An interferometer having a fundamental beam generator, a first second harmonic generator, a waveplate, a second second harmonic generator, a harmonic separator, and a polarizing beam splitter, mounted uniaxially, (i.e., the components are aligned along one optical axis), wherein the interferometer is adapted to change a diameter of a beam to match a diameter of a sample, and to change the diameter of the beam back to its original diameter.

Deriving data for calibration or improving the positioning of a computer-controlled machine including a movable carrier for changing the position of a first machine part relative that of second machine part. The carrier is moved to a plurality of carrier positions such that the position of the first machine part relative to that of the second machine part changes for each of said plurality of positions. At each carrier position, a pattern generator attached to the first machine part is illuminated with at least two illuminators such that at least one spatial light pattern is created in space. Position data related to the position of said carrier is recorded and composite images of said at least one spatial light pattern is recorded in at least two different optical configurations of said at least two illuminators, said pattern generator, and at least one camera.

A height detection apparatus successively changes the brightness of white light from a first level to a second level in accordance with a position of a Z stage and captures an image of interference light while moving a two-beam interference objective lens relative to a paste film in an optical axis direction, detects, as a focus position, a position of the Z stage where the intensity of interference light is highest in a period during which the brightness of white light is set to the first or second level, for each pixel of the captured image, and obtains the height of the paste film based on a detection result.

The present invention comprises: a light source; a generator that generates, from light generated by the light source, a light pulse train in which the carrier waves are coherent, interference between adjacent waveforms is low, and the spatial length of a pulse width is smaller than a depth range of an observation target region in a measurement target; a frequency shifter that converts the frequency of a light pulse train modulated by the generator; a light path length changing unit that changes the light path length of the light pulse train; a light detection unit into which is input the light pulse train output from the light path length changing unit and backwardly scattered waves from the measurement target; a filter that extracts a difference signal output from the light detector and having a shift frequency of the frequency shifter; a demodulator that combines the difference signal extracted by the filter and a reference signal synchronized with the shift frequency of the frequency shifter; and an analyzing unit that analyzes a signal output by the demodulator.

Deriving data for calibration or improving the positioning of a computer-controlled machine including a movable carrier for changing the position of a first machine part relative that of second machine part. The carrier is moved to a plurality of carrier positions such that the position of the first machine part relative to that of the second machine part changes for each of said plurality of positions. At each carrier position, a pattern generator attached to the first machine part is illuminated with at least two illuminators such that at least one spatial light pattern is created in space. Position data related to the position of said carrier is recorded and composite images of said at least one spatial light pattern is recorded in at least two different optical configurations of said at least two illuminators, said pattern generator, and at least one camera.

Disclosed are devices and techniques based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology in combination with optical actuation. A system for providing optical actuation and optical sensing can include an optical coherence tomography (OCT) device that performs optical imaging of a sample based on optical interferometry from an optical sampling beam interacting with an optical sample and an optical reference beam; an OCT light source to provide an OCT imaging beam into the OCT device which splits the OCT imaging beam into the optical sampling beam and the optical reference beam; and a light source that produces an optical actuation beam that is coupled along with the optical sampling beam to be directed to the sample to actuate particles or structures in the sample so that the optical imaging captures information of the sample under the optical actuation.

An interferometer system includes an optics system configured to allow a first light beam to travel along a measurement path including a target, and a second light beam to travel along a fixed reference path excluding the target; and a signal generator configured to introduce a power-modulated optical signal in the measurement path or the reference path to determine jitter caused by components of the interferometer system downstream of the signal generator.

A thickness evaluation method of the cell sheet according to the invention includes tomographically imaging a cell sheet by optical coherence tomography and obtaining a thickness distribution of the cell sheet based on a result of the tomography imaging. A tomographic image corresponding to one cross section of the cell sheet is obtained by tomography imaging while scanning the light in a main scanning direction. The tomography imaging is performed in every time while moving an incident position of the light at a predetermined feed pitch in a sub-scanning direction, thereby a plurality of the tomographic images corresponding to a plurality of cross-sections are obtained. One-dimensional thickness distributions of the cell sheet in the corresponding cross-sections are obtained based on each of the plurality of tomographic images, and a two-dimensional thickness distribution of the cell sheet is obtained by interpolating the one-dimensional thickness distributions.

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 modular interferometric telescope including a base and an optical detector. A mounting beam has a first end, a second end, and a length, and is connected rotatably to the base at a point between the first and second end. The mounting beam is rotatable about a first axis extending in a direction of an object to be observed. A first light-collecting assembly is connected to the mounting beam proximal to the first end relative to the second end. The first light-collecting assembly directs light from the object to the optical detector. A second light-collecting assembly connected to the mounting beam is proximal to the second end relative to the first end. The second light-collecting assembly directs the light from the object to the optical detector. A first optical assembly is configured to receive the light from the object and direct the light to the optical detector.