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Atomic Force Microscopy01:08

Atomic Force Microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a type of scanning probe microscopy that can analyze topographic details of various specimens like ceramics, glass, polymers, and biological samples. AFM offers over 1000 times more resolution than the optical imaging system. Images generated from AFM are three-dimensional surface profiles, offering an advantage over the flat, two-dimensional images from other imaging techniques.
The AFM Probe
The probe is regarded as the heart of any AFM setup and comprises the...
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 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...
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.
Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction01:07

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to determine the 3D structure of biological samples with the help of techniques such as electron microscope tomography and single-particle reconstruction. While single-particle reconstruction can examine macromolecules and macromolecular complexes in vitro conditions only, tomography permits the study of cell components or small cells in vivo.
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
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,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Sub-nanometer Resolution Imaging with Amplitude-modulation Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid
10:25

Sub-nanometer Resolution Imaging with Amplitude-modulation Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid

Published on: December 20, 2016

Atom camera: super-resolution scanning microscope of a light pattern with a single ultracold atom.

T Tomita1,2, Y T Chew3, R A Villela3,4

  • 1Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Japan. tomita@ims.ac.jp.

Nature Communications
|May 29, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed an atom camera using a single ultracold atom to image sub-micrometer light patterns with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity. This breakthrough overcomes diffraction limits for advanced optical physics and biophysics applications.

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Microfluidic Imaging Flow Cytometry by Asymmetric-detection Time-stretch Optical Microscopy (ATOM)
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Microfluidic Imaging Flow Cytometry by Asymmetric-detection Time-stretch Optical Microscopy (ATOM)

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Single Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy on Planar Supported Bilayers
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Single Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy on Planar Supported Bilayers

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 31, 2026

Sub-nanometer Resolution Imaging with Amplitude-modulation Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid
10:25

Sub-nanometer Resolution Imaging with Amplitude-modulation Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid

Published on: December 20, 2016

Microfluidic Imaging Flow Cytometry by Asymmetric-detection Time-stretch Optical Microscopy (ATOM)
07:19

Microfluidic Imaging Flow Cytometry by Asymmetric-detection Time-stretch Optical Microscopy (ATOM)

Published on: June 28, 2017

Single Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy on Planar Supported Bilayers
20:00

Single Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy on Planar Supported Bilayers

Published on: October 31, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics
  • Biophysics
  • Quantum Imaging

Background:

  • Sub-micrometer light patterns are crucial in various scientific fields.
  • Current in situ characterization methods lack sufficient spatial resolution and sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel high-resolution, high-sensitivity imaging technique for sub-micrometer light patterns.
  • To overcome the limitations of existing imaging methods, particularly those related to diffraction and thermal fluctuations.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a single ultracold atom trapped in an optical tweezer as a scanning probe.
  • Measuring energy shifts in atom spin states using polarization-sensitive transitions.
  • Achieving quantum-limited spatial resolution by suppressing position uncertainty to near quantum fluctuations.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated 2D imaging of both light intensity and polarization ellipticity with high resolution.
  • Characterized the non-trivial polarization profile of a tightly-focused beam.
  • Achieved a spatial resolution upper bound of σ ≤ 96(4) nm, surpassing previous methods.

Conclusions:

  • The atom camera provides a powerful new tool for analyzing sub-micrometer light patterns.
  • This technique enables imaging beyond the diffraction limit, advancing optical physics and biophysics.
  • The method offers superior sensitivity and resolution compared to existing approaches.