Abstract:
Optical scanning system (80), comprising an optical system (3) for guiding a first and a second light beam (110, 110b), and deflector devices for deflecting first and second light beams in a directionally variable manner. The deflector devices comprise at least one acousto-optic deflector (100.1, 100.2; 100.3, 100.4), and the optical system is arranged in such a way that the first and second light beams are counter-propagating through the acousto-optic deflector, which is controllable for deflecting the first and second light beams simultaneously or in pulse sequence. STED microscopy apparatus comprising an optical scanning system based on acousto-optic deflectors.
Abstract:
Device for optically measuring a medium, comprising a light source (1) which provides a fundamental beam (FB) with a first wavelength; a first harmonic generator (3) which generates from the fundamental beam (FB) a first harmonic beam (HB1) with a second wavelength; an optical system (7, 9) which couples light of the fundamental beam (FB) and the first harmonic beam (HB1) along a single, common light path; a second harmonic genera- tor (11) positioned after the target area (5); and a detector (15) which detects light from the medium to measure a change in phase of the light interacting with the medium. The optical system comprises an achromatic focusing system (7) and an achromatic collimating system (9) positioned before and after the target area (5) so as to have respective focal points substantially coincident at the target area (5). The first and second harmonic generators are positioned before the achromatic focusing system (7) and after the achromatic collimating system (9), respectively.
Abstract:
Lightening method of at least one biological sample (S), in which said at least one biological sample includes at least one or more fluorophores, at the focal point (F) of at least one objective lens (L) having a main optical axis (z-z), the method comprising the following operational steps:- lightening (step 10) said at least one biological sample (S) with at least one excitation beam (EB), which propagates between said at least one objective lens (L) and said at least one biological sample (S) along at least one first propagation axis (a-a);- lightening (step 20) said at least one biological sample (S) with at least two depletion beams (DB, DB'), which propagate between said at least one objective lens (L) and said at least one biological sample (S) along the respective second propagation axes (b-b, b'-b'), said depletion beams being donut-shaped, each one in a plane orthogonal to the respective second propagation axis (b-b, b'-b'); whereby said at least one first propagation axis (a-a) and said at least second propagation axes (b-b, b'-b') are angularly inclined with each other, and said at least one first propagation axis (a-a) and said second propagation axes (b-b, b'-b') intersect on said at least one biological sample (s) only at the focal point (F) of said at least one objective lens (L), so that an effective fluorescence volume (FV) is generated in said at least one biological sample (S) which is limited both orthogonally and axially with respect to said main optical axis (z-z).
Abstract:
Microscopy method and apparatus for determining the positions of one or more emitter objects in a three-dimensional space that comprises focusing scattered light or fluorescent light emitted by an emitter object, separating the focused beam in a first and a second optical beam, directing the first and the second optical beam through a varifocal lens having an optical axis in such a way that the first optical beam impinges on the lens along the optical axis and the second beam impinges decentralized with respect to the optical axis of the varifocal lens, simultaneously capturing a first image created by the first optical beam and a second image created by the second optical beam, and determining the relative displacement of the position of the object in the first and in the second image, wherein the relative displacement contains the information of the axial position of the object along a perpendicular direction to the image plane.
Abstract:
The present invention concerns a method for the preparation of a substrate for a plasmonic device comprising the steps of: - providing a substrate (1) made of a photosensitive glass having a first surface (2); - treating the first surface (2) with a light beam so as to obtain a plurality of substantially conical microstructures (6), - depositing on the plurality of microstructures (6) a layer of metal nanoparticles (7) produced by laser irradiation of a metal sheet in water or in an aqueous solution in which the treatment step with a light beam is performed by means of the following steps: - positioning of a masking element (3) on the first surface (2) so as to define in at least one direction a first plurality of masked portions (4) and a second plurality of unmasked portions (5); - irradiation with UV radiation of the plurality of unmasked portions ( 5 ); - removal of the masking element (3); - heating of the substrate (1) and - treatment of the first surface (2) with a strong acid.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to anodic porous alumina (APA) in the form of microparticles, characterized in that it contains interconnected through nanopores, and to its use in the preparation of a new composite material, which is useful for example in the field of conservative dentistry. The invention further relates to a process for preparing the nanoporous alumina of the invention in microparticles.
Abstract:
Method of optical microscopy by scanning a sample containing an excitable species, the method comprising: - directing a first and a second light beam onto respective, partially overlapped areas of the sample, wherein the first light beam is provided for exciting members of the excitable species, and the second light beam is provided for reducing the number of excited members; - detecting an optical signal coming from the sample, comprising a main component and a spurious component, during consecutive first and second time gates, the first time gate being provided for detecting the optical signal for a time interval during which the main component and the spurious component are both present, and the second time gate being provided for detecting the optical signal for a time interval during which the main component tends to or is zero; - processing the detected optical signal to separate its main component. The first light beam is operating during the first time gate and is interrupted during the second time gate.
Abstract:
An optical and atomic force microscopy measurement integrated system, comprising an atomic force microscope having a first probe apt to interact with a sample to be analysed, an optical tweezer, a second probe apt to be held in the focus of the optical tweezer, movement means for moving the two probes, measurement means for measuring the variations of position of the two probes and processing means apt to receive in input the measurement signals of the two probes to generate an output signal representative of the sample.
Abstract:
Laser scanning microscope configured to illuminate a sample with a plurality of pulsed excitation light beams comprising different excitation spectral components (B1, B2), wherein the microscope comprises: a single-photon detector (40) configured to detect a fluorescence signal emitted by the sample, the fluorescence signal comprising different spectral components, an excitation spectrum encoder (50) configured to impose a respective time delay on each excitation spectral component, an emission spectrum encoder (60) configured to impose a respective time delay on each emission spectral component, and a multi-species decoder (70) configured to decode the excitation spectrum, the emission spectrum and the fluorescence decay curve for the fluorescent species contained in the sample.
Abstract:
Method for operating a point laser- scanning microscope, comprising scanning a sample with a focused illumination laser beam (EB); recording, by means of an array of detecting elements (23), a plurality of images of the sample over a scan by the laser beam, wherein the detecting elements (23) are configurable to an intensity mode, in which the recorded images are intensity images g i,j (n) related to photons collected during an entire dwell time of the illumination beam on the individual position n, or in a time-resolved mode, in which the recorded images are time -resolved images g t ij (n, t ), in which the collected photons are discriminated based on their times of arrival to the individual detecting elements (23); calculating a fingerprint image a by summing the plurality of intensity images g i,j (n) over all positions n of the illumination beam (EB) on the sample, the fingerprint image depending simultaneously on an illumination point-spread function, hereinafter illumination PSF, h exc , and a detection point-spread function, hereinafter detection PSF, h det , estimating shift matrices s x and s y from the intensity images g i,j (n), reconstructing at least one of: i) a time-resolved object function f t , and ii) an intensity object function f, and, visualizing at least one of a high-resolution time-resolved image f t~ and a high- resolution intensity image f ~ , based on said time -resolved object function and intensity object function.