Imaging Theory of Optical Microscopy: Basic to Super Resolution

Optical microscopy is one of the sophisticated techniques to manipulate light based on well-established theories, as well as a powerful tool to observe living micro-organisms. The developments are still ongoing to overcome their limitations in observation. Recently, the invention of several super-resolution techniques has overcome the limit in spatial resolution caused by the wave nature of light.
In this presentation, I discuss the theories behind optical microscopy. My talk starts with basic wave optics to explain how a lens forms and magnifies an image in a conventional microscope. Then, I introduce laser scanning microscopy as an alternative form to the microscope. At last, as a recent development, I discuss several super-resolution techniques, which utilize interesting theory to improve spatial resolution.