Estimation of the point spread function of a laser scanning confocal microscope by the edge diffraction pattern of a metal sample

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In this thesis, a method is described to estimate the 2D-point spread function (2D-PSF) of a Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope. Different from the typical method, which uses fluorescent beads, a metal sample is applied. The edge shape of the sample is appropriately modeled, and its diffraction pattern is measured. We adopt a 2D-Gaussian model, similar to the 2D-PSF, to perform a convolution with the model of the sample. The relationship between the 2D-PSF and the edge diffraction pattern can be found in the result of the convolution, then the 2D-PSF can be evaluated. Ideally, the method described in this thesis is feasible. However, there are some problems in practice. The problems are explained in the conclusion.