Event description
With the advent of super-resolution microscopy, the last ~25 years have seen a
revolution in optical microscopy, pushing the spatial resolution capabilities of optical
microscopy towards length scales that were typically accessible only by electron
microscopy. In my presentation, I will give a short overview of the different principal
approaches to super-resolution microscopy. Then, I will focus on two specific
techniques where our group has contributed most. The first is Image Scanning
Microscopy or ISM. This technique uses a simple combination of confocal microscopy
with wide-field image detection for doubling the resolution of conventional
microscopy. I will explain the physical principals behind ISM, and the various kinds of
its implementation. Meanwhile, ISM has found broad and wide applications and lies
behind state-of-the-art commercial systems such as the extremely successful AiryScan
microscope from Carl Zeiss Jena. The second method is Metal-and Graphene-Induced
Energy Transfer imaging or MIET/GIET imaging. It addresses the axial resolution in
microscopy, which is particularly important for resolving three-dimensional structures.
MIET/GIET is based on the intricate electrodynamic interaction of fluorescent emitters
with metallic nanostructures. I will present the basic principles and several applications
of this technique.