Simulative investigation of microcylinder-assisted microscopy in reflection and transmission mode

Abstract

Microsphere and microcylinder-assisted microscopy (MAM) has grown to an intensively studied optical farfield imaging technique over the last decade that overcomes the fundamental lateral resolution limit of a given microscope. However, the physical effects leading to resolution enhancement are still frequently debated. In addition, various configurations of MAMs operating in transmission as well as reflection mode are examined and results generalized. We present a rigorous simulation model of MAM and present a way to quantify the resolution simulatively. The lateral resolution is compared for microscope arrangements in reflection and transmission mode. Further, we discuss different physical effects with respect to their contribution to resolution enhancement. The results indicate that the effects affecting the resolution as well as the enhancement itself strongly depend on the arrangement of the microscope and the measurement object.