Subdiffraction scattered light imaging of gold nanoparticles using structured illumination

A reflective light-scattering (RLS) microscope with structured illumination (SI) provides subdiffraction resolution and improves the image quality of gold nanoparticles in biological systems. The three-dimensional (3D)-structured pattern is rapidly and precisely controlled with a spatial light modulator and scrambled at the conjugate image plane to increase spatial incoherence. The reconstructed SI-RLS image of 100 nm gold nanoparticles reveals lateral and axial resolutions of approximately 117 and 428 nm. We present a high-resolution image of gold nanoparticles inside a HeLa cell, with improved contrast.