Using variable pupil filters to optimize the resolution in multiphoton and saturable fluorescence confocal microscopy

摘要

Pupil filters are widely used to improve the resolution of confocal microscopes. We analyze the possibilitiesnof applying them to N-photon microscopy. We find that taking a linear combination of images obtained withnseveral pupil filters can improve the resolution by a factor of N (compared to a conventional microscope).nWhen applied to saturable fluorescence, this technique allows one to observe fluorescent objects with, innprinciple, unlimited spatial resolution. © 2009 Optical Society of America