A Multimodal Adaptive Super-Resolution and Confocal Microscope

Abstract

Existing optical microscopy techniques compromise between resolution, photodamage, speed of acquisition and imaging in to deep samples. This often confines a technique to a certain biological system or process. We present a versatile imaging system which can switch between imaging modalities with sub millisecond transition times to adapt to the needs of a wide range of sample types. The imaging modalities provide the minimally invasive but low-resolution epi-fluorescence though increasing invasive but higher resolution confocal and structured illumination until the highest resolution is achieved through the most intrusive, localisation microscopy. The ability of the system to overcome the limitations of conventional single mode microscopy is demonstrated by several biological investigations. The ideas presented in this work allow researchers to move away from the model of a single imaging modality to study a specific process and instead follow those processes using the most suitable method available during the lifetime of the investigation.