Leica Microsystems Cms Gmbh

Leica Microsystems Heidelberg Gmbh

Hilmar Gugel

Marcus Dyba

Volker Seyfried

Joerg Bewersdorf

Johann Engelhardt

Juergen Hoffmann

Ingo Boehm

Felix Neugart

Jörg Bewersdorf

Holger Birk

Stefan W Hell

Bernd Widzgowski

Carsten L Thomsen

Heinrich Ulrich

Roland Seifert

Arnold Giske

Ingo Böhm

Arno Florian Warken

Florian Warken

A scanning microscope includes an objective arranged in an illuminating beam path and configured to focus an illuminating light bundle onto a sample. A scanning unit is arranged upstream of the objective in the illuminating beam path and configured to deflect the illuminating light bundle in such a way that the illuminating light bundle focused by the objective executes a scanning movement. A detection unit is arranged in a detection beam path and configured to receive a detection light bundle not deflected by the scanning unit. For spectral influencing of the detection light bundle, the detection unit contains a spectrally selective component which has an active surface with a spectral edge which varies with a location of incidence of the detection light bundle on the active surface. The active surface is arranged in the detection beam path at a location of the image of the objective pupil.

Scanning microscope

An optical device includes an optical system and a spectrally selective component arranged in a beam path and configured to spectrally influence light that propagates along the beam path. The spectrally selective component comprises an effective surface having a spectral edge that varies with the incidence site of the light on the effective surface. The effective surface of the spectrally selective component is arranged in the beam path at a point at which a variation of the spectral edge, which is caused by a variation of the incidence angle at which the light is incident onto the effective surface, is at least partly compensated for by an opposite-direction variation of the spectral edge which is caused by a variation of the incidence site. Alternatively, the effective surface is arranged in the beam path at the site of an image of a pupil of the optical system.

Optical device having at least one spectrally selective component

A scanning microscope includes an objective arranged in an illuminating beam path to focus an illuminating light bundle onto a sample. A scanning unit is arranged upstream of the objective to deflect the illuminating light bundle such that it is focused by the objective executes a scanning movement on the sample. A detection unit is arranged in a detection beam path to receive a detection light bundle not deflected by the scanning unit. For spectral influencing of the detection light bundle, the detection unit contains a spectrally selective component which has an active surface with a spectral edge which varies with the location of incidence of the detection light bundle on the active surface. The active surface is arranged in the detection beam path at the location of an image of an objective pupil, or in a position at which a variation of the spectral edge is compensated for.

An acousto-optical filter element () is provided which has an acousto-optical crystal () having an acoustic signal transmitter () for generating acoustic signals in the acousto-optical crystal (). The acousto-optical crystal () is designed to selectively spatially deflect light of a target wavelength from an input light beam () entering into the acousto-optical crystal (), as a function of a high frequency applied to the acoustic signal transmitter (), and to thereby produce a target light beam () having the target wavelength. In addition, the acousto-optical filter element () includes a spatial filter element () which is located in the target light beam () and is designed to selectively suppress the intensity of the target light beam () in a plane perpendicular to the propagation direction of the target light beam ().

Acousto-optical tunable filter element

An optical device includes: a focusing optic that focuses a light beam in a focal plane; at least two phase filters for selectively focusing the light beam and effecting a phase shift of the light beam; and a filter wheel supporting the at least two phase filters which are individually introducible along an optical axis of the light beam, where the filter wheel is rotationally adjusted in relation to the optical axis by a stepper motor and linearly adjusted in an r-direction along a plane of the filter wheel by a linear adjustment mechanism.

Phase filters for a scanning microscope

The invention relates to a method and a device for illuminating or irradiating an object, a sample (), or the like, for the purpose of imaging or analysis, particularly for use in a laser microscope (), preferably in a confocal microscope having a laser light source () emitting the illuminating light, the laser light being coupled directly or by means of a glass fiber into an illumination light path (), characterized in that the laser light source () is switched on rapidly upon a trigger signal directly prior to the actual need, for example, directly prior to imaging.

Method and device for illuminating a sample in a laser microscope

An illumination device () for a microscope () has a laser unit () that generates at least one broadband laser light pulse (); light components () of different wavelengths of said broadband laser light pulse () being offset in time from one another. A compensation unit () disposed in the path of the broadband laser light pulse () temporally offsets the light components () of the broadband laser light pulse () in such a way that they exit the compensation unit () simultaneously or nearly simultaneously.

Pulse combiner for the various spectral colors of a supercontinuum laser pulse

A device for beam adjustment in an optical beam path, having at least two mutually independent light sources providing respective beams of a high or extremely high resolution microscope, the beams of the light sources superposed in a common illumination beam path. The device includes a calibration sample with the aid of which the pupil position and/or focal position of the beams can be checked. The device also includes a sample holder arranged to bring the calibration sample into and out of the common illumination beam path at the site or in the vicinity of an intermediate image. A corresponding method is described. In accordance with the device and method, it is possible to undertake the beam adjustment independently of the actual use, that is to say, in the case of a high resolution microscope, independently of the examination sample and/or the recording of images.

Device and method for beam adjustment in an optical beam path

A method and an apparatus are suggested for high-resolution optical scanning, particularly in a laser scanning fluorescence microscope. A sample to be scanned comprises a first and a second substance that are switchable into a first and second energy state. In the scanning process, excitation, de-excitation and detection for the first substance is carried out at a different point in time than for the second substance. This achieves a high spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit while at the same time a high level of information is provided with physically simple and economical means.

Method and apparatus for high-resolution optical scanning of a sample

A method and a microscope, in particular a laser scanning fluorescence microscope, for high spatial resolution examination of samples, the sample () to be examined comprising a substance that can be repeatedly converted from a first state (Z, A) into a second state (Z, B), the first and the second states (Z, A; Z, B) differing from one another in at least one optical property, comprising the steps that the substance in a sample region (P) to be recorded is firstly brought into the first state (Z, A), and that the second state (Z, B) is induced by means of an optical signal (), spatially delimited subregions being specifically excluded within the sample region (P) to be recorded, are defined in that the optical signal () is provided in such a way that a standing wave with defined intensity zero points () is formed in the sample region (P) to be recorded.

Method and microscope for high spatial resolution examination of samples

A method for high spatial resolution examination of a sample, the sample to be examined including a substance that can be repeatedly converted from a first state into a second state, the first and the second states differing from one another in at least one optical property. The method includes: a) bringing the substance into the first state by means of a switching signal in a sample region to be recorded, b)inducing the second state by means of an optical signal, spatially delimited subregions being specifically excluded within the sample region to be recorded, c) reading out the remaining first states, and d) steps a) to c) are repeated, the optical signal being displaced upon each repetition in order to scan the sample, wherein the individual steps a) to d) are carried out in a sequence adapted to the respective measuring situation.

Method for high spatial resolution examination of samples

The present invention concerns an interference microscope and a method for operating an interference microscope, in particular a 4&#x3c0; microscope, standing wave field microscope, or IM, IM, or IM microscope, at least one specimen support unit associated with the specimen being provided. For determination of the phase position of the interfering light in the specimen region, on the basis of which the interference microscope can be aligned, the interference microscope is characterized in that for determination of the illumination state in the specimen region of the interference microscope, at least one planar area of the specimen support unit is configured to be detectable by light microscopy.

Interference microscope, and method for operating an interference microscope

A method and a microscope, in particular a laser scanning fluorescence microscope, for high spatial resolution examination of samples, the sample () to be examined comprising a substance that can be repeatedly converted from a first state (ZA) into a second state (ZA), the first and the second states (ZA; ZB) differing from one another in at least one optical property, comprising the steps that the substance in a sample region (P) to be recorded is firstly brought into the first state (ZA), and that the second state (ZB) is induced by means of an optical signal (), spatially delimited subregions being specifically excluded within the sample region (P) to be recorded, are defined in that the optical signal () is provided in the form of a focal line () with a cross-sectional profile having at least one intensity zero point () with laterally neighboring intensity maxima ().

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Dossenheim, Germany

Hilmar Gugel