Schlieren confocal microscopy for phase-relief imaging.

We demonstrate a simple phase-sensitive microscopic technique capable of imaging the phase gradient of a transparent specimen, based on the Schlieren modulation and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The incident laser is refracted by the phase gradient of the specimen and excites a fluorescence plate behind the specimen to create a secondary illumination; then the fluoresence is modulated by a partial obstructor before entering the confocal pinhole. The quantitative relationship between the image intensity and the sample phase gradient can be derived. This setup is very easy to be adapted to current confocal setups, so that multimodality fluorescence/structure images can be obtained within a single system.