DOI: 10.1126/science.1137395. Far-Field Optical Nanoscopy

10.1126/science.1137395

Crossref journal-article

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Science (221)

Abstract

In 1873, Ernst Abbe discovered what was to become a well-known paradigm: the inability of a lens-based optical microscope to discern details that are closer together than half of the wavelength of light. However, for its most popular imaging mode, fluorescence microscopy, the diffraction barrier is crumbling. Here, I discuss the physical concepts that have pushed fluorescence microscopy to the nanoscale, once the prerogative of electron and scanning probe microscopes. Initial applications indicate that emergent far-field optical nanoscopy will have a strong impact in the life sciences and in other areas benefiting from nanoscale visualization.

Bibliography

Hell, S. W. (2007). Far-Field Optical Nanoscopy. Science, 316(5828), 1153â1158.

Authors 1

Stefan W. Hell (first)

References 65 Referenced 2,560

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G. Toraldo di Francia, Nuovo Cimento9 (suppl.), 426 (1952). (10.1007/BF02903413) / Nuovo Cimento (1952)
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By not expanding the microscope's aperture the interference of unfocused waves from opposing lenses ( 64 ) produces several peaks of similar height at the focal regions which strictly cannot superresolve (arbitrary) objects along the z axis.
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I thank M. Lang and J. Engelhardt (DKFZ) for providing Fig. 4A and L. Meyer and G. Donnert for providing Fig. 4C. E. Rittweger and V. Westphal (Max Planck Institute) helped prepare the figures. I also thank G. Donnert C. Eggeling A. Egner S. Jakobs L. Kastrup B. Rankin V. Westphal K. Willig and A. Schönle for reading of the manuscript. Funding was from the Max Planck Society Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Volkswagen Foundation Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg European Union (New and Emerging Science and Technology SPOTLITE) and German Ministry of Research and Education. The author consults for Leica Microsystems CMS Gmbh Mannheim Germany.

Dates

Type	When
Created	18 years, 3 months ago (May 25, 2007, 6:36 a.m.)
Deposited	1 year, 7 months ago (Jan. 10, 2024, 3:38 a.m.)
Indexed	12 hours, 2 minutes ago (Sept. 3, 2025, 7:01 a.m.)
Issued	18 years, 3 months ago (May 25, 2007)
Published	18 years, 3 months ago (May 25, 2007)
Published Print	18 years, 3 months ago (May 25, 2007)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Hell_2007, title={Far-Field Optical Nanoscopy}, volume={316}, ISSN={1095-9203}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1137395}, DOI={10.1126/science.1137395}, number={5828}, journal={Science}, publisher={American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}, author={Hell, Stefan W.}, year={2007}, month=may, pages={1153–1158} }

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