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

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy01:26

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

14.7K
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...
14.7K
Transmission Electron Microscopy01:15

Transmission Electron Microscopy

7.4K
In 1931, physicist Ernst Ruska—building on the idea that magnetic fields can direct an electron beam just as lenses can direct a beam of light in an optical microscope—developed the first prototype of the electron microscope. This development led to the development of the field of electron microscopy. In the transmission electron microscope (TEM), electrons are produced by a hot tungsten element and accelerated by a potential difference in an electron gun, which gives them up to 400...
7.4K
Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction01:07

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

3.0K
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to determine the 3D structure of biological samples with the help of techniques such as electron microscope tomography and single-particle reconstruction. While single-particle reconstruction can examine macromolecules and macromolecular complexes in vitro conditions only, tomography permits the study of cell components or small cells in vivo.
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
3.0K
Overview of Electron Microscopy01:25

Overview of Electron Microscopy

15.8K
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.
15.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Analysis of a capped carbon nanotube by linear-scaling density-functional theory.

Ultramicroscopy·2019
Same author

Imaging by Zernike phase plates in the TEM.

Ultramicroscopy·2016
Same author

Imaging of weak phase objects by a Zernike phase plate.

Ultramicroscopy·2013
Same author

Characterisation of ferromagnetic rings for Zernike phase plates using the Aharonov-Bohm effect.

Ultramicroscopy·2012
Same author

The transverse structure of cold field electron emission.

Ultramicroscopy·2010
Same author

Fowler-Nordheim theory for a spherical emitting surface.

Ultramicroscopy·2003

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Imaging Replicative Domains in Ultrastructurally Preserved Chromatin by Electron Tomography
14:56

Imaging Replicative Domains in Ultrastructurally Preserved Chromatin by Electron Tomography

Published on: May 20, 2022

4.2K

Imaging with straight-edge phase plates in the TEM.

C J Edgcombe1

  • 1TFM Group, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, CB3 0HE Cambridge, UK.

Ultramicroscopy
|July 7, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Abbe imaging theory and 2D transforms reveal how phase plates affect simple phase object images. Modifying Hilbert plate thickness can prevent weak object images from vanishing, allowing linear intensity contributions.

Keywords:
2D transformFoucault plateFourier–Bessel transformHilbert platePhase plate

More Related Videos

Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography
08:04

Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography

Published on: March 12, 2017

9.9K
Single Particle Electron Microscopy Reconstruction of the Exosome Complex Using the Random Conical Tilt Method
12:10

Single Particle Electron Microscopy Reconstruction of the Exosome Complex Using the Random Conical Tilt Method

Published on: March 28, 2011

24.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Imaging Replicative Domains in Ultrastructurally Preserved Chromatin by Electron Tomography
14:56

Imaging Replicative Domains in Ultrastructurally Preserved Chromatin by Electron Tomography

Published on: May 20, 2022

4.2K
Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography
08:04

Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography

Published on: March 12, 2017

9.9K
Single Particle Electron Microscopy Reconstruction of the Exosome Complex Using the Random Conical Tilt Method
12:10

Single Particle Electron Microscopy Reconstruction of the Exosome Complex Using the Random Conical Tilt Method

Published on: March 28, 2011

24.0K

Area of Science:

  • Optics and Photonics
  • Image Formation Theory

Background:

  • Phase contrast microscopy utilizes phase plates to visualize transparent specimens.
  • Foucault and Hilbert phase plates are common tools for phase manipulation in imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze image formation of simple phase objects using Abbe imaging theory.
  • To investigate the impact of Foucault and Hilbert phase plates on image characteristics.
  • To explore phase relationships between object, plate, and incident wave.

Main Methods:

  • Application of Abbe imaging theory for image amplitude determination.
  • Utilizing a 2D transform in cylindrical coordinates for analysis.
  • Distinguishing contributions from uniform disc objects and azimuthally varying plates.

Main Results:

  • The study quantifies image amplitude and phase using cylindrical coordinates.
  • It identifies conditions where weak disc object images vanish with standard Hilbert plates.
  • A modified Hilbert plate thickness is shown to yield linear intensity contributions from weak phase objects.

Conclusions:

  • Abbe imaging theory provides a framework for understanding phase plate effects.
  • Hilbert phase plate design critically influences the visibility of weak phase objects.
  • Optimizing plate thickness offers a method to enhance the detection of subtle phase variations.