Method and apparatus for tracking a particle, particularly a single molecule, in a sample

US9291562B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

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

Inventor

• Stefan W. Hell · Oebisfelde, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 10, 2013
• Grant date: Mar 22, 2016
• Expiry date: Jun 8, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2015/0053
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

For the purpose of tracking a movement of a particle in a sample, the particle is driven by light to emit photons, and the photons emitted by the particle are detected. The light applied to the sample features a light intensity distribution with a spatially limited minimum. The particle is tracked with the minimum of the light intensity distribution by moving the light intensity distribution with respect to the sample such that a rate of photons emitted by the particle remains minimal, and by taking an actual position of the minimum of the light intensity distribution in the sample as an actual position of the particle in the sample.