Editing Microscopy (section)

==== Confocal ====
{{Main|Confocal microscopy}}
Confocal laser scanning microscopy uses a focused [[laser]] beam (e.g. 488&nbsp;nm) that is scanned across the sample to excite [[fluorescence]] in a point-by-point fashion. The emitted light is directed through a pinhole to prevent out-of-focus light from reaching the detector, typically a [[photomultiplier tube]]. The image is constructed in a computer, plotting the measured fluorescence intensities according to the position of the excitation laser. Compared to full sample illumination, confocal microscopy gives slightly higher lateral resolution and significantly improves [[optical sectioning]] (axial resolution). Confocal microscopy is, therefore, commonly used where 3D structure is important.

A subclass of confocal microscopes are '''spinning disc microscopes''' which are able to scan multiple points simultaneously across the sample. A corresponding disc with pinholes rejects out-of-focus light. The light detector in a spinning disc microscope is a digital camera, typically [[Charge-coupled device|EM-CCD]] or [[sCMOS]].