Synthetic Bessel light needle for extended depth-of-field microscopy

Abstract

An ultra-long light needle is highly desired in optical microscopy for its ability to improve the lateral resolution over a large depth of field (DOF). However, its use in image acquisition usually relies on mechanical raster scanning, which compromises between imaging speed and stability and thereby restricts imaging performance. Here, we propose a synthetic Bessel light needle (SBLN) that can be generated and scanned digitally by complex field modulation using a digital micromirror device. In particular, the SBLN achieves a 45-fold improvement in DOF over its counterpart Gaussian focus. Further, we apply the SBLN to perform motionless two-dimensional and three-dimensional microscopic imaging, achieving both improved resolution and extended DOF. Our work is expected to open up opportunities for potential biomedical applications.