Line-scanning tomographic optical microscope with isotropic transfer function

• Published in: Journal of optics (2010) 2010-11, Vol.12 (11), p.115505-115505
• Main Authors: GAJDATSY, Gábor, DUDAS, László, ERDELYI, Miklós, SZABO, Gábor
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Confocal; Conventional optical microscopes; Equivalence; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Image reconstruction; tomography; Imaging; Imaging and optical processing; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Optical instruments, equipment and techniques; Optical microscopes; Optics; Physics; Projection; Reconstruction; Transfer functions
• ISSN: 2040-8986; 2040-8978; 2040-8986
• DOI: 10.1088/2040-8978/12/11/115505

An imaging method and optical system, referred to as a line-scanning tomographic optical microscope (LSTOM) using a combination of line-scanning technique and CT reconstruction principle, is proposed and studied theoretically and experimentally. In our implementation a narrow focus line is scanned over the sample and the reflected light is measured in a confocal arrangement. One such scan is equivalent to a transverse projection in tomography. Repeating the scanning procedure in several directions, a number of transverse projections are recorded from which the image can be obtained using conventional CT reconstruction algorithms. The resolution of the image is independent of the spatial dimensions and structure of the applied detector; furthermore, the transfer function of the system is isotropic. The imaging performance of the implemented confocal LSTOM was compared with a point-scanning confocal microscope, based on recorded images. These images demonstrate that the resolution of the confocal LSTOM exceeds (by 15%) the resolution limit of a point-scanning confocal microscope.