Focussing, Aberration Correction and Enhanced Optical Sectioning in Microscopy

Professor Tony Wilson

Department of Engineering Science, Oxford University, UK

3:30 pm Monday, 1 February 2010, EN101 (Ground Floor, EN Building), Hawthorn.

There are many factors that influence the design of a confocal microscope.  Among these crucially is the method of achieving optical sectioning or confocal operation. High resolution imaging of thick specimens is also often detrimentally affected by specimen-induced aberrations that cause a loss in signal strength together with reduced resolution. Aberrations can be corrected using adaptive optics, where a deformable mirror, for example, introduces equal but opposite aberrations into the optical path.  We will discuss the design of a wave front sensorless adaptive system. We will describe such a system where the refocusing may be achieved remotely from the specimen at high speed without introducing spherical aberration that is common to other optical refocusing systems.

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