Effects of aberrations on effective point spread function in STED microscopy

Like other imaging techniques, stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy suffers from aberrations. While their effects on depletion patterns have been explicitly investigated, the study on how aberrations affect the effective point spread function (PSF) in STED microscopy is still missing. For STED researchers, however, this study is beneficial, as it directly bridges image qualities and aberrations. In this paper, we quantitatively analyze the effects of primary aberrations, including astigmatism, coma, trefoil, and spherical aberration, in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) STED microscopy, and further discuss the corresponding aberration tolerance. Specifically, attention is given to the modification of the shape, the size, and the peak intensity of the effective PSF in the presence of these aberrations.