A system and method for optical tomography including illuminating an object with pulsing stimulus light and pulsing the stimulus light at a repetition frequency having a pulse period that is greater than a dead-time of a detector. Coordinating the pulse with the dead-time of the detector allows for higher powered light source and improves early photon detection.

An integrated circuit includes a photodetection region configured to receive incident photons. The photodetection region is configured to produce a plurality of charge carriers in response to the incident photons. The integrated circuit also includes at least one charge carrier storage region. The integrated circuit also includes a charge carrier segregation structure configured to selectively direct charge carriers of the plurality of charge carriers into the at least one charge carrier storage region based upon times at which the charge carriers are produced.

Disclosed is a PCR diagnosis apparatus. This apparatus includes a PCR chip configured to store a PCR sample, a light source part configured to generate laser light to be provided to the PCR sample, an optical modulator provided between the light source part and the PCR chip and configured to selectively provide the laser light to the PCR sample according to a code, a sensor configured to detect fluorescent light generated in the PCR sample by the laser light, and a code generator connected between the optical modulator and the sensor and configured to transmit an orthogonal code to the optical modulator and the sensor.

An apparatus, a handheld electronic device and a method for carrying out Raman Spectroscopy are disclosed. In an embodiment an apparatus includes at least one optoelectronic laser configured to provide excitation radiation to a sample, the excitation radiation being generated by an electric current flowing through the at least one optoelectronic laser during operation of the apparatus and a transistor configured to modulate the electric current flowing through the at least one optoelectronic laser, to thereby switch on and off generation of the excitation radiation.

Systems and methods are described for producing an amplitude-modulated laser pulse train. The laser pulse train can be used to cause fluorescence in materials at which the pulse trains are directed. The parameters of the laser pulse train are selected to increase fluorescence relative to a constant-amplitude laser pulse train. The amplitude-modulated laser pulse trains produced using the teachings of this invention can be used to enable detection of specific molecules in applications such as gene or protein sequencing.

An integrated circuit includes a photodetection region configured to receive incident photons. The photodetection region is configured to produce a plurality of charge carriers in response to the incident photons. The integrated circuit also includes at least one charge carrier storage region. The integrated circuit also includes a charge carrier segregation structure configured to selectively direct charge carriers of the plurality of charge carriers into the at least one charge carrier storage region based upon times at which the charge carriers are produced.

A method for obtaining optical spectroscopic information about a sub-micron region of a sample with quantitatively controlled depth/volume of the sample subsurface using a scanning probe microscope. With controlled probing depth/volume, the method can separate top surface data from subsurface optical/chemical information. The method can also be applied in liquid suitable for studying biological and chemical samples in their native aqueous environments, as opposed to air. In the method, a depth-controlled spectrum of the surface layer is constructed by illuminating the sample with a beam of infrared radiation and measuring a probe response using at least one of the resonant frequencies of the probe. The surface sensitivity is obtained by limiting the heat diffusion effect of the subsurface so as to confine the signal. The signal confinement is achieved through non-linearity of the acoustic wave with probe, as well as benefits gained by a high modulation frequency of the infrared radiation source at >1 MHz.

For tracking a plurality of objects in a three-dimensional space two-dimensional pictures objects are recorded with two black and white cameras out of two different imaging directions. Both first pictures and second pictures of the two cameras are simultaneously exposed at two points in time in equal ways, a point in time at which the second pictures are exposed for a first time following to a point in time at which the first pictures are exposed for a last time at a much shorter interval than the two points in time of exposure of both the first and second pictures. First and second distributions of real positions of the individual objects are determined from their images in the first and second pictures, respectively; and temporally resolved trajectories of the individual objects in the three-dimensional space are determined from the first and second distributions of real positions.

Provided are a Raman signal measuring method and apparatus which use a difference in a time scale between Raman scattered light and fluorescence. Thus, after exciting light is incident upon a target object, light scattered from the target object may be detected before the target object generates fluorescence in response to the exciting light. As a result, a Raman signal in which background fluorescence is reduced may be obtained.

A fluorescence lifetime sensor module comprises an opaque housing having a first chamber and a second chamber which are separated by a light barrier. An optical emitter is arranged in the first chamber and configured to emit through a first aperture. Emission of pulses of light of a specified wavelength is arranged to optically excite a fluorescent probe to be positioned in front of the sensor module. A detector is arranged in the second chamber and configured to detect through a second aperture received photons from the fluorescent probe. A measurement block is configured to determine respective difference values representative of an arrival time of one of the received photons with respect to the emission pulses. A histogram block is configured to accumulate the difference values in a histogram. A processing circuit is configured to compute time-of-flight values based on an evaluation of the histogram, compute a fluorescence lifetime from the time-of-flight values and generate an output signal being indicative of the fluorescence lifetime of the fluorescent probe. A control unit is configured to initiate pulsed emission of the optical emitter.