Converter, illuminator, and light sheet fluorescence microscope

A converter for converting a line light into a structured light sheet or a pivoting light sheet, said converter comprising:

• a spatial light modulator including first to n-th pixels, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 2, said first to n-th pixels respectively include first to n-th groups of sub-pixels, each group of sub-pixels comprises reflection surfaces, first to n-th lights are emitted respectively from said first to n-th pixels when a line light enters said first to n-th pixels, said first to n-th lights respectively include first to n-th specific-order lights, and intensities and phases of said first to n-th specific-order lights respectively depend on arrangements of said first to n-th groups of sub-pixels;
• an optical system that extracts said first to n-th specific-order lights respectively from said first to n-th lights and converts said first to n-th specific-order lights respectively into first to n-th light sheets to create the first to n-th light sheets at a portion to be illuminated;
• and
• a controller that performs processing of controlling the arrangements of said first to n-th groups of sub-pixels such that a structured light sheet or a pivoting light sheet is created at said portion to be illuminated, an arrangement of said each group of sub-pixels comprises an arrangement when no modulation is performed in which said reflection surfaces are positioned at first positions that are flush with each other, an arrangement when phase modulation is performed in which said reflection surfaces are displaced from said first positions and are flush with each other, and an arrangement when amplitude modulation is performed in which said reflection surfaces create a periodic roughness.