Virtual pinhole confocal microscope

Technical Report · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/353183· OSTI ID:353183

George, J S; Rector, D M; Ranken, D M ^[1]; Peterson, B ^[2]; Kesteron, J ^[3]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States). Biophysics Group
2. SciLearn Inc. (United States)
3. VayTech Inc. (United States)

Scanned confocal microscopes enhance imaging capabilities, providing improved contrast and image resolution in 3-D, but existing systems have significant technical shortcomings and are expensive. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a novel approach--virtual pinhole confocal microscopy--that uses state of the art illumination, detection, and data processing technologies to produce an imager with a number of advantages: reduced cost, faster imaging, improved efficiency and sensitivity, improved reliability and much greater flexibility. Work at Los Alamos demonstrated proof of principle; prototype hardware and software have been used to demonstrate technical feasibility of several implementation strategies. The system uses high performance illumination, patterned in time and space. The authors have built functional confocal imagers using video display technologies (LCD or DLP) and novel scanner based on a micro-lens array. They have developed a prototype system for high performance data acquisition and processing, designed to support realtime confocal imaging. They have developed algorithms to reconstruct confocal images from a time series of spatially sub-sampled images; software development remains an area of active development. These advances allow the collection of high quality confocal images (in fluorescence, reflectance and transmission modes) with equipment that can inexpensively retrofit to existing microscopes. Planned future extensions to these technologies will significantly enhance capabilities for microscopic imaging in a variety of applications, including confocal endoscopy, and confocal spectral imaging.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Assistant Secretary for Management and Administration, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 353183
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--99-954; ON: DE99002731
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

44 INSTRUMENTATION
INCLUDING NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE DETECTORS
ALGORITHMS
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
DESIGN
IMAGE PROCESSING
LIGHTING SYSTEMS
MICROSCOPES
OPERATION