A Bayesian approach towards atomically-precise localization in fluorescence microscopy

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Optical Microscopy
• Quantum Technology

Background:

• Super-resolution microscopy surpasses the Abbe diffraction limit for imaging complex systems.
• Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) achieves nanometer precision but faces limitations.
• Improving SMLM to angstrom-level resolution requires a significant, often impractical, increase in photon collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To overcome the fundamental barrier in SMLM resolution enhancement.
• To develop a technique for achieving angstrom-level precision in optical imaging.
• To enable direct optical resolution of atomic features in quantum and biological systems.

Main Methods:

• Harnessing the periodic nature of atomic lattice structures.
• Applying a discrete grid imaging technique (DIGIT).
• Utilizing quantum emitter systems and large-scale quantum emitter arrays.

Main Results:

• Observed an exponential collapse of localization uncertainty beyond the atomic lattice constant.
• Demonstrated parallel positioning of emitters in large arrays via wide-field imaging.
• Achieved angstrom-level precision, breaking previous resolution barriers.

Conclusions:

• DIGIT overcomes the quadratic resource scaling limitations of SMLM.
• The technique offers a competitive tool for unprecedented measurement precision.
• DIGIT paves the way for direct optical resolution of atomic features in various systems.