Plasmonics Enable Optical Microscopes to Perform Like Electron Microscopes

[kit1980]

Here is an article about new illumination technique: http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/biomedical/imaging/plasmonics-enable-optical-microscopes-to-perform-like-electron-microscopes: "researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a way to make an optical microscope resolve images down to 65 nanometers".

Not that it would be available to hobbyists any time soon, but interesting anyway.

[apochronaut]

Very interesting. Thanks for passing that on.
About a year ago, I read an article( I will try to find it) about a group of researchers in, maybe Taiwan? : can't exactly remember where, that were using a grid of nano particles that acted collectively like a lens; basically a thin layer layed over the object to increase it's apparent size. The basic principle , I gather was to pre-magnify the object which created a larger perfectly replicated version of it. This then would be magnified in a standard microscope in the conventional way. They were claiming magnifications of 25,000 diameters possible.

[c-krebs]

Yes, very interesting indeed.

About a year ago, I read an article( I will try to find it) about a group of researchers in, maybe Taiwan? : can't exactly remember where, that were using a grid of nano particles that acted collectively like a lens; basically a thin layer layed over the object to increase it's apparent size. The basic principle , I gather was to pre-magnify the object which created a larger perfectly replicated version of it. This then would be magnified in a standard microscope in the conventional way. They were claiming magnifications of 25,000 diameters possible.

This was almost spooky. Literally seconds before I read this post I was trying to remember where I saved the exact story you mention. One little detail I remember (don't know why) is that the image created in the "nano-spheres" was then magnified with an Olympus 80X MD Plan objective).

[c-krebs]

Found it!

https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1006/1006.4037.pdf

[JimT]

kit1980, thanks for the post. Very interesting.

I was ready to make a DYI filter until I read it. Pretty impressive but I guess we will have to wait a bit longer before it is available to us

JimT

[apochronaut]

Found it!

https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1006/1006.4037.pdf

Using conventional microscopy, too.

The group I read about were at the University of Taiwan , and the principle seemed similar , although they were using it with a laser scanning confocal microscope. The Taiwan group, made a specialized nano sphere coverslip that was used conventionally, though. IT was some time ago, I read about it, so perhaps the project got stalled or the one in England is a kind of 2nd generation attempt.

[gekko]

Thank you all for the very interesting links and discussion.