Optical phase conjugation 4Pi microscope

1. A 4-Pi microscope, comprising:

(a) a first objective for focusing a first light beam on a sample at a spatial point;

(b) one or more Digital Optical Phase Conjugation (DOPC) devices, wherein the DOPC devices each include:

(i) a sensor for detecting the first light beam that has been transmitted through the sample and inputted on the sensor; and

(ii) a spatial light modulator (SLM) for outputting, in response to the sensor detecting the first light beam, a second light beam that is an optical phase conjugate of the first light beam; and

(c) a second objective positioned to transmit the first light beam to the sensor and focus the second light beam on the sample at the spatial point, so that the first light beam and the second light beam are counter-propagating and both focused to the spatial point.

2. The microscope of claim 1 , further comprising a sample holder, between the first objective and the second objective, for holding the sample such that the spatial point is on or within the sample, and the first light beam is transmitted through the sample and the second objective before being collected by the DOPC devices.

3. The microscope of claim 1 , further comprising a source of an input reference beam, positioned to illuminate one or more pixels of the SLM, wherein the second light beam is a reflection of the input reference beam off the pixels of the SLM, and the pixels are for modulating the reference beam to create the optical phase conjugate.

4. The microscope of claim 3 , further comprising:

a beam splitter positioned to combine the first light beam and a sensor reference beam, on the sensor so that the first light beam and the sensor reference beam interfere on the sensor and form one or more holograms on the sensor, the holograms including interferometric data;

one or more processors for:

(1) receiving the interferometric data and determining one or more phases and one or more amplitudes of first light fields of the first light beam from the interferometric data,

(2) digitally modifying the phases and the amplitudes to produce one or more modified phases and one or more modified amplitudes, and

(3) outputting the modified phases and modified amplitudes to the SLM so that the SLM outputs the second light beam having the modified phases and modified amplitudes that are the optical phase conjugates of the phases and the amplitudes.

5. The microscope of claim 4 , further comprising an electro-optic modulator positioned to control a relative phase between the first light beam and the sensor reference beam, so that the holograms include one or more phase shifted holograms.

6. The microscope of claim 3 , further comprising:

a computer processor for controlling a power of the input reference beam so that the second light beam and the first light beam at the spatial point have identical powers as measured by maximum phase contrast in an interference pattern formed at the spatial point between the first light beam and the second light beam, or as measured by the first light beam and the second light beam independently generating an identical fluorescence signal.

7. The microscope of claim 6 , wherein the first light beam and the second light beam have a power at the spatial point which is sufficiently low to avoid photobleaching of the sample at the spatial point, thereby optimizing fluorescence generated by exciting the sample at the spatial point with the first light beam and the second light beam.

8. The microscope of claim 6 , further comprising a laser that is the source for the input reference beam and a source for the first light beam, wherein the first light beam and the second light beam have a wavelength such that the fluorescence is generated by two photon excitation of the sample by the first light beam and the second light beam.

9. The microscope of claim 1 , further comprising a detector positioned for imaging fluorescence of the sample generated by the first light beam and the second light beam.

10. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the DOPC devices each have a response time or update speed of at least 1 KHz or faster than movements in living tissues that deteriorate Turbidity Suppression by Optical Phase Conjugation (TSOPC) reconstruction efficiency.

11. A method for imaging using a 4-Pi Microscope, comprising:

focusing a first light beam at a spatial point on a sample;

detecting the first light beam that has been transmitted through the sample;

outputting, using a spatial light modulator (SLM), a second light beam that is an optical phase conjugate of the first light beam, wherein the first light beam and the second light beam are counter propagating and the second light beam retraces a path of the first light beam, thereby automatically aligning the 4-pi microscope;

focusing the second light beam, or allowing the second light beam to focus, on the sample at the spatial point;

using the first light beam and the second light beam to excite fluorescence from the sample at the spatial point; and

using the fluorescence to image the sample.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the focusing of the first light beam is with a first objective, the method further comprising:

transmitting the first light beam through a second objective to a sensor;

detecting, on the sensor, the first light beam that has been transmitted through the sample and inputted on the sensor; wherein the SLM outputs the second light beam in response to the first light beam detected by the sensor and the SLM and the sensor are each included in one or more Digital Optical Phase Conjugation (DOPC) devices; and

focusing the second light beam on the sample at the spatial point, so that the first light beam and the second light beam are counter-propagating and both focused to the spatial point.

13. The microscope of claim 12 , wherein the DOPC devices each have a response time or update speed of at least 1 KHz or faster than movements in living tissues that deteriorate Turbidity Suppression by Optical Phase Conjugation (TSOPC) reconstruction efficiency.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

holding, using a sample holder, the sample between the first objective and the second objective, such that the spatial point is on or within the sample, and the first light beam is transmitted through the sample and the second objective before being collected by the DOPC devices.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

illuminating one or more pixels of the SLM with an input reference beam from a source, wherein the second light beam is a reflection of the input reference beam off the pixels of the SLM, and the pixels are for modulating the reference beam to create the optical phase conjugate.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

combining, using a beamsplitter, the first light beam and the sensor reference beam, onto the sensor so that the first light beam and the sensor reference beam interfere on the sensor and form one or more holograms on the sensor, the holograms including interferometric data;

receiving, in one or more processors, the interferometric data and determining one or more phases and one or more amplitudes of first light fields of the first light beam from the interferometric data;

digitally modifying, in the one or more processors, the phases and the amplitudes to produce one or more modified phases and one or more modified amplitudes, and

outputting, from the one or more processors, the modified phases and modified amplitudes to the SLM so that the SLM outputs the second light beam having the modified phases and modified amplitudes that are the optical phase conjugates of the phases and the amplitudes.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

controlling, using an electro-optic modulator, a relative phase between the first light beam and the sensor reference beam, so that the holograms include one or more phase shifted holograms.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

controlling, using a computer processor, a power of the input reference beam so that the second light beam and the first light beam at the spatial point have identical powers as measured by maximum phase contrast in an interference pattern formed at the spatial point between the first light beam and the second light beam, or as measured by the first light beam and the second light beam independently generating an identical fluorescence signal.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

optimizing fluorescence generated by exciting the sample at the spatial point with the first light beam and the second light beam, by providing the first light beam and the second light beam with a power at the spatial point which is sufficiently low to avoid photobleaching of the sample at the spatial point.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising

performing two photon excitation of the sample at the spatial point using a laser that is the source for the input reference beam and a source for the first light beam, wherein the first light beam and the second light beam have a wavelength such that the fluorescence is generated by two photon excitation of the sample by the first light beam and the second light beam.

21. A method for assembling a 4-Pi microscope, comprising:

(a) positioning:

(i) a first objective for focusing a first light beam on a sample at a spatial point;

(ii) one or more Digital Optical Phase Conjugation (DOPC) devices, wherein the DOPC devices each include:

(1) a sensor for detecting the first light beam that has been transmitted through the sample and inputted on the sensor; and

(2) a spatial light modulator (SLM) for outputting, in response to the sensor detecting the first light beam, a second light beam that is an optical phase conjugate of the first light beam; and

(iii) a second objective positioned to transmit the first light beam to the sensor and focus the second light beam on the sample at the spatial point, so that the first light beam and the second light beam are counter-propagating and both focused to the spatial point.