Far-field autofluorescence nanoscopy.

Journal article

We demonstrate far-field optical imaging at the nanoscale with unlabeled samples. Subdiffraction resolution images of autofluorescent samples are obtained by depleting the ground state of natural fluorophores by transferring them to a metastable dark state and simultaneously localizing those fluorophores that are transiently returning. Our approach is based on the insight that nanoscopy methods relying on stochastic single-molecule switching require only a single fluorescence on-off cycle to yield an image, a condition fulfilled by various biomolecules. The method is exemplified by recording label-free nanoscopy images of thylakoid membranes of spinach chloroplasts.

Authors: Bierwagen, J; Testa, I; Fölling, J; Wenzel, D; Jakobs, S

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Nano letters
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 4249-4252
• Publication date: 2010-10-01
• DOI: 10.1021/nl1027638
• EISSN: 1530-6992
• ISSN: 1530-6984
• Language: English
• Keywords: Thylakoids; Chlorophyll; Spinacia oleracea; Fluorescent Dyes; Microscopy, Fluorescence