Single shot holographic super-resolution microscopy

An exceptionally simple and versatile advance in super-resolution microscopy has been created by adding a new birefringent FINCH holographic lens system including an inexpensive uncooled CMOS camera to a standard microscope. Resolution, after only a single image capture, is equivalent to or better than other more complex popular methods such as SIM, Airyscan and a number of image scanning microscopy methods that boost resolution about two-fold. This new FINCH implementation uniquely works for any objective power and NA and is solid state, fast, and calibration-free. In addition to being as easy to operate and maintain as a standard fluorescence microscope, it can uniquely create super-resolved images with any type or wavelength of light including fluorescence, bioluminescence or reflected light because its principle depends only on emitted light from objects and requires no prior training or knowledge about the sample being imaged. This microscope technique increases the utility and availability of super-resolution microscopy for any user in any research lab.