A process for detecting oil or lubricant contamination in the production of an article by adding a Stokes-shifting taggant to an oil or lubricant of a machine utilized to produce the article or a component thereof, irradiating the articles produced with a first wavelength of radiation, and monitoring the articles for emission of radiation at a second wavelength. The taggant can be in the form of a composition containing a Stokes-shifting taggant, which absorbs radiation at a first wavelength and emits radiation at a second wavelength, different from said first wavelength, dissolved or dispersed in an oil or lubricant.

A method of measuring a spectral response of a biological sample (1), comprises the steps generation of probe light having a primary spectrum, irradiation of the sample (1) with the probe light, including an interaction of the probe light and the sample (1), and spectrally resolved detection of the probe light having a modified spectrum, which deviates from the primary spectrum as a result of the interaction of the probe light and the sample (1), said modified spectrum being characteristic of the spectral response of the sample (1), wherein the probe light comprises probe light pulses (2) being generated with a fs laser source device (10). Furthermore, a spectroscopic measuring apparatus is described, which is configured for measuring a spectral response of a biological sample (1).

A method for optical detection of residual soil on articles (such as medical instruments and equipment), after completion of a washing or a rinsing operation by a washer. A soil detection system provides an indication of soil on the articles by detecting luminescent radiation emanating from the soil in the presence of ambient light.

Disclosed is an illumination source for generating measurement radiation for an inspection apparatus. The source generates at least first measurement radiation and second measurement radiation such that the first measurement radiation and the second measurement radiation interfere to form combined measurement radiation modulated with a beat component. The illumination source may be a HHG source. Also disclosed is an inspection apparatus comprising such a source and an associated inspection method.

Compact optical sources and methods for producing short and ultrashort optical pulses are described. A semiconductor laser or LED may be driven with a bipolar waveform to generate optical pulses with FWHM durations as short as approximately 85 ps having suppressed tail emission. The pulsed optical sources may be used for fluorescent lifetime analysis of biological samples and time-of-flight imaging, among other applications.

The invention encompasses analyzers and analyzer systems that include a single molecule analyzer, methods of using the analyzer and analyzer systems to analyze samples, either for single molecules or for molecular complexes. The single molecule uses electromagnetic radiation that is translated through the sample to detect the presence or absence of a single molecule. The single molecule analyzer provided herein is useful for diagnostics because the analyzer detects single molecules with zero carryover between samples.

A method and a system for photoacoustic inspection of a part are provided herein. The method may include the following steps: photo-acoustically exciting a predetermined position in a predetermined region on a part by pulsed laser illumination, to yield ultrasonic excitation of the part; coherently illuminating a predetermined location in the predetermined region on the part; detecting an illumination scattered from the predetermined location; determining, based on the scattered illumination, a plurality of sequence of two or more temporally-sequential de-focused speckle pattern images, wherein each of the sequences corresponds to one of the predetermined illuminated locations; and determining a set of translations, each determined based on the sequences, wherein each translation in the set is determined based on two temporally-sequential speckle patterns images in the respective sequence.

A 3-dimensional measuring device includes: a light source unit; a projection optical system; a scanning mirror that is provided to be rotatable about a rotating shaft in a state of being inclined with respect to a shaft center of the rotating shaft to radiate a range-finding light within a plane crossing the rotating shaft in a rotary manner; a light-receiving optical system that receives a reflection range-finding light; a reference light optical system that is provided in a range outside a measuring range within a radiation range to receive and reflect the range-finding light as an internal reference light, the reference light optical system being capable of changing a light quantity of the internal reference light; and a light receiving element that receives the reflection range-finding light and the internal reference light.

A method and apparatus for detecting a pulsed THz beam includes emitting, by THz emitter, pulsed THz radiation of outgoing pulse shape for interacting with target body; detecting, by THz detector, incoming THz radiation comprising THz pulses, and outputting, by THz detector, a raw detector data of pulse shapes of incoming THz pulses; and determining, by pulse shape reconstruction module, a reconstructed incoming pulse shape based on the raw detector data, measuring, by sensor, a time-of-flight quantity (d) affecting the time of flight of the THz radiation; and adjusting operation of at least one of THz emitter, THz detector and pulse shape reconstruction module using the time-of-flight quantity (d), for correcting for variations in time of flight of the THz radiation.

It is an object of the invention to improve processes, apparatuses and systems for measuring a measured variable. To this end, a measured variable is measured in a measuring process on the basis of an NV center as a quantum sensor. The NV center has a plurality of quantum states and is optically excitable on the basis of an occupancy of one of the quantum states into at least one excited state of the quantum states by means of an excitation light. The at least one excited state can decay at least with emission of emission light of the NV center. In the measuring process, the NV center is irradiated by the excitation light, the excitation light having a time periodic modulation, and a respective occupancy probability and/or a respective lifetime of the quantum states depending on the measured variable and the excitation light. A phase shift is determined between the emission light of the NV center and the modulation of the excitation light and a measurement value for the measured variable is determined on the basis thereof.