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Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Excitation-Scanning Hyperspectral Imaging Microscopy to Efficiently Discriminate Fluorescence Signals
Published on: August 22, 2019
Correcting Artifacts in Single Molecule Localization Microscopy Analysis Arising from Pixel Quantum Efficiency
Hazen P Babcock1, Fang Huang2, Colenso M Speer3
1Center for Advanced Imaging, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA. hbabcock@fas.harvard.edu.
Abstract:
Optimal analysis of single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) data acquired with a scientific Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (sCMOS) camera relies on statistical compensation for its pixel-dependent gain, offset and readout noise. In this work we show that it is also necessary to compensate for differences in the relative quantum efficiency (RQE) of each pixel. We found differences in RQE on the order of 4% in our tested sCMOS sensors. These differences were large enough to have a noticeable effect on analysis algorithm results, as seen both in simulations and biological imaging data. We discuss how the RQE differences manifest themselves in the analysis results and present the modifications to the Poisson maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) sCMOS analysis algorithm that are needed to correct for the RQE differences.

