Abstract: The invention relates to an optical group for detection light of a microscope, in particular a confocal scanning microscope, having an input plane (10) for the passage of detection light to be measured and having a detection beam path arranged downstream of the input plane for guiding the detection light (11) into a detection plane (67), wherein the detection beam path has at least one first beam course (1) having first optical beam-guiding means, in particular first lenses and/or mirrors (20, 30, 34, 36, 58, 60, 66), for guiding the detection light into the detection plane. In the first beam course, the optical group has at least one dispersive device (26) for the spatial spectral splitting of the detection light to be measured and a manipulation device (49) for manipulating the spectrally spatially split detection light.

Abstract: A functionally integrated laser scanning microscope for scanning a sample with laser illumination, selectably in a confocal, line or wide-field operating mode, comprising a laser light source, an illumination and detection beam path, a detection device and at least one objective, wherein the illumination and detection beam path has optical means for the configuration of the laser illumination, at least one scanner for scanning the sample with the laser illumination, and a beam splitter for separating illumination and detection light, and controllable optical elements for changing the beam guiding depending on the operating mode selected in each case.

Abstract: A laser scanning microscope having a laser source for fluorescence excitation; a scanning mirror arrangement for scanning a specimen and scanning optics for generating a diffraction-limited reference image plane as a first intermediate image plane; an optical system for demagnified imaging of the reference plane in a second intermediate image plane; an axially slideable mirror in the second intermediate image plane; a beam splitter arrangement between the reference image plane and the optical system; and a tube lens and a first microscope objective for imaging of the reference image plane into a specimen. The imaging of the image is effected with a magnification of M?n/n? and/or a magnification of the second intermediate image plane into the specimen according to the equation M = y ? y = n n ? ? ? , with |?|?1, and/or the focal plane of the laser deviates from the axial position of the axially movable mirror across its scanning area in the second intermediate image plane.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for multispot scanning microscopy, having a multicolor light source for providing at least one illumination light beam, having a splitting device for splitting the illumination light beam into a plurality of illumination sub-beams, having first optical means for providing an illumination optical path for guiding and focusing the individual illumination sub-beams respectively into a light spot on or in a specimen to be examined, having a scan unit for guiding the light spots over the probe, having a detection unit for detecting detection light emitted by the specimen in detection sub-beams after irradiation with the individual illumination sub-beams, having second optical means for providing a detection optical path for guiding the detection sub-beams to the detector unit, having a control and evaluation unit for controlling the scan unit and for evaluating the detection light detected by the detection unit.

Abstract: Beam deflection units in light-scanning microscopes are usually arranged in planes that are conjugate to the objective pupil. The scan optics, which is required for generating the conjugate pupil planes, is complicated and not very light efficient. The invention is intended to enable a higher image quality, simpler adjustment and a lower light loss microscope. The optical system comprises a concave mirror (36) for imaging a respective point of the first and second beam deflection units (30A, 30B) onto one another. The concave mirror (36), the first beam deflection unit (30A), and the second beam deflection unit (30B) are arranged such that the illumination beam path is reflected exactly once at the concave mirror (36). A first distortion caused by the concave mirror (36) and a second distortion of the imaging caused by the first and second beam deflection units (30A, 30B) at least partly compensate for one another.

Abstract: A method for evaluating signals of fluorescence scanning microscopy with simultaneous excitation and detection of fluorescence in different focal planes of a sample by means of confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Abstract: A functionally integrated laser scanning microscope for scanning a sample with laser illumination, selectably in a confocal, line or wide-field operating mode, comprising a laser light source, an illumination and detection beam path, a detection device and at least one objective, wherein the illumination and detection beam path has optical means for the configuration of the laser illumination, at least one scanner for scanning the sample with the laser illumination, and a beam splitter for separating illumination and detection light, and controllable optical elements for changing the beam guiding depending on the operating mode selected in each case.

Abstract: A microscope with at least one illumination beam that is phase modulated in a section along its cross-section with a modulation frequency and a microscope lens for focusing the illumination beam into a test as well as a detection beam path and at least one means of demodulation, wherein at least one polarization altering item is scheduled in the illuminating beam path, for which a phase plate is subordinated that exhibits at least two areas with different phase influence.

Abstract: An arrangement for light sheet microscopy that includes a means for scanning a sample volume with a light sheet, which includes an angle ??90° with the optical axis of an objective. The light sheet passes through the entire sample volume in the propagation direction, and the depth of field Sobj of the objective is less than the optical-axis depth T of this sample volume. An optical device, disposed downstream of the objective, increases the depth of field Sobj to a depth of field Seff?the depth T of this sample volume. The arrangement also includes a means for positioning the sample volume within the region of the depth of field Seff. A spatially resolving optoelectronic area sensor is disposed downstream of the optical device, and hardware and software are provided to generate sample-volume images from the electronic image signals output by the area sensor.

Abstract: A method for the determination and compensation of geometric imaging errors which occur during the imaging of an object by sequential single or multispot scanning by means of a microscopic imaging system, which includes: establishing a reference object with a defined plane structure; generating an electronic image data set of this structure free of geometric imaging errors; generating at least one electronic actual image data set with the imaging system; comparing the actual image data set with the reference image data set with respect to the locations of those pixels which have the same object point as origin in each case; determining location deviations in the actual image data set compared to the reference image data set; saving determined location deviations as correction data; and compensating for the geometric imaging errors by correction of the location deviations in the actual image data set with reference to the correction data.

Abstract: A light scanning microscope with an illumination module switchable between an illumination with m number of spots and an illumination with n number of spots, a deflecting unit which moves the m or n spots in a predetermined sample region, and a detector module for confocal and spectrally resolved detection of the sample radiation. The detector module has a confocal diaphragm unit, a splitting unit which is arranged downstream of the confocal diaphragm unit, a detector, and an imaging unit which images the partial beams on the detector in a spatially separated manner. The confocal diaphragm unit is switchable between a confocal diaphragm with exactly m apertures for m-spot illumination and a confocal diaphragm with n apertures for n-spot illumination. The splitting unit has a first beam path for m-spot illumination and a second beam path for n-spot illumination. The splitting unit is switchable between the two beam paths.

Abstract: A method for evaluating signals of fluorescence scanning microscopy with simultaneous excitation and detection of fluorescence in different focal planes of a sample by means of confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Abstract: A switch which reduces the voltage between the photocathode and the first dynode in the activated switching state compared to the deactivated switching state and a control unit which is adapted to move a target spot, which can be illuminated by means of the light source, over a scanning field by means of a deflecting unit. The control unit activates the switch when the target spot enters a given region of the scanning field and deactivates the switch when the target spot exits the region.

Abstract: A laser scanning microscope for the acquisition of object images according to varied observation criteria. The microscope includes an illumination and detection unit, an illumination and a detection beam, a microscope objective, a scanning device with a scanning optical component and several scanners, with switching mirrors, each mirror with two switching positions, provided in the illumination and detection beams. Each switching position is assigned to one of several different, optically separate beam paths and each beam path defines a separate operating mode. A concave mirror for imaging a first scanner into at least one more scanner and vice versa is arranged in at least one of the beam paths.

Abstract: Beam deflection units in light-scanning microscopes are usually arranged in planes that are conjugate to the objective pupil. The scan optics, which is required for generating the conjugate pupil planes, is complicated and not very light efficient. The invention is intended to enable a higher image quality, simpler adjustment and a lower light loss microscope. The optical system comprises a concave mirror (36) for imaging a respective point of the first and second beam deflection units (30A, 30B) onto one another. The concave mirror (36), the first beam deflection unit (30A), and the second beam deflection unit (30B) are arranged such that the illumination beam path is reflected exactly once at the concave mirror (36). A first distortion caused by the concave mirror (36) and a second distortion of the imaging caused by the first and second beam deflection units (30A, 30B) at least partly compensate for one another.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for multispot scanning microscopy, having a multicolour light source for providing at least one illumination light beam, having a splitting device for splitting the illumination light beam into a plurality of illumination sub-beams, having first optical means for providing an illumination optical path for guiding and focussing the individual illumination sub-beams respectively into a light spot on or in a specimen to be examined, having a scan unit for guiding the light spots over the probe, having a detection unit for detecting detection light emitted by the specimen in detection sub-beams after irradiation with the individual illumination sub-beams, having second optical means for providing a detection optical path for guiding the detection sub-beams to the detector unit, having a control and evaluation unit for controlling the scan unit and for evaluating the detection light detected by the detection unit.

Abstract: A light-scanning microscope including a scan optics for generating a pupil plane conjugate to the pupil plane of the microscope objective, and a variably adjustable beam deflection unit in the conjugate pupil plane. An intermediate image lies between the microscope objective and the scan optics. The scan optics image a second intermediate image (Zb2) into the first intermediate image via the beam deflection unit, wherein the second intermediate image is spatially curved. The deflection unit is not arranged in a collimated section of the beam path, but is instead arranged in a convergent section. Then, in terms of the optical properties and quality thereof, the scan optics needs rather to correspond merely to an eyepiece instead of a conventional scanner objective.

Abstract: A functionally integrated laser scanning microscope for scanning a sample with laser illumination, selectably in a confocal, line or wide-field operating mode, comprising a laser light source, an illumination and detection beam path, a detection device and at least one objective, wherein the illumination and detection beam path has optical means for the configuration of the laser illumination, at least one scanner for scanning the sample with the laser illumination, and a beam splitter for separating illumination and detection light, and controllable optical elements for changing the beam guiding depending on the operating mode selected in each case.

Abstract: A laser scanning microscope, which is switchable between different operating modes, wherein it contains, for switching in the illumination beam path, an electro-optical modulator (EOM) in a first beam path, which electro-optical modulator has arranged, upstream and downstream of it, adjustable first and second polarization-rotating elements and, downstream of it, at least one first polarization splitter for producing a second beam path, in which light-influencing means are located, wherein one or more of the following operating modes of the LSM can be set:—Single spot LSM—multispot LSM—single spot FMM—multispot FMM—FRAP system.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for varying the size of the scanning field of a multifocal laser scanning microscope, said scanning field being scanned in X columns and Y lines, and n laser spots being arranged at a distance d from one another in the scanning field along the slow scanning axis in the sample plane, the distance between the scanned lines in the sample plane being a=d/K, where K?N, the size of the scanning field being varied by varying K. After scanning K lines, a vertical skip is made, e.g. a skip of (n?1)×K+1 lines in the scanning direction or (n+1)×K?1 lines against the scanning direction until at least Y lines have been scanned.