The present invention discloses a photon enhancement apparatus comprising a reflective component and 4f coherent imaging system, which increases a photon collection efficiency. The present invention also provides a microscope comprising said photon enhancement apparatus and methods of improving photon collection efficiency, signal-to-noise ratio, and/or optical resolution using the said photon enhancement apparatus.

The present invention discloses a photon enhancement apparatus comprising a reflective component and 4f coherent imaging system, which increases a photon collection efficiency. The present invention also provides a microscope comprising said photon enhancement apparatus and methods of improving photon collection efficiency, signal-to-noise ratio, and/or optical resolution using the said photon enhancement apparatus.

Methods and systems for generating non-diffracting light sheets for multicolor fluorescence microscopy are disclosed. A method for generating a non-diffracting light patterned Bessel sheet comprises transmitting an input light beam through a Fourier transform lens the input light beam has a spatial intensity pattern at a first plane, and a Fourier plane is formed after the Fourier transform lens to obtain a first light beam; transmitting the first light beam through an annulus mask to obtain a second light beam; and transmitting the second light beam through an excitation objective lens to form a non-diffracting patterned light sheet. A method for generating a non-diffracting light line Bessel sheet comprises transmitting an input light beam at a first lane through an annulus mask to obtain a first light beam; and transmitting the first light beam through an excitation objective lens to form a non-diffracting Bessel light sheet.

The present subject matter described an optical microscopy device (3) for a portable imaging system, such as a smartphone. The optical microscopy device (3) comprises an optical lens assembly with eight to fifteen lens elements. The optical lens assembly has an optical magnification in a range of about 1× to about 7.8×, an airy radius in a range of about 3 micron to about 23.25 micron, a depth of field in a range of about 20 micron to about 338 micron, a numerical aperture in a range of about 0.015 to about 0.115, a half field of view in a range of about 12 degrees to about 30 degrees, and a length in a range of about 6.5 millimeter (mm) to about 57 mm.

The present subject matter described an optical microscopy device (3) for a portable imaging system, such as a smartphone. The optical microscopy device (3) comprises an optical lens assembly with eight to fifteen lens elements. The optical lens assembly has an optical magnification in a range of about 1× to about 7.8×, an airy radius in a range of about 3 micron to about 23.25 micron, a depth of field in a range of about 20 micron to about 338 micron, a numerical aperture in a range of about 0.015 to about 0.115, a half field of view in a range of about 12 degrees to about 30 degrees, and a length in a range of about 6.5 millimeter (mm) to about 57 mm.

A process is provided for imaging a surface of a specimen with an imaging system that employs a BD objective having a darkfield channel and a bright field channel, the BD objective having a circumference. The specimen is obliquely illuminated through the darkfield channel with a first arced illuminating light that obliquely illuminates the specimen through a first arc of the circumference. The first arced illuminating light reflecting off of the surface of the specimen is recorded as a first image of the specimen from the first arced illuminating light reflecting off the surface of the specimen, and a processor generates a 3D topography of the specimen by processing the first image through a topographical imaging technique. Imaging apparatus is also provided as are further process steps for other embodiments.

A light source unit includes: a housing; a semiconductor laser that is disposed in the housing and that radiates excitation light; a first condenser optical system that condenses the excitation light; a dichroic mirror that selectively reflects the excitation light; a second condenser optical system that condenses the excitation light; a wavelength conversion member that performs wavelength conversion of the excitation light and emits wavelength-converted light; an emission section that outputs the wavelength-converted light transmitted through the second condenser optical system and the dichroic mirror; and a light blocking section that is disposed between an inner surface of the housing, the inner surface being in a traveling direction of the excitation light toward a reflection surface of the dichroic mirror, and a back surface, the back surface being an opposite side of the reflection surface, or is disposed on the inner surface of the housing.

Examples relate to a microscope system comprising a Light-Emitting Diode (LED)-based illumination system and at least one image sensor assembly, and to a corresponding system, method and computer program. The LED-based illumination system is configured to emit radiation power having at least one peak at a wavelength that is tuned to an excitation wavelength of at least one fluorescent material and/or to emit radiation power across a white light spectrum, with the light emitted across the white light spectrum being filtered such that light having a wavelength spectrum that coincides with at least one fluorescence emission wavelength spectrum of the at least one fluorescent material is attenuated or blocked. The at least one image sensor assembly is configured to generate image data, with the image data (at least) representing light reflected by a sample that is illuminated by the LED-based illumination system. The microscope system comprises one or more processors, configured to process the image data to generate processed image data.

Examples relate to a microscope system comprising a Light-Emitting Diode (LED)-based illumination system and at least one image sensor assembly, and to a corresponding system, method and computer program. The LED-based illumination system is configured to emit radiation power having at least one peak at a wavelength that is tuned to an excitation wavelength of at least one fluorescent material and/or to emit radiation power across a white light spectrum, with the light emitted across the white light spectrum being filtered such that light having a wavelength spectrum that coincides with at least one fluorescence emission wavelength spectrum of the at least one fluorescent material is attenuated or blocked. The at least one image sensor assembly is configured to generate image data, with the image data (at least) representing light reflected by a sample that is illuminated by the LED-based illumination system. The microscope system comprises one or more processors, configured to process the image data to generate processed image data.

According to the present disclosure, an optical signal emitted from a single molecule is received to measure a central location of the single molecule while changing a phase of a structured illumination having a periodic pattern to measure a phase of a pattern in which a fluorescence intensity is periodically changed in accordance with a distance between the pattern and the single molecule while displacing the periodic pattern by a specific interval to measure the central location of the single molecule, thereby improving an accuracy of the central location of the single molecule with low photons and as a result, the resolution of the image may be enhanced.