Arrangement for optimizing the pulse shape in a laser scanning microscope
View Patent ↗A Device for coupling a short pulse laser into a microscope beam path, wherein the spectral components of the laser radiation are spatially separated by means of a dispersive element, the individual spectral components are manipulated and are then spatially superimposed again by means of another dispersive element.
1. A device for coupling a short pulse laser into a microscope beam path of a laser scanning microscope comprising:
a dispersive element for spatially separating the spectral components of the short pulse laser;
a manipulator for manipulating individual spectral components; and
an element for cancelling the spatial separation of the spectral components;
wherein the microscope generates a nonlinear effect, and a measured quantity of the nonlinear effect is fed back to the manipulator to enable the manipulator to purposefully optimize the measured quantity.
2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein, after manipulation, the spectral components are reflected at a mirror and the spatial separation of the spectral components is cancelled by the first dispersive element.
3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the microscope is a laser scanning microscope.
4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein prisms or gratings are used as dispersive elements.
5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the manipulator generates an amplitude modulation of the spectral components.
6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the manipulator generates a phase modulation of the spectral components.
7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the manipulator is a spatial light modulator.
8. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the phase modulation compensates for higher order dispersion.
9. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the phase modulation optimizes the measured quantity by being adjusted based on the average measured quantity fed back to the manipulator.
10. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the phase modulation optimizes the measured quantity by being adjusted based on the depth of penetration into a specimen being examined.
11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the manipulator optimizes a fluorescence signal for an individual dye while simultaneously suppressing the fluorescence of other dyes, wherein the dyes are used for specific tagging of a biological preparation.
12. The device according to claim 11 , wherein the manipulator optimizes the fluorescence signal by phase or amplitude modulation.
13. A laser scanning microscope system comprising:
a microscope;
a dispersive element for spatially separating the spectral components of a short pulse laser that will be coupled into a microscope beam path of the microscope;
a manipulator for manipulating individual spectral components; and
an element for cancelling the spatial separation of the spectral components;
wherein the microscope generates a nonlinear effect, and a measured quantity of the nonlinear effect is fed back to the manipulator to enable the manipulator to purposefully optimize the measured quantity.
14. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the element for cancelling the spatial separation of the spectral components is the dispersive element.
15. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the element for cancelling the spatial separation of the spectral components comprises a second dispersive element.
16. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a lens or lens group for receiving the separated spectral components and generating a Fourier transform.
17. The device according to claim 15 , wherein the element for cancelling the spatial separation of the spectral components further comprises a second lens or lens group.