Method of super-resolution based on array detection and maximum-likelihood estimation

Conventional confocal fluorescence microscopy has demonstrated its ability to gain enhanced image resolution after the employment of pinholes, but the contradiction between resolution and signal to noise ratio hinders the further improvement of resolution. However, an array detector scheme for confocal microscopes solves this problem and is therefore of interest in restoring the data of array detectors to its original image. In this paper, we apply maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE), which is a restoration method based on the Poisson distribution of the fluorescence sample, to restore the array-detection image. We set up a simulation and apply it to fluorescent beads and fixed cell samples to verify its effectiveness. The results show that, after the restoration, the lateral resolution is highly enhanced and the signal to noise ratio is remarkably improved. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America