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Compound metalens-based miniature two-photon microscope for large-FOV imaging in freely behaving animals.

Authors:

Zeyu Hao, Yao Zhang, Yufei Zhu, Bianhua Sun, Hongchen Jiao, Yanhui Hu, Zhili Lin, Lishuang Feng, Aimin Wang, Shumin Xiao & Runlong Wu

Publication:

PhotoniX,

Publication Date:

17/12/2025

Our study introduces a new metalens-based miniature two-photon microscope called Meta-m2PM 2.0, featuring a two-stage imaging design that separates scanning from focusing. It includes a large-angle of ±12° meta-scan lens for scanning with MEMS and a high-NA meta-objective with dual-layer aberration correction. A polarization-insensitive silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) meta-atom library is optimized for both 920 nm excitation and 530 ± 30 nm fluorescence collection. Weighing 1.06 grams, the system provides a 490 µm-diameter field of view that is over 50 times that of its predecessor, with a 1 mm working distance and resolutions of 1.17 µm laterally and 19.85 µm axially. It successfully enables metalens-based two-photon neuronal calcium imaging in freely behaving mice, achieving a high signal-to-noise ratio and clear images of dendritic structures. This platform enhances multiregion neuroimaging and holds promise for compact nonlinear microendoscopy.