Patent ID: 7626706

Claim:
A polarization interference microscope for imaging objects, comprising a light source, an illumination beam path, an imaging beam path and an objective, wherein the illumination beam path extends from the light source to the object, wherein the imaging beam path extends from the object to a detector or a tube, wherein at least one polarization means is provided in the illumination beam path and/or in the imaging beam path, by which at least one polarization means the light of the respective beam path can be converted into a predeterminable polarization state, wherein an analyzer means is provided in the imaging beam path, and wherein a birefringent component is provided between the polarization means and the analyzer means by which birefringent component the light polarized by the polarization means can be divided into two partial beams having different polarization directions and by which birefringent component a splitting between the two partial beams can be produced, wherein the component has a liquid crystal element formed in such a way that the splitting between the two partial beams is settable in a variable manner thereby.