LIGHT SOURCE, AND OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHY IMAGING APPARATUS

摘要

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light source making it possible to suppress large-sizing of an optical tomography imaging apparatus and cost rise, and achieving high optical utilization efficiency and high-speed sweeping of wavelength. Ž<P>SOLUTION: The linear resonator type light source 1 is provided with: an optical amplifier medium 3; a wavelength selecting means 6 including a Fabry Perot resonator for transmitting a light of specific wavelength and reflecting lights of a wavelength except the specific wavelength; and a light separation optical system 9 for enabling the light transmitting the wavelength selecting means 6 to reciprocate in the linear resonator and preventing the lights reflected on the wavelength selecting means 6 from being incident into the light amplifier medium 3. The light separation optical system 9 includes: a polarization selecting means 4 disposed between the light amplifier medium 3 and the wavelength selecting means 6 and allowing only the plane polarization in a predetermined direction to propagate into the linear resonator; and first and second 1/4 wavelength phasers 5, 7 disposed on both the sides of the wavelength selecting means 6 and imparting a phase difference corresponding 1/4 wavelength to between the polarizations perpendicular in two directions. Ž<P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT Ž