Patent ID: 7796328

Claim:
A laser scanning microscope for detecting at least one sample region, comprising: means for creating at least one bundle of parallel illumination beams, a microscope objective including a housing, viewing optics for viewing at least partially transparent samples, at least one light guide in the housing outside of the viewing optics for guiding the at least one bundle of parallel illumination beams, an objective aperture, and means for diverting the at least one bundle of parallel illumination beams for illuminating the sample from at least one side at an angle perpendicular to the optical axis of the viewing optics, and for generating an illumination line in the sample perpendicular to the optical axis of the viewing optics by focusing the at least one bundle of parallel illumination beams into the sample, an aperture smaller than the objective aperture, at least one scanner for moving the illumination line in a scanning manner through and across the sample to generate a sample image, and a locally resolving detector in a detection beam path for detecting the sample image, wherein the viewing optics and the scanner image the sample image in a detection direction onto the locally resolving detector.