Laser-scanning intersecting plane tomography such as for high speed volumetric optical imaging

A method comprising:

• receiving, from a sample, light from different depths within the sample volume;
• redirecting, using a first light redirector, the light received from the sample to provide light to a light detector capable of detecting individual measurements of light at different locations along a first direction;
• redirecting light from a light source, using a second light redirector, to provide light to the sample, wherein the first and second light redirectors are configured in a specified spatial relationship to each other;
• and
• adjusting the first and second light redirectors during a scan of the sample so as to provide the specified spatial relationship during the scan.

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a light source, and wherein the light source comprises a collimated light source configured to provide a light beam or light sheet;
• a light detector that comprises a two-dimensional (2D) light detector array;
• a first lens, located and configured to receive from a sample light received from different depths within the sample volume;
• a first light redirector, located and configured to receive via the first lens and to redirect light received from the different depths within the sample volume to provide redirected light to a light detector capable of detecting individual measurements of light at different locations along a first direction;
• a second light redirector, located and configured to redirect light received from the light source to provide redirected light to the sample, wherein the second light redirector is in a specified spatial relationship to the first light redirector, and wherein the first and second light redirectors are configured to be adjusted during a scan of the sample so as to provide the specified spatial relationship during the scan, wherein the first lens is located and configured to refract light, from the light source and redirected by the second light redirector, to provide refracted light to the sample;
• and
• a second lens that is located and configured to refract the light, received from the different depths within the sample volume and redirected by the first light redirector, to provide refracted light to the light detector;
• a mirror comprising a first facet for the first light redirector and a second facet for the second light redirector, wherein the mirror includes the first facet being affixed to the second facet to fix the specified spatial relationship of the first light redirector to the second light redirector during a scan in which the mirror is rotated to move the first and second light redirectors together, wherein the first and second light redirectors are capable of being controlled to provide the specified spatial relationship of the first light redirector to the second light redirector during the scan;
• a processor circuit configured to include or access a processor-readable medium that includes instructions or information that configure the processor circuit to be capable of translating (1) scan data provided by redirected light detected by the light detector to (2) two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) image data at appropriate image pixel positions corresponding to locations within the sample from which the redirected light detected by the light detector is received, the translating including using information about (1) a scan angle and (2) a lens characteristic of the first lens;
• a cylindrical lens, configured to refract light received from the light source to provide a light sheet to the sample for 3D imaging;
• a defocus compensator lens arrangement configured to receive light received from different depths of the sample, and to compensate for a defocus;
• and
• a fluorescence emission filter, located and configured to filter redirected light received from the different depths of the sample.

A method comprising:

• receiving, from a sample, light from different depths within the sample volume;
• refracting light, with a shared refractive lens, from the sample to be provided to a first light redirector;
• redirecting, using the first light redirector, the light received from the sample to provide light to a light detector capable of detecting individual measurements of light at different locations along a first direction;
• refracting light, with the shared refractive lens, from a light source to be provided to the sample;
• redirecting light from the light source, using a second light redirector, to provide light to the sample, wherein the first and second light redirectors are configured in a specified spatial relationship to each other;
• moving the first and second light redirectors together by rotating a multifaceted mirror during a scan of the sample so as to provide the specified spatial relationship during the scan;
• translating (1) scan data provided by redirected light detected by the light detector to (2) two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) image data at appropriate image pixel positions corresponding to locations within the sample from which the redirected light detected by the light detector is received, the translating including using information about (1) a scan angle and (2) a lens characteristic of a first lens;
• compensating light, received from different depths of the sample, for a defocus;
• and
• scanning the sample, including repeating light detection at different rotational positions of the mirror.

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a first lens, located and configured to receive from a sample light received from different depths in the sample volume;
• a first light redirector, located and configured to receive via the first lens and to redirect light received from the different depths within the sample volume to provide redirected light to a light detector capable of detecting individual measurements of light at different locations along a first direction;
• a second light redirector, located and configured to redirect light received from a light source to provide redirected light to the sample, wherein the second light redirector is in a specified spatial relationship to the first light redirector, and wherein the first and second light redirectors are configured to be adjusted during a scan of the sample so as to provide the specified spatial relationship during the scan;
• and
• a processor circuit configured to include or access a processor-readable medium that includes instructions or information that configure the processor circuit to be capable of translating (1) scan data provided by redirected light detected by the light detector to (2) two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) image data at appropriate image pixel positions corresponding to locations within the sample from which the redirected light detected by the light detector is received.

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a first lens, located and configured to receive from a sample light received from different depths within the sample volume;
• a first light redirector, located and configured to receive via the first lens and to redirect light received from the different depths within the sample volume to provide redirected light to a light detector capable of detecting individual measurements of light at different locations along a first direction;
• and
• a second light redirector, located and configured to redirect light received from a light source to provide redirected light to the sample, wherein the second light redirector is in a specified spatial relationship to the first light redirector, and wherein the first and second light redirectors are configured to be adjusted during a scan of the sample so as to provide the specified spatial relationship during the scan;
• and
• a processor circuit configured to provide an image of a region within the sample including an image of the different depths within the sample volume.

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• a first lens, located and configured to receive from a sample light received from different depths within the sample volume;
• a first light redirector, located and configured to receive via the first lens and to redirect light received from the different depths within the sample volume to provide redirected light to a light detector capable of detecting individual measurements of light at different locations along a first direction;
• and
• a second light redirector, located and configured to redirect light received from a light source to provide redirected light to the sample, wherein the second light redirector is in a specified spatial relationship to the first light redirector, and wherein the first and second light redirectors are configured to be adjusted during a scan of the sample so as to provide the specified spatial relationship during the scan,
• wherein the first lens and the first and second light redirectors are configured to cooperate to move a focal plane through the different depths within the sample volume during a scanning of the sample.