Project IRENE Using optical scanning to digitize ethnographic field recordings on wax cylinders

Confocal Probe Diagram

Description:
This diagram explains the operating principle of the confocal microscope. At each of 180 points, white light is shone through a series of lenses which split the light into constituent wavelengths such that different wavelengths focus at different heights in the probe's range. When a surface is placed in the probe's focal range, the light that is incident, reflects off the surface, is gathered and analyzed. By analyzing the intensity of the wavelengths in the collected light, the probe can detect which wavelength of light was in focus on the surface and from this can calculate and output the height of the surface.
Actual Dimension:
Exhibit Tags:
probe, data acquisition, and diagram