Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

Confocal microscopy is an advanced microscopic technique. The prime advantage of the confocal microscope over other microscopy techniques is its ability to block the out-of-focus light from the illuminated samples using pinholes. It is widely used with fluorescence optics to obtain high-resolution, sharp contrast images. Unlike optical microscopes, confocal microscopes use a focused beam of light laser to scan the entire sample surface at different z-planes. These microscopes are, therefore,...

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been developed.

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

Phase-Contrast Microscopes
In-phase-contrast microscopes, interference between light directly passing through a cell and light refracted by cellular components is used to create high-contrast, high-resolution images without staining. It is the oldest and simplest type of microscope that creates an image by altering the wavelengths of light rays passing through the specimen. Altered wavelength paths are created using an annular stop in the condenser. The annular stop produces a hollow cone of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Impacts of future sea level change on Greenland from community knowledge, coastal mapping, and glacial isostatic adjustment models.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Projections of 21st-century sea-level fall along coastal Greenland.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Global mean sea level likely higher than present during the holocene.

Nature communications·2024

Same author

Influence of reef isostasy, dynamic topography, and glacial isostatic adjustment on sea-level records in Northeastern Australia.

Communications earth & environment·2024

Same author

Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost.

Nature communications·2024

Same author

GIA imaging of 3-D mantle viscosity based on palaeo sea level observations - Part I: Sensitivity kernels for an Earth with laterally varying viscosity.

Geophysical journal international·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Analyzing the Movement of the Nauplius 'Artemia salina' by Optical Tracking of Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Analyzing the Movement of the Nauplius 'Artemia salina' by Optical Tracking of Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Published on: July 15, 2014

Plasmon mediated confocal dark-field microscopy.

Marcus Schmelzeisen¹, Jacqueline Austermann, Maximilian Kreiter

¹Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany.

|October 30, 2008

Summary

We developed an efficient scanning confocal dark-field microscopy method using surface plasmons in thin gold films. This technique enhances signal strength and improves the point-spread function for better imaging resolution.

Area of Science:

Optics and Photonics
Materials Science
Microscopy

Background:

Confocal dark-field microscopy offers high contrast imaging but can be limited by light scattering and resolution.
Surface plasmons, collective electron oscillations at metal-dielectric interfaces, can manipulate light-matter interactions.
Thin gold films provide a suitable platform for supporting surface plasmon excitation due to their optical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To establish an efficient scanning confocal dark-field microscopy mode utilizing surface plasmon excitation.
To investigate the role of surface plasmons in both excitation and emission processes for enhanced imaging.
To characterize the performance of this novel microscopy mode through experimental validation.

Main Methods:

More Related Videos

Imaging Subcellular Structures in the Living Zebrafish Embryo

Imaging Subcellular Structures in the Living Zebrafish Embryo

Published on: April 2, 2016

Near Simultaneous Laser Scanning Confocal and Atomic Force Microscopy (Conpokal) on Live Cells

Near Simultaneous Laser Scanning Confocal and Atomic Force Microscopy (Conpokal) on Live Cells

Published on: August 11, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Analyzing the Movement of the Nauplius 'Artemia salina' by Optical Tracking of Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Analyzing the Movement of the Nauplius 'Artemia salina' by Optical Tracking of Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Published on: July 15, 2014

Imaging Subcellular Structures in the Living Zebrafish Embryo

Imaging Subcellular Structures in the Living Zebrafish Embryo

Published on: April 2, 2016

Near Simultaneous Laser Scanning Confocal and Atomic Force Microscopy (Conpokal) on Live Cells

Near Simultaneous Laser Scanning Confocal and Atomic Force Microscopy (Conpokal) on Live Cells

Published on: August 11, 2020

Development of a scanning confocal dark-field microscopy setup incorporating a thin gold film.

Excitation and detection of surface plasmons at intermediate stages of the imaging process.

Experimental characterization including point-spread function analysis and scattered radiation intensity distribution measurement.

Comparison with classical dark-field microscopy geometry.

Main Results:

Demonstration of an efficient microscopy mode enabled by intermediate surface plasmon excitation and emission.
Experimental verification of the enhanced effective point-spread function and signal intensity.
Analysis of wavelength-dependent effects on signal strength and point-spread function.

Conclusions:

The proposed method efficiently leverages surface plasmons in thin gold films for scanning confocal dark-field microscopy.
This approach offers improved imaging performance, including enhanced signal and resolution.
The findings provide a foundation for advanced plasmon-enhanced microscopy techniques.