Investigation of a double-pass confocal scanning microscope with a self-pumped phase-conjugate mirror

Investigations of a double-pass scanning microscope with a self-pumped phase-conjugate mirror are presented. The microscope archieves lateral- and axial-resolution enhancements compared with the conventional confocal transmission microscope and has the advantages of self-alignment and aberration compensation owing to the properties of a phase-conjugate mirror. Using a self-pumped phase-conjugate mirror makes it possible to archieve a high scan rate, which is essential to observing objects by a confocal microscope.