Stochastic 3D optical mapping by holographic localization of Brownian scatterers

We present a wide-field microscopy technique for the 3D mapping of optical intensity distributions using Brownian gold nanopar-ticles as local probes, which are localized by off-axis holography. Fast computation methods allow us to localize hundreds of particles per minute with accuracies as good as 3 × 3 × 10nm³ for immobilized particles. Factors limiting this accuracy are discussed and the possibilities of the technique are illustrated through the 3D optical mapping of an evanescent and a propagative wave. Our results pave the way for a new stochastic imaging technique, well adapted to subwavelength optical characterization in water-based systems.