Mapping microscope object polarized emission to the back focal plane pattern

Quantitative objective-based ring TIRFM system calibration through back focal plane imaging

Being the established imaging tool for cell membrane-associated studies, total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) still has some limitations. The most important one is the inhomogeneous evanescent excitation field mainly caused by the large-angle and fixed-azimuth illumination scheme, which can be eliminated by using ring-shaped illumination (ring TIRFM). However, it is challenging in assembling a ring TIRFM system with precise parameter control that works well. Here we emphasize the quantification of the ring TIRFM system and introduce a robust calibration routine to simultaneously rectify the asymmetry of the spinning light beam and determine the crucial experimental parameter, i.e., the incident angle. The calibration routine requires no specific sample preparation and is entirely based on the automatic back focal plane manipulation, avoiding possible errors caused by the sample difference and manual measurement. Its effectiveness is experimentally demonstrated by both the qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the images acquired using different samples, illumination schemes, and calibration approaches. These characteristics should enable our approach to greatly improve the practicability of TIRFM in life sciences.

Microscope objective based 4π spectroscopic tissue scattering goniometry

The measurement of optical scattering as a function of angle, goniometry, can provide a wealth of information about tissue. The goniometry technique described here measures the intensity profile at the pupil planes of two microscope objectives with a scattering sample between them. The maximum observable scattering angle is extended by employing off-axis illumination. This configuration permits several advantages including: i) rapid measurement of scattering into 4π sr to characterize the entire scattering phase function in isotropic tissue, ii) sensitivity to axially asymmetric scattering from anisotropic fibrous tissue, iii) selective interrogation of small regions within spatially inhomogenous tissue, iv) concurrent measurement of scattering coefficient μ_s , and v) measurement of wavelength dependent scattering properties via spectrally tunable source. The instrument is validated by comparing measurements of microsphere suspensions to the Mie scattering solution. Instrument capabilities are demonstrated with samples of rat brain and mouse eye tissues.

Evanescent field shapes excitation profile under axial epi-illumination

Axial epi-illuminating light transmitting a >1.3-numerical-aperture microscope objective creates an excitation volume at focus with size and shape dictated by diffraction and due to refraction by the objective and by the coverslip interface separating a specimen in aqueous buffer from the oil immersion objective. The evanescent field on the coverslip aqueous side affects primarily the excitation volume axial dimension as the specimen in focus approaches the interface to within a few hundred nanometers. Following excitation, an excited stationary dipole moment emits fluorescence in a spatially varying pattern collected over the large objective aperture. Collected light propagates in parallel rays toward the tube lens that forms a real three-dimensional image that is decoded to identify dipole orientation. An integral representation of the excitation and emitted fields for infinity-corrected optics--including effects of finite conjugate illumination, fluorescence emission near an interface, emitter dipole orientation, spherical aberration, light transmission through a dichroic filter, and for real microscopic specifications--accurately models observed field intensities including the substantial excitation from the evanescent field. The goal is to develop and verify the practical depiction of excitation and emission in a real microscope for quantitative interpretation of the 3-D emission pattern.

Fluorescence excitation and imaging of single molecules near dielectric-coated and bare surfaces: a theoretical study

Microscopic fluorescent samples of interest to cell and molecular biology are commonly embedded in an aqueous medium near a solid surface that is coated with a thin film such as a lipid multilayer, collagen, acrylamide, or a cell wall. Both excitation and emission of fluorescent single molecules near film-coated surfaces are strongly affected by the proximity of the coated surface, the film thickness, its refractive index and the fluorophore's orientation. For total internal reflection excitation, multiple reflections in the film can lead to resonance peaks in the evanescent intensity versus incidence angle curve. For emission, multiple reflections arising from the fluorophore's near field emission can create a distinct intensity pattern in both the back focal plane and the image plane of a high aperture objective. This theoretical analysis discusses how these features can be used to report film thickness and refractive index, and fluorophore axial position and orientation.

Nanometer axial resolution by three-dimensional supercritical angle fluorescence microscopy

We report a noninvasive fluorescence microscopy method and demonstrate nanometer resolution along the optical axis. The technique is based on the influence of the microscope slide on the angular intensity distribution of fluorescence. Axial positions are determined by measuring the proportion of light emitted below the critical angle of total internal reflection, which behaves in a classical way, and light emitted above the critical angle, which is exponentially dependent on the distance of the fluorophore from the microscope slide.

Around-the-objective total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy

Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy uses the evanescent field on the aqueous side of a glass/aqueous interface to selectively illuminate fluorophores within approximately 100 nm of the interface. Applications of the method include epi-illumination TIRF, where the exciting light is refracted by the microscope objective to impinge on the interface at incidence angles beyond critical angle, and prism-based TIRF, where exciting light propagates to the interface externally to the microscope optics. The former has higher background autofluorescence from the glass elements of the objective where the exciting beam is focused, and the latter does not collect near-field emission from the fluorescent sample. Around-the-objective TIRF, developed here, creates the evanescent field by conditioning the exciting laser beam to propagate through the submillimeter gap created by the oil immersion high numerical aperture objective and the glass coverslip. The approach eliminates background light due to the admission of the laser excitation to the microscopic optics while collecting near-field emission from the dipoles excited by the approximately 50 nm deep evanescent field.