Leica Microsystems Heidelberg Gmbh

Leica Microsystems Cms Gmbh

Joerg Bewersdorf

Hilmar Gugel

Juergen Hoffmann

Johann Engelhardt

Holger Birk

Stefan W Hell

Rafael Storz

Heinrich Ulrich

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

The present invention concerns a double confocal scanning microscope having an illuminating beam path () of a light source () and a detection beam path () of a detector (), and in order to eliminate at their cause the problems of reconstruction methods. To do so, at least one optical component () acting on the illuminating and/or detection beam path () is provided, and is configured in such a way that it influences the amplitude and/or phase and/or polarization of the light; and the characteristics of the double confocal illumination and/or detection are thereby modifiable.

Double confocal scanning microscope

The present invention concerns a microscope, in particular a confocal or double confocal scanning microscope, as well as a method for operating a microscope, at least one specimen support unit associated with the specimen being provided, at least one reference specimen of known configuration being provided, and the reference specimen being detectable by light microscopy for calibration, alignment or adjustment of the microscope. With the microscope according to the present invention and the method according to the invention for operating a microscope, drift-related changes can be detected and compensated for. Auxiliary means with which a specimen can easily and reliably be focused are also provided.

Microscope and method for operating a microscope

The present invention concerns an apparatus for combining light from at least two laser light sources, preferably in the context of confocal scanning microscopy, and in order to make laser light sources of low output power usable as light sources, in particular for confocal scanning microscopy, is characterized in that the light from the laser light sources has at least approximately the same wavelength; and that at least one beam combining unit that combines the light beams in at least largely lossless fashion is provided.

Apparatus for combining light and confocal scanning microscope

The present invention relates to an optical arrangement for illuminating objects ( ), in particular fluorescent objects, preferably in conjunction with a confocal or a double-confocal scanning microscope, having an illuminating beam path ( ) of a light source ( ), a detection beam path ( ) of a detector ( ), and a component ( ) which unifies the detection beam path ( ). For the purpose of at least largely loss-free union of the light coming from the object ( ) into a propagation direction ( ), the optical arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that with reference to the beam cross section active for the detector, light of the fist and second partial detection beam can be united at least largely in an overlapping fashion into one propagation direction ( ) at the component ( ) thereby providing an unified the detection beam path ( ).

Optical arrangement for illuminating objects and double&mdash;confocal scanning microscope

A method and an apparatus for illuminating a transparent specimen ( ), in particular for use in double confocal scanning microscopy, wherein for illumination of a point of the specimen ( ), two light waves of a coherent light source ( ) focused from opposite directions ( ) onto the point interfere to form an illumination pattern, and in order to eliminate the causes of the problems of the reconstruction method, at least two additional coherent light waves traveling toward one another are superimposed in order to minimize the secondary maxima ( ) of the illumination pattern.

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Heidelberg, Germany

Joerg Bewersdorf