Patent ID: 7046365

Claim:
A light track observation apparatus characterized by comprising: a light source part for generating and outputting first and second light beams having synchronized output timings, from a light pulse supplied by a pulse light source; a detection medium by which the track of a light pulse is detected and observed; an excitation optical system for forming an excitation pulse on the basis of the first light beam, and feeding the excitation pulse into said detection medium; a probe optical system for forming a probe pulse on the basis of the second light beam, and irradiating, with the probe pulse, a predetermined region of said detection medium, which includes a light track region in which the refractive index is changed by a nonlinear optical effect when the excitation pulse is fed into said detection medium; and a photodetection part for detecting the probe pulse which has passed through the predetermined region of said detection medium, wherein said excitation optical system comprises excitation pulse polarizing means for setting the excitation pulse into a predetermined polarized state, and an incident optical system for feeding the excitation pulse into said detection medium under predetermined incident conditions, said probe optical system comprises probed pulse polarizing means for setting the probe pulse into a predetermined polarized state, and said photodetection part comprises analyzing means for transmitting only a predetermined polarized light component of the probe pulse which has passed through the predetermined region of said detection medium, light detecting means for detecting and observing a two-dimensional optical image of the probe pulse transmitted through said analyzing means, and image forming means for forming, on said light detecting means, the two-dimensional optical image of the probe pulse which has passed through the predetermined region of said detection medium and which is transmitted through said analyzing means, thereby detecting the anisotropy of the refractive index in the light track region and observing the track of light of the excitation pulse.