Single-photon imaging system with reconfigurable controller for rapid switching between imaging modes

1. An imaging system configured to enable rapid switching between operational modes, the imaging system comprising:

an imaging system controller, the imaging system controller comprising

a reprogrammable logic device comprising memory, and

a high-speed data link;

optionally a suitable light source for fluorescence imaging;

an imaging sensor communicatively coupled to the controller; and

a host device communicatively coupled to the controller via the high-speed data link, the host device comprising one or more processors and one or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the host device to

instruct the imaging system controller to operate the imaging sensor according to a first operational mode,

receive imaging data from the imaging system controller during operation of the first operational mode,

reconfigure in real-time the reprogrammable logic device of the imaging system controller according to a second operational mode,

instruct the imaging system controller to operate the imaging sensor according to the second operational mode, the second operational mode differing from the first operational mode, wherein the second operational mode comprises a higher-speed photon counting mode, and

receive imaging data from the imaging system controller during operation of the second operational mode.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging sensor is a single-photon detector.

3. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the host device operates to switch the imaging system from the first operational mode to the second operational mode by adjusting a time gating parameter and/or operates to adjust a time gating parameter during the first operational mode, the second operational mode, or both.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the first and/or the second operational mode comprise one of Raman spectroscopy or time-delayed detection of fluorescence after light pulse excitation.

5. The imaging system of claim 4 , wherein the first or second operational mode comprises a Raman spectroscopy mode, and wherein the Raman spectroscopy mode comprises high-speed gating to separate background fluorescence emissions from Raman scattering signals, wherein the high-speed gating is within a range of hundreds of picoseconds to tens of nanoseconds.

6. The imaging system of claim 5 , wherein the high-speed gating is less than about 1 nanosecond.

7. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the first or second operational mode comprises a time-delayed detection of fluorescence mode, and wherein the time-delayed detection of fluorescence mode comprises a time gating delay configured to capture fluorescence emissions while substantially blocking excitation light signals, wherein the time gating delay is synchronized to an excitation light source signal so as to enable the imaging sensor to capture the fluorescence emission after the excitation light ceases.

8. The imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the fluorescence emission is captured without the use of spectral filtering of excitation light.

9. The imaging system of claim 5 , wherein the first operational mode is a Raman spectroscopy mode, and the second operational mode is a time-delayed detection of fluorescence mode, or wherein the first operational mode is a time-delayed detection of fluorescence mode and second operational mode is a Raman spectroscopy mode, wherein the system is configured to successively alternate between Raman and fluorescence modes.

10. The imaging system of claim 4 , wherein the first and second operational modes comprise different portions of a shifting time gating delay, wherein the shifting time gating delay is associated with a fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy FLIM) mode or a fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) mode.

11. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the first operational mode comprises a calibration/integration operation.

12. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the photon counting mode comprises interferometric fluorescence cross correlation spectroscopy (iFCCS).

13. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the system first or second operational mode comprises counting a number of fluorescent photons until a threshold is reached and to then cease exposure to thereby limit photobleaching.

14. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the first and/or second operational mode comprises a three-dimensional sectioning operation.

15. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the first and/or second operational mode comprises a Western blotting operation, wherein at least a portion of the Western blotting operation is performed without illumination from a light source.

16. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the high-speed data link is configured to provide a transfer rate of greater than 1 Gbps, or about 5 Gbps or more, or about 15 Gbps or more, or about 25 Gbps or more, or about 35 Gbps or more, or about 45 Gbps or more, or about 55 Gbps or more, or about 64 Gbps or more.

17. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more input/output connectors comprise a plurality of pins configured as differential pairs.

18. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes one or more input/output connectors configured for low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS).

19. The imaging system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of pins comprises at least 128 pins, or at least 256 pins, or at least about 300 pins.

20. The imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more light sources.