High-Resolution, Large Field-of-View, and Multi-View Single Objective Light-Sheet Microscopy
Light-sheet microscopy has become the preferred method for long-term imaging of large living samples because of its low photo-invasiveness and good optical sectioning capabilities. Unfortunately, refraction and scattering often pose obstacles to light-sheet propagation and limit imaging depth. This is typically addressed by imaging multiple complementary views to obtain high and uniform image quality throughout the sample. However, multi-view imaging often requires complex multi-objective configurations that complicate sample mounting, or sample rotation that decreases imaging speed. Recent developments in single-objective light-sheet microscopy have shown that it is possible to achieve high spatio-temporal resolution with a single objective for both illumination and detection. Here we describe a single-objective light-sheet microscope that achieves: (i) high-resolution and large field-of-view imaging via a custom remote focusing objective; (ii) simpler design and ergonomics by remote placement of coverslips; (iii) fast volumetric imaging by means of light-sheet stabilised stage scanning – a novel scanning modality that extends the imaging volume without compromising imaging speed nor quality; (iv) multi-view imaging by means of dual orthogonal light-sheet illumination. Finally, we demonstrate the speed, field of view and resolution of our novel instrument by imaging zebrafish tail development.