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Modifying the output of a laser to achieve a flat top in the laser's Gaussian beam intensity profile

  • US 8,451,524 B2
  • Filed: 09/20/2010
  • Issued: 05/28/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for generating an effective flat top intensity profile for light illuminating moving particles in a particle analyzer, comprising:

  • (a) a source of light;

    (b) at least one optical component for focusing the light from the source as a beam that is incident on a particle moving through the particle analyzer; and

    (c) a scanner for scanning the light across the particle at a scan frequency selected so that the particle is illuminated with at least one cycle of the light being scanned, and with an amplitude for the scanning that is selected to be less than a diameter of the beam where it is incident on the particle and so that the light remains incident on the particle as the particle passes through a portion of the particle analyzer, wherein the scan frequency, the amplitude for the scanning, and an intensity profile of the source of light cooperate to generate an effective flat top intensity profile for the light being scanned.

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