Microscope having a surgical slit lamp having a laser light source

1. A microscope comprising:

a light source emitting a coherent light beam bundle for travel along a defined illumination beam path; and

a spatial light modulator (SLM) in the illumination beam path for modifying the light beam bundle;

wherein the light source and the SLM are included in an illumination apparatus, and the illumination apparatus further includes an electronic control unit connected to the SLM for electronic activation of the SLM, and wherein the SLM is controlled, by way of the control unit, to vary size and shape of a continuous illuminated field provided by the illumination apparatus over time, and wherein the light source includes two laser diodes emitting light at different wavelengths, the light emitted by the two laser diodes being launched simultaneously onto the illuminated field.

2. The microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising means for reflecting light from at least one of the two laser diodes into the illumination beam path such that light from the two laser diodes travels along the illumination beam path.

3. The microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising a microscope housing including a circular-arc-segment carrier, wherein the light source and the SLM are included in an illumination apparatus movable along the circular-arc-segment carrier.

4. The microscope according to claim 3 , wherein the illumination apparatus further includes an electronic control unit connected to the SLM for electronic activation of the SLM, wherein the control unit controls the SLM such that the illuminated field is a first crescent-shaped illuminated field when the illumination apparatus is at an outermost pivot position (a) on the circular-arc-segment carrier, is a slit-shaped illuminated field when the illumination apparatus is at a central pivot position (c) on the circular-arc-segment carrier, and is a second crescent-shaped illuminated field arranged as a mirror image of the first crescent-shaped illuminated field when the illumination apparatus is at an outermost oppositely located pivot position (e) on the circular-arc-segment carrier.

5. The microscope according to claim 3 , wherein an angle of incidence of illumination onto an object, constituting an illumination angle (β), is variable by moving the illumination apparatus along the circular-arc-segment carrier.

6. The microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the light source and the SLM are included in an illumination apparatus, and the illumination apparatus is rotatable about an axis of the illumination beam path.

7. The microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the SLM is arranged to change a direction of the light beam bundle.

8. The microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the light modulator is controlled, by way of the control unit, to output a slit-shaped illuminated field.

9. The microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the light modulator is controlled, by way of the control unit, to output an illuminated field that is centered with respect to an axis of the microscope.

10. The microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the light modulator is controlled, by way of the control unit, to output a ring-shaped illuminated field.

11. The microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the light modulator is controlled, by way of the control unit, to output a crescent-shaped illuminated field.

12. The microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the light modulator is controlled, by way of the control unit, to rotate the illuminated field.

13. The microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the light modulator is controlled, by way of the control unit, to provide a continuous transition from one illuminated field shape to another.

14. The microscope according to claim 1 , further comprising a microscope housing, wherein the light source and the SLM are included in an illumination apparatus, and the illumination apparatus is displaceable along a longitudinal axis to vary an illumination angle (α) at which light is incident to an object.

15. The microscope according to claim 1 , wherein the microscope is a surgical stereomicroscope.

16. A method of controlling illumination in a microscope, wherein the microscope comprises (i) a housing including a circular-arc-segment carrier and (ii) an illumination apparatus movable along the circular-arc-segment carrier, the illumination apparatus including a light source emitting a coherent light beam bundle for travel along a defined illumination beam path and a spatial light modulator (SLM) in the illumination beam path for modifying the light beam bundle to define an illuminated field, the method comprising the steps of:

moving the illumination apparatus along the circular-arc-segment carrier; and

activating the SLM to change the shape of the illuminated field depending on a location of the illumination apparatus along the circular-arc-segment carrier, wherein the SLM is activated such that the illuminated field has a first crescent shape when the illumination apparatus is at a first outermost pivot position (a) on the circular-arc-segment carrier, the illuminated field has a slit shape when the illumination apparatus is at a central pivot position (c) on the circular-arc-segment carrier, and the illuminated field has a second crescent shape that is a mirror image of the first crescent shape when the illumination apparatus is at a second outermost pivot position (e) on the circular-arc-segment carrier opposite from the first outermost pivot position.

17. A method of controlling illumination in a microscope comprising the steps of:

activating a light source to emit a coherent light beam bundle travelling along an illumination beam path, the light beam bundle defining a continuous illuminated field; and

modifying the light beam bundle by controlling a spatial light modulator (SLM) in the illumination beam path to vary size and shape of the continuous illuminated field over time, wherein the light source includes two laser diodes emitting light at different wavelengths, the light emitted by the two laser diodes being launched simultaneously onto the continuous illuminated field.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the light beam bundle is modified by controlling the SLM to provide a continuous transition from one illuminated field shape to another.

19. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the light beam bundle is modified by controlling the SLM to provide a slit-shaped illuminated field.

20. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the light beam bundle is modified by controlling the SLM to provide a continuous illuminated field that is centered with respect to an axis of the microscope.

21. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the light beam bundle is modified by controlling the SLM to provide a ring-shaped illuminated field.

22. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the light beam bundle is modified by controlling the SLM to provide a crescent-shaped illuminated field.

23. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the light beam bundle is modified by controlling the SLM to rotate the illuminated field.