Computational
Optics

Improving the spectral resolution in confocal microscopy is important for both materials research and the study of fluorescent biological samples. When studying dynamic fluorescent samples, it is ideal to image at hight spectral resolution while retaining good viability and signal sensitivity, as well as high temporal fidelity. In particular there is a great need to image at high speeds with spectral resolution to image dynamic events such as cell division and cancer invasion and progression.

We have developed a high-speed spectral confocal microscope that utilizes a low-loss Amici prism for spectral separation in conjunction with a multi-point confocal design for high speed image capture. Our system achieves 15 channels of spectral resolution at a 4 frames per second imaging rate with minimal loss of overall signal.