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Related Concept Videos

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.
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,...
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.
Overview of Electron Microscopy01:25

Overview of Electron Microscopy

The wavelengths of visible light ultimately limit the maximum theoretical resolution of images created by light microscopes. Most light microscopes can only magnify 1000X, and a few can magnify up to 1500X. Electrons, like electromagnetic radiation, can behave like waves, but with wavelengths of 0.005 nm, they produce significantly greater resolution up to 0.05 nm as compared to 500 nm for visible light. An electron microscope (EM) can create a sharp image that is magnified up to 2,000,000X.

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Conducting Multiple Imaging Modes with One Fluorescence Microscope
08:32

Conducting Multiple Imaging Modes with One Fluorescence Microscope

Published on: October 28, 2018

Solid immersion facilitates fluorescence microscopy with nanometer resolution and sub-ångström emitter localization.

Dominik Wildanger1, Brian R Patton, Heiko Schill

  • 1Department of NanoBiophotonics, Max Planck Institut for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. dominik@wildanger.net.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|September 13, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Researchers achieved 2.4 nm resolution in optical imaging using solid immersion lenses (SIL) with stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy. This technique precisely locates single spins, advancing nanoscale imaging capabilities.

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Area of Science:

  • Optics and Photonics
  • Nanotechnology
  • Quantum Sensing

Background:

  • Far-field optical imaging traditionally faces diffraction limits, restricting spatial resolution.
  • Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy enhances resolution but requires further improvement for nanoscale applications.
  • Precise localization of nanoscale objects is crucial for fields like quantum information science.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the maximum spatial resolution achievable in far-field optical imaging.
  • To explore the application of solid immersion lenses (SIL) in STED microscopy.
  • To demonstrate high-resolution imaging and localization of single spins.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy.
  • Integrated solid immersion lenses (SIL) to overcome diffraction limitations.
  • Applied the technique to image and localize single spin defects.

Main Results:

  • Achieved a spatial resolution down to 2.4 ± 0.3 nm.
  • Demonstrated a localization precision of 0.09 nm for single spins.
  • Successfully imaged nanoscale structures with unprecedented detail.

Conclusions:

  • Solid immersion lenses significantly enhance the spatial resolution of STED microscopy.
  • The combined SIL-STED approach enables nanoscale imaging and precise localization of single spins.
  • This advancement holds potential for high-resolution imaging in various scientific disciplines.