Coincident focus microscope having superior resolution and contrast in three dimensions

摘要

A microscope having an objective lens and illumination means configured in combination such that said illumination means illuminates a specimen through a different region of the objective lens than that used for observation, and having an opaque region separating the illumination and observation regions. The basic optical design is capable of resolving optically isolated micron-sized voxels deep within tissue, without the use of a computer and when illuminated only with visible light.

主权项

1. A common focus microscope having an objective lens and an illumination system configured in combination such that illumination light from said illumination system passes in a first direction through a transparent illumination region of said objective lens to illuminate a region within the specimen, and reflected light and/or fluorescent light from the sample passes in a second direction through a transparent observation region of said objective lens, said objective lens having an opaque region therein separating said transparent illumination region from said transparent observation region.