Two-point-separation in a sub-micron nonscanning IR super-resolution microscope based on transient fluorescence detected IR spectroscopy.
IR absorption of chemical species in microscopic objects such as biological cells cannot be measured by conventional IR microscopes, because of their low resolution. To overcome this problem, we developed a novel far-field IR super-resolution microscope employing transient fluorescence detected IR spectroscopy. The resolution of this microscope was shown to be 880 nm by measuring the image of 1 microm fluorescent beads. Furthermore, it succeeded in resolving beads located 1.4 microm apart from each other. This is considerably smaller than the diffraction limit of the applied IR light (3.4 microm). These results suggest the capability of our microscope to study sub-micron targets such as sub-cellular structures of biological cells.
Inoue
Keiichi
K
Chemical Resources Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan.
Bokor
Nándor
N
Kogure
Satoshi
S
Fujii
Masaaki
M
Sakai
Makoto
M
D003584:Cytological Techniques; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007259:Infrared Rays; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D013997:Time Factors