TY - JOUR
T1 - Comprehensive study of unexpected microscope condensers formed in sample arrangements commonly used in optical microscopy
AU - Desai, Darshan B.
AU - Aldawsari, Mabkhoot Mudith S.
AU - Alharbi, Bandar Mohammed H.
AU - Sen, Sanchari
AU - De Peralta, Luis Grave
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Optical Society of America.
PY - 2015/9/1
Y1 - 2015/9/1
N2 - We show that various setups for optical microscopy which are commonly used in biomedical laboratories behave like efficient microscope condensers that are responsible for observed subwavelength resolution. We present a series of experiments and simulations that reveal how inclined illumination from such unexpected condensers occurs when the sample is perpendicularly illuminated by a microscope's built-in white-light source. In addition, we demonstrate an inexpensive add-on optical module that serves as an efficient and lightweight microscope condenser. Using such add-on optical module in combination with a low-numerical-aperture objective lens and Fourier plane imaging microscopy technique, we demonstrate detection of photonic crystals with a period nearly eight times smaller than the Rayleigh resolution limit.
AB - We show that various setups for optical microscopy which are commonly used in biomedical laboratories behave like efficient microscope condensers that are responsible for observed subwavelength resolution. We present a series of experiments and simulations that reveal how inclined illumination from such unexpected condensers occurs when the sample is perpendicularly illuminated by a microscope's built-in white-light source. In addition, we demonstrate an inexpensive add-on optical module that serves as an efficient and lightweight microscope condenser. Using such add-on optical module in combination with a low-numerical-aperture objective lens and Fourier plane imaging microscopy technique, we demonstrate detection of photonic crystals with a period nearly eight times smaller than the Rayleigh resolution limit.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85016924798&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1364/AO.54.007781
DO - 10.1364/AO.54.007781
M3 - Article
C2 - 26368905
AN - SCOPUS:85016924798
SN - 1559-128X
VL - 54
SP - 7781
EP - 7788
JO - Applied Optics
JF - Applied Optics
IS - 25
ER -