Adaptive light-sheet fluorescence microscopy with a deformable mirror for video-rate volumetric imaging

Abstract

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) achieves optically sectioned imaging with the relatively low photobleaching and phototoxic effect. To achieve high-speed volumetric LSFM imaging without perturbing the sample, it is necessary to use some form of remote refocusing in the detection beam path. Previous work used electrically tunable lenses, tunable acoustic gradient index of refraction lenses, or the remote-refocusing approach of Botcherby et al. [Opt. Lett. 32(14), 2007 (2007)] to achieve remote refocusing. However, these approaches generally only provide low-order defocus correction, which is not compatible with higher-NA objectives that require higher order defocus corrections or reduce the optical throughput. In order to simultaneously achieve high-speed remote refocusing and correct system aberrations, we employ a deformable mirror in the detection path that is capable of providing higher orders of defocus and aberration correction in an optical system with an NA of 0.72–0.75. We demonstrate high-speed volumetric imaging at 26.3 volumes per second and 35 frames per volume for a defocus range of −50 to 50  μm.