In order to quantitatively characterize biological objects, for example individual cells, a stimulus is applied to a biological object (8) in a contactless fashion. A measurement and a further measurement are performed on the biological object (8) in order to ascertain a response of the biological object (8) to the stimulus, wherein the measurement and the further measurement comprise detecting Raman scattering on and/or in the biological object (8) and/or capturing data using digital holographic microinterferometry (DHMI). The biological object (8) is characterized according to a result of the measurement and is sorted if needed. The stimulus can be applied by means of a laser beam that creates optical tweezers or an optical trap, by means of ultrasonic waves or an electric or magnetic radio frequency field.

A method for analyzing microorganisms arranged in a sample is provided, the sample including a viability marker to modify an optical property of the microorganisms in different ways depending on whether they are dead or alive, the method including illumination of the sample and acquisition of an image of the latter by an image sensor, the image sensor then being exposed to an exposure light wave; determining positions of different microorganisms from the acquired image; applying a propagation operator to calculate at least one characteristic value of the exposure light wave at each radial position and at a plurality of distances from the detection plane representing a change in the characteristic value between the image sensor and the sample; and identifying living microorganisms according to each profile.

A spatial modulator is provided on a plane conjugate to a sample plane on which a sample is to be placed. The spatial modulator spatially modulates illumination light irradiated to the sample 2 or object light that has passed through or that has been reflected by the sample. A dark-field optical system removes the non-scattered light component of the first object light affected by the spatial light modulator so as to generate second object light. An image sensor records a hologram based on the second object light. A calculation processing apparatus combines complex amplitude information based on the modulation pattern supplied to the spatial light modulator and complex amplitude information based on the hologram with respect to the second object light so as to acquire a phase distribution originating from the sample.

A device for detecting (D) at least one predetermined particle (P) includes an interferometric element (EI) arranged so as to be illuminated by an incident radiation (L.sub.in) and comprising at least one so-called thin layer (CM) disposed on top of a so-called substrate layer (Sub), the particle being attached to a surface (Sm) of the thin layer, the interferometric element (EI) forming a Fabry-Pérot cavity with or without attached particle P; a matrix sensor (Det) adapted to detect an image comprising a first portion (P.sub.1) deriving from the detection of the incident radiation transmitted (L.sub.TBG) by the interferometric element alone and a second portion (P.sub.2) deriving from the detection of the incident radiation transmitted (L.sub.TP) by the interferometric element and any particle (O, P) attached to a surface (Sm) of the thin layer; a processor (UT) linked to the sensor and configured: to calculate, as a function of wavelengths of the incident radiation λ.sub.i i∈[1,m], the variation of intensity of at least one first pixel of the first portion, called first variation (F.sub.BG) and of at least one second pixel of the second portion, called second variation (F.sub.P), to determine a trend, as a function of the wavelengths of the incident radiation λ.sub.i i∈[1,m], of a phase shift ϕ.sub.i between the first variation and the second variation; to detect the attached particle when the phase shift ϕ.sub.i is not constant as a function of the wavelengths of the incident radiation λ.sub.i i∈[1,m].

The present invention relates to sensors for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of a target analyte, the sensor comprising: (i) a first phase comprising a first crosslinked polymer; (ii) a second phase comprising a second crosslinked polymer; and (ill) a target analyte recognition agent; the first phase and second phase arranged to form an optical grating. The first crosslinked polymer comprises low amounts of a crosslinking agent. The present invention also relates to methods of making a sensor for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of a target analyte.

A measuring device according to the present technology includes a light emitting unit configured to emit light to a fluid, a light receiving unit configured to perform photoelectric conversion for incident light using an electron avalanche phenomenon by a plurality of pixels to obtain a light reception signal, and a control unit configured to perform processing of detecting a target object in the fluid on the basis of the light reception signal and execute an imaging operation of the target object on condition that the target object is detected.

A method for multi-spectral scattering-matrix tomography includes a step of splitting an input light signal into an incident light signal and a reference light signal. The sample light signal is directed to a sample in either a reflection configuration or a transmission configuration such that an output light signal includes light scattered from or transmitted through the sample. The incident signal and the reference light signal are directed to a camera angled to allow for amplitude and phase to be calculated by off-axis holography. A total light signal is measured with a camera that is a coherent sum of the reference light signal and the output signal. The total light signal for each light frequency and each incident angle are collected as collected total light signal data. A computing device derives an image of the sample from a calculated reflection matrix or transmission matrix or both of them.

A process for detecting the sensitivity of one or more polymers and/or of one or more mixtures of polymers to a compound, including the steps of exposing a plurality of individualized micro-deposits including the polymer(s) and/or the mixture(s) of polymers to the compound, and detecting, by interferometry, a variation in appearance of an assembly of micro-deposits exposed to the compound and/or a variation in the dimensions and/or refractive index of at least one of the micro-deposits exposed to the compound, linked to an interaction between the polymer(s) and/or the mixture(s) of polymers and the compound.

Microscope (2) comprising a coherent light source (4) producing a coherent light beam (7), a light beam guide system (6) comprising a beam splitter (14) configured to split the coherent light beam (7) into a reference beam (7a) and a sample illumination beam (7b), a sample holder (18) configured to hold a sample (1) to be observed, a sample illumination device (28) configured to direct the sample illumination beam (7b) through the sample and into a microscope objective (37), a beam reuniter (16) configured to reunite the reference beam and sample illumination beam after passage of the sample illumination beam through the sample to be observed, and a light sensing system (8) configured to capture at least phase and intensity values of the coherent light beam downstream of the beam reuniter.

The invention relates to a digital holography method for detecting the vibration amplitude of an object (15) having a vibration frequency ω, comprising: generating object illumination waves (W.sub.t) and reference waves (W.sub.LO); acquiring interferograms between the reference wave (W.sub.LO) and a signal wave (W.sub.s) by means of a bandwidth ω s detector (19), the reference wave comprising two components E.sub.LO1, E.sub.LO1 of frequencies ω.sub.1, ω.sub.2 that are respectively staggered in relation to the laser frequency ω.sub.L by a quantity δ.sub.1=γ.sub.1ω.sub.s and δ2=qω+γ2ω.sub.s, where q is an integer and −0.5≦γ1, γ.sub.2≦0.5; and calculating the vibration amplitude of the object from the optical beats spectrum deduced from the complex amplitude of an interferogram.