Patent ID: 7933010

Claim:
An optical tomography system for viewing a biological cell comprising: a microcapillary tube having a viewing area for positioning the biological cell; at least one detector; a motor arranged to rotate the microcapillary tube; means for transmitting broadband light having wavelengths between 550 nm and 620 nm into the microcapillary tube viewing area; a hyperchromatic lens located to receive light transmitted through the microcapillary tube viewing area; and a tube lens located to focus light rays transmitted through the hyperchromatic lens, such that light rays from multiple object planes in the microcapillary tube viewing area simultaneously focus on the at least one detector; wherein the hyperchromatic lens and the tube lens operate to simultaneously focus multiple object planes from the microcapillary tube viewing area on the at least one detector; wherein the biological cell is stained to impart an absorption coefficient of at least one wavelength that registers on the at least one detector; and wherein an interval spanned by the multiple object planes comprises an interval spanning the thickness of the biological cell.