An optical measurement probe for capturing a spectral response through an intervening material emitting unwanted background radiation includes: a first lens configured to receive light and collimate the light into a collimated excitation beam defining a first aperture; an objective element for focusing the collimated excitation beam to a point or region in a sample through the intervening material, wherein the objective element also receives light scattered by the sample and the intervening material and collimates the scattered light into a collimated collection beam defining a second aperture; and a blocking element within the collimated collection beam for removing the light scattered by the intervening material from the collimated collection beam received from the sample, wherein the second aperture defined by the collimated collection beam is at least two times greater than the first aperture defined by the collimated excitation beam.

A device for determining the surface topology and associated color of a structure, such as a teeth segment, includes a scanner for providing depth data for points along a two-dimensional array substantially orthogonal to the depth direction, and an image acquisition means for providing color data for each of the points of the array, while the spatial disposition of the device with respect to the structure is maintained substantially unchanged. A processor combines the color data and depth data for each point in the array, thereby providing a three-dimensional color virtual model of the surface of the structure. A corresponding method for determining the surface topology and associate color of a structure is also provided.

A spectrometer (100) and an optical input portion (32) thereof are disclosed. The optical input portion (32) comprises an assembly structure (322), and the assembly structure (322) is formed at a hole wall (321) of a through hole (3211) of the optical input portion (32). A light (L1) is incident into a dispersing element (2) of the spectrometer (100) along an optical path (13) after passing through the through hole (3211), and is dispersed by the dispersing element (2). The assembly structure (322) is used to be detachably assembled with an optical element (200). When the optical element (200) is assembled with the assembly structure (322), an optical axis of the optical element (200) is linked to the optical path (13). As a result, the light (L1) passing through the optical element (200) is incident to the dispersing element (2) along the optical axis and the optical path (13).

A light radiating portion radiates light with wavelength λ1 having predetermined absorptivity for an object and light with wavelength λ2 having smaller absorptivity for the object than the wavelength λ1, to a target, so as to scan in 2-dimensional directions. A light receiving portion receives scattered lights reflected by the target based on light with wavelength λ1 and light with wavelength λ2. A measuring portion generates information used for detection of the object at the target, based on difference between the two scattered lights with wavelength λ1 and wavelength λ2 received by the light receiving portion. An output portion outputs whether or not the object is present at the target, by 2-dimensional area information, based on scanning by the light radiating portion and information generated by the measuring portion.

This spectral-image-obtaining device includes: a line-spectral-image acquiring unit that acquires a plurality of line spectral images; a frame-image acquiring unit that has an image-capturing range that encompasses that over which image capturing is performed by the line-spectral-image acquiring unit and that acquires a two-dimensional frame image that contains fewer color signals than the line spectral images; a comparison-image estimating unit that estimates comparison images for all lines based on the line spectral images acquired by the line-spectral-image acquiring unit and a wavelength characteristic of the frame-image acquiring unit; a line-spectral-image positional-deviation detecting unit that detects amounts of positional deviation between the comparison images estimated by the comparison-image estimating unit and corresponding positions within the frame image; and a positional-deviation correcting unit that fits the line spectral images to corresponding positions within the frame image based on the amounts of positional deviation detected by the line-spectral-image positional-deviation detecting unit.

A method for determining a correcting quantity function k.sub.F(x, y) for calibrating an FTIR measurement arrangement with an IR detector. The IR detector includes a plurality of sensor elements, which are each located at a position (x, y), and the method includes: (a) recording interferograms IFG.sub.Rxy of a reference sample using the sensor elements of the IR detector, (b) calculating spectra R.sub.xy of the reference sample by Fourier transforming the interferograms of the reference sample for at least four sensor elements, (c) calculating correcting quantities k.sub.xy by comparing each spectrum R.sub.xy of the reference sample calculated in step b) with a reference data set of the reference sample, and (d) determining the correcting quantity function k.sub.F(x, y) using the correcting quantities k.sub.xy calculated in step c). This permits frequency shifts that occur in FTIR spectrometers with extensive detectors to be effectively corrected regardless of the position of the sensor element.

An optical system to divide a light flux from an object plane includes a first curved-surface mirror, and second, third, and fourth reflecting portions. The second reflecting portion divides and reflects light flux from the first curved-surface mirror to respective different positions on the first curved-surface mirror as first light fluxes. The third reflecting portion reflects, as third light fluxes, the first light fluxes. The fourth reflecting portion reflects the third light fluxes from the third reflecting portion. A number of reflective surfaces of each of the third and fourth reflecting portions on which the first and third light fluxes are incident is the same as a division number in the dividing of the light flux into the second light fluxes. The first and third light fluxes are reflected by the respective third and fourth reflecting portions to be image-formed so that divided images of the object plane are formed.

An embodiment of electron microscope system is described that comprises an electron column pole piece and a light guide assembly operatively coupled together. The light guide assembly also includes one or more detectors, and a mirror with a pressure limiting aperture through which an electron beam from an electron source passes. The mirror is also configured to reflect light, as well as to collect back scattered electrons and secondary electrons.

A multi-spectral lens comprises a circular polarizer and a tunable cholesteric filter having an associated reflection band. Incoming light is circularly polarized to one handedness by the circular polarizer, and the tunable cholesteric filter transmits the circularly polarized light and reflects the opposite handedness of the circularly polarized light if within the reflection band of the filter, with the reflection band of the tunable cholesteric filter varying with a control voltage. In a preferred embodiment, a mirror is arranged to receive light transmitted by the tunable cholesteric filter and reflect it back towards the filter with flipped handedness, with the reflected light with flipped handedness that is within the reflection band of the tunable cholesteric filter reflected by the tunable cholesteric filter back toward the mirror. The architecture described effectively converts the reflection band of a tunable cholesteric filter into a tunable bandpass filter for a multi-spectral imaging lens.

A device for determining the surface topology and associated color of a structure, such as a teeth segment, includes a scanner for providing depth data for points along a two-dimensional array substantially orthogonal to the depth direction, and an image acquisition means for providing color data for each of the points of the array, while the spatial disposition of the device with respect to the structure is maintained substantially unchanged. A processor combines the color data and depth data for each point in the array, thereby providing a three-dimensional color virtual model of the surface of the structure. A corresponding method for determining the surface topology and associate color of a structure is also provided.