title: STED-SPIM made simple.
abstract: We report the development of a stimulated emission depletion (STED) selective plane illumination (SPIM) microscope based on a single diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) laser that simultaneously delivers nanosecond-pulses at two wavelengths. The two wavelengths, 355 nm and 532 nm, are generated by harmonic conversion and they are used to induce respectively excitation and stimulated emission depletion. This source should allow a low-cost, compact, very efficient and simplified STED scheme since the two beams are intrinsically aligned and synchronized. Using a chromatic beam shaping device which leaves the excitation beam unaffected and produces a donut-shaped STED beam, we demonstrate a 300% reduction of the light sheet thickness, together with an enhancement of the sheet uniformity over larger field of view, at low STED power, in Coumarin dye solution.
authors.forename: Teodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Scheul
authors.forename: Irène
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Vial