Olympus Corporation

Osaka University

Hokkaido University

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Incorporated

Evident Corporation

Hirokazu Kubo

Hiroshi Sasaki

Takeshi Hashimoto

Tatsuo Nakata

Shinichi Takimoto

Kenji Taira

Makio Ueno

Masataka Kinjo

Hirotaka Terai

Shigehito Miki

Kanako Isono

Taro Yamashita

Tokuko Haraguchi

Yasushi Hiraoka

The image processing system includes a scanner, a pixelated photon detector (PPD), and at least one processor. The at least one processor displays a setting screen on a display unit. The setting screen is a screen for setting an identification range that is a range of gradation to be identified. The at least one processor displays a second image obtained by converting a first image on the display unit. The second image is an image obtained by converting the first image based on at least the identification range. The first image is generated based on an intensity signal of light detected by a PPD and a scanning position by the scanner.

Image processing system and image processing method

A confocal scanner into which light from a light source is introduced via a multimode optical fiber includes: a disk unit that includes a rotary disk; and an optical system that irradiates the rotary disk with light from an emission end face of the optical fiber. The optical system includes an element that changes a size in which the emission end face of the optical fiber is projected onto the rotary disk.

Confocal scanner, confocal microscope, and illumination method

Provided is a light detecting device including: a light path branching unit that branches a single detection light path of fluorescence from a specimen, into a plurality of branched light paths; a plurality of light detectors that are provided to the respective branched light paths branched by the light path branching unit and that include an SSPD or Geiger mode APD to detect the fluorescence; and a signal adder that generates a single image signal in accordance with the detection signals outputted from the plurality of light detectors.

Light detecting device and laser microscope system

A microscope apparatus provided with: a disk unit obtained by integrally forming a pinhole array disk in which pinholes are arranged and a microlens array disk in which microlenses are arranged; a dichroic mirror focusing illumination light that has been transmitted through the microlenses of the disk unit, on the corresponding pinholes and splitting off fluorescence from a specimen that has passed through the pinholes in the reverse direction from the illumination light; an objective lens radiating the illumination light that has passed through the pinholes onto the specimen and focusing the fluorescence from the specimen on the pinholes; an illumination-light-axis adjustment mechanism adjusting the position and the angle of the optical axis of the illumination light; an installation-angle adjustment mechanism adjusting the installation angle of the disk unit; and a unit insertion/removal mechanism removably supporting the disk unit onto the optical axis of the illumination light.

Microscope apparatus and specimen observation method

By using a PPD as a detector, photon count loss is reduced to the utmost, and the incident light-intensity range in which light can be detected is widened. Provided is a laser microscope apparatus including an objective lens that collects return light from a specimen; a collimator lens that converts the return light collected by the objective lens into a substantially collimated beam, a PPD including a plurality of pixels that detect the return light converted to a substantially collimated beam by the collimator lens; and a controller that makes the beam diameter of the return light incident on the PPD substantially equal to an effective detection area of the PPD, formed by the plurality of pixels.

Laser microscope apparatus including photodetector having a plurality of detection elements and an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the beam diameter

A laser microscope apparatus including: a scanning unit that scans laser light on a sample; an objective lens that collects observation light from the sample; a photo-detection unit that has a light-receiving surface formed of an array of a plurality of detecting elements capable of detecting a single photon, that receives the observation light incident on the light-receiving surface, and that outputs intensity signals having intensities corresponding to the amounts of the received observation light; an image generating unit that generates an image on the basis of the intensities of the intensity signals and scanning positions of the laser light; a processor for notifying a user when the intensity signals used to generate the image include intensity signals having intensities equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold that is set according to the beam diameter of the observation light incident on the light-receiving surface.

Laser microscope apparatus

Provided is a laser source apparatus including a single laser source that emits an ultrashort-pulse laser beam; a wavelength conversion mechanism that generates a plurality of pulsed laser beams having different wavelengths by converting at least a part of wavelength of the ultrashort-pulse laser beam; a dispersion adjusting section that adjusts the amount of frequency dispersion for each of the pulsed laser beams; and an introducing optics that emits the plurality of pulsed laser beams whose frequency dispersion amounts are adjusted by the dispersion adjusting section. The dispersion adjusting section adjusts the amount of frequency dispersion for each of the pulsed laser beams so that each of the pulsed laser beams introduced to the irradiation optics of the optical apparatus from the introducing optics to excite a specimen is close to a substantially Fourier-transform-limited pulse.

Laser source apparatus and laser microscope

Observation is performed using bright, clear multiphoton fluorescence images produced by efficiently generating a multiphoton excitation effect, without the need for a complex interference film structure. The invention employs a laser microscope apparatus including a first dichroic mirror that reflects visible laser light guided via a first light path and that transmits IR pulsed laser light guided via a second light path to combine the first light path and the second light path; an XY galvanometer mirror that scans the laser light from the first dichroic mirror on a specimen; an objective lens that irradiates the specimen with the scanned laser light and that collects fluorescence produced in the specimen; a second dichroic mirror that reflects the visible laser light and transmits the fluorescence from the specimen; and a detection unit that detects the fluorescence transmitted through the second dichroic mirror.

The present invention is low cost, does not exert a negative influence on the surroundings, has a small group-velocity delay dispersion, efficiently blocks reflected return light such that the laser light does not return to the laser light source, and allows properly polarized laser light to enter a polarization-dependent element in a subsequent stage. An optical device is provided which includes a laser light source, an optical system that transmits laser light emitted from the laser light source, and a polarization-dependent element into which the laser light transmitted by the optical system enters. The characteristics of outgoing light are changed according to a polarization state of the incident light. The optical system includes a reflected-light generator that reflects a part of the transmitted laser light, and &#x3bb;/4 wave plates are disposed such that the reflected-light generator is disposed therebetween.

Optical device and laser microscope

To enable both observations of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering light and multiphoton fluorescence in a same apparatus so as to observe a specimen by various observation methods. There is provided a laser microscope apparatus comprising: two optical paths for guiding pulsed laser beams having two different frequencies whose frequency difference is approximately equal to a specific molecular vibration frequency in a specimen; a multiplexer for combining the pulsed laser beams guided through these two optical paths; and a frequency dispersion adjuster which is provided on at least one of these two optical paths, and is capable of adjustment to approximately equalize frequency dispersion quantities of the pulsed laser beams guided through the two optical paths.

Laser microscope apparatus having a frequency dispersion adjuster

A laser microscope is provided which includes a laser light source, a first optical fiber through which the ultrashort pulse laser light propagates while being positively chirped, a negative dispersion optical system that negatively chirps this propagated laser light, a second optical fiber through which the laser light that has passed through the negative dispersion optical system propagates while being positively chirped, a microscope body that further positively chirps this propagated laser light and irradiates a specimen with the resultant non-chirped ultrashort pulse laser light. The negative dispersion optical system includes a negative dispersion adjuster that adjusts the amount of negative dispersion according to the change in wavelength of the ultrashort pulse laser light outputted from the laser light source or the change in the amount of positive dispersion in the microscope body.

Laser microscope with negative dispersion optical system

A laser microscope is provided wherein a drop in output power in a positive-dispersion element used as a pulse compressor is reduced, thus improving multiphoton-excitation efficiency. Also, a size of the positive-dispersion element is reduced, thereby making it easier to attach the pulse compressor to a microscope main body and to accommodate the pulse compressor therein, thus improving maneuverability. The invention provides a laser microscope including a laser light source for emitting ultrashort-pulsed laser light; a pulse expander for expanding the ultrashort-pulsed laser light emitted from the laser light source; a large-diameter single-mode fiber for transmitting the ultrashort-pulsed laser light expanded by the pulse expander; a pulse compressor for compressing the ultrashort-pulsed laser light transmitted by the single-mode fiber; and a microscope main body for irradiating a specimen with the ultrashort-pulsed laser light compressed by the pulse compressor.

Laser microscope

It is an object to perform high-precision observation by compensating group-velocity-delay dispersion and angular dispersion with a simple structure. The invention provides a laser microscopeincluding a light source; an acousto-optic deflectorthat deflects ultrashort-pulse laser light L emitted from the light source; an angular-dispersion elementdisposed in front of or after the acousto-optic deflectorthat applies angular dispersion in a direction opposite to the acousto-optic deflectorand a group-velocity-delay dispersion-amount adjusting unitthat adjusts the amount of dispersion compensation by moving the angular-dispersion elementso as to vary the optical path length at each wavelength between the angular-dispersion elementand the acousto-optic deflector

An optical fiber delivery system for delivering ultrashort optical pulses that can efficiently transmit high peak power, ultrashort optical pulses from an optical pulse source to a desired position in an optical apparatus is provided. An optical system including such an optical fiber delivery system is also provided. The optical fiber delivery system includes light waveguide meansfor receiving high-peak power, ultrashort optical pulses and transmitting the optical pulses, negative group-velocity dispersion generation meansfor providing negative group-velocity dispersion to the optical pulses transmitted through the light waveguide means, and an optical fiberthat transmits the optical pulses transmitted through the negative group-velocity dispersion generation meansalong a desired distance. The incident ultrashort optical pulses that have been injected into the light waveguide meansare converted into down-chirped pulses.

Optical fiber delivery system for delivering ultrashort optical pulses and optical system including the same

A compact and inexpensive multiphoton-excitation laser scanning microscope for observing fluorescence by multiphoton excitation having a plurality of wavelengths by irradiating a specimen with ultrashort pulsed laser light having a plurality of wavelengths is provided. A multiphoton-excitation laser scanning microscope includes a laser light source that emits ultrashort pulsed laser light with a single wavelength, an optical fiber into which the ultrashort pulsed laser light from the laser light source is introduced and which broadens the spectrum of the ultrashort pulsed laser light, a laser scanning unit that scans the spectrally broadened ultrashort pulsed laser light emitted from the optical fiber, an objective optical system that focuses the scanned ultrashort pulsed laser light onto a specimen, optical detectors that detect fluorescence by multiphoton excitation emitted from the focal position of the ultrashort pulsed laser light in the specimen, and a dispersion-compensating optical system that compensates for the group velocity dispersion of the entire microscope that influences the pulse width of the ultrashort pulsed laser light.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Hirokazu Kubo