Patent ID: 7433119

Claim:
A scanning microscope, that illuminates a sample with a first light pulse and at least with a second light pulse, comprising: a dispersive medium arranged in the beam path of at least one of the light pulses so that the at least one of the light pulses passes through the dispersive medium, wherein the dispersive medium comprises a block including a plurality of bounding surfaces, wherein at least one of the bounding surfaces reflects the at least one of the light pulses at least twice, wherein the block is rotatably mounted so as to vary an entrance angle of the at least one of the light pulses into the dispersive medium so as to adjust an optical path length of the at least one of the light pulses through the dispersive medium so as to adjust the pulse width of the at least one of the light pulses and so as to adjust a time offset between the first and second light pulses, and wherein a location and position of the dispersive medium are automatically adjustable so as to optimize or maximize a detection signal of the microscope.