IDBR: Development of an Adaptive Optic Scanning Laser Microscope for Deep Tissue Imaging

在天文学领域，自适应光学用于校正星光穿过地球大气层时产生的像差：折射率的动态变化使光线发生折射，导致恒星“闪烁”。在大型地面望远镜中使用的自适应光学系统包括一个波前传感器，用于测量“导星”的像差，这是一个自然或人工的点源参考信标，在感兴趣的物体的视野中，还有一个可变形的镜子，可以动态改变其形状，纠正图像，以恢复衍射限制成像。自适应光学在天文学中用于获得更清晰的外太空天体图像，将重新应用于生物成像领域，以纠正细胞内折射率变化引起的图像像差。荧光珠将用作参考信标，并植入感兴趣的物体附近，例如细胞核。期望的结果是对高像差的图像进行校正，从而获得成像系统衍射所设定的分辨率极限。一旦研制成功，这种显微镜将在一个由加州再生医学研究所（www.cirm.ca.gov）资助的新研究中心投入使用。

In the field of astronomy, adaptive optics are used to correct for the image aberrations that occur as starlight passes through the Earth's atmosphere: Dynamic changes in the refractive index refract the light, causing stars to "twinkle." The adaptive optics that are used in large terrestrial telescopes consist of a wavefront sensor to measure the aberrations of a "guide star," a natural or artificial point source reference beacon in the field of view of the object of interest, and a deformable mirror that can dynamically change its shape correct the image to restore diffraction limited imaging.The adaptive optics used in astronomy to obtain clearer images of celestial bodies in outer space will be re-applied in the field of biological imaging to correct image aberrations from changes in the refractive index within a cell. A fluorescent bead will be used as the reference beacon and implanted near the object of interest, such as the nucleus of a cell. Expected outcome is the correction of highly aberrated images, thereby obtaining the resolution limit set by diffraction of the imaging system. Once developed, the microscope will be available in a new research center, funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (www.cirm.ca.gov).