The Swept Field Confocal Microscope

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) Confocal microscopy is an essential tool for the biological sciences. It has significantly enhanced the testing of hypotheses in the Neurosciences and has provided insights into the causes of neurological disorders. The goal of this project is to develop a new type of confocal microscope based on a new concept, the swept-field confocal design (SFC). The SFC has the potential of becoming an attachment for the light microscope that could be purchased by the individual scientist for under $50,000. The SFC is a revolutionary confocal concept in which this hybrid-instrument uses an 86 x 12 array of stationary pinholes for illumination and detection along one axis (e.g. the Y axis) while using one galvanometer to sweep the illumination along the X axis. This phase I project has five specific objectives. We will: 1) Design and build a swept-field confocal microscope; 2) modify existing digital camera acquisition software to make SFC control software; 3) Compare the optical efficiency and resolution of the SFC and present day LSCMs; 4) Calculate the manufacturing costs of the SFC and determine whether the SFC could come to market at $45,000, and finally 5) Test the performance of the swept-field confocal microscope in biological applications.