Differential aberration correction (DAC) microscopy: a new molecular ruler

Considerable efforts have been deployed towards measuring molecular range distances in fluorescence microscopy. In the 1-10 nm range, Förster energy transfer microscopy is difficult to beat. Above 300 nm, conventional diffraction limited microscopy is suitable. We introduce a simple experimental technique that allows bridging the gap between those two resolution scales in both 2D and 3D with a resolution of about 20 nm. The method relies on a computational approach to accurately correct optical aberrations over the whole field of view. The method is differential because the probes of interest are affected in exactly the same manner by aberrations as are the reference probes used to construct the aberration deformation field. We expect that this technique will have significant implications for investigating structural and functional questions in bio-molecular sciences.