Deformable mirror-based axial scanning for two-photon mammalian brain imaging.

To expand our understanding of the roles of astrocytes in neural circuits, there is a need to develop optical tools tailored specifically to capture their complex spatiotemporal dynamics. This interest is not limited to 2D, but to multiple depths. The focus of our work was to design and evaluate the optical performance of an enhanced version of a two-photon (2P) microscope with the addition of a deformable mirror (DM)-based axial scanning system for live mammalian brain imaging.

A ground-layer adaptive optics system with multiple laser guide stars.

To determine the influence of the environment on star formation, we need to study the process in the extreme conditions of massive young star clusters ( approximately 10(4) solar masses) near the centre of our own Galaxy. Observations must be carried out in the near infrared because of very high extinction in visible light within the Galactic plane. We need high resolution to identify cluster members from their peculiar motions, and because most such clusters span more than 1', efficient observation demands a wide field of view.