A SPIM-microscope (Selective Plane Imaging Microscope) having a y-direction illumination light source and a z-direction detection light camera. An x-scanner generates a sequential light sheet by scanning the illumination light beam in the x-direction. The SPIM-microscope has an illumination optics having a zoom optics provided in a beam path of the illumination light beam, the zoom optics being adapted to change the focal length of the illumination light beam and adapted to detect a larger area of the object by sequentially detecting sequences of images along the y-direction that have an increased resolution along the z-direction. An image processing unit combines these sequences of images by image stitching into one large overall image.

Position detection apparatus includes illumination optical system for illuminating target, detection optical system for forming image of the illuminated target illuminated on photoelectric converter, first array having first aperture stops, second array having second aperture stops, first driving mechanism for arranging the selected first aperture stop on pupil of the illumination optical system by driving the first array such that first aperture stop crossing optical axis of the illumination optical system moves in first direction, second driving mechanism for arranging the selected second aperture stop on pupil of the detection optical system by driving the second array such that second aperture stop crossing optical axis of the detection optical system moves in second direction. The first and second driving mechanisms fine-tune positions of the selected first and second aperture stops in the first and second directions, respectively.

Position detection apparatus includes illumination optical system for illuminating target, detection optical system for forming image of the illuminated target illuminated on photoelectric converter, first array having first aperture stops, second array having second aperture stops, first driving mechanism for arranging the selected first aperture stop on pupil of the illumination optical system by driving the first array such that first aperture stop crossing optical axis of the illumination optical system moves in first direction, second driving mechanism for arranging the selected second aperture stop on pupil of the detection optical system by driving the second array such that second aperture stop crossing optical axis of the detection optical system moves in second direction. The first and second driving mechanisms fine-tune positions of the selected first and second aperture stops in the first and second directions, respectively.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods of phase-sensitive compressed ultrafast photography (pCUP). In some embodiments, a pCUP system comprises: a dark-field imaging system, and a compressed ultrafast photography (CUP system). The dark-field imaging system may comprise a laser source configured to illuminate the subject with a laser pulse; and a beam block configured to pass laser light scattered by the subject as a first series of phase images and block laser light not scattered by the subject. The CUP system may comprise: a spatial encoding module configured to receive the first series of phase images and to produce a second series of spatially encoded phase images; and a streak camera configured to receive the second series of spatially encoded phase images, to deflect each spatially encoded phase image by a temporal deflection distance, and to integrate the deflected phase images into a single raw CUP image.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods of phase-sensitive compressed ultrafast photography (pCUP). In some embodiments, a pCUP system comprises: a dark-field imaging system, and a compressed ultrafast photography (CUP system). The dark-field imaging system may comprise a laser source configured to illuminate the subject with a laser pulse; and a beam block configured to pass laser light scattered by the subject as a first series of phase images and block laser light not scattered by the subject. The CUP system may comprise: a spatial encoding module configured to receive the first series of phase images and to produce a second series of spatially encoded phase images; and a streak camera configured to receive the second series of spatially encoded phase images, to deflect each spatially encoded phase image by a temporal deflection distance, and to integrate the deflected phase images into a single raw CUP image.

A light sheet microscope includes an object slide, and optical illumination and detection systems. The optical illumination system includes an illumination objective configured to illuminate a first object plane that is oblique relative to a slide plane with a light sheet. The optical detection system includes a detection objective and an image sensor device. The image sensor device is configured to define a first image plane which is orthogonal to an optical axis of the detection objective and to define a second image plane which is tilted relative to the first image plane. The detection objective is configured to image a focal plane onto the first image plane and to image a second object plane of the object onto the second image plane, the focal plane being coincident with the first object plane, and the second object plane being parallel to or coincident with the slide plane.

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.

An illumination apparatus includes a surface light source that emits illumination light and a micro louver film that limits components of a divergence of the illumination light that are parallel to a light emission plane of the surface light source. The illumination apparatus satisfies the following conditional expression:
20°≤A≤60°  (1) where A indicates, with reference to a direction for which the micro louver film limits the divergence of the illumination light, the maximum spread angle of the illumination light passing through the micro louver film.

A device includes a grating coupler with a grating constant, two light sources, and a planar waveguide, which are configured to couple light with two different wavelengths λ.sub.1, λ.sub.2 into the waveguide. The waveguide has a waveguiding layer disposed adjacent to a substrate layer and a cover layer. The waveguiding layer has a thickness d and effective refractive indices of N(λ.sub.k, j.sub.k), wherein λ.sub.k is one of the wavelengths and j.sub.k is an order of a waveguide mode, wherein the coupled light of the wavelength λ.sub.k has a coupling angle α.sub.k into the waveguide, and wherein an amount of difference between the coupling angles is a divergence angle Δα. Guiding of waveguide modes of the order j.sub.k>0 is possible for a wavelength of the coupled light. The waveguiding layer is arranged to couple the light via the grating coupler under a divergence angle of Δα<6.

A device includes a grating coupler with a grating constant, two light sources, and a planar waveguide, which are configured to couple light with two different wavelengths λ.sub.1, λ.sub.2 into the waveguide. The waveguide has a waveguiding layer disposed adjacent to a substrate layer and a cover layer. The waveguiding layer has a thickness d and effective refractive indices of N(λ.sub.k, j.sub.k), wherein λ.sub.k is one of the wavelengths and j.sub.k is an order of a waveguide mode, wherein the coupled light of the wavelength λ.sub.k has a coupling angle α.sub.k into the waveguide, and wherein an amount of difference between the coupling angles is a divergence angle Δα. Guiding of waveguide modes of the order j.sub.k>0 is possible for a wavelength of the coupled light. The waveguiding layer is arranged to couple the light via the grating coupler under a divergence angle of Δα<6.