Abstract: An observation device includes: an illumination optical system configured to emit illumination light to above a sample from below; and an objective optical system configured to acquire an image of transmitted light below the sample in a path different from a path for the illumination optical system, the transmitted light resulting from the illumination light that has been emitted from the illumination optical system, that has been reflected above the sample, and that has passed through the sample. The objective optical system includes, in the vicinity of a pupil plane, a pupil modulation element that partially decreases transmittance and that modulates the phase of light, and the illumination optical system includes a light source, and an illumination-region restricting section configured to restrict light from the light source to a particular emission region.

Abstract: Provided is an observation apparatus including: a housing that has, in a top face thereof, a transmission window on which a container accommodating cells can be placed and through which light can pass; a camera portion that is accommodated in the housing and that captures observation light coming from the cells irradiated with illumination light emitted from an illumination portion and entering the housing by passing through a bottom face of the container and the transmission window of the housing; and a housing-interior heating portion that is accommodated in the housing and that heats the cells.

Abstract: A phase-modulation-element adjustment system including: a positional-relationship adjustment unit that is used for a laser-scanning confocal observation apparatus including a plurality of image-forming lenses for forming a final image and at least one intermediate image and a wavefront-disturbing element and a wavefront-restoring element being placed at positions between which any of the intermediate images formed by the image-forming lenses is disposed and having opposite phase characteristics to each other and that is capable of adjusting a relative positional relationship between the wavefront-disturbing element and the wavefront-restoring element; a wavefront-aberration measurement unit for measuring a wavefront aberration of light that has come from an object and that has passed through the wavefront-disturbing element and the wavefront-restoring element; and a processor for controlling the positional-relationship adjustment unit so that the wavefront aberration measured by the wavefront-aberration measu

Abstract: An information acquisition apparatus includes an illuminating section, an image forming optical system, and an image pickup element. The image forming optical system includes an incidence-side lens unit having a positive refractive power, an aperture section, and an emergence-side lens unit having a positive refractive power. The incidence-side lens unit and the emergence-side lens unit include a plurality of positive lenses and at least one negative lens, and the following conditional expressions (1) to (9) are satisfied: ?6<?d<?0.8??(1) ?0.5<TL/|ENPL|<3.0??(2) ?1.5<TL/|EXPL|<0.5??(3) 0.001<|?Cd|/Sim1/2<0.05??(4) 0.04<|?dF|/Sim1/2<0.28??(5) 3.5<|?CF|/|?Cd|<38.0??(6) 0<|?SAd|/|?CF|<0.27??(7) 0<|?SAC|/|?CF|<0.16??(8) 0<|?SAF|/|?CF|<1.1??(9).

Abstract: An observation apparatus is provided with: an illumination optical system that emits illumination light upward from below a specimen; and an image-capture optical system that captures, below the specimen, transmitted light which is the illumination light that has been reflected above the specimen and passed through the specimen, wherein the illumination optical system is provided with a diffusion plate, the image-capture optical system is provided with an objective optical system, and, in the case in which an emission region in the illumination optical system is projected to a pupil of the image-capture optical system, predetermined conditions are satisfied so as to partially block the illumination light at an edge portion of the pupil of the objective optical system.

Abstract: An observation apparatus includes: a stage on which a container accommodating a specimen is mounted; a light source generating illumination light emitted in an upward direction from below the specimen on a specimen placement surface; a light-collecting lens disposed parallel to the surface and collecting the light; a diffusion plate disposed between the lens and the surface, parallel to the surface, and diffusing the light collected by the lens; an objective optical system disposed below the stage and collecting light passing through the stage from thereabove; and an image-capturing optical system capturing, below the specimen, transmitted light, which is the light emitted from the source, reflected above the specimen, transmitted through the specimen, and collected by the objective optical system, wherein the source is positioned so that an optical axis thereof is shifted from an optical axis of the lens in a direction away from the image-capturing optical system.

Abstract: An observation device includes: an illumination optical system that irradiates illumination light onto a sample, an objective optical system that has a phase modulation region and a light blocking region and that acquires an image of the illumination light transmitted through the sample, and an autofocus mechanism. The objective optical system selectively outputs the illumination light from a first output region disposed at a position where the illumination light is to be projected onto the phase modulation region and a second output region disposed at a position where a portion of the illumination light is to be projected onto the light blocking region. The autofocus mechanism causes the objective optical system to acquire an image of the illumination light while causing the illumination light to be output from the second output region, and detects the focus position of the objective optical system based on the contrast of the acquired image.

Abstract: Provided is an observation apparatus and an observation method with which it is possible to observe imaging subjects, such as cells or the like, without labeling the imaging subjects and without causing an increase in the apparatus size. Provided is an observation apparatus including: a light-source unit that emits illumination light upward from below a sample; and an image-capturing optical system that has an objective lens that collects transmitted light, which is the illumination light emitted from the light-source unit that has passed through the sample by being reflected above the sample and that captures, below the sample, the transmitted light collected by the objective lens.

Abstract: An observation device including: a stage having a transparent pedestal surface; an illumination system under the pedestal surface, the illumination system emitting illumination light toward the pedestal surface; and an object system under the pedestal surface for capturing transmission light generated from the illumination light, reflected off a reflection surface and transmitted through a sample. Wherein a first light path in the illumination system is different from a second light path in the object system, in a first pupil surface of the illumination system, the illumination system generates the illumination light by restricting light in a first transparent region, in a second pupil surface of the object system, the object system restricts the transmission light in a second transparent region, and the second transparent region has first and second subregions with different transmittance, the second subregion located between the first subregion and an edge of the second transparent region.

Abstract: An observation device where a first light path in an illumination optical system is different from a second light path in an object optical system, the illumination optical system includes a light source that emits the illumination light in a first direction, and an illumination deflector that deflects the illumination light from the first direction to a second direction, a pre-reflected illumination angle between a pedestal surface holding the sample and the first direction is smaller than a post-reflected illumination angle between the pedestal surface and the second direction, the object optical system includes a transmission deflector that deflects the transmission light transmitted through the sample from a third direction to a fourth direction, and a post-reflected transmission angle between the pedestal surface and the fourth direction is smaller than a pre-reflected transmission angle between the pedestal surface and the third direction.

Abstract: An optical device production apparatus includes: an manufacturing head that manufactures an optical device by successively building layers of optical material; and a controller that acquires a result of measurement of an optical performance of an optical system including the optical device manufactured. The controller controls the manufacturing head to terminate manufacturing the optical device on the condition that the result of measurement acquired by the controller meets a predetermined condition.

Abstract: An observation device includes an illuminating optical system that emits illuminating light obliquely upward from below a sample; and an objective optical system that images transmitted light, which is the illuminating light emitted from the illuminating optical system, reflected above the sample, and passed through the sample, the objective optical system imaging the transmitted light below the sample and via a different path from that of the illuminating optical system. The illuminating optical system includes a light source, a mask that restricts light, which is emitted from the light source, to a particular emission region, and a collimating optical system that converts the light restricted by the mask into substantially parallel light, and the illuminating optical system is arranged so that when the region is projected onto a pupil plane of the objective optical system, a projected image of the region partially overlaps a peripheral portion of the pupil.

Abstract: Provided is an objective optical system composed of, in order from an object side, a first and a second groups, the first group including: a positive and single lens having a flat surface on an object side and a convex surface directed toward an image plane; a positive and single lens having a convex surface directed toward an object; a positive lens in which a convex lens having a flat surface directed toward the object and a negative lens are cemented, and the second group including: a lens in which a negative lens and a double-convex lens are cemented; a lens in which a lens having a concave surface directed toward the object and a lens having a convex surface directed toward the object are cemented; a negative lens in which a negative lens, a positive lens, and a negative lens are cemented; and a positive and compound lens.

Abstract: Provided is an observation apparatus including: a housing that has, in a top face thereof, a transmission window on which a container accommodating cells can be placed and through which light can pass; a camera portion that is accommodated in the housing and that captures observation light coming from the cells irradiated with illumination light emitted from an illumination portion and entering the housing by passing through a bottom face of the container and the transmission window of the housing; and a housing-interior heating portion that is accommodated in the housing and that heats the cells.

Abstract: It is possible to observe imaging subjects, such as cells or the like, without causing an increase in the apparatus size. Provided is an observation apparatus including: a flat-plate-like stage formed of an optically transparent material on which a container accommodating a sample is placed; a deflecting member that is disposed below the stage and that deflects light coming from the sample on the stage into a substantially horizontal direction; an objective lens that collects the light deflected by the deflecting member; and an image-acquisition device that captures the light collected by the objective lens.

Abstract: Provided is an observation apparatus and an observation method with which it is possible to observe imaging subjects, such as cells or the like, without labeling the imaging subjects and without causing an increase in the apparatus size. Provided is an observation apparatus including: a light-source unit that emits illumination light upward from below a sample; and an image-capturing optical system that has an objective lens that collects transmitted light, which is the illumination light emitted from the light-source unit that has passed through the sample by being reflected above the sample and that captures, below the sample, the transmitted light collected by the objective lens.

Abstract: Provided is an objective optical system composed of, in order from an object side, a first and a second groups, the first group including: a positive and single lens having a flat surface on an object side and a convex surface directed toward an image plane; a positive and single lens having a convex surface directed toward an object; a positive lens in which a convex lens having a flat surface directed toward the object and a negative lens are cemented, and the second group including: a lens in which a negative lens and a double-convex lens are cemented; a lens in which a lens having a concave surface directed toward the object and a lens having a convex surface directed toward the object are cemented; a negative lens in which a negative lens, a positive lens, and a negative lens are cemented; and a positive and compound lens.

Abstract: A phase-modulation-element adjustment system including: a positional-relationship adjustment unit that is used for a laser-scanning confocal observation apparatus including a plurality of image-forming lenses for forming a final image and at least one intermediate image and a wavefront-disturbing element and a wavefront-restoring element being placed at positions between which any of the intermediate images formed by the image-forming lenses is disposed and having opposite phase characteristics to each other and that is capable of adjusting a relative positional relationship between the wavefront-disturbing element and the wavefront-restoring element; a wavefront-aberration measurement unit for measuring a wavefront aberration of light that has come from an object and that has passed through the wavefront-disturbing element and the wavefront-restoring element; and a processor for controlling the positional-relationship adjustment unit so that the wavefront aberration measured by the wavefront-aberration measu

Abstract: Aberrations are sufficiently corrected, and an excellent image is acquired. Provided is a variable-focus optical system including a positive-power front-group optical system, a rear-group optical system having the same power, and an optical-system driving unit configured to relatively change the distance therebetween in the optical axis direction, wherein the front-group optical system consists of a positive-power first-group optical system formed of a joined lens, that is, a lens L1 and a lens L2, a positive-power second-group optical system consisting of a lens L3, and a third-group optical system formed of a lens L4 and a lens L5, and the rear-group optical system consists of a positive-power fourth-group optical system formed of a lens L7 and a lens L6, a fifth-group optical system consisting of a positive-power lens L8, and a positive-power sixth-group optical system formed of a joined lens, that is, a lens L10 and a lens L9.

Abstract: An optical scanning microscope is presented in which the observation magnification does not significantly change even when the working distance of an objective lens is changed. The optical scanning microscope includes an objective optical system that converts the light from a specimen into a substantially collimated light beam, an imaging optical system that forms an image from the collimated light beam, a pupil projection optical system that substantially collimates the light formed into an image, a lateral scanner that angularly deflects the collimated light beam from the pupil projection optical system to laterally scan the area of the specimen to be observed, and a lens driver that drives the imaging optical system and/or the pupil projection optical system along the optical axis direction. The imaging optical system is disposed such that its front focal point is positioned proximate to the back focal point of the objective optical system.