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A fluorescence microscope, based on standing wave excitation of fluorescence, effects an axial resolution greater than 0.5 micrometer. Standing wave excitation technique involves the generation of standing waves due to interference in laser rays which, in turn, gives rise to an excitation field. Compactly packed nodes and antinodes characterize such an excitation field and facilitate optical scanning of the specimen at an enhanced resolution. This technique is used in three-dimensional imaging of actin fibers and filaments in static cells, actin filaments and myosin II filaments in viable cells. Mathematical representation of standing wave excitation includes an axial shift of optical transfer function in reciprocal vector space, which facilitates retraction of reduced signals of information.