Rapid volumetric imaging utilizing structured light beams

Structured light beams, with unique spatial properties, are applied to rapid three-dimensional (3D) imaging in laser scanning microscopy. Our proposed method utilizes a needle-shaped excitation spot and wavefront modulation of fluorescence signals to retrieve depth information from a single raster scan. The combined use of these techniques eliminates the need for multiple focal plane acquisitions, significantly improving 3D image acquisition speed. The effectiveness of this technique was demonstrated by capturing the 3D Brownian motion of nanoparticles. This approach holds promise for rapid 3D volumetric imaging in various fluorescence microscopy applications.