A method and a system are for sparse sampling utilizing a programmatically randomized signal for modulating a carrier signal. The system includes a compound sparse sampling pattern generator that generates at least one primary carrier signal, and at least one secondary signal. The at least one secondary signal modulates the at least one primary signal in a randomized fashion.

A method for the high-resolution scanning microscopy of a specimen where the specimen is illuminated with illuminating radiation such that the illuminating radiation is focused to a diffraction-limited illuminating spot at a point in or on the specimen. The point is projected in a diffraction-limited manner in a diffraction image onto a flat panel detector having pixels. The flat panel detector, owing to the pixels thereof, have a spatial resolution which resolves a diffraction structure of the diffraction image. The point is shifted relative to the specimen into different scanning positions by an increment which is smaller than the diameter of the illuminating spot and a 3D image is generated. The pixels of the flat panel detector are divided into groups. A pre-calculated raw image is calculated for each group and are unfolded three-dimensionally to generate the image of the specimen.

Disclosed is an optical micro-spectrometry system including an optical microscope, a spectrometry system and an optical system adapted to direct an excitation light beam on the sample through the at least one microscope objective and to collect a Raman or PL light beam from a sample. The optical micro-spectrometry system includes an imaging system configured for acquiring a first image and a second image of the sample, by reflection or transmission of an illumination beam from a sample surface, the first image having a large field of view and the second image having a small field of view, a processing system configured for determining an area in the first image corresponding to the second image, a display system configured for displaying the first image, the second image, and a third image representing the area in overlay on the first image.

A fluorescent emission HIST microscope utilizes a highly inclined tile beam that is scanned over a biological sample object. Fluorescence emission from the sample is propagated through a confocal slit into an sCMOS camera supporting a rolling shutter mode. The tile beam is synchronously swept with the readout of the camera to facilitate the rejection of background. The system provides for decoupling of the total imaging area from the beam thickness, which now solely depends on the width of the tile beam, enabling a thinner illumination and larger FOV imaging. Clear visualization of single molecules across a 130 μm×130 μm FOV provided a greater than 40× FOV than conventional HILO imaging. An associated imaging method is disclosed.

Disclosed herein are systems for imaging of samples using an array of micro optical elements and methods of their use. In some embodiments, an optical chip comprising an array of micro optical elements moves relative to an imaging window and a detector in order to scan over a sample to produce an image. A focal plane can reside within a sample or on its surface during imaging. Detecting optics are used to detect back-emitted light collected by an array of micro optical elements that is generated by an illumination beam impinging on a sample. In some embodiments, an imaging system has a large field of view and a large optical chip such that an entire surface of a sample can be imaged quickly. In some embodiments, a sample is accessible by a user during imaging due to the sample being exposed while disposed on or over an imaging window.

The disclosure provides for structured illumination microscopy (SIM) imaging systems. In one set of implementations, a SIM imaging system may be implemented as a multi-arm SIM imaging system, whereby each arm of the system includes a light emitter and a beam splitter (e.g., a transmissive diffraction grating) having a specific, fixed orientation with respect to the system's optical axis. In a second set of implementations, a SIM imaging system may be implemented as a multiple beam splitter slide SIM imaging system, where one linear motion stage is mounted with multiple beam splitters having a corresponding, fixed orientation with respect to the system's optical axis. In a third set of implementations, a SIM imaging system may be implemented as a pattern angle spatial selection SIM imaging system, whereby a fixed two-dimensional diffraction grating is used in combination with a spatial filter wheel to project one-dimensional fringe patterns on a sample.

A system for high resolution multiphoton excitation microscopy is described herein. In one embodiment, the system may include an electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) prism optically coupled to an excitation source, the EWOD prism adapted or configured to: receive a light beam from the excitation source, and project the received light beam onto a sample plane based on a tunable transmission angle of the EWOD prism, and a fluorescence imaging microscope adapted or configured to: receive a fluorescence signal from the sample plane based on the projected light beam, and relay the fluorescence signal from the sample plane to a set of detectors.

A surface defect measuring apparatus and method by microscopic scattering polarization imaging is provided. The apparatus mainly comprises a laser, a first converging lens, a rotary diffuser, a second converging lens, a diaphragm, a third converging lens, a pinhole, a fourth converging lens, a polarizer, a half-wave plate, a polarizing beam splitter, an X-Y translation stage, a sample, a microscope lens, a quarter-wave plate, a micro-polarizer array, a camera and a computer. The micro-polarizer array is adopted to realize real-time microscopic scattering polarization imaging of the surface defects; a polarization-degree image is calculated to improve the sensitivity for detecting the surface defects of the ultra-smooth element, and the effective detection of the surface defects of a high-reflective coating element is also realized, and the requirement for rapid detection of the surface defects of a meter-scale large-aperture ultra-smooth element can be met.

A microscopic technique for generating high-clarity, large volume 3D images of fluorescent tissue structure at subcellular resolution and capture transient activities. The technique includes capturing two orthogonal 2D projection of the sample volume by performing a projection scan with an excitation laser sweeping through the volume at up to 100 vps, tracking the scan depth using an electrically tuned lens to keep the emission image in focus and generate an xy plane volume projection image at the camera; and placing a PMT behind the excitation lens to collect emission passed through the excitation lens, wherein signals from the PMT form a focus scan projection at the yz plane; and then merging the xy and yz projections.

A microscope comprising: a sample stage for mounting a sample; a light source for illuminating the sample when mounted on the sample stage; a detector; a first objective disposed on one side of the sample stage; a second objective disposed on an opposite side of the sample stage; a first set of optical elements defining a first light path from the first objective to the detector; and a second set of optical elements defining a second light path from the second objective to the detector. The first objective and the second objective have a common optical axis and are configured to image a sample mounted on the sample stage in a common focal plane. Furthermore, the first objective is a high magnification objective and the second objective is a low magnification objective. The provision of such a microscope configuration enables a sample to be viewed simultaneously at both high and low magnifications and/or allows rapid switching between high and low magnification images, for example to provide quasi-simultaneous viewing at both magnifications.