Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

Confocal microscopy is an advanced microscopic technique. The prime advantage of the confocal microscope over other microscopy techniques is its ability to block the out-of-focus light from the illuminated samples using pinholes. It is widely used with fluorescence optics to obtain high-resolution, sharp contrast images. Unlike optical microscopes, confocal microscopes use a focused beam of light laser to scan the entire sample surface at different z-planes. These microscopes are, therefore,...

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

Optical microscopy uses optic principles to provide detailed images of samples. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek designed the first compound optical microscope in the 17th century to visualize blood cells, bacteria, and yeast cells. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes with enhanced magnification and resolution.
In optical microscopy, the specimen to be viewed is placed on a glass slide and clipped on the stage...

Overview of Microscopy Techniques

Overview of Microscopy Techniques

The early pioneers of microscopy opened a window into the invisible world of microorganisms. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes that leveraged nonvisible light, such as fluorescence microscopy that uses an ultraviolet light source and electron microscopy that uses short-wavelength electron beams. These advances significantly improved magnification, image resolution, and contrast. By comparison, the...

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

Phase-Contrast Microscopes
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...

Three-Dimensional Microscopy in Microbiology

Three-Dimensional Microscopy in Microbiology

Three-dimensional imaging techniques are essential in cell biology, allowing researchers to visualize intricate cellular structures with high resolution. Two prominent methods, Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy (DIC) and Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy (CSLM), provide distinct advantages for imaging live and thick specimens, respectively.Differential Interference Contrast MicroscopyDIC microscopy enhances contrast in transparent, unstained samples by converting phase...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Quantitative Assessment of Brain Glucose Metabolism Using Dynamic Glucose-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (DGE-MRF).

Chemical & biomedical imaging·2026

Same author

Self-Initialized Locomotion Mode Prediction with GPU-Free Terrain Reconstruction.

IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society·2026

Same author

Biomechanical analysis of the flutter kick in diving: kinematics, muscle activation and coordination of lower limbs.

Journal of biomechanics·2026

Same author

Targeting complement and coagulation cascades with Buyang Huanwu Decoction attenuates acute inflammation and enhances neuroprotection in spinal cord injury.

Science China. Life sciences·2026

Same author

The application of the unscented Kalman Filter in epilepsy research: a review.

Biomedical physics & engineering express·2026

Same author

Targeting atherosclerosis with medicine and food homology substances: Mechanistic insights and application strategies.

Journal of ethnopharmacology·2026

Same journal

Directional Pressure Pump Hydrogel Transmission Platform Provides Bionic Contractile Force and Remodels the Healing Process for Diabetic Mechanically Dynamic Wounds.

ACS nano·2026

Same journal

Exciton-Resolved Phonon Coupling and Energy Dissipation Pathways in CsPbBr<sub>3</sub>.

ACS nano·2026

Same journal

Engineering the Self-Assembly of Bacterial Microcompartment Shell Proteins via Charged Mutations.

ACS nano·2026

Same journal

Electrically Tunable Excitonic-Hyperbolicity in Chirality-Pure Carbon Nanotubes.

ACS nano·2026

Same journal

Autophagy-Inducing and cfDNA-Scavenging Nanoparticles for Synergistic Atherosclerosis Therapy.

ACS nano·2026

Same journal

Interface Excitons in van der Waals Sandwich Heterostructures.

ACS nano·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Home
Meta-optical Miniscope For Multifunctional Imaging.

Home
Meta-optical Miniscope For Multifunctional Imaging.

Related Experiment Video

Compact Lens-less Digital Holographic Microscope for MEMS Inspection and Characterization

Compact Lens-less Digital Holographic Microscope for MEMS Inspection and Characterization

Published on: July 5, 2016

Meta-Optical Miniscope for Multifunctional Imaging.

Zhihao Zhou¹, Khushboo Kumari¹, Ningzhi Xie¹

¹Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States.

|April 28, 2026

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Meta-optics offer a compact solution for miniaturized microscopes (miniscopes), enhancing neuronal imaging during animal behavior studies. These advanced optical elements improve field of view and reduce microscope size, advancing neuroscience research tools.

Keywords:

inverse design metalens metasurfaces miniscope multifunctional imaging

More Related Videos

Multimodal Imaging and Spectroscopy Fiber-bundle Microendoscopy Platform for Non-invasive, In Vivo Tissue Analysis

Multimodal Imaging and Spectroscopy Fiber-bundle Microendoscopy Platform for Non-invasive, In Vivo Tissue Analysis

Published on: October 17, 2016

Lensfree On-chip Tomographic Microscopy Employing Multi-angle Illumination and Pixel Super-resolution

Lensfree On-chip Tomographic Microscopy Employing Multi-angle Illumination and Pixel Super-resolution

Published on: August 16, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Compact Lens-less Digital Holographic Microscope for MEMS Inspection and Characterization

Compact Lens-less Digital Holographic Microscope for MEMS Inspection and Characterization

Published on: July 5, 2016

Multimodal Imaging and Spectroscopy Fiber-bundle Microendoscopy Platform for Non-invasive, In Vivo Tissue Analysis

Multimodal Imaging and Spectroscopy Fiber-bundle Microendoscopy Platform for Non-invasive, In Vivo Tissue Analysis

Published on: October 17, 2016

Lensfree On-chip Tomographic Microscopy Employing Multi-angle Illumination and Pixel Super-resolution

Lensfree On-chip Tomographic Microscopy Employing Multi-angle Illumination and Pixel Super-resolution

Published on: August 16, 2012

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Optical Engineering
Materials Science

Background:

Miniaturized microscopes (miniscopes) are crucial for observing neuronal activity in freely behaving animals.
Current miniscope designs using Gradient-Index (GRIN) lenses or refractive lenses have limitations in optical performance or physical bulk.
Meta-optics present a novel approach to overcome these limitations with compact, multifunctional optical elements.

Purpose of the Study:

To integrate meta-optics into miniscopes to enhance imaging capabilities and reduce device size.
To leverage meta-optic functionalities like large field of view (FOV) and extended depth of focus (EDOF) for improved miniscope performance.
To demonstrate the potential of meta-optics in developing next-generation compact and versatile neuroscience tools.

Main Methods:

Replaced traditional refractive lens assemblies in miniscopes with custom-designed meta-optics.
Evaluated meta-optic performance for functionalities including FOV, EDOF, and depth sensitivity.
Quantified the reduction in objective module track length achieved by integrating meta-optics.

Main Results:

Meta-optics enabled enhanced imaging capabilities, including large FOV and EDOF, as designed.
Successfully integrated meta-optics, replacing bulky refractive lens systems.
Reduced the objective module track length from 6.7 mm to 2.5 mm, significantly improving compactness.

Conclusions:

Meta-optics offer a promising solution for creating more compact, lightweight, and multifunctional miniscopes.
This advancement expands the capabilities of miniscope technology for neuroscience research.
The developed meta-optic integration paves the way for next-generation miniaturized imaging systems.