Abstract: The invention provides a confocal microscope comprising a light source; a light scanning unit; an array device; a line-beam generating unit for imaging illumination light in the form of a straight line extending, on the array device, in a direction intersecting the scanning direction of the light scanning unit; an objective lens for imaging the illumination light reflected or transmitted at the array device on a specimen; a beamsplitter, between the array device and the light scanning unit, for splitting off from the illumination light detection light from the specimen; a two-dimensional image-acquisition unit for acquiring the split off detection light; and a control unit for controlling the light scanning unit and the array device, wherein the array device is disposed in an optically conjugate positional relationship with a focal plane of the objective lens, and the control unit performs control so as to synchronize the light scanning unit and the array device.

Abstract: A laser scanning microscope includes a light source unit that emits laser light, a scanning unit that scans the laser light, an optical system that converges the laser light into a specimen, a light detecting unit that detects fluorescence generated from the specimen, and a filter unit located on an optical path of light entering the light detecting unit. The filter unit includes a short pass filter that has a large number of independent filter cells in different wavelength ranges formed in line on a common substrate, and a long pass filter that has a large number of independent filter cells in different wavelength ranges formed in line on a common substrate. The filter unit has a characteristic of a bandpass filter having a desired wavelength range owing to a combination of the filter cells of the short pass filter and the filter cells of the long pass filter.

Abstract: An image can be prevented from becoming unclear over time during long-term observation. The invention provides a microscope apparatus including a specimen container for containing a specimen; an objective lens disposed opposite the specimen container for collecting light from the specimen in the specimen container; an immersion-liquid supplying unit for supplying immersion liquid to a space between the objective lens and the specimen container; and an immersion-liquid removing unit for removing the immersion liquid from the space between the objective lens and the specimen container. The immersion-liquid removing unit includes a nozzle for ejecting compressed air to the space between the objective lens and the specimen container.

Abstract: A scanning confocal microscope can provide an image while preventing a decrease in brightness and blurring due to strain caused in optical and mechanical systems by thermal effects in a high-temperature, high-humidity incubation container. This scanning confocal microscope includes an incubation container that has a space in which a specimen is disposed and that can maintain an internal environment thereof at a predetermined temperature and high humidity and an optical system space adjacent to the incubation container and separated therefrom based on humidity. The optical system space accommodates a light-scanning unit and a scanner optical system, an objective lens, a confocal pinhole, and a focus adjustment mechanism. The optical system space further accommodates a temperature-maintaining unit for the optical system space to maintain the optical system space at a temperature substantially equal to the temperature in the incubation container.

Abstract: It is possible to check for observation success or failure and the observation history without waiting for observation to be completely finished, thus saving time and energy required for observation, and avoiding lost opportunities for observation of precious samples etc. Provided is a microscope apparatus including an image acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of frame images while varying a plurality of parameters; an image saving unit for successively saving the frame images acquired by the image acquisition unit; a property-information saving unit for saving property information in which identifying information of the saved frame images is associated with the parameters; and a control unit for controlling these units, wherein the control unit saves updated property information in the property-information saving unit each time the frame image is saved in the image saving unit.

Abstract: A laser scanning microscope which focuses light beams from a laser beam source to a sample by means of an objective lens and detects transmission light from the sample, reflection light, or fluorescence generated from the sample, includes an observation laser scanning optical system which irradiates coherent light from one side of the sample and which carries out scanning the sample, a stimulation laser scanning optical system which irradiates coherent light from an opposite side across the sample and which carries out scanning the sample, an observation light detector provided to be branched from the observation laser scanning optical system, and a light invasion preventing section which prevents the coherent light irradiated from the stimulation laser scanning optical system from invading the observation light detector.

Abstract: It is possible to achieve a required field number and numerical aperture for microscope observation at a scanning speed equal to video-rate or higher and also to change the scanning speed with a simple configuration. The invention provides a laser microscope including a laser light source; a scanning unit configured to scan a specimen with laser light emitted from the laser light source; and an objective lens configured to focus the laser light scanned by the scanning unit on the specimen. The scanning unit is provided with an electro-optical deflecting element including an electro-optical crystal in which a refractive index gradient is induced by injecting electric current.

Abstract: A total internal reflection fluorescence microscope includes a light source which generates laser light having a plurality of wavelengths, a focal optical system which irradiates the laser light from the light source on a specimen at a predetermined incident angle via an objective lens and which generates evanescent illumination, a fluorescence observation unit which observes fluorescence generated from the specimen due to the evanescent illumination, an incident angle adjuster which adjusts the incident angle of the laser light irradiated on the specimen, and a controller which controls the incident angle adjuster such that the amount of the permeation depth of the evanescent light is the same when the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light source is switched.

Abstract: A confocal observation system, comprising, an image acquisition unit for acquiring optical cross sectional images of a three-dimensional specimen, a three-dimensional image construction unit for constructing a three-dimensional image from the optical cross sectional images acquired by the image acquisition unit, a specification unit for specifying a desired three-dimensional region in the three-dimensional image constructed by the three-dimensional image construction unit, and a region acquisition unit for acquiring a cross sectional region to be irradiated with excitation light or stimulation light based on the three-dimensional region specified by the specification unit, wherein the excitation light or the stimulation light irradiates a region in the three-dimensional specimen corresponding to the cross sectional region acquired by the region acquisition unit.

Abstract: The invention provides a light-stimulus illumination apparatus comprising a light source for emitting light-stimulus laser light; a scanning unit including at least one acousto-optic device for scanning the light-stimulus laser light emitted from the light source in a direction intersecting an optical axis; and a control unit for controlling the scanning unit. The control unit controls the scanning unit so that the light-stimulus laser light irradiates a plurality of spatially separated regions in a time-division manner.

Abstract: The invention provides a confocal microscope comprising a light source; a light scanning unit; an array device; a line-beam generating unit for imaging illumination light in the form of a straight line extending, on the array device, in a direction intersecting the scanning direction of the light scanning unit; an objective lens for imaging the illumination light reflected or transmitted at the array device on a specimen; a beamsplitter, between the array device and the light scanning unit, for splitting off from the illumination light detection light from the specimen; a two-dimensional image-acquisition unit for acquiring the split off detection light; and a control unit for controlling the light scanning unit and the array device, wherein the array device is disposed in an optically conjugate positional relationship with a focal plane of the objective lens, and the control unit performs control so as to synchronize the light scanning unit and the array device.

Abstract: The invention provides a microscope apparatus, used for identifying the cell phases of a plurality of cells mounted on a stage, including an analysis/observation optical system used for acquiring an observed-image of the cells and a stimulus optical system used for applying an optical stimulus to prescribed cells. Using these optical systems, the cell phases of the cells mounted on the stage are identified, an optical stimulus is applied to the cells, and the state of the cells before and after applying the stimulus is observed.

Abstract: An observation laser beam for observing a specimen and a manipulation laser beam for manipulating the specimen are multiplexed; the multiplexed beams irradiate the specimen, which is mounted on a stage, via an objective lens; and fluorescence emitted from inside the specimen in the observation optical axis direction is detected. In a preparation mode, a focal-position adjusting unit is controlled so that the focal position of the observation laser beam and the focal position of the manipulation laser beam are coincident, independent of the movement of the objective lens or the stage by a focusing mechanism; and in an observation mode, the focal-position adjusting unit is controlled so as to cancel out the shift of the focal position of the manipulation laser beam according to the movement of the objective lens or the stage.

Abstract: A scanning laser microscope that can quantitatively display a laser irradiation power on a display unit and that can suppress fluctuations in the laser irradiation power is provided.

Abstract: A laser scanning microscope provides advantages that replacement of any optical element becomes unnecessary, and ease of operation and positioning repeatability of light stimulation are improved.

Abstract: A confocal microscope apparatus comprises a first optical scanning system which obtains a scan image of a sample using a laser beam from a first laser light source, a second optical scanning system which scans specific regions of a sample with a laser beam from a second laser light source that is different from the first laser light source, thereby causing a particular phenomenon, and a beam diameter varying mechanism which can change the beam diameter of the laser beam of at least one of the first optical scanning system and the second optical scanning system. With this configuration, the apparatus further comprises an excitation light intensity distribution calculator which calculates and stores the excitation light intensity distribution along a depth direction on the sample surface from the beam diameter of the laser beam output from the beam diameter varying mechanism.

Abstract: The invention provides a multiphoton-excitation-type examination apparatus that efficiently generates a multiphoton-excitation effect, that makes the measurement head compact, and that can be easily adjusted when the measurement head is replaced. The multiphoton-excitation-type examination apparatus comprises a laser light source that oscillates ultrashort pulsed laser light; an optical fiber that transmits the ultrashort pulsed laser light from the laser light source; a support member; a measurement head supported on the support member so as to be movable upwards and downwards and at an angle, and having an optical system that irradiates a specimen with the ultrashort pulsed laser light transmitted by the optical fiber that measures fluorescence or reflected light coming from the specimen; and a dispersion-compensating member, in the measurement head, that compensates for group velocity dispersion of the ultrashort pulsed laser light irradiated onto the specimen.

Abstract: A microscope apparatus that can observe into the interior of a specimen and that can apply an optical stimulus over a wide area within a short period of time is provided. The microscope apparatus comprises at least one observation scanning optical system including a laser light source for emitting observation laser light, an objective lens, and a scanning optical system for two-dimensionally scanning the observation laser light in a predetermined examination plane of the specimen via the objective lens; and at least one stimulus optical system which includes a lamp light source for emitting light having a wavelength used for optical stimulation and which irradiates the specimen with the light emitted from the lamp light source.

Abstract: A confocal microscope comprises a light source unit having at least two light sources which generate lights having different wavelengths, an objective lens which condenses light from the light source unit on a sample, a light scanning unit which scans the light form the light source unit on the sample two-dimensionally, and a photonic crystal fiber which is disposed between the light source unit and the light scanning unit, and which propagates the light led from the light source unit to the light scanning unit side, wherein the photonic crystal fiber has a plurality of air holes arranged at a clad provided at a periphery of a core.

Abstract: A confocal microscope comprises a light source emitting a polarized light beam, an objective lens irradiating the polarized light beam, which is deflected and scanned by the optical scanner, to the sample as an excitation light beam, a wavelength separator detecting a necessary wavelength band from a polarized fluorescence emitted from the sample which is excited by the polarized light beam, and a photodetector unit having a polarization property extractor extracting a fluorescence with a predetermined polarization property from the fluorescence detected with the wavelength separator, a wavelength selector selecting a wavelength of the fluorescence extracted by the polarization property extractor, and a photodetector detecting the fluorescence selected by the wavelength selector.