Abstract: A super-resolution microscope includes an illuminator and a detector. The illuminator irradiates illumination beams of different wavelengths through an objective lens onto a sample while causing at least a portion of the illumination beams to overlap spatially and temporally. The detector detects a signal beam generated by the sample as a result of irradiation of the sample with the illumination beams. The illumination beams include a first illumination beam that induces a first nonlinear optical process with respect to the sample and a second illumination beam that induces a second nonlinear optical process that suppresses the first nonlinear optical process. The nonlinear susceptibility of the second nonlinear optical process is greater than the nonlinear susceptibility of the first nonlinear optical process.

Abstract: A super-resolution microscope includes an illuminator and a detector. The illuminator irradiates illumination beams of different wavelengths through an objective lens onto a sample while causing at least a portion of the illumination beams to overlap spatially and temporally. The detector detects a signal beam generated by the sample as a result of irradiation of the sample with the illumination beams. The illumination beams include a first illumination beam that induces a first nonlinear optical process with respect to the sample and a second illumination beam that induces a second nonlinear optical process that suppresses the first nonlinear optical process. The nonlinear susceptibility of the second nonlinear optical process is greater than the nonlinear susceptibility of the first nonlinear optical process.

Abstract: A super-resolution microscope includes an illuminator that irradiates illumination beams of colors of different wavelengths through an objective lens onto a sample while causing the illumination beams to overlap at least spatially and a detector that detects a signal beam generated by the sample through irradiation with the illumination beams. As the illumination beams, the illuminator irradiates first and second illumination beams onto the sample from the same direction. The first illumination beam includes multiple wavelengths or monochromatic light for inducing a nonlinear optical effect in the sample. The second illumination beam has a different wavefront distribution on a converging surface of the objective lens or a different spatial distribution of an electrical field vector than the first illumination beam and suppresses induction of the nonlinear optical effect. The detector detects a signal beam generated by the sample as a result of the nonlinear optical effect.

Abstract: A super-resolution microscope includes a modulation optical element (10) that is disposed in an illumination optical system along a light path traveled by first illumination light and second illumination light and spatially modulates the second illumination light. In the modulation optical element (10), a plurality of optical substrates exhibiting anisotropy in a refractive index distribution are joined in a coplanar manner, and at least two of the optical substrates have a different refractive index with respect to a polarization direction of the second illumination light.

Abstract: A super-resolution microscope comprises: an illumination optical system that condenses a first illumination light beam for exciting the molecule from a stable state to a first quantum state and a second illumination light beam for further transitioning the molecule onto a sample in a manner that the first and the second illumination light beams are partially overlapped; a scanning section that scans the sample by relatively displacing the first and the second illumination light beams and the sample; a detection section that detects an optical response signal emitted from the sample; and a phase plate that is arranged in the illumination optical system and has M surface areas for modulating the phase of the second illumination light beam, wherein the phase plate comprises a monolayer optical thin film with M surface areas formed on an optical substrate with a thickness that satisfies the predetermined conditional expression.

Abstract: A super-resolution microscope includes a modulation optical element (10) that is disposed in an illumination optical system along a light path traveled by first illumination light and second illumination light and spatially modulates the second illumination light. In the modulation optical element (10), a plurality of optical substrates exhibiting anisotropy in a refractive index distribution are joined in a coplanar manner, and at least two of the optical substrates have a different refractive index with respect to a polarization direction of the second illumination light.

Abstract: Provided is a nonlinear optical microscope capable of improving the spatial resolution. The nonlinear optical microscope includes: an illuminating part for irradiating, through an objective lens, a sample with at least two colors of illumination light beams spatially and temporally overlapping each other; and a detecting part for detecting signal light generated from the sample due to nonlinear optical effect, the signal light resulting from the irradiation of the sample with the at least two colors of illumination light beams, in which the illuminating part irradiates the sample with the two colors of illumination light beams in which at least one of the illumination light beams has a wavefront distribution different from a wavefront distribution of the other one of the illumination light beams.

Abstract: A super-resolution microscope comprises: an illumination optical system that condenses a first illumination light beam for exciting the molecule from a stable state to a first quantum state and a second illumination light beam for further transitioning the molecule onto a sample in a manner that the first and the second illumination light beams are partially overlapped; a scanning section that scans the sample by relatively displacing the first and the second illumination light beams and the sample; a detection section that detects an optical response signal emitted from the sample; and a phase plate that is arranged in the illumination optical system and has M surface areas for modulating the phase of the second illumination light beam, wherein the phase plate comprises a monolayer optical thin film with M surface areas formed on an optical substrate with a thickness that satisfies the predetermined conditional expression.

Abstract: A microscope capable of forming a beam spot in a desired shape on a focal plane is provided. The microscope is provided with a modulation optical element (38) having a plurality of regions for spatial modulation of illumination light and an adjustment element (37) for adjusting an optical property of the illumination light modulated by the modulation optical element.

Abstract: Provided is a super-resolution microscope for observing a specimen containing a substance having two or more excited quantum state, which includes: a light source section that outputs a first illumination light for exciting the substance from a stable state to a first quantum state, and a second illumination light for further transitioning the substance to other quantum state; an optical system including a microscope objective lens and condensing the first illumination light and the second illumination light, each outputted from the light source section, onto the specimen in a manner that these lights are partially overlapped with each other; a detection section that detects an optical response signal emitted from the specimen in response to condensing of the first illumination light and the second illumination light; and, a polarization controlling element provided with a polarizing member that converts a polarization state of the first illumination light or the second illumination light, and a phase modulat

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical microscope capable of suppressing unnecessary response light as a background and detecting desired response light in nonlinear optical response process with a good S/N ratio.

Abstract: Provided is a nonlinear optical microscope capable of improving the spatial resolution. The nonlinear optical microscope includes: an illuminating part for irradiating, through an objective lens, a sample with at least two colors of illumination light beams spatially and temporally overlapping each other; and a detecting part for detecting signal light generated from the sample due to nonlinear optical effect, the signal light resulting from the irradiation of the sample with the at least two colors of illumination light beams, in which the illuminating part irradiates the sample with the two colors of illumination light beams in which at least one of the illumination light beams has a wavefront distribution different from a wavefront distribution of the other one of the illumination light beams.

Abstract: A microscope capable of forming a beam spot in a desired shape on a focal plane is provided. The microscope is provided with a modulation optical element (38) having a plurality of regions for spatial modulation of illumination light and an adjustment element (37) for adjusting an optical property of the illumination light modulated by the modulation optical element.

Abstract: Provided is a super-resolution microscope for observing a specimen containing a substance having two or more excited quantum state, which includes: a light source section that outputs a first illumination light for exciting the substance from a stable state to a first quantum state, and a second illumination light for further transitioning the substance to other quantum state; an optical system including a microscope objective lens and condensing the first illumination light and the second illumination light, each outputted from the light source section, onto the specimen in a manner that these lights are partially overlapped with each other; a detection section that detects an optical response signal emitted from the specimen in response to condensing of the first illumination light and the second illumination light; and, a polarization controlling element provided with a polarizing member that converts a polarization state of the first illumination light or the second illumination light, and a phase modulat

Abstract: The present invention provides a microscopy method and a microscope, which enable microscopic observation of desired information of a specimen with an extremely high S/N ratio in a short period of time without increasing intensity of a light sources. The method of the invention is characterized in that it comprises: a simultaneous irradiation step of irradiating a specimen with first and second electromagnetic rays having different wave length with the rays overlapping at least partly each other; and a simultaneous irradiation visualization step of visualizing a spatial distribution of a refractive index variation caused by the irradiation of the first electromagnetic ray as a phase contrast image of the second electromagnetic ray having passed through the specimen in the region of the specimen to which the overlapped the first and the second electromagnetic rays are irradiated.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical microscope capable of suppressing unnecessary response light as a background and detecting desired response light in nonlinear optical response process with a good S/N ratio.

Abstract: A microscope for observing a sample containing a substance having at least two excited quantum states includes a pump light source 21 for emitting pump light, an erase light source 22 for emitting erase light, a light combining section 23 to 26 for coaxially combining the pump light and the erase light, a light collecting section 62 for collecting the combined lights, a scanning section 44 and 45 for scanning the sample with the combined lights, a detecting section 50 for detecting photoresponsive signals generated from the sample, a wavelength selecting element 42 arranged in the light path of the combined lights and provided with an erase light selecting region having a high wavelength selectivity for the erase light and with a pump light selecting region having a high wavelength selectivity for the pump light, and a space modulating element 43 arranged in the light path of the combined lights for spatially modulating the erase light corresponding to the erase light selecting region of the wavelength select

Abstract: A method for observing a sample containing photochromic molecules having a quantum state of at least a first stable state S0 and a second stable state S3. Used are first light for exciting the photochromic molecules from the first stable state S0 to a first excited state S1 enabling optical response, and second light for exciting the photochromic molecules from the first excited state S1 to a second excited state S2 of another energy level. The sample is irradiated with the first light and the second light partly overlapping each other so that the photochromic molecules in the region irradiated with the overlapping first and second lights are transformed through the second excited state S2 to the second stable state S3, and the photochromic molecules in the region irradiated with the first light only are transformed to the first excited state S1, thereby observing the sample.

Abstract: A super-resolution microscope includes an optical system for combining a part of a first coherent light from a first light source and a part of a second coherent light from a second light source and focusing the coherent lights onto a sample, scanning , unit for scanning the coherent lights, and a detecting unit for detecting an optical response signal from the sample. The microscope is configured so as to satisfy the following conditions: ?01Ip??1, and 0.65(?e/?p)???dipIe.

Abstract: The present invention provides a microscopy method and a microscope, which enable microscopic observation of desired information of a specimen with an extremely high S/N ratio in a short period of time without increasing intensity of a light sources. The method of the invention is characterized in that it comprises: a simultaneous irradiation step of irradiating a specimen with first and second electromagnetic rays having different wave length with the rays overlapping at least partly each other; and a simultaneous irradiation visualization step of visualizing a spatial distribution of a refractive index variation caused by the irradiation of the first electromagnetic ray as a phase contrast image of the second electromagnetic ray having passed through the specimen in the region of the specimen to which the overlapped the first and the second electromagnetic rays are irradiated.