Reflected image of a strongly focused spot

We describe the reflection of a strongly focused beam from an interface between two dielectric media. If the beam is incident from the optically denser medium, the image generated by the reflected light is strongly aberrated. This situation is encountered in high-resolution confocal microscopy and d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics letters 2001-06, Vol.26 (11), p.789-791
Main Authors: Novotny, L, Grober, R D, Karrai, K
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We describe the reflection of a strongly focused beam from an interface between two dielectric media. If the beam is incident from the optically denser medium, the image generated by the reflected light is strongly aberrated. This situation is encountered in high-resolution confocal microscopy and data sampling based on solid immersion lenses and oil immersion objectives. The origin of the observed aberrations lies in the nature of total internal reflection, for which there is a phase shift between incident and reflected waves. This phase shift displaces the apparent reflection point beyond the interface, similarly to the Goos-Hänchen shift.
ISSN:0146-9592
1539-4794
DOI:10.1364/OL.26.000789