A high-throughput optofluidic device for detecting fluorescent droplets is disclosed. The device uses time-domain encoded optofluidics to detect a high rate of droplets passing through parallel microfluidic channels. A light source modulated with a minimally correlating maximum length sequences is used to illuminate the droplets as they pass through the microfluidic device. By correlating the resulting signal with the expected pattern, each pattern formed by passing droplets can be resolved to identify individual droplets.

A fiber optic sensor arrangement is disclosed that includes a plurality of optical fiber based sensor elements, the sensor elements configured to modify an associated optical carrier signal in accordance with changes in a sensed quantity at a location of the sensor element and a phase modulation arrangement for phase modulating each optical carrier signal in accordance with respective uncorrelated pseudorandom binary sequence signals. The sensor arrangement also includes an interferometer module for receiving each of the phase modulated optical carrier signals, the interferometer module operable to convert a change in the phase modulated optical carrier signals to a change in optical intensity of the corresponding optical carrier signal to generate a combined modulated optical intensity signal, an optical intensity detector for measuring the combined modulated optical intensity signal and generating a time varying electrical detector signal and an analog to digital convertor to convert the time varying electrical detector signal to a time varying digitized detector signal. Also included in the sensor arrangement is a decorrelator arrangement for decorrelating the time varying digitized detector signal against the respective uncorrelated pseudorandom binary sequence corresponding to each of the optical carrier signals to recover each of the modulated optical carrier signals and a demodulator for demodulating each of the modulated optical carrier signals to recover the respective optical carrier signal to determine the changes in the sensed quantity at the location of the sensor element.

Examples relate to a method, an apparatus and a computer program for detecting a presence of airborne particles. A reference measurement of an environment of a depth image sensor module is obtained. The reference measurement is based on a measurement of modulated light in a first time interval. The modulated light is reflected by features of the environment of the depth image sensor module. A subsequent measurement of modulated light is obtained in a second time interval. The presence of the airborne particles is detected based on the subsequent measurement of the modulated light, by using the reference measurement performed in the first time interval to disregard all or part of the features of the environment of the depth image sensor module. A signal indicative of one or more properties of the detected airborne particles is generated based on the detected presence of the airborne particles.

The disclosure relates to a photoacoustic sensor head for detecting acoustic signals which are excited in a sample by absorption of pulsed measuring light, comprising a contact prism which is transparent for the measuring light and has a sample contact surface, a detection surface arranged opposite the sample contact surface and a light entrance surface arranged adjacent to the detection surface, as well as means for radiating the measuring light through the light entrance surface in the direction of the sample contact surface, wherein a detection device comprising at least one sound transducer is arranged in a manner covering the detection surface, characterized in that those portions of the measuring light which are reflected at the sample contact surface are directed to the detection surface or to the light entrance surface, wherein a material layer containing a material which absorbs the measuring light is arranged between the detection surface and the detection device.

A detection system including a plurality of terahertz light sources; and a plurality of terahertz-wave detecting devices which detect terahertz waves, wherein the plurality of terahertz light source includes a first terahertz light source which outputs the terahertz waves in a first on/off pattern with a first cycle, and a second terahertz light source which outputs the terahertz waves in a second on/off pattern with a second cycle which is different from the first cycle.

Methods, systems, and devices for testing an electro-optic device such as a modulator or a switch are disclosed. In one implementation, an apparatus includes an optical source to generate light, a first light transmission structure to route the light into the electro-optic device through a first guide segment structured to guide optical waves and optically couplable to the electro-optic device, an electrical probe to apply one or more electrical modulation signals to the electro-optic device to generate modulated light by modulating the light routed into the electro-optic device, a second light transmission structure to collect at least part of the modulated light from a second guide segment structured to guide optical waves and optically couplable to the electro-optic device, a detector to generate an electrical output signal corresponding to the collected light, and a signal processing device to record times at which each photon corresponding to the collected light is detected by processing the electrical output signal.

The invention relates to a portable device for estimating at least one parameter characteristic of a polymer material, characterized in that the device comprises at least one infrared source, each infrared source being capable of emitting towards the polymer material a spectral line, representing maximum emission energy, selected in one of the wavelengths 10 μm, 9.5 μm, 7.2 μm, 6 μm, 3.5 μm, 2.7 μm or in one of the wave numbers 1,000 cm.sup.−1, 1,050 cm.sup.−1, 1,350 cm.sup.−1, 1,700 cm.sup.−1, 2,900 cm.sup.−1, 3,700 cm.sup.−1, at least one infrared detector, capable of receiving infrared radiation, which is reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line, a unit for determining the parameter characteristic of the polymer material as a function of the energy present in said spectral line in the infrared radiation, having been reflected by the polymer material and having been received by the infrared detector.

A high-throughput optofluidic device for detecting fluorescent droplets is disclosed. The device uses time-domain encoded optofluidics to detect a high rate of droplets passing through parallel microfluidic channels. A light source modulated with a minimally correlating maximum length sequences is used to illuminate the droplets as they pass through the microfluidic device. By correlating the resulting signal with the expected pattern, each pattern formed by passing droplets can be resolved to identify individual droplets.

A fiber optic sensor arrangement is disclosed that includes a plurality of optical fiber based sensor elements, the sensor elements configured to modify an associated optical carrier signal in accordance with changes in a sensed quantity at a location of the sensor element and a phase modulation arrangement for phase modulating each optical carrier signal in accordance with respective uncorrelated pseudorandom binary sequence signals. The sensor arrangement also includes an interferometer module for receiving each of the phase modulated optical carrier signals, the interferometer module operable to convert a change in the phase modulated optical carrier signals to a change in optical intensity of the corresponding optical carrier signal to generate a combined modulated optical intensity signal, an optical intensity detector for measuring the combined modulated optical intensity signal and generating a time varying electrical detector signal and an analog to digital convertor to convert the time varying electrical detector signal to a time varying digitized detector signal. Also included in the sensor arrangement is a decorrelator arrangement for decorrelating the time varying digitized detector signal against the respective uncorrelated pseudorandom binary sequence corresponding to each of the optical carrier signals to recover each of the modulated optical carrier signals and a demodulator for demodulating each of the modulated optical carrier signals to recover the respective optical carrier signal to determine the changes in the sensed quantity at the location of the sensor element.

The disclosure relates to a photoacoustic sensor head for detecting acoustic signals which are excited in a sample by absorption of pulsed measuring light, comprising a contact prism which is transparent for the measuring light and has a sample contact surface, a detection surface arranged opposite the sample contact surface and a light entrance surface arranged adjacent to the detection surface, as well as means for radiating the measuring light through the light entrance surface in the direction of the sample contact surface, wherein a detection device comprising at least one sound transducer is arranged in a manner covering the detection surface, characterized in that those portions of the measuring light which are reflected at the sample contact surface are directed to the detection surface or to the light entrance surface, wherein a material layer containing a material which absorbs the measuring light is arranged between the detection surface and the detection device.