METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE SEPARATION OF FLUORESCENCE AND ELASTIC SCATTERING PRODUCED BY BROADBAND ILLUMINATION USING POLARIZATION DISCRIMINATION TECHNIQUES

摘要

An apparatus for separating fluorescent light from light elastically scattered/reflected from a material (14) illuminated with a broadband illumination source (12) includes a polarization discriminator (32), which separates the substantially polarized elastically scattered/reflected light from the unpolarized fluorescent light, and a spectrometer to analyze the full and separated reflectance spectra. A linear polarizer (20) may be provided to polarize the illumination source. A method for separating fluorescence light induced in a material by broad band light from an elastic scattering/reflection component includes providing polarization discrimination to separate components, the fluorescence light being substantially unpolarized, and spectrally analyzing the reflectance components. The method may include linearly polarizing the light source. A fluorescence spectra may be extracted from a minimum reflectance spectra or from a residual polarization reflectance spectra.