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A method for evaluating microscope objectives to optimize performance of confocal systems
Author(s) -
Cogswell C. J.,
Sheppard C. J. R.,
Moss M. C.,
Howard C. V.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2818.1990.tb02991.x
Subject(s) - microscope , optics , confocal , 4pi microscope , flatness (cosmology) , optical microscope , materials science , confocal microscopy , field of view , scanning electron microscope , conventional transmission electron microscope , physics , scanning transmission electron microscopy , cosmology , quantum mechanics
SUMMARY A method for evaluating the performance of microscope objectives on two types of confocal scanning optical microscope is presented. Of these two confocal microscope types, off‐axis beam‐scanning systems are found to require microscope objectives which have been corrected for flatness of field as well as for spherical aberration and astigmatism in order to obtain maximum axial and laterial resolution. In the case of on‐axis specimen‐scanning microscopes, less highly corrected objective lenses (not corrected for flatness of field) may in practice prove to have superior resolving properties.