High spatial resolution imaging of a structure of interest in a specimen

US8084754B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Föderung der Wissenschaften e.V. · US

Inventors

• Stefan W. Hell · Oebisfelde, DE
• Christian Eggeling · Oettingen, DE
• Alexander Egner · Einbeck, DE
• Jonas Fölling · Heidelberg, DE
• Andreas SCHONLE · Oebisfelde, DE
• Mariano Bossi · Olavarría, AR

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 25, 2011
• Grant date: Dec 27, 2011
• Expiry date: Jan 25, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B27/58
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

For imaging of a structure, the structure is marked with a substance which can be converted by a switching signal from a first into a second state, and which provides an optical measurement signal in one of its states, only. The switching signal is applied such that at least 10% of the molecules of the substance being in the measurement signal providing state are at a distance from their closest neighbors, which is greater than the spatial resolution limit of imaging the specimen onto a sensor array, which in turn is greater than an average distance between the molecules of the substance. From an intensity distribution of the measurement signal recorded with the sensor array, the position is only determined for those molecules of the substance which are at a distance from their closest neighboring molecules in the measurement signal providing state, which is greater than the spatial resolution limit.