We present a new technology for super-resolution fluorescence imaging, based on conical diffraction. Conical diffraction is a linear, singular phenomenon taking place when a polarized beam is diffracted through a biaxial crystal. The illumination patterns generated by conical diffraction are more compact than the classical Gaussian beam; we use them to generate a super-resolution imaging modality. Conical Diffraction Microscopy (CODIM) resolution enhancement can be achieved with any type of objective on any kind of sample preparation and standard fluorophores. Conical diffraction can be used in multiple fashion to create new and disruptive technologies for super-resolution microscopy. This paper will focus on the first one that has been implemented and give a glimpse at what the future of microscopy using conical diffraction could be.

Date Published: 28 August 2014
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9169, Nanoimaging and Nanospectroscopy II, 916905 (28 August 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2061059

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9169:
Nanoimaging and Nanospectroscopy II
Prabhat Verma; Alexander Egner, Editor(s)