Methods and devices for evaluating viability and/or degree of contamination of cells cultured in a reactor, which includes providing luminescent dye in the reactor whose luminescence anisotropy is influenced by the viability or the degree of contamination of the cells, exciting the luminescent dye to luminesce by irradiating polarized light into the medium. polarizing light emitted by the luminescent dye that leaves the medium, and detecting the polarized emitted light with a light sensor, where the polarized emitted light is detected as at least two luminescence values in at least two different polarization angles, and determining at least one anisotropy value from the at least two luminescence values by means of mathematical methods, which correlates with the viability or the degree of contamination of the cells.

A polarization analysis apparatus includes: a light source that radiates light to a sample; a liquid crystal panel that outputs polarized light in a specific direction from light radiated from an excited state sample; an image sensor that measures a luminance of polarized light; and a controller that controls the liquid crystal panel and the image sensor. The controller calculates a reference voltage of a rectangular wave; calculates a corrected reference voltage by correcting the reference voltage in the rectangular wave where an absolute value of the reference voltage changes in response to a phase change; applies the reference voltage and the corrected reference voltage to the liquid crystal panel; operates the image sensor in accordance with a light exposure time to measure luminance of polarized light; and calculates a degree of polarization of the sample based on results of the measurement.

Disclosed is a lithography process on a sample with at least one emitter, the process including: putting at least one layer of resist above the sample; exciting one selected emitter with light through the at least one layer of resist; detecting light emitted by the excited selected emitter and determining a position of the selected emitter; and curing with a light beam a part of the at least one layer of resist above the position of the selected emitter, the light beam being a shaped light beam having a cross-section, this cross-section having a central part, an intermediate part surrounding the central part and a border part surrounding the intermediate part, the intensity of the shaped light beam on the at least one layer of resist reaching a maximum at the intermediate part.

The present invention pertains to a surface plasmon enhanced fluorescence analysis device and a surface plasmon enhanced fluorescence measurement method which use GC-SPFS and make it possible to detect a substance to be detected with high sensitivity. This surface plasmon enhanced fluorescence measurement device has: a light source for irradiating the diffraction grating of a chip with excited light; a polarizer for removing linearly polarized light from fluorescent light emitted from a fluorescent substance on the diffraction grating; and a photodetector for detecting the linearly polarized light removed by the polarizer.

Provided herein is a device related to imaging. In one embodiment, the device includes a side illumination unit, two window sample chamber, and refractive index matching. Also provided herein is an imaging apparatus comprising: a microscope; and a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching. Further provided herein is a method of imaging a sample comprising: providing an apparatus comprising a microscope and a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching; and imaging the sample in the apparatus.

Sub-diffraction limited fluorescent images using a fiber-based stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscope are reported. Both excitation and depletion beams are transported through polarization-maintaining fiber and a lateral resolution of 100 nm has been achieved.

A degree of polarization of second reference samples produced by adding an antibody, a tracer, and a target substance having mutually different concentrations to a first reference sample not including the target substance is corrected with a degree of polarization of the first reference sample to generate a first calibration curve. A degree of polarization of a second sample to be measured produced by adding the antibody and the tracer to a first sample to be measured in amounts equal to those added to the second reference samples is corrected with a degree of polarization of the first sample to be measured to obtain the concentration of the target substance in the first calibration curve.

To provide a method and kit for measurement of a target substance with high detection sensitivity, provided is a method of measuring at least any one of the presence or absence, and a concentration, of a target substance in a sample liquid, the method including the steps of: (a) preparing a first particle that specifically binds to the target substance and contains a rare earth complex, and a second particle that has a larger average particle diameter than that of the first particle and specifically binds to the target substance; (b) mixing the sample liquid, the first particle, and the second particle to provide a mixed liquid; and (c) determining at least any one of the presence or absence, and the concentration, of the target substance from polarization anisotropy of the mixed liquid obtained in the step (b).

Measurement device for the detection and/or characterization of fluid-borne particles (9), the measurement device comprising means (1, 10) for producing a flow of fluid along a fluid flow path, a laser (2) positioned for emitting pulses of laser light polarized in a first direction of polarization, in a measurement volume of the fluid flow path, each pulse having a pulse duration, means (3) for directing pulses of laser light polarized in a second direction of polarization in the measurement volume, wherein the second direction of polarization is different from the first direction of polarization, a first optical spectrometer for capturing fluorescent light emitted by individual fluid-borne particles (9) in the measurement volume and measuring intensity of the captured fluorescent light at at least one determined wavelength at a sampling rate of at least three samples per pulse duration, wherein the means (3) for directing are configured such that they direct a pulse of laser light polarized in the second direction of polarization in the measurement volume each time a pulse of laser light emitted by the laser (2) and polarized in the first direction has crossed the measurement volume, the time delay between the moment of crossing the measurement volume by the pulse emitted by the laser and the moment of crossing the measurement volume by the pulse directed by the means (3) for directing is longer than the pulse duration and shorter than a travel time of the fluid in the measurement volume. Measurement method for the detection and/or characterization of fluid-borne particles (9) using the measurement device of the invention.

Systems and methods for hyperspectral imaging are described. In one implementation, a hyperspectral imaging system includes a sample holder configured to hold a sample, an illumination system, and a detection system. The illumination system includes a light source configured to emit excitation light having one or more wavelengths and a diffractive element. The illumination system is configured to structure the excitation light into a predetermined two-dimensional pattern at a conjugate plane of a focal plane in the sample, spectrally disperse the structured excitation light in a first lateral direction, and illuminate the sample in an excitation pattern with the one or more wavelengths dispersed in the first lateral direction.