DEPENDENCE OF 2-DIMENSIONAL AND 3-DIMENSIONAL OPTICAL TRANSFER-FUNCTIONS ON PINHOLE RADIUS IN A COHERENT CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE - REPLY

The aim of this reply to comments is to show how the Fourier transform in depth of the defocused two-dimensional (2D) weak-object transfer function is to be physically interpreted in a confocal microscope. The origin of discrepancies in the shape of the three-dimensional (3D) transfer function as presented by Sheppard and Gu [Opt. Commun. 81, 281 (1991)] and by the present author [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 9, 725 (1992)] are also explained. Finally, a class of 3D objects is presented to which the 3D transfer function of my earlier paper applies.