Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy01:18

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

Optical microscopy uses optic principles to provide detailed images of samples. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek designed the first compound optical microscope in the 17th century to visualize blood cells, bacteria, and yeast cells. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes with enhanced magnification and resolution.
In optical microscopy, the specimen to be viewed is placed on a glass slide and clipped on the stage...
Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy01:16

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 Microscopy01:37

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.
Fluorescence and Phosphorescence: Instrumentation01:25

Fluorescence and Phosphorescence: Instrumentation

Fluorometers and spectrofluorometers are two types of instruments used for measuring molecular fluorescence. These instruments differ in how they select excitation and emission wavelengths and the type of light sources they utilize. Fluorometers use absorption interference filters to choose excitation and emission wavelengths. The excitation source in a fluorometer is typically a low-pressure mercury vapor lamp that emits intense lines distributed throughout the ultraviolet and visible regions.
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy01:05

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy or TIRF is an advanced microscopic technique used to visualize fluorophores in samples close to a solid surface with a higher refractive index, such as a glass coverslip. TIRF only allows fluorophores in proximity to the solid surface to be excited. When light from a medium with a lower refractive index (such as air) hits the glass coverslip at a critical angle, the light undergoes total internal reflection stead of passing through the glass.
Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy01:26

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

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Editing of Four Ca<sup>2+</sup>-Binding Receptor-Like Cytoplasmic Kinases Improves Soybean Seed Size and Yield at Dense Planting.

Plant biotechnology journal·2026
Same author

Quantum tunneling on water. II. Quantitative rate formalism of barrierless electron transfer and application to oxidation reactions.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

Quantum tunneling on water. I. General framework for microdroplet redox chemistry.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

Pyramiding <i>nn1</i>6 and <i>rin1</i> alleles to balance plant height and node number at high latitudes.

Molecular breeding : new strategies in plant improvement·2026
Same author

Monitoring Cell Membrane Hydration Using a Fluorescent Probe Sensitive to Trace Water.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same author

B7-H3 promotes skin photodamage through ITGA2-NRF2-TFAM-mediated mitochondrial oxidative stress.

Communications biology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Simultaneous Label-Free Autofluorescence Multi-Harmonic Microscopy
09:19

Simultaneous Label-Free Autofluorescence Multi-Harmonic Microscopy

Published on: August 29, 2025

Coherent nonlinear optical imaging: beyond fluorescence microscopy.

Wei Min1, Christian W Freudiger, Sijia Lu

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.

Annual Review of Physical Chemistry
|April 2, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Coherent nonlinear optical imaging offers ultrahigh sensitivity and molecular specificity for nonfluorescent biological samples. These advanced microscopy techniques provide new contrasts for enhanced molecular imaging.

More Related Videos

Implementation of a Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) System on a Ti:Sapphire and OPO Laser Based Standard Laser Scanning Microscope
12:54

Implementation of a Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) System on a Ti:Sapphire and OPO Laser Based Standard Laser Scanning Microscope

Published on: July 17, 2016

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers
10:07

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers

Published on: April 9, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Simultaneous Label-Free Autofluorescence Multi-Harmonic Microscopy
09:19

Simultaneous Label-Free Autofluorescence Multi-Harmonic Microscopy

Published on: August 29, 2025

Implementation of a Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) System on a Ti:Sapphire and OPO Laser Based Standard Laser Scanning Microscope
12:54

Implementation of a Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) System on a Ti:Sapphire and OPO Laser Based Standard Laser Scanning Microscope

Published on: July 17, 2016

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers
10:07

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers

Published on: April 9, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Optics and Photonics
  • Biomedical Imaging
  • Molecular Spectroscopy

Background:

  • Traditional optical microscopy often relies on fluorescence, limiting contrast for nonfluorescent biological species.
  • Developing sensitive imaging techniques beyond fluorescence is crucial for comprehensive biological analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the principles, schemes, and applications of coherent nonlinear optical imaging techniques.
  • To highlight the potential of these methods for molecular imaging in biomedical research.

Main Methods:

  • Coherent nonlinear optical imaging techniques, including nonlinear dissipation microscopy (stimulated Raman scattering, two-photon absorption) and pump-probe microscopy (excited-state absorption, stimulated emission, ground-state depletion).
  • High-frequency modulation transfer schemes for enhanced detection sensitivity.
  • Direct interrogation of molecular vibrational and electronic energy levels for specificity.

Main Results:

  • These techniques provide novel image contrasts for nonfluorescent species.
  • Superb detection sensitivity is achieved through high-frequency modulation transfer.
  • High molecular specificity is enabled by directly probing molecular energy levels.

Conclusions:

  • Coherent nonlinear optical imaging represents an emerging class of molecular imaging techniques.
  • These methods offer significant advantages in sensitivity and specificity for biological systems.
  • Exemplary biomedical applications demonstrate their potential in advanced diagnostics and research.