Patent ID: 7957058

Claim:
A microscope that illuminates a sample with light from a light source through an objective lens and makes it possible to observe the sample through the objective lens, the microscope comprising: a minute, arc-shaped aperture that is disposed in an optical path between the light source and the objective lens in the vicinity of an image side focal plane of the objective lens or a conjugate plane thereof, and makes the light from the light source incident on the sample with substantially Brewster angle; and a polarizer that is disposed in the optical path between the light source and the objective lens and provides linearly polarized light from light from the light source, wherein the minute, arc-shaped aperture satisfies the following conditional expressions: δr≦0.06×f φ≦20° where δr denotes a radial width of the minute, arc-shaped aperture, f denotes a focal length of the objective lens, and φ denotes a central angle of the minute, arc-shaped aperture.