Comparison of microcylinder and microsphere assistance in interferometry: simulation and experiments

In optical imaging processes, enhancing the lateral resolution capabilities of a system is of great interest. A microcylinder, which is placed on a specimen, can serve as a resolution-enhancing object, as it is likewise shown for microsphere-assisted interferometry. The use of microspheres in microscopy and interferometry to extend the classical resolution limit is widely discussed, yet the cause of resolution enhancement is lively debated. Theoretical models used for various explanatory models are restricted to 2D space due to computational reasons, which limits the comparability between model and experiment. In our approach, a microcylinder is used to acquire interferometric data sets, which are then compared with results from a rigorous simulation model, enabling direct comparability of experiment and simulation. A comparison to microsphere-assisted data stack is presented as well. Thus, further validation of the model and insights into the processes of microsphere-assisted imaging are provided.