Total reflection fluorescent microscope

Abstract

A fluorescent microscope comprises a light source, an optical illumination system which forms an optical path to irradiate a specimen with a light beam from the light source, an objective lens which condenses the light beam of the optical illumination system onto the specimen, an optical device which is disposed on the optical path of the optical illumination system and which decenters the light beam by decentering an optical axis of the optical path, and a slit which passes the light beam decentered by the optical device through a total reflection illumination region on an emission pupil surface of the objective lens.

1 . A fluorescent microscope comprising: 
 a light source;    an optical illumination system which forms an optical path to irradiate a specimen with a light beam from the light source;    an objective lens which condenses the light beam from the light source, which has traveled through the optical illumination system, onto the specimen; and    a slit which is located in the optical illumination system to pass the light beam from the light source through a total reflection illumination region on an emission pupil surface of the objective lens,    wherein an emission position of the light beam emitted from the light source is movable between an optical axis of the optical illumination system and a position shifted from the optical axis by a predetermined distance.    
   
   
       2 . The fluorescent microscope according to  claim 1 , wherein the optical illumination system comprises: 
 a collector lens which parallelizes the light beam from the light source;    a condenser which condenses the light beam from the light source that has passed through the collector lens; and    a projection lens which projects an image formed by the light beam condensed by the condenser onto an emission pupil surface of the objective lens.    
   
   
       3 . The fluorescent microscope according to  claim 1 , wherein the slit is removed from the optical illumination system, and the emission position of the light beam emitted from the light source is moved onto the optical axis of the optical illumination system, to perform fluorescent illumination.  
   
   
       4 . A fluorescent microscope comprising: 
 an objective lens which is used in observation of a specimen;    a movable light source which irradiates the specimen with a light beam;    a collector lens which parallelizes the light beam from the light source;    a condenser which condenses the light beam from the light source that has passed through the collector lens; and    a slit which is located at a position onto which the light beam is condensed by the condenser;    a projection lens which projects an image formed by the light beam from the light source through the slit onto an emission pupil surface of the objective lens,    wherein when the light source is moved to a position displaced at least from an optical axis of the collector lens, the image formed by the light beam from the light source is projected onto the slit, and the light beam from the light source is caused to pass through a total reflection illumination region of the emission pupil surface of the objective lens.    
   
   
       5 . The fluorescent microscope according to  claim 4 , wherein the light source is moved onto the optical axis of the collector lens and the slit is removed from a path of the light beam from the light source to perform fluorescent illumination.