Abstract: A detection device (113) for a microscope comprises a dispersive element (211) in the beam path (290) of light and a selection element (212). The selection element (212) separates a beam path (291) of a spectral portion of the light from the beam path (290) of the light. The detector device (113) furthermore comprises a focusing optical unit (213) configured to focus the beam path (291) of the spectral portion of the light onto a sensor (214). By way of example, the microscope may be a confocal microscope.

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.

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. A second embodiment involves a microscope with at least one illumination beam and a microscope lens for focusing the illumination beam into a test as well as a detection beam path with at least one demodulator, wherein the illumination beam is set up alternatingly on at least two beam paths, and an element in one of the beam paths is scheduled to generate a field mode different from that of the first beam path, and the two beam paths are overlaid with different field modes in the focus.

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: Scanning fluorescence microscopes with an observation beam path from a measurement volume to an image plane. A beam combiner is provided for coupling an illumination system and a diaphragm arranged in the image plane for slow composition of the image because of the sequential scanning and subject the sample to loading as a result of inefficient use of the excitation light. The microscope simultaneously detects fluorescence from different focal planes in each case quasi-confocally. The observation beam path between the beam combiner and the image plane has a first diffractive optics for splitting light beams into beam bundles along different orders of diffraction, imparting to the light beams a spherical phase that is different from the other orders of diffraction. A second diffractive optics is provided for the compensation of chromatic aberrations of the split beam bundles, and a collecting optics is provided for focusing split beam bundles into the image plane.

Abstract: A laser scanning microscope (LSM) consisting of at least one light source from which an illumination beam path extends in the direction of a sample, at least one detection beam path for transmitting sample light to a detector array, a first pinhole for confocal filtering in front of the detector array, a scanner for causing a relative motion between the illumination light and the sample in at least one direction, and a microscope lens. For illuminating a sample, at least two illumination beams, which the microscope lens focuses as illumination points in a sample plane, are generated in the illumination beam path. The laser scanning microscope is characterized in that in addition to the preferably adjustable, slit-shaped first pinhole, a second, preferably adjustable, slit-shaped pinhole is arranged downstream of the first pinhole so as to create optically conjugate beams arranged between the first and the second pinhole.

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: Confocal multipoint scanning microscopes (1) comprising a multi-beam light source (2), confocal detectors (10) a beam splitter (4) for coupling the illuminating beam path (B) and the detecting beam path (D) into a common beam path (C), and an adjustable deflection unit (5) and a microscope lens (8) have the disadvantage that the properties of the image field cannot be modified in the same way as for a single-point scanning microscope by appropriate activation of the deflection unit, without the relative position of the points changing in relation to one another. The invention proposes solving this problem by having a means (7) for the manipulation of a spatial position of the partial beams or for the manipulation of a phase position of the partial beams relative to one another arranged in the common beam (C) between the main beam splitter (4) and the deflection unit (5).

Abstract: An optical assembly that is designed for positioning in a beam path of a light microscope having means for providing structured illuminating light in a sample plane of the light microscope, so that structured illuminating light can be generated in different orientations. The optical assembly has an adjustable deflector in order to deflect an incident light bundle onto one of several beam paths in a selectable manner. Beam splitting devices are located in the beam paths in order to split the light bundle of the respective beam paths into partial light bundles, which are spatially separated from each other. Beam guides are provided for each of the partial light bundles, and guide the partial light bundles to a pupil plane. The beam guides are arranged in such a way that the partial light bundles that belong to the same beam path form a light spot pattern in the pupil plane; and that the light spot patterns of different beam paths in the pupil plane are different from each other.

Abstract: A microscope, in particular according to any of the preceding claims, consisting of an illuminating device, comprising an illumination light source and an illumination beam path for illuminating the specimen with a light sheet, a detection device for detecting light emitted by the specimen, and an imaging optical unit, which images the specimen via an imaging objective in an imaging beam path at least partly onto the detection device, wherein the light sheet is essentially planar at the focus of the imaging objective or in a defined plane in proximity of the geometrical focus of the imaging objective, and wherein the imaging objective has an optical axis, which intersects the plane of the light sheet at an angle that is different from zero, preferably perpendicularly, wherein an amplitude and/or phase filter is provided in the illumination beam path, said filter acting as a sine spatial filter in that it limits the illumination light in at least one spatial direction by filtering the spatial frequencies that

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 microscope, preferably a laser scanning microscope, with at least one illuminating beam, which in a partial area along the cross-section thereof, is phase-modulated with a modulation frequency. A microscope objective is provided for focusing the illumination beam onto a sample. The microscope further has a detection beam path and at least one demodulation means, wherein a pulsed illumination beam is present. In the illumination beam path upstream of the microscope objective, a first polarization beam splitter is provided, which generates at least first and second partial beam paths that have differing, preferably adjustable, optical paths. A combination element, such as a second pole splitter, for rejoining the partial beams is provided. In one partial beam path, a phase element is provided, which has at least two areas having differing phase interferences.

Abstract: The invention relates to a light microscope comprising a polychromatic light source for emitting illumination light in the direction of a sample, focussing means for focussing illumination light onto the sample, wherein the focussing means, for generating a depth resolution, have a longitudinal chromatic aberration, and a detection device, which comprises a two-dimensional array of detector elements, for detecting sample light coming from the sample. According to the invention, the light microscope is characterized in that, for detecting both confocal portions and non-confocal portions of the sample light, a beam path from the sample to the detection device is free of elements for completely masking out non-confocal portions. In addition, the invention relates to a method for image recording using a light microscope.

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.

Abstract: A laser scanning microscope (LSM) consisting of at least one light source from which an illumination beam path extends in the direction of a sample, at least one detection beam path for transmitting sample light to a detector array, a first pinhole for confocal filtering in front of the detector array, a scanner for causing a relative motion between the illumination light and the sample in at least one direction, and a microscope lens. For illuminating a sample, at least two illumination beams, which the microscope lens focuses as illumination points in a sample plane, are generated in the illumination beam path. The laser scanning microscope is characterized in that in addition to the preferably adjustable, slit-shaped first pinhole, a second, preferably adjustable, slit-shaped pinhole is arranged downstream of the first pinhole so as to create optically conjugate beams arranged between the first and the second pinhole.