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Compact way to generate guide star for wavefront sensing in Bessel two-photon microscopy
Fanglin Luo1,2, Nan Li1,2, Chengliang Yang1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing for Optical Systems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130033, China.
Scientific Reports
|November 18, 2025
Summary
We developed a new method for generating guide stars for wavefront sensing in Bessel two-photon microscopy. This technique improves imaging quality, boosting signal-to-noise ratio and axial resolution.
Area of Science:
- Microscopy
- Optical Physics
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Bessel two-photon microscopy offers an expanded field of view for imaging.
- Direct wavefront sensing is crucial for optimizing image quality in advanced microscopy techniques.
- Existing methods for generating guide stars can be complex and require mechanical components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a compact and efficient method for generating guide stars for direct wavefront sensing.
- To enable seamless switching between Bessel and Gaussian beams for microscopy and wavefront sensing.
- To enhance the performance of Bessel two-photon microscopy through wavefront correction.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a spatial light modulator (SLM) to sequentially modulate axicon and thin lens phases.
- Developed a method for generating both Bessel and Gaussian beams without mechanical movement.
- Integrated the guide star generation into a Bessel two-photon light sheet microscope for experimental validation.
Main Results:
- Achieved seamless switching between Bessel (imaging) and Gaussian (guide star) illumination beams.
- Demonstrated wavefront correction that enhanced the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by 7.3 times.
- Showcased an improvement in axial resolution by 4.4 times due to wavefront correction.
Conclusions:
- The proposed compact method effectively generates guide stars for wavefront sensing in Bessel microscopy.
- Wavefront correction significantly improves image quality, enhancing SNR and axial resolution.
- This technique offers a non-mechanical, efficient solution for advanced microscopy applications.
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