Abstract

The experimental results with Contrast Enhancement and Phase Microscopes have proved the possibility of ten-fold increasing resolution over classical limit, which is based on coherent transfer function. The previous results on computer modelling, theoretical and experimental investigations are discussed. We propose the approach which permits to explain these results and to avoid the contradiction with Abbe's theory. In our approach we use an optical system eigenfunctions instead of plane waves as a basis for the object field decomposition and consider the microscope lens and reflecting object as a fragment of an equivalent lens waveguide (or a resonator) with known set of eigenfunctions.

© 1996 IEEE