), and an optical element (OE) capable of an interferential addition of the reference ray (RLB) and a ray produced by a reflection of said second incident ray (LB2) on said surface (VSURF), the shaping module (DOEM) comprising one or more diffracting optical elements (DOE1, . . . , DOEn), each comprising at least one diffraction structure (FSTRUCT) diffracting all or part of the first incident ray (LB1) so as to illuminate a chosen surface of the mechanical part.

A digital holographic image-taking apparatus includes an illumination portion having a light emission surface for emitting illumination light toward an object, the illumination light having a specific wavelength in a coherent plane waveform; and an image sensor having an pixel array including two-dimensionally arranged pixels, the image sensor capturing an interference pattern generated based on the illumination light having acted on the object, in which the following conditional expression is satisfied: 0.0000001<Z.sup.2/S<16, where S represents the area of the light emission surface, and Z represents the distance from the light emission surface to the pixel array.

An apparatus and method to produce a hologram of an object includes an electromagnetic radiation assembly configured to receive a received electromagnetic radiation, such as light, from the object. The electromagnetic radiation assembly is further configured to diffract the received electromagnetic radiation and transmit a diffracted electromagnetic radiation. An image capture assembly is configured to capture an image of the diffracted electromagnetic radiation and produce the hologram of the object from the captured image.

A neural imaging system may include an imaging array, an image data processor operably coupled to the imaging array to process image data received from the imaging array, and a beam angle separator disposed between the imaging array and an object being imaged. The beam angle separator may be configured to separate an object beam reflected from the object being imaged into a plurality of reference beams each having different angular separation with respect to the object beam. The image data processor may be configured to generate image data of the object for each one of the reference beams to correspond to a respective different depth within the object.

The present invention relates to a system and method for displaying and capturing holographic true 3D images. The system comprises elements which may form both a wide viewing angle holographic true 3D display and a holographic true 3D video camera. The system mainly comprises a light source, a spatial light modulator or an electro-optical capturing device in different embodiments of the invention, a phase plate, a computer and an opaque mask in some embodiments of the invention.

An infrared imaging system includes a phase grating overlying a two-dimensional array of thermally sensitive pixels. The phase grating comprises a two-dimensional array of identical subgratings that define a system of Cartesian coordinates. The subgrating and pixel arrays are sized and oriented such that the pixels are evenly distributed with respect to the row and column intersections of the subgratings. The location of each pixel thus maps to a unique location beneath a virtual archetypical subgrating.

The present invention relates to a system and method for displaying and capturing holographic true 3D images. The system comprises elements which may form both a wide viewing angle holographic true 3D display and a holographic true 3D video camera. The system mainly comprises a light source, a spatial light modulator or an electro-optical capturing device in different embodiments of the invention, a curved mirror, a computer and a beam splitter and opaque mask in some embodiments of the invention.

In situ investigation of microbial life in extreme environments can be carried out with microscopes capable of imaging 3-dimensional volumes and tracking particle motion. A lensless digital holographic microscope is disclosed that provides roughly 1.5 micron resolution in a compact, robust package suitable for remote deployment. High resolution is achieved by generating high numerical-aperture input beams with radial gradient-index rod lenses. The ability to detect and track prokaryotes was explored using bacterial strains of two different sizes. In the larger strain, a variety of motions were seen, while the smaller strain was used to demonstrate a detection capability down to micron scales.