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.

A laser scanning microscope includes: an objective that irradiates a specimen with a laser beam; a detection lens that condenses the laser beam that passes through the specimen, the detection lens being arranged so as to face the objective; an optical element that is removably arranged between an image plane on which the detection lens forms an image of the specimen and a first surface that is a lens surface closest to the specimen of the detection lens, the optical element converting the laser beam made incident on the optical element into diffused light or deflecting a portion of the laser beam made incident on the optical element; and a photodetector that detects detection light emitted from the optical element arranged between the image plane and the first surface to the image plane.

An analyzer of a component in a sample fluid includes an optical source and an optical detector defining a beam path of a beam, wherein the optical source emits the beam and the optical detector measures the beam after partial absorption by the sample fluid, a fluid flow cell disposed on the beam path defining an interrogation region in the a fluid flow cell in which the optical beam interacts with the sample fluid and a reference fluid; and wherein the sample fluid and the reference fluid are in laminar flow, and a scanning system that scans the beam relative to the laminar flow within the fluid flow cell, wherein the scanning system scans the beam relative to both the sample fluid and the reference fluid.

Systems and methods for filtering an optical beam are described. In one implementation, a system for filtering an input optical beam includes a first beamsplitter, a first spectral slicing module, a second spectral slicing module, and a second beamsplitter. The first beamsplitter is configured to split the input optical beam into a first optical beam and a second optical beam. The first spectral slicing module has a first passband and is configured to filter the first optical beam. The second spectral slicing module has a second passband and is configured to filter the second optical beam. The second beamsplitter is configured to combine the first optical beam and the second optical beam into an output optical beam. The first and second spectral slicing modules may each comprise a longpass filter and a shortpass filter aligned along its optical axis, and the longpass filter and/or the shortpass filter are rotatable relative to the optical axis. Advantageously, the optical system allows for tunable spectral filtering of the input optical beam suitable for 2-D imaging systems.

The invention relates to a detection device (2) for a laser scanning microscope, the detection device (2) having a light inlet (4), at least one filter module (14) and at least one spatially resolving detector (22) and being configured to guide light from the light inlet (4) to the filter module (14) and from there to the spatially resolving detector (22), at least one filter module (14) being designed as a continuous filter module with two continuously tunable filter elements (16), and at least one compensator element (26) being arranged optically downstream of the continuous filter module (14), by means of which a focal position of light on the spatially resolving detector (22) can be adjusted.

A chromatic range sensor (CRS) system is provided that determines a workpiece thickness and includes an optical pen, an illumination source, a wavelength detector and a processing portion. The optical pen includes an optics portion providing axial chromatic dispersion, the illumination source is configured to generate multi-wavelength light and the wavelength detector includes a plurality of pixels distributed along a measurement axis. In operation, the optical pen inputs a spectral profile from the illumination source and outputs corresponding radiation to first and second workpiece surfaces of a workpiece (e.g., which may be transparent) and outputs reflected radiation to the wavelength detector which provides output spectral profile data. The processing portion processes the output spectral profile data to determine a thickness of the workpiece. In various implementations, the processing to determine the thickness may not rely on determining a distance to the workpiece and/or may utilize transform processing, etc.

Certain examples disclose systems and methods for imaging a target. An example method includes: a) activating a subset of light-emitting molecules in a wide field area of a target using an excitation light; b) capturing one or more images of the light emitted from the subset of the molecules illuminated with the excitation light; c) localizing one or more activated light emitting molecules using one or more single molecule microscopic methods to obtain localization information; d) simultaneously capturing spectral information for the same localized activated light emitting molecules using one or more spectroscopic methods; e) resolving one or more non-diffraction limited images of the area of the target using a combination of the localization and spectral information for the localized activated light emitting molecules; and 0 displaying the one or more non-diffraction limited images.

Systems and methods for fluorescent microscopy are disclosed where fluorophores can be excited over an excitation band to emit light in a wide emission band. Simultaneous acquisition of multiple planes in the sample can be achieved using a modified form of confocal microscopy. In one implementation, an objective employs a lens having optics exhibiting a large degree of axial chromatic aberration, such that emissions from different axially spaced focal planes are encoded by wavelength. Advantageously, simultaneous acquisition of multiple focal planes encoded by color can be processed to obtain efficient and rapid three-dimensional imaging of a sample.

A spectral imaging device (12) includes an image sensor (28), a tunable light source (14), an optical assembly (17), and a control system (30). The optical assembly (17) includes a first refractive element (24A) and a second refractive element (24B) that are spaced apart from one another by a first separation distance. The refractive elements (24A) (24B) have an element optical thickness and a Fourier space component of the optical frequency dependent transmittance function. Further, the element optical thickness of each refractive element (24A) (24B) and the first separation distance are set such that the Fourier space components of the optical frequency dependent transmittance function of each refractive element (24A) (24B) fall outside a Fourier space measurement passband.

A confocal microscope is provided that includes one or more lasers focused by an optical system into a line on the surface of a sample mounted to a stage. The microscope further includes at least one linear array detector that is optically conjugated to the focused line. The stage permits movement of the sample with respect to all other components of the microscope, which remain stationary.