In LSFM, a thin plane of light, or light sheet, is used to excite fluorescent molecules within the specimen. The light sheet is typically generated by using cylindrical lenses or objective lenses. The emitted fluorescence is then collected by a separate detection objective, which is orthogonal to the illumination plane. This configuration minimizes the exposure of the sample to light, thereby reducing phototoxicity and enabling long-term imaging of live samples.
