Spatial resolution of an optical microscope with oblique illumination

Volodymyr Borovytsky

doi:10.1117/12.2527877

30 August 2019 Spatial resolution of an optical microscope with oblique illumination

Volodymyr Borovytsky

Proceedings Volume 11104, Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering XX; 111040Q (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2527877
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2019, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

This paper presents the theory for numerical evaluation of the spatial resolution along an optical axis of an optical microscope in case of oblique illumination. It considers the optical setup with a coherent light source, a microscope condenser, a grating located in a plane with an optical axis and with grating slits perpendicular to this axis and a microscope objective. It is proposed the analytical expression for calculation of the minimal resolvable period of this grating or the corresponded spatial cutoff frequency that characterizes the spatial resolution along the optical axis. It is demonstrated that this spatial cutoff frequency is not proportional to the angle of beam inclination. The proposed theory clearly explains why an optical microscope has the limited spatial resolution along an optical axis and how illumination can maximize this resolution.

Citation Download Citation

Volodymyr Borovytsky "Spatial resolution of an optical microscope with oblique illumination", Proc. SPIE 11104, Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering XX, 111040Q (30 August 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2527877

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