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Imaging the biological microcosmos with a tiny telescope

We present the Schmidt objective, a novel astronomy-inspired concept for designing multi-immersion microscope objectives with high numerical aperture, long working distance and large field of view. The Schmidt objective uses a spherical mirror and a correction plate to focus light. It is well suited for high-resolution imaging deep inside cleared biological samples.

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Fig. 1: Concept of the multi-immersion Schmidt objective.

References

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This is a summary of: Voigt, F. F. et al. Reflective multi-immersion microscope objectives inspired by the Schmidt telescope. Nat. Biotechnol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-023-01717-8 (2023).

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Imaging the biological microcosmos with a tiny telescope. Nat Biotechnol 42, 36–37 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-023-01740-9

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