A method for operating a microscopy system and to a microscopy system are provided. A pivot point is defined, wherein the microscopy system is operated such that a microscope of the microscopy system moves at a constant distance around the pivot point, wherein a reference surface is determined, wherein an intersection of an optical axis of the microscope and the reference surface is determined as the pivot point, wherein the pose of the reference surface is defined in a focal position-independent reference coordinate system and the pivot point is determined as the intersection of the optical axis with the thus defined reference surface in the reference coordinate system.

Provided is a scanning microscope including a pinhole array disk having a plurality of pinholes restricting a light flux of illumination light for irradiating a sample, the plurality of pinholes being disposed so as to form an array about a center axis; a rotational driving unit rotating the pinhole array disk about the center axis; an objective lens irradiating the sample with the illumination light that has passed through the pinholes and collecting fluorescence from the sample to cause the fluorescence to enter the pinholes; a camera acquiring an image of the sample by repeatedly capturing the fluorescence that has passed through the pinholes; and a stimulation optical system irradiating the sample with stimulation light, wherein the system includes a stimulation-timing generating unit decreasing the intensity of the stimulation light during exposure periods of the camera and increasing the intensity of the stimulation light during periods between exposure periods.

A scanning microscope includes an objective and a scanning element that is adjustable for a time-variable deflection to guide a focused illumination beam across the sample in a scanning movement. A detection beam is guided across sensor elements of an image sensor in a movement which corresponds to the scanning movement of the focused illumination beam. A dispersive element of a predetermined dispersive effect arranged upstream of the image sensor spatially separates different spectral components of the detection beam from one another on the image sensor. A controller detects the time-variable adjustment of the scanning element, assigns the spatially separated spectral components of the detection beam to the sensor elements of the image sensor based on the detected time-variable adjustment, while taking into account the predetermined dispersive effect of the dispersive element, and individually reads out the sensor elements assigned to the spectral components.

The disclosed technology brings histopathology into the operating theatre, to enable real-time intra-operative digital pathology. The disclosed technology utilizes confocal imaging devices image, in the operating theatre, “optical slices” of fresh tissue—without the need to physically slice and otherwise process the resected tissue as required by frozen section analysis (FSA). The disclosed technology, in certain embodiments, includes a simple, operating-table-side digital histology scanner, with the capability of rapidly scanning all outer margins of a tissue sample (e.g., resection lump, removed tissue mass). Using point-scanning microscopy technology, the disclosed technology, in certain embodiments, precisely scans a thin “optical section” of the resected tissue, and sends the digital image to a pathologist rather than the real tissue, thereby providing the pathologist with the opportunity to analyze the tissue intra-operatively. Thus, the disclosed technology provides digital images with similar information content as FSA, but faster and without destroying the tissue sample itself.

Embodiments of a resolution enhancement technique for a light sheet microscopy system having a three objective lens arrangement in which one objective lens illuminates a sample and the second and third objective lenses collect the fluorescence emissions emitted by the sample are disclosed. The second objective lens focuses a first portion of the fluorescence emissions for detection by a second detection component, while the third objective lens focuses a second portion of the fluorescence emissions through a diffractive or refractive optic component for detection by a first detector component. A processor combines the images resulting from the first and second portions of the fluorescence emissions for generating composite images with increased axial and lateral resolution.

For checking the confocality of a scanning and descanning microscope assembly comprising a light source providing illumination light focused into a focal area in a focal plane, a detector detecting light coming out of the focal area and having a detection aperture to be arranged in a confocal fashion with respect to the focal area, and a scanner, an auxiliary detection aperture of an auxiliary detector arranged in the focal plane is scanned with the focal area of the illumination light to record a first comparison intensity distribution of the illumination light registered by the auxiliary detector, and the detection aperture of the detector is scanned with auxiliary light that exits out of an auxiliary emission aperture of an auxiliary light source concentrically arranged with respect to the auxiliary detection aperture in the focal plane to record a second comparison intensity distribution of the auxiliary light registered by the detector.

A microscope apparatus provided with: a disk unit obtained by integrally forming a pinhole array disk in which pinholes are arranged and a microlens array disk in which microlenses are arranged; a dichroic mirror focusing illumination light that has been transmitted through the microlenses of the disk unit, on the corresponding pinholes and splitting off fluorescence from a specimen that has passed through the pinholes in the reverse direction from the illumination light; an objective lens radiating the illumination light that has passed through the pinholes onto the specimen and focusing the fluorescence from the specimen on the pinholes; an illumination-light-axis adjustment mechanism adjusting the position and the angle of the optical axis of the illumination light; an installation-angle adjustment mechanism adjusting the installation angle of the disk unit; and a unit insertion/removal mechanism removably supporting the disk unit onto the optical axis of the illumination light.

A microscope (10) for detecting images of an object (14) located in an object plane (12) is described, comprising a microscope stand (18); a microscope objective (20); a light source (22) integrated into the microscope stand (18); and a beam splitter (24), integrated into the microscope objective (20), for coupling in a coaxial incident illumination.

A super resolution microscope system is disclosed and described. The system can include a sample stage (180) adapted to receive a sample (185) including probe molecules. At least one light source (105) is provided to produce a coherent excitation light to excite the probe molecules and cause luminescence of the probe molecules. An image detector (100) can detect the luminescence from the probe molecules. A microlens array (125) can be positioned in a beam path (110) of the coherent light from the at least one light source (105). The beam path (110) of the coherent light extends between the light source (105) and the sample stage (180). The microlens array (125) can also be positioned in a beam path (112) of the luminescence from the probe molecules. The beam path (112) of the luminescence extends between the sample stage (180) and the image detector (100).

A scanning apparatus includes a light source, a spatial light modulator that modulates an incident beam of light on a first reflection surface, an illumination lens that irradiates the spatial light modulator with a beam of light from the light source and that refracts a principal ray of a beam of light modulated by the spatial light modulator so that an angle between the principal ray and an optical axis of the illumination lens decreases, and a first reflector that directs, toward the illumination lens, a beam of light by reflecting the beam of light multiple times between the illumination lens and a front focal plane of the illumination lens, the beam of light being modulated by the spatial light modulator and entering through the illumination lens.