Tilted illumination systems for fluoresence microscopes

A system for imaging a sample using fluorescence microscopy, the system comprising:

• a collimated illuminator configured to propagate a collimated light beam along a propagation axis;
• a cylindrical lens in a path of the collimated light beam along the propagation axis, wherein the cylindrical lens is shaped to form a light sheet from the collimated light beam at a focal line of the cylindrical lens;
• and
• an objective lens comprising an imaging surface;
• wherein the collimated illuminator and cylindrical lens are titled relative to the objective lens so that the propagation axis of the collimated light beam is at an oblique angle relative to an imaging axis of the objective lens.

An illumination system for a fluorescence microscope, the illumination system comprising:

• a cylindrical lens shaped to form a light sheet from a collimated light beam at a focal line of the cylindrical lens;
• a photomask shaped for elongating a diffraction limited length of the light sheet by creating an interference pattern at the cylindrical lens focal line;
• and
• a structure for tilting the cylindrical lens and the photomask relative to an imaging axis of objective lens so that a propagation axis of the collimated light beam is at an oblique angle relative to the imaging axis of the objective lens for tilted illumination of a sample.