6533b85afe1ef96bd12b89c3
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Reduction of focus size in tightly focused linearly polarized beams
Genaro SaavedraIsabel EscobarRaúl Martínez-cuencaManuel Martínez-corralsubject
PhysicsPolarized light microscopyPhysics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)Linear polarizationbusiness.industryDepolarizationPolarization (waves)Collimated lightlaw.inventionOpticsOptical microscopelawConfocal microscopyPerpendicularbusinessdescription
The electromagnetic theory predicts that when a linearly polarized collimated field is focused by a high-angle focusing system, components perpendicular to the initial polarization are generated. The use of annular masks to reduce the area of the focal spot usually increases the magnitude of this phenomenon, known as depolarization. We present a class of masks, the three-ring masks, which are important because they narrow the central lobe of the focal intensity distribution without increasing the depolarization. This can be very useful in modern optical applications, such as confocal microscopy or multiphoton scanning microscopy.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-01-01 | Applied Physics Letters |