Abstract

An improvement in resolution in a conventional microscope has been shown to result if an annular condenser is employed. Here Fourier imaging in the presence of defocus and special aberration is considered, and the image of a straight-edge calculated. Imaging in confocal microscopes is superior to that in conventional microscopes and may be further improved by the use of one lens with annular aperture. Again Fourier imaging with defocus and spherical aberration is considered, resulting in an imaginary part being introduced into the transfer function. The straight edge response is very sharp.

© 1979 Optical Society of America

Effect of spherical aberration on the imaging properties of scanning optical microscopes

C. J. R. Sheppard and T. Wilson
Appl. Opt. 18(7) 1058-1063 (1979)

Effects of defocus and primary spherical aberration on images of a straight edge in confocal microscopy

Min Gu and Colin J. R. Sheppard
Appl. Opt. 33(4) 625-630 (1994)

Images of phase edges in conventional and scanning optical microscopes

T. Wilson
Appl. Opt. 20(18) 3238-3244 (1981)

Use of objective lenses with slit pupil functions in the imaging of line structures

Tony Wilson, S. J. Hewlett, and C. J. R. Sheppard
Appl. Opt. 29(31) 4705-4714 (1990)

Imaging performance of annular apertures. 3:Apodization and modulation transfer functions

Hubert F. A. Tschunko
Appl. Opt. 18(22) 3770-3774 (1979)