title: Aberration-free optical refocusing in high numerical aperture microscopy.
abstract: We describe a method of optical refocusing for high numerical aperture (NA) systems that is particularly relevant for confocal and multiphoton microscopy. This method avoids the spherical aberration that is common to other optical refocusing systems. We show that aberration-free images can be obtained over an axial scan range of 70 mum for a 1.4 NA objective lens. As refocusing is implemented remotely from the specimen, this method will enable high axial scan speeds without mechanical interference between the objective lens and the specimen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Botcherby
authors.forename: Rimas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Juskaitis
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D004867:Equipment Design; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D015233:Models, Statistical; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D017785:Photons; D015203:Reproducibility of Results