Super-resolution Microscopy

Our approach to super-resolution microscopyÌýis fundamentally different from most existingÌýtechniquesÌýsuch as stimulated emission depletion microscopy, structured illumination microscopy, or single-molecule localization microscopy. For common fluorescent samples, our method typically achieves ~3-5 fold resolution enhancement over theÌý​

Unlike most existing techniques,Ìýour method does not require special fluorophores or additional sample treatments. All it needs is a focused laser spot for illumination, and a constrained deconvolution algorithm.​

The mechanism of our method is aÌýstory that spansÌýnearly a half century. In the early 1970's, Prof. Roy Frieden and his colleagues in the University of ArizonaÌýdemonstrated that certainÌý.ÌýIn the 90's,Ìýseveral mathematiciansÌýpointed outÌýthatÌýtheÌý. Another 20-plusÌýyears later, our groupÌýcoincidentally discoveredÌýthatÌýÌýcompared to the conventional widefield, uniform illumination.​

While achieving superior super-resolution, the true advantages of our method is its simplicity for biological fluorescence microscopy, and its potential for live-cellÌýimaging.

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3 sets of images comparing conventional diffraction-limited imaging and our new method. The first set has SNR equal to 11.6 dB. The images are heavily pixelated for both. The next set has SNR equal to 16.6 dB. The images are less pixelated and the boundaries are slightly more clear in both cases. The last set is SNR equal to 20.2 dB. The boundaries are clearest for the conventional method but still pixelated. The last image is clear using the new method.