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

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy01:05

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

13.5K
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.
13.5K
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
Two-Dimensional Microscopy in Microbiology01:29

Two-Dimensional Microscopy in Microbiology

1.7K
Two-dimensional (2D) microscopy encompasses a range of optical techniques that capture images within a single focal plane, offering detailed representations of microscopic structures. These techniques are essential in biological and medical research, enabling the visualization of cellular and subcellular structures with different levels of contrast and specificity.There are several major types of 2D microscopy, each with strengths and applications.Bright-Field MicroscopyBright-field microscopy...
1.7K
Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy01:18

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

11.3K
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...
11.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Force and resistance in physiology.

Current research in physiology·2026
Same author

Epithelial Impermeability to Water: A Second Look.

Cellular physiology and biochemistry : international journal of experimental cellular physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology·2025
Same author

Macromolecular Crowding in Cell Stress and Death.

Sub-cellular biochemistry·2025
Same author

Label-Free Quantification of Protein Density in Living Cells.

Current protocols·2025
Same author

Optimization of signal and noise in x-ray phase and dark field imaging with a wire mesh.

Biomedical physics & engineering express·2025
Same author

Delayed vacuolation in mammalian cells caused by hypotonicity and ion loss.

Scientific reports·2024
Same journal

Gradient-Based Experimental Design for Defect Detection in MoS2 Including Emission Potentials for Thermal Diffuse Scattering.

Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada·2026
Same journal

An Automated Atom Probe Tomography Cluster Detection Approach Using Transfer Learning.

Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada·2026
Same journal

Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy Visualization of Helicobacter pylori in Human Saliva.

Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada·2026
Same journal

Integrating Morpho-Anatomy and Histochemistry to Characterize Native Brazilian Eugenia Species.

Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada·2026
Same journal

Polyalthia Longifolia Induced Apoptosis via miR-484 Downregulation: A Multimodal In Situ Microscopy, In Vitro, and In Vivo Investigation.

Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada·2026
Same journal

Rhythmic Pattern of the Ovarian Development in Posthatching Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica): Histological, Ultrastructural, and Immunohistochemical Study.

Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Nanotopology of Cell Adhesion upon Variable-Angle Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy VA-TIRFM
09:14

Nanotopology of Cell Adhesion upon Variable-Angle Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy VA-TIRFM

Published on: October 2, 2012

10.6K

Bright-Field Microscopy of Transparent Objects: A Ray Tracing Approach.

Anatoly K Khitrin1, Jonathan C Petruccelli2, Michael A Model3

  • 11Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,Kent State University,Kent,OH 44242,USA.

Microscopy and Microanalysis : the Official Journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada
|November 7, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study uses geometrical optics to explain bright-field microscopy image formation. It shows how to extract quantitative phase information from images to reconstruct object morphology.

Keywords:
Optical theoryquantitative phase imagingtransmission microscopytransport-of-intensity equation

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Advancing Knowledge in Far-From-Equilibrium Materials Through Light-Sheet Microscopy
08:32

Author Spotlight: Advancing Knowledge in Far-From-Equilibrium Materials Through Light-Sheet Microscopy

Published on: January 26, 2024

3.5K
Simultaneous Brightfield, Fluorescence, and Optical Coherence Tomographic Imaging of Contracting Cardiac Trabeculae Ex Vivo
12:54

Simultaneous Brightfield, Fluorescence, and Optical Coherence Tomographic Imaging of Contracting Cardiac Trabeculae Ex Vivo

Published on: October 2, 2021

3.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Nanotopology of Cell Adhesion upon Variable-Angle Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy VA-TIRFM
09:14

Nanotopology of Cell Adhesion upon Variable-Angle Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy VA-TIRFM

Published on: October 2, 2012

10.6K
Author Spotlight: Advancing Knowledge in Far-From-Equilibrium Materials Through Light-Sheet Microscopy
08:32

Author Spotlight: Advancing Knowledge in Far-From-Equilibrium Materials Through Light-Sheet Microscopy

Published on: January 26, 2024

3.5K
Simultaneous Brightfield, Fluorescence, and Optical Coherence Tomographic Imaging of Contracting Cardiac Trabeculae Ex Vivo
12:54

Simultaneous Brightfield, Fluorescence, and Optical Coherence Tomographic Imaging of Contracting Cardiac Trabeculae Ex Vivo

Published on: October 2, 2021

3.7K

Area of Science:

  • Optics
  • Microscopy
  • Image Formation

Background:

  • Bright-field microscopy is a fundamental technique for visualizing transparent specimens.
  • Understanding image formation is crucial for quantitative analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe bright-field microscopic image formation using geometrical optics.
  • To propose methods for extracting quantitative phase information from bright-field images.

Main Methods:

  • Formulating image formation based on geometrical optics and energy conservation.
  • Utilizing ray tracing to determine intensity changes at the objective's focal plane.
  • Suggesting focal plane shifting and illumination angle variation for phase retrieval.

Main Results:

  • The image intensity distribution at the objective's front focal plane is replicated in the final image.
  • The geometrical optics approach reproduces results from paraxial wave theory.
  • Quantitative phase information can be extracted by modifying focal plane or illumination angle.

Conclusions:

  • Geometrical optics provides a simplified yet effective model for bright-field microscopy.
  • The proposed methods enable quantitative phase retrieval for object morphology reconstruction.