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 (LP01, LP11, and LP21), 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.
@article{arxiv.2604.02494,
title = {Simultaneous plane illumination and detection in confocal microscopy using a mode-selective photonic lantern},
author = {Rodrigo Itzamná Becerra-Deana and Simon Desrochers and Raphaël Maltais-Tariant and Simon Brais-Brunet and Guillaume Ramadier and Stéphane Virally and Lucien E. Weiss and Caroline Boudoux},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.02494},
year = {2026}
}