Optimization for imaging through scattering media for confocal microscopes with divided elliptical apertures

: We develop a confocal system equipped with optimal elliptical apertures to improve axial point spread function and signal-to-background ratio (SBR) for different detector sizes. By adjusting the parameters of the elliptical apertures, the axial half width at half-maximum can be reduced to 4.986 (described in optical coordinates) and SBR can be improved to 0.176. We evaluate this system with the 1951 USAF resolution test chart and the primary cultured neuron from SD rat stained by Map-2, and observe better imaging performance, which indicates the potential applications in biological science.