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Related Concept Videos

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy01:18

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

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...
Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy01:16

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

Confocal microscopy is an advanced microscopic technique. The prime advantage of the confocal microscope over other microscopy techniques is its ability to block the out-of-focus light from the illuminated samples using pinholes. It is widely used with fluorescence optics to obtain high-resolution, sharp contrast images. Unlike optical microscopes, confocal microscopes use a focused beam of light laser to scan the entire sample surface at different z-planes. These microscopes are, therefore,...
Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy01:37

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been developed.
Overview of Electron Microscopy01:25

Overview of Electron Microscopy

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.
Transmission Electron Microscopy01:15

Transmission Electron Microscopy

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 keV in...
Overview of Microscopy Techniques01:22

Overview of Microscopy Techniques

The early pioneers of microscopy opened a window into the invisible world of microorganisms. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes that leveraged nonvisible light, such as fluorescence microscopy that uses an ultraviolet light source and electron microscopy that uses short-wavelength electron beams. These advances significantly improved magnification, image resolution, and contrast. By comparison, the...

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Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers
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Super-resolution microscopy achieved by metalens-generated longitudinal polarization illumination.

Shaokui Yan, Yi Zhou, Yurong Li

    Optics Express
    |February 20, 2026
    PubMed
    Summary

    This study introduces a super-resolution microscopy technique using longitudinally polarized light for enhanced resolution. The method achieves sub-wavelength imaging, improving lateral resolution in microscopy applications.

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    Published on: January 6, 2026

    Area of Science:

    • Optics and Photonics
    • Microscopy
    • Nanotechnology

    Background:

    • Confocal microscopy resolution is limited by diffraction.
    • Radially polarized light can create smaller focal spots than linear or circular polarization.
    • Achieving sub-wavelength resolution is crucial for advanced imaging.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To develop a super-resolution microscopy approach using longitudinally polarized light.
    • To improve the lateral resolution of microscopy beyond the diffraction limit.
    • To demonstrate label-free imaging of sub-wavelength structures.

    Main Methods:

    • Utilized a metalens to convert linearly polarized light into radially polarized light.
    • Focused the radially polarized light to generate a longitudinally polarized focal spot.
    • Employed this focused light as illumination for super-resolution microscopy.

    Main Results:

    • Generated a longitudinally polarized focal spot with a size of 0.428 λ.
    • Achieved super-resolution imaging of grating structures with 0.316 λ linewidth and 0.632 λ pitch.
    • Demonstrated the system's edge detection capability.

    Conclusions:

    • The developed metalens-based super-resolution microscopy offers improved lateral resolution.
    • The label-free method is effective for probing sub-wavelength structures.
    • This technique has broad potential in biomedical and non-biomedical imaging applications.