Light sheet fluorescence microscopy or LSFM splits fluorescence excitation and detection into two separate light paths, with the axis of illumination perpendicular to the detection axis. That means you illuminate a single thin section of your sample at one time, generating an inherent optical section by exciting only fluorescence from the in-focus plane. No pinhole or image processing is required for light sheet microscopy.
Light from the in-focus plane is collected on the pixels of a camera, rather than pixel by pixel as, for example, in confocal or other laser scanning microscopy approaches. Parallelization of the image collection on a camera-based detector lets you collect images faster and with less excitation light than you would with many other microscope techniques.
In summary, LSFM combines the optical sectioning effect with parallel image acquisition from the complete focal plane. This makes 3D imaging extremely fast and very light efficient.
Multiview imaging. Delivering true flexibility.
- Use Multiview imaging to find the ideal position of your specimen in relation to the axis of the detection optics.
- Image complete specimens by acquiring complementary information from different views, before recombining them in a straightforward post-processing step.
- Improve resolution of your processed dataset by recombining information from different views and use a dedicated deconvolution to further improve image quality.
The best of all worlds. Optimized light sheet microscopy optics
- Shape the illumination light sheet with combined cylindrical optics and a beam scanning mechanism.
- Rely on specially designed optics and a patented Pivot Scanner to give you the most homogenously illuminated optical section of any LSFM microscope.
- Protect your sample by using extremely low laser intensities to minimize bleaching.
Fluorescent imaging for large living samples
- Create Multiview data sets using a new sample positioning approach.
- Perform experiments with tissue cleared by Scale medium (Hama et al, Nat Neurosci. 2011), with a refractive index of n=1.38, or with aqueous clearing with n=1.45 (e.g.FocusClear™ by CelExplorer Labs)
- Use the optional trigger interface to maintain physiologically relevant conditions and benefit from the improved combination of image information and control of environmental conditions.