title: 3-D stimulated emission depletion microscopy with programmable aberration correction.
abstract: We present a stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscope that provides 3-D super resolution by simultaneous depletion using beams with both a helical phase profile for enhanced lateral resolution and an annular phase profile to enhance axial resolution. The 3-D depletion point spread function is realised using a single spatial light modulator that can also be programmed to compensate for aberrations in the microscope and the sample. We apply it to demonstrate the first 3-D super-resolved imaging of an immunological synapse between a Natural Killer cell and its target cell.
authors.affiliation: Photonics Group, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Martin O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Lenz
authors.forename: Hugo G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savell
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Clegg
authors.forename: Alice C N
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dunsby
authors.forename: Mark A A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Neil
authors.forename: Paul M W
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: French
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D002460:Cell Line; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008863:Microspheres; D058612:Nanodiamonds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D058612:Nanodiamonds
keywords: STED microscopy; confocal microscopy; fluorescence microscopy; immune synapse; nanoscopy; super-resolution