Light & Fluorescence Microscopy
Axial resolution and Optical section thickness
With the insertion of a pinhole we are now able to optically section the sample. However the axial resolution is worse than the lateral resolution. In fact the airy disk is elliptical. See diagram below.
The calculation for axial resolution is R=1.67λ/(NA)2
To collect a 3 dimensional image you must know your optical section thickness (OST). Most confocals calculate this for you now and all their formulas are slightly different.
