Fiber optic microscopy

This chapter discusses the principle of fiber optic microscopy using both single-mode fiber and fiber bundle. In general, optical fibers used in fiber optic microscopy are primarily used for remote illuminating light from the source to the imaging site and collected imaging light from the imaging site to the detector. Optical fibers are highly flexible and thin. These properties make them ideal for use in in situ and endoscopic imaging (Kimura and Wilson 1991; Gmitro and Aziz 1993); however, these benefits come with consequences: the small core fiber diameter makes the light coupling into fiber difficult and this limited fiber aperture acts as a spatial filter. This chapter will discuss some of these issues.