FIELD: physics, optics.
SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the system of optical microscopy for damping of stimulated radiation (STED) of the studied object. For focusing of the first excitement beam and the second damping beam on the object the optical element which thereby defines the general optical path for both first and second beams is used. The phase change element which is optically configured so that to keep almost unchanged the wave front of the first beam and to change the wave front of the second beam to create the considered non-dampened area on the object is added into the general optical path. The first and second beams have the common optical path, and the phase change element changes the wave front or the phase in such a way that it has no impact on the first beam while in the second beam it adds an advancing into the wave front or into a phase that results to formation of the dampened area in the object in the focal plane.
EFFECT: simplification of design of optical elements for STED microscopy.
12 cl, 5 tbl, 12 dwg
