A system and method are provided for spectral shaping of light from a broadband source using a linear spatial light modulator (SLM). The system includes an illumination source generating light including a plurality of wavelengths, a lens to collimate the light and an aperture to define its angular spread, a diffraction grating to disperse the beam by wavelength, and a focusing element to focus the dispersed beams from the diffraction grating onto a plurality of pixels of the SLM. The SLM is configured to individually modulate the dispersed beams by diffracting light output therefrom into higher orders, where a diffraction angle of output light is greater than an input cone angle of incoming light from the illumination source.

A Raman spectrometer 1 comprising a laser 1001 for illuminating a sample S under investigation, an auto-focusing system for focusing the laser 1001 on the sample S under investigation, and a detector 1010 for detecting Raman spectra emitted in response to illumination by the laser 1001. The auto-focusing system further comprises at least one adjustable focusing element for adjusting the location of the focus of the laser, a determination unit 1012 for determining a selected location for the focus of the laser 1001, and a control unit for adjusting the adjustable focusing element to focus the laser at said selected location determined by the determination unit 1012. The auto-focusing system is arranged under the control of software to enable determination of the selected location for the focus of the laser 1001.

A light detection device includes a Fabry-Perot interference filter, a light detector, a spacer that has a placement surface on which a portion outside a light transmission region in a bottom surface of the interference filter is placed, and an adhesive member that adheres the interference filter and the spacer to each other. Elastic modulus of the adhesive member is smaller than elastic modulus of the spacer. At least a part of a lateral surface of the interference filter is located on the placement surface such that a part of the placement surface of the spacer is disposed outside the lateral surface. The adhesive member is disposed in a corner portion formed by the lateral surface of the interference filter and the part of the placement surface of the spacer and contacts each of the lateral surface and the part of the placement surface.

Systems for confocal Raman spectroscopy of points of interest or regions of interest with concurrent imaging are disclosed. The imaging may be used for real time selection of points of interest or regions of interest for Raman spectroscopy and to monitor for unwanted motions of a sample while Raman spectra are acquired. Disclosed embodiments apply Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) in a confocal Raman spectroscopy system. A single laser may be used as a light source for both RCM and micro-Raman spectroscopy. A Faraday optical isolator may be applied to extract RCM signals for imaging Systems as described herein have example application for ex vivo sample and in vivo skin measurement.

A method for controlling the flow of gas through a spectrometer, comprising: flowing a gas through a volume of the spectrometer, the volume being a volume through which light from a sample passes along a first path to reach a first detector and the gas being transparent to the light in a spectral region analysed by the spectrometer; transmitting light from a light source along a second path through the gas to a second detector; detecting an intensity of the light from the light source at the second detector at one or more wavelengths of the light; comparing the detected intensity of the light to a respective setpoint corresponding to a desired transmittance of the gas in the volume of the spectrometer and generating at least one error signal based on the comparison; and adjusting a flow rate of the gas through the volume of the spectrometer based on the error signal, in particular to minimise the difference between the detected intensity and setpoint.

A device, system and method for smoothing spectral transmission modulations in an optical fiber which includes at least one holder for coupling a portion of the optical fiber, a fiber bending member configured to cyclically moving a segment of the portion orthogonally to a longitudinal axis of the portion from an initial position. The fiber bending member is positioned adjacent the at least one holder and the movement changes a radius of a curvature of the portion.

Refractory anchoring devices include a main body and a mounting feature for mounting to a thermal vessel. The main body has the shape of two end-to-end Y's forming a central segment, branch segments extending from ends of the central segment, and extension segments extending from the branch segments, to collectively form four unenclosed cell openings that are semi-hexagonally shaped. Some embodiments include reinforcement segments extending into respective cell openings, voids extending through respective adjacent branch and extension segments, an underbody gap under the central segment, a single stud-welding stud for the mounting feature, and/or a collar-and-stud connection between the anchor main body and a stud-welding stud of the mounting feature. Refractory anchoring systems and methods include an array of the refractory anchoring devices arranged and mounted so that the unenclosed semi-hexagonal cell openings of adjacent anchoring devices cooperatively form substantially hexagonal cells.

A processing apparatus combines a plurality of images based on a plurality of object images formed on an imaging plane of an image sensor by a plurality of lens units and to generate a combined image, and includes at least one processor or circuit that serves as an acquisition task configured to acquire information on a center position of each of the plurality of object images on the imaging plane, information on a correspondence relationship between the center position and positions of the plurality of images in the combined image, and conversion information for converting a first coordinate system in the imaging plane into a second coordinate system in the combined image, the conversion information being generated based on a correction function for correcting the plurality of object images, and a processing task configured to generate the combined image using the conversion information.

A protective sheath having a closed end and an open end is sized to receive a hand held spectrometer. The spectrometer can be placed in the sheath to calibrate the spectrometer and to measure samples. In a calibration orientation, an optical head of the spectrometer can be oriented toward the closed end of the sheath where a calibration material is located. In a measurement orientation, the optical head of the spectrometer can be oriented toward the open end of the sheath in order to measure a sample. To change the orientation, the spectrometer can be removed from the sheath container and placed in the sheath container with the calibration orientation or the measurement orientation. Accessory container covers can be provided and placed on the open end of the sheath with samples placed therein in order to provide improved measurements.

Provided is a highly accurate imaging technology that utilizes the speckle interference. The present technology provides a speckle imaging device including: an irradiation condition setting unit that sets an irradiation condition for coherent light with which an imaging object is irradiated; an imaging unit that captures scattered light obtained from the imaging object irradiated with the coherent light; an image generation unit that generates a speckle-enhanced image from a captured image captured by the imaging unit; and a leveling processing unit that generates a leveled speckle image from speckle-enhanced images corresponding to two or more different irradiation conditions.