Microscope and acousto-optic beam combiner for a microscope

A beam combiner for a microscope or a scanning microscope, which receives at least a first illuminating light bundle and a second illuminating light bundle and combines them into a collinear output light bundle, the first illuminating light bundle and the second illuminating light bundle having the same illuminating light wavelength but a different linear polarization,

• wherein the beam combiner is embodied as an acousto-optic beam combiner and is constructed and operated in such a way that by interaction with at least one mechanical wave, both the first illuminating light bundle and the second illuminating light bundle are diffracted and are thereby directed into a common optical axis, wherein the acousto-optic beam combiner comprises a crystal through which a mechanical wave having an acoustic frequency associated with the wavelength of the first and of the second illuminating light bundle propagates, the crystal and the propagation direction of the mechanical wave being oriented, relative to one another and respectively relative to the illuminating light bundles incident into the crystal, in such a way that both the first illuminating light bundle and the second illuminating light bundle are diffracted at the mechanical wave and are thereby directed into a common optical axis.

A beam combiner for a microscope or a scanning microscope, which receives at least a first illuminating light bundle and a second illuminating light bundle and combines them into a collinear output light bundle, the first illuminating light bundle and the second illuminating light bundle having the same illuminating light wavelength but a different linear polarization,

• wherein the beam combiner is embodied as an acousto-optic beam combiner and is constructed and operated in such a way that by interaction with at least one mechanical wave, both the first illuminating light bundle and the second illuminating light bundle are diffracted and are thereby directed into a common optical axis, wherein the acousto-optic beam combiner comprises a first crystal through which a first mechanical wave propagates and a second crystal through which a second mechanical wave propagates, the first illuminating light bundle being diffracted by interaction with the first mechanical wave and being directed into the common optical axis, and the second illuminating light bundle being diffracted by interaction with the second mechanical wave and being directed into the common optical axis, and the diffracted second illuminating light bundle passing through the first crystal undiffracted by the first mechanical wave.