Patent ID: 7551351

Claim:
A microscope comprising: a microscope objective; a light source for emitting an illumination laser light beam propagating through the microscopic objective and evanescently illuminating a sample by totally internally reflecting at a sample interface, wherein the microscope objective has a rear pupil plane, and wherein the illumination laser light beam has a focus on the rear pupil plane; an optical device for optically manipulating the sample, the optical device comprising a source for generating and emitting a manipulation laser light beam directed to the sample through the objective; and a compensating optics disposed in a beam path of the microscope to focus the illumination laser light beam on the rear pupil plane, the compensating optics being removable from the beam path in order to focus the manipulation laser light beam on the sample or a compensating optics disposed in a beam path of the microscope to focus the manipulation laser light beam on the sample, the compensating optics being removable from the beam path in order to focus the illumination laser light beam on the rear pupil plane.