Patent ID: 7324202

Claim:
An optical system for measuring fluorescence from a liquid contained in a vessel, comprising: a) a light source and a first concave mirror for directing and focusing excitation light beam from said light source onto said vessel, along an axis of said vessel located in a vessel holder; b) a second concave mirror for collimating and redirecting light emitted from the liquid in said vessel along another axis, said second concave mirror being located between said vessel and said first concave mirror, said second concave mirror including a hole through which the excitation light beam reflected by the first concave mirror passes; c) a directing and focusing means for directing and focusing light collimated and redirected from said second concave mirror onto a first detection means; and d) wherein excitation light scattered from refractive surfaces within the vessel including a liquid meniscus passes through said hole, but some fluorescent light emitted by the liquid in said vessel is reflected by the second concave mirror and is focused onto the detection means by said directing and focusing means.