Far-field fluorescence microscopy is one of the most widely applied methods in modern life sciences. Its sensitivity, ability to image the interior of cells, live-cell compatibility and specificity make this technique so attractive. The main drawback of light microscopy has been its limited resolving power due to the wave nature of light. Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy and other nanoscopy techniques have overcome this fundamental obstacle allowing conceptually unlimited resolution in the far field. In the last decade, these techniques have been increasingly applied in biology, as well as in materials science with great success. The key element for these subdiffraction imaging methods is time sequential recording of different fluorophores. In the talk I will discuss subdiffraction imaging in general and in particular how maximizing the resolution is connected to the efficiency of the optical transition and the photostability of the fluorophores. I will present a resolving power of down to 6 nm in unprocessed recordings, which is to date the highest reported in far-field optics. These measurements, which show no sign of photobleaching or blinking, were performed with diamond color centers using STED microscopy and ground state depletion (GSD) microscopy.


Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 10:30. Blue Lecture Room

Hosted by Prof. Pablo Loza-Álvarez