Common-path multimodal optical microscopy
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Multimodal Optical Imaging Platform for Studying Cellular Metabolism
Published on: June 6, 2025
Chandra S Yelleswarapu1, Marla Tipping, Sri-Rajasekhar Kothapalli
1Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, USA.
Abstract:
We have developed a common-path multimodal optical microscopy system that is capable of using a single optical source and a single camera to image amplitude, phase, and fluorescence features of a biological specimen. This is achieved by varying either contrast enhancement filters at the Fourier plane and/or neutral density/fluorescence filters in front of the CCD camera. The feasibility of the technique is demonstrated by obtaining brightfield, fluorescence, phase-contrast, spatially filtered, brightfield+fluorescence, phase+fluorescence, and edge-enhanced+fluorescence images of the same Drosophila embryo without the need for image registration and fusion. This comprehensive microscope has the capability of providing both structural and functional information and may be used for applications such as studying live-cell dynamics and in high throughput microscopy and automated microscopy.
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy
In optical microscopy, the specimen to be viewed is placed on a glass slide and clipped on the stage...
Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy
Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy
In-phase-contrast microscopes, interference between light directly passing through a cell and light refracted by cellular components is used to create high-contrast, high-resolution images without staining. It is the oldest and simplest type of microscope that creates an image by altering the wavelengths of light rays passing through the specimen. Altered wavelength paths are created using an annular stop in the condenser. The annular stop produces a hollow cone of...
Two-Dimensional Microscopy in Microbiology
Overview of Microscopy Techniques
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

