A scanning microscope object stage comprising a retainer plate and a movable plate. The retainer plate has a primary light transmission channel, around which there are spacing bosses, and the movable plate has a secondary light transmission channel, which snaps right to the outer side of the spacing bosses. Along the top edge of the two opposing sides of the secondary light transmission channel is a slide stage for carrying the object slide. The height of the first height side wall is larger than or equals to the thickness of the movable plate. The second height side wall stands opposite to the slide stage and is of the same height. With the help of the spacing bossed on the retainer, the movable plate is easily positioned onto the retainer plate, and can be rapidly placed and replaced, and therefore, simultaneous placement and replacement for multiple object slides can be realized.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for differential phase contrast microscopy by transobjective differential epi-detection of forward scattered light are provided. In some embodiments, a microscope objective comprises: a housing with mounting threads at a second end; optical components defining an optical axis, comprising: an objective lens mounted at a first end, configured to collect light from a sample placed in a field of view, the plurality of optical components create a pupil plane at a first distance along the optical axis at which rays having the same angle of incidence on the objective lens converge at the same radial distance from the optical axis; a photodetector within the housing offset from the optical axis at a second distance along the optical axis; and another photodetector within the housing at second distance along the optical axis and offset from the optical axis in the opposite direction from the first photodetector.

Implementations discussed and claimed herein provide systems and methods live projection imaging for fluorescence microscopy. In one implementation, a 3D view of a sample, such as cells, is generated for direct viewing. A projection of a volume is generated that is optically sheared into a single camera frame in light-sheet fluorescence microscopy. Optical shearing is synchronized with acquisition of a volume, where volumetric information may be directly viewed in a single acquisition to evaluate cellular 3D morphologies and dynamics.

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for imaging particles and/or cells using flow cytometry. In one aspect, a method includes transmitting a light beam at a fluidic channel carrying a fluid sample containing particles; optically encoding scattered or fluorescently-emitted light at a spatial optical filter, the spatial optical filter including a surface having a plurality of apertures arranged in a pattern along a transverse direction opposite to particle flow and a longitudinal direction parallel to particle flow, such that different portions of a particle flowing over the pattern of the apertures pass different apertures at different times and scatter the light beam or emit fluorescent light at locations associated with the apertures; and producing image data associated with the particle flowing through the fluidic channel based on the encoded optical signal, in which the produced image data includes information of a physical characteristic of the particle.

Asymmetric interferometry is used with various embodiments of Optical Photothermal Infrared (OPTIR) systems to enhance the signal strength indicating the photothermal effect on a sample.

A method for scanning a sample includes generating at least two illumination points in order to form a point pattern, wherein the point pattern has a settable number of illumination points. At least one freely selectable parameter for defining the point pattern is preset or is set. At least one predefined region of the sample is scanned by moving the point pattern defined by the freely selectable parameter along a first direction such that scan lines assigned to the illumination points of the point pattern are generated, and along a second direction such that further scan lines are generated in each case following the scan lines. The movement of the point pattern in the second direction is carried out in scan steps of identical size or at a constant speed. The illumination points of the point pattern are arranged on a line along the second direction.

The invention relates to an optical arrangement and a method for correcting centration errors and/or angle errors in a beam path. The beam path here comprises an optical compensated system in which at least two optical elements are present and aligned relative to one another such that imaging aberrations of the optical elements are compensated. According to the invention, a correction unit is arranged in an infinity space of the beam path and between the at least two optical elements, wherein the correction unit changes the propagation direction of radiation propagating along the beam path and the correction unit either has a reflective surface or is embodied to be transmissive for the radiation. The correction unit is movable such that the angle of a change in the propagation direction can be set.

An analysis apparatus includes a laser irradiation unit that irradiates a laser beam, a beam scanner that moves along a pattern to change a position at which the laser beam is irradiated to a sample, a first lens through which a light provided from the sample is transmitted, an optical member to which the light that passes through the first lens is provided and through which a pin hole is defined, and a detection unit that detects a detection light passed through the pin hole.

A microscopy device comprises a continuous or pulsed wave laser light source; a pair of parallel mirrors configured to receive light from the light source and reflect an array of incoherent light sheets; a beam encoder (e.g., frequency modulation reticle, Hadamard basis, random modulation pattern) to segment the array of incoherent light sheets and encode each light sheet with a respective frequency in reciprocal space; a lens configured to direct the encoded light sheets towards a biological sample; and an image capturing device configured to receive a fluorescence signal from the biological sample.

An automatic focus system for an optical microscope that facilitates faster focusing by using at least two offset focusing cameras. Each offset focusing camera can be positioned on a different side of an image forming conjugate plane so that their sharpness curves intersect at the image forming conjugate plane. Focus of a specimen can be adjusted by using sharpness values determined from images taken by the offset focusing cameras.