Simultaneous plane illumination and detection in confocal microscopy using a mode-selective photonic lantern
Confocal microscopy is the cornerstone of cellular biology and biomedical research due to its non-destructive imaging, compatibility with live cells, sensitivity, optical sectioning, and subcellular resolution. To meet the demand for rapid three-dimensional imaging, we propose a novel approach using a mode-selective photonic lantern (MSPL). This fiber-based device transforms single-mode light into multiple linearly polarized modes, allowing simultaneous detection of multiple planes. Using a four-port MSPL to manipulate three group modes (LP$_{01}$, LP$_{11}$, and LP$_{21}$), we demonstrate high-throughput imaging simultaneously with multiple planes. This technique exploits differences in focus sections across modes, enabling individual multi-plane detection via a spatial division multiplexer, with some trade-off in resolution and field of view.