Bessel beam plane illumination microscope

1. A microscope comprising:

a light source for generating a light beam having a wavelength, λ;

beam-forming optics configured for receiving the light beam and generating a Bessel-like excitation beam that is directed into a sample, the beam-forming optics including an excitation objective having an axis oriented in a first direction;

imaging optics configured for receiving signal light from the sample that is illuminated by the Bessel-like beam and for imaging the received signal light on a detector, the imaging optics including a detection objective having an axis oriented in a second direction that is non-parallel to the first direction;

a detector configured for detecting signal light received by the imaging optics; and

an aperture mask positioned between the sample and the detector, wherein the aperture mask is configured to prevent signal light from positions within the sample illuminated by side lobes of the Bessel-like beam from reaching the detector, while allowing signal light from positions within the sample illuminated by a central lobe of the Bessel-like beam to reach the detector.

2. The microscope of claim 1 , further comprising beam scanning optics configured for scanning the Bessel-like beam in a direction having a component perpendicular to the first direction.

3. The microscope of claim 2 , further comprising image-positioning optics positioned in an optical path between the sample and the detector and configured for imaging signal light from different positions within the sample while the Bessel-like beam is scanned by the beam scanning optics through a fixed position of the aperture mask.

4. The microscope of claim 3 , wherein the aperture mask defines a slit.

5. The microscope of claim 3 , wherein the detector is a line detector.

6. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the Bessel-like beam has a ratio of a Rayleigh length, z R to a minimum beam waist, w o , of more than 2πw o /λ and less than 100πw o /λ.

7. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the Bessel-like beam has a non-zero ratio of a minimum numerical aperture to a maximum numerical aperture of less than 0.95.

8. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the Bessel-like beam has a non-zero ratio of a minimum numerical aperture to a maximum numerical aperture of less than 0.90.

9. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the Bessel-like beam has a minimum numerical aperture greater than zero and a ratio of energy in a first side lobe of the beam to energy in the central lobe of the beam of less than 0.5.

10. The microscope of claim 1 , further comprising a coverslip that supports the sample, wherein a normal direction to a plane of the sample that supports the sample forms an angle with the first direction of more than 10 degrees and less than 80 degrees.

11. The microscope of claim 10 , wherein the sample is less than ten micrometers thick.

12. The microscope of claim 10 , wherein the angle is selected such that neither the excitation beam, nor the outgoing signal light, intercepts the coverslip.

13. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the signal light has a wavelength of λ/2.

14. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the signal light is generated though a non-linear signal generation process.

15. The microscope of claim 1 , wherein the signal light includes fluorescence light emitted from the sample after excitation by the Bessel-like beam.

16. The microscope of claim 1 , further comprising an annular mask in a path of the light beam configured to generate an annular ring of light from which the Bessel-like beam is formed.