US Patent 7952056 Extended dynamic range light detection systems and methods

Systems and methods for detecting and measuring light emitted from a sample and having a large dynamic range, e.g., a range of luminous intensity covering six or more orders of magnitude, that may be difficult to fully detect using a single detector with a limited detection range. Simultaneous measurements of the emitted light in two intensity ranges are performed using two detectors, e.g., one including a photomultiplier tube (PMT) and the other including a solid state detector such as a photodiode. A beam splitting element directs light emitted from a sample under investigation to both detectors simultaneously such that a portion of the light impinges on the first detector and a second portion of the light impinges on the second detector. A processor receives output signals from the two detectors and provides an output representing the luminous intensity of the sample over a detection range greater than the detection range of each individual detector, thereby providing a detection system having an enhanced dynamic range.