1. Equation

2. References

The Optical Unit is a dimensionless units of length used in optical microscopy. Because every diffraction limited system have their resolution proportional to wavelength / NA, it is convenient for comparison to use this unit.

There are actually 2 units, one "axial" (along the optical axis of the objective) and one "radial".

Equation

where :

• is the refractive index
• is the wavelength
• the beam conus angle
• is the total magnification ( is 1 if you want the size in the sample)

Note : = numerical aperture

References

• James B. Pawley in Handbook of biological confocal microscopy ; second edition; Appendix I
• http://www.ntmdt.com/spm-basics/view/classical-optical-microscopy (see equation 3 and 4)

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