Patent ID: 8728399

Claim:
An illumination system for illuminating a plurality of separate detection volumes simultaneously, the illumination system comprising: a light pipe in the form of a length of tube, rod, or fiber having a first end and a second end, an excitation source which provides excitation light wherein the excitation source is optically coupled to the light pipe to provide excitation light along the length of the tube, rod, or fiber, and a luminescent material in the light pipe which absorbs the excitation light and, in response generates and emits luminescent light by spontaneous emission through the first end of the tube, rod, or fiber, wherein the luminescent light emitted from the light pipe is of sufficient power to illuminate said plurality of separate detection volumes simultaneously; a mirror coupled to the second end of the tube, rod, or fiber to reflect luminescence toward the first end of the tube, rod, or fiber, and coupling optics including an optical receiving element and a plurality of optical distribution elements, wherein said optical receiving element receives said luminescent light emitted from the light pipe and transmits said luminescent light to all of said plurality of optical distribution elements simultaneously, and wherein each of said plurality of optical distribution elements receives said luminescent light and transmits said luminescent light to a separate one of said plurality of separate detection volumes, whereby all of said plurality of separate detection volumes are illuminated simultaneously with said luminescent light emitted from said light pipe.