A device for monitoring a process in laser material processing, comprising a laser generating a light beam, wherein the light beam may impinge on a lens matrix disposed between the light source and a beam splitter. The lens matrix may comprise microlenses, operable to generate a matrix of light beams from the impinging light beam. Part of the matrix of light beams may be directed to a mirror in a reference arm and part may be directed to an unknown surface in a measuring arm. The reflection of these beams may be used to generate an interference signal to be evaluated.

Example embodiments provide digital holographic techniques and associated systems for imaging through scattering media in a strictly one-sided observation in which the observer (e.g. the controller of the camera) has no access to the object plane nor does the observer introduce a fluorescing agent to the object plane. An example imaging system comprises a laser source, a digital sensor array, and a processing system. The processing system transmits light from the laser source to a target object; detects interference formed on the digital sensor array by a reference beam from the transmitted light and reflected light from the target object, the reflected light either travelling through or being reflected by a scattering medium located between the target object and the digital sensor array; jointly estimating, based on the detected interference, parameters defining the scattering behavior of the particular scattering medium and an image of the target object; and outputting the jointly estimated scattering parameters and an image of the target object.

A method of discriminating a living cell from a dead cell, and a device for implementing the method, the method including: using a lens-free imaging device to acquire a diffraction figure corresponding to a cell; and determining a light intensity on a central area of an elementary diffraction figure associated with the cell. It can thus be determined if the studied cell is a living cell or a dead cell.

Motility contrast imaging (MCI) is a depth-resolved holographic technique to extract cellular and subcellular motion inside tissue. The holographic basis of the measurement technique makes it highly susceptible to mechanical motion. The motility contrast application, in particular, preferably includes increased mechanical stability because the signal is based on time-varying changes caused by cellular motion, which should not be confused with mechanical motion of the system. Apparatus for motility contrast imaging that provides increased mechanical stability are disclosed. It is based on common-path configurations, in which the signal and reference beams share optical elements in their paths to the detector. The two beams share mechanical motions in common, and hence those motions do not contribute to the signal.

An optical fiber splitter device comprising at least two optical fibers of different lengths is disclosed for partial or complete compensation of the optical path difference between waves interfering to generate a hologram or an interferogram. Various implementations of this fiber splitter device are described in apparatuses for holographic and interferometric imaging of microscopic and larger samples.

A measuring arrangement having an illuminating arrangement to emit coherent light; a cuvette defining an inner volume for receiving a fluid possibly comprising microscopic objects of foreign origin, the cuvette being arranged to receive the coherent light and let it exit therefrom through opposite entrance and exit openings, the entrance opening being closed by an entrance window. The possible microscopic objects present in the fluid scatter part of the light, the scattered and non-scattered light interfering to form interference fringes. An image sensor is configured to capture a hologram digital image frame by receiving the light propagated across the cuvette. An exit window is arranged to close the exit opening of the cuvette. The image sensor is mounted in direct contact with the cuvette.

Portable common path shearing interferometry-based holographic microscopy systems are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a system is configured for positioning a laser light source, a sample holder, a microscope objective lens, a shear plate and the imaging device in a common path shearing interferometry configuration. In some embodiments, the systems are relatively small and lightweight and exhibit good temporal stability. In one embodiment, a system for automatic cell identification and visualization using digital holographic microscopy using an augmented reality display device can include an imaging device mounted to an augmented reality display device, configured to capture one or more images of the hologram of the sample disposed on the sample holder illuminated by a beam. The augmented reality display device can include a display and can be configured to render a pseudo-colored 3D visualization of the sample and information associated with the sample, on the display.

A device and a method for observing an object by imaging, or by lensless imaging. The object is retained by a holder defining an object plane inserted between a light source and an image sensor, with no enlargement optics being placed between the object and the image sensor. An optical system is arranged between the light source and the holder and is configured to form a convergent incident wave from a light wave emitted by the light source, and for forming a secondary light source, conjugated with the light source, positioned in a half-space defined by the object plane and including the image sensor, such that the secondary source is closer to the image sensor than to the holder. This results in an image with a transversal enlargement factor having an absolute value of less than 1.

A technique is presented for aligning, in a desired region within a flow chamber of a flow cell, a non-spherical biological entity carried in a sample. The flow chamber has a rectangular cross-section. A bottom flow input module, a top flow input module and a sample input module provide a viscoelastic first fluid, a second viscoelastic fluid, and the sample, respectively, to the flow chamber. The first and the second viscoelastic fluids laminarly flow along a bottom and a top wall of the flow chamber and the sample laminarly flows sandwiched between them. By controlling rate of flow of the first and/or the second viscoelastic fluids the sample flow, and thus the non-spherical biological entity, is focused in the desired region. A gradient of sheer within the sample flow set up due to the first and second viscoelastic fluids orients the non-spherical biological entity in the desired region.

A method of analyzing a sample receiving a particle of interest, including: defining a reference point located on a first interface of the sample, or at a known distance from the sample, along the optical axis of the optical system; acquiring a reference image transmission of the sample, the object plane of the optical system being located at a known distance from the reference point along an axis parallel to the optical axis of the optical system, and the particle of interest being located outside of the object plane; using the reference image, digitally constructing a series of reconstructed images, each associated with a predetermined offset of the object plane along the optical axis of the optical system; and using the series of reconstructed images, determining the distance along an axis parallel to the optical axis of the optical system, between the particle of interest and the reference point.