Patent ID: 7633053

Claim:
A laser scanning microscope, with an adaptive optical device in the microscope beam path, comprising: two adaptive reflective elements, at least one of which is constructed as an adaptive optical element, both of which being oriented with their reflector surface vertical to the optical axes of the microscope beam path, each adaptive reflective element having a reflective surface with a geometry that is changed by a control; a polarizing beam splitter having a splitter layer which is located in the vertex of two orthogonal arms of the microscope beam path or two orthogonal portions of a folded microscope beam path, wherein a first adaptive element is associated with one arm and the other adaptive element is associated with a second arm, and a quarter-wave plate being located in each arm between the beam splitter and adaptive reflective element; and a detection device to which the detection light is directed and which is linked to the adaptive elements by evaluating and adjusting devices; and wherein the detection light coming from the sample is reflected by at least one of the adaptive elements.