Effects of polarization and phase modulation on the focal spot in 4Pi microscopy. Issue 12 (3rd July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Shaocong; You, Shangting; Fang, Yue; Wang, Yifan; Kuang, Cuifang; Liu, Xu
• Is Part Of: Journal of modern optics. Volume 63:Issue 12(2016)
• Page Start: 1145
• Page End: 1157
• Publication Date: 2016-07-03
• Subjects: 4Pi microscopy -- polarization -- solid spot -- hollow spot; Optics -- Periodicals; 535
• DOI: 10.1080/09500340.2015.1129077
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-0340

Abstract

Abstract: In 4Pi microscopy, the intensity and polarization distributions of the focal spot directly determine the system resolution, influencing its extended applications. This paper illustrates how the focal spot is affected by the polarization and phase modulation of the incident beams. Various combinations of polarization states and phase modulations are considered and their effects on the focal spot are investigated. The optimal configurations for generating a solid spot and a doughnut-shaped spot are proposed. This paper provides the theoretical basis and reference for extended applications, such as super-resolution confocal microscopy, 4Pi microscopy or 4Pi-STED microscopy.