Microscope and microscopy method

A microscope comprising at least one illuminating beam, which is phase-modulated with a modulation frequency in a partial area of its cross section;

• a microscope objective lens for focusing the illuminating beam into a sample;
• a detection beam path and at least one means for demodulation, wherein the illuminating beam is formed by a continuously radiating CW laser;
• a polarizing beam splitter located in the illuminating beam path upstream of the microscope objective lens, said polarizing beam splitter generating first and second non-interfering partial beams;
• a combining element provided for superimposing the partial beams incoherently, wherein a phase element is provided in a partial beam path, and a phase element having at a same time at least two areas with different phase control;
• said two areas being in the beam path of said partial beams and one of said at least two areas relates to said partial area, and acousto-optical elements (AOM) provided in a beam path of both partial beams in order to reciprocally switch on and off the partial beams.

A microscopy method, comprising phase demodulating at least one illuminating beam with a modulation frequency in a partial area of its cross section and focusing said illuminating beam into a sample by means of a microscope objective lens for focusing the illuminating beam;

• detecting by means of a detection beam path and at least one means for demodulation;
• said illuminating beam being formed by a continuously radiating CW laser;
• generating first and second non-interfering partial beams by means of a polarizing beam splitter in the illuminating beam path upstream of the microscope objective lens, superimposing said partial beams incoherently by a combining element, wherein in a partial beam path a phase element has a different effect at a same time on the phase in at least two areas;
• one of said two areas being in said beam path of said partial beam and one of said two areas relates to said partial area, and in one beam path of both partial beams acousto-optical elements (AOM) generate a reciprocating on and off switching of the partial beams.