Implementation of adaptive optics in fluorescent microscopy using wavefront sensing and correction

Adaptive optics (AO) improves the quality of astronomical imaging systems by using real time measurement of the turbulent medium in the optical path using a guide star (natural or artificial) as a point source reference beacon [1]. AO has also been applied to vision science to improve the view of the human eye. This paper will address our current research focused on the improvement of fluorescent microscopy for biological imaging utilizing current AO technology. A Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWS) is used to measure the aberration introduced by a Drosophila Melanogaster embryo with an implanted 1 micron fluorescent bead that serves as a point source reference beacon. Previous measurements of the wavefront aberrations have found an average peak-to-valley and root-mean-square (RMS) wavefront error of 0.77 micrometers and 0.15 micrometers, respectively. Measurements of the Zernike coefficients indicated that the correction of the first 14 Zernike coefficients is sufficient to correct the aberrations we measured. Here we show that a MEMS deformable mirror with 3.5 microns of stroke and 140 actuators is sufficient to correct these aberrations. The design, assembly and initial results for the use of a MEMS deformable mirror, SHWS and implanted fluorescent reference beacon for wavefront correction are discussed.