Depth of field multiplexing in microscopy.

We demonstrate "depth of field multiplexing" by a high resolution spatial light modulator (SLM) in a Fourier plane in the imaging path of a standard microscope. This approach provides simultaneous imaging of different focal planes in a sample with only a single camera exposure. The phase mask on the SLM corresponds to a set of superposed multi-focal off-axis Fresnel lenses, which sharply image different focal planes of the object to non-overlapping adjacent sections of the camera chip. Depth of field multiplexing allows to record motion in a three dimensional sample volume in real-time, which is exemplarily demonstrated for cytoplasmic streaming in plant cells and rapidly swimming protozoa.