ELVIS: A Correlated Light-Field and Digital Holographic Microscope for Field and Laboratory Investigations

Abstract

We are developing a unique multi-modal volumetric microscope capable of instantaneous imaging of sample volumes approximately 100-fold larger than those sampled by conventional fluorescence microscopy, with spatial resolution sufficient to detect the smallest prokaryotes (Figure 1). This instrument combines two modalities for the first time: Digital Holography Microscopy (DHM) and Fluorescence Light Field Microscopy (FLFM). The instrument will be packaged for field use in aquatic environments. It will be used in the lab, and also made available to researchers inside and outside the home institutions, enabling a wide array of environmental microbiology applications.