Konfokalem

Konfokalem is a term occasionally used to refer to the concept of confocality in optics, particularly in languages or transliterations where the English word confocal appears with a different spelling. In English-language sources, the standard term is confocal. The idea describes optical systems that illuminate and detect light through the same focal plane, enabling optical sectioning by rejecting light from out-of-focus planes.

The core principle is that a point light source creates illumination at a single focal point, and a pinhole or small detector is placed at a conjugate focal plane to block light from planes above or below the focal plane. In practice, this is achieved with either scanning laser illumination or parallel illumination, so that only light from the focused plane contributes to the detected signal. This improves contrast and axial resolution compared with widefield imaging.

Common implementations include laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and spinning disk confocal microscopy. LSCM uses a focused laser point that is scanned across the specimen, while spinning disk systems employ multiple pinholes on a rotating disk for faster image acquisition. Both configurations allow optical sectioning and three-dimensional reconstruction by collecting series of focal planes (Z-stacks).

Applications of confocal (and by extension konfokalem in some contexts) span biology, materials science, and nanotechnology, where high-contrast, optically sectioned images and 3D structure information are valuable. Limitations include slower imaging speed, potential photobleaching, and higher equipment costs compared with widefield microscopy.