PyRFTL: an open source Python tool for custom tube lens generation from off-the-shelf optics.

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Microscopy Technology

Background:

• Custom microscope tube lenses are needed for advanced microscopy techniques like remote refocusing and oblique plane microscopy.
• Existing design methods often rely on expensive, proprietary software and custom optical components, increasing costs and development time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an accessible, open-source software solution for designing custom microscope tube lenses.
• To enable researchers to design custom tube lenses using readily available commercial optics, reducing cost and complexity.

Main Methods:

• Developed a Python-based software tool for optical design.
• The software designs tube lenses by combining two commercial lenses.
• It evaluates and selects optimal lens combinations based on optical performance metrics.

Main Results:

• The software successfully designs custom tube lenses from stock optics.
• It provides a cost-effective and time-efficient alternative to custom component fabrication.
• The open-source nature democratizes access to advanced optical design capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The presented open-source software facilitates the design of custom microscope tube lenses.
• This tool empowers a wider research community to implement advanced microscopy techniques by overcoming the limitations of commercial optics.