Confocal structured illumination microscopy for super-resolution imaging: theory and numerical simulations

Abstract: Super-resolution structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM) is a widely used technique for enhancing the resolution of fluorescence imaging beyond the diffraction limit. Most existing SR-SIM methods rely on Moir\'e effect-based physical imaging models, which require the estimation of structured illumination parameters during image reconstruction. However, parameter estimation is prone to errors, often leading to artifacts in the reconstructed images. To address these limitations, we propose super-resolution confocal structured illumination microscopy (SR-CSIM). The physical model of SR-CSIM is based on confocal imaging principles, eliminating the need for structured illumination parameter estimation. We construct the SR-CSIM imaging theory. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that SR-CSIM achieves a resolution comparable to that of SR-SIM while reducing artifacts. This advancement has the potential to broaden the applicability of SIM, providing researchers with a more robust and versatile imaging tool.