Subnanometer-accuracy optical distance ruler based on fluorescence quenching by transparent conductors

Available data: Complex refractive index of Indium Tin Oxide, http://dx.doi.org/10.4121/uuid:59febf27-a532-4ac9-8ec0-29d4195b2c8c Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs), such as the well-known indium-tin oxide, find widespread use in modern (nano)technological applications because of their unique combination of negligible optical absorption and...

Development of a DMD-based fluorescence microscope

We present a versatile fluorescence microscope, built by complementing a conventional fluorescence microscope with a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) in the illumination path. Arbitrary patterns can be created on the DMD and projected onto the sample. This patterned illumination can be used to improve lateral and axial resolution over the...

Co-Orientation: Quantifying Simultaneous Co-Localization and Orientational Alignment of Filaments in Light Microscopy

Co-localization analysis is a widely used tool to seek evidence for functional interactions between molecules in different color channels in microscopic images. Here we extend the basic co-localization analysis by including the orientations of the structures on which the molecules reside. We refer to the combination of co-localization of...

Quantitative Localization Microscopy: Effects of Photophysics and Labeling Stoichiometry

Quantification in localization microscopy with reversibly switchable fluorophores is severely hampered by the unknown number of switching cycles a fluorophore undergoes and the unknown stoichiometry of fluorophores on a marker such as an antibody. We overcome this problem by measuring the average number of localizations per fluorophore, or...

Simultaneous measurement of position and color of single fluorescent emitters using diffractive optics

We propose a method for simultaneously measuring the position and emission color of single fluorescent emitters based on the use of a large pitch diffraction grating in the emission light path. The grating produces satellite spots adjacent to the main spot; the relative distance between the spots is a measure for the emission wavelength. We...

Three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy using Lukosz bound apodization reduces pixel negativity at no resolution cost

The quality of the reconstructed image in structured illumination microscopy (SIM) depends on various aspects of the image filtering process. To optimize the trade-off between resolution and ringing artifacts, which lead to negative intensities, we extend Lukosz-bound filtering to 3D SIM and derive the parametrization of the 3D SIM cut-off. We...

Automated podosome identification and characterization in fluorescence microscopy images

Podosomes are cellular adhesion structures involved in matrix degradation and invasion that comprise an actin core and a ring of cytoskeletal adaptor proteins. They are most often identified by staining with phalloidin, which binds F-actin and therefore visualizes the core. However, not only podosomes, but also many other cytoskeletal structures...

Nano- and micro-fabrication for single-molecule biological studies

Heterogeneity is a general feature in biological system. In order to avoid possible misleading effects of ensemble averaging, and to ensure a correct understanding of the biological system, it is very important to look into individuals, such as a single bio-molecule or a single cell, for details. The size of a single bio-molecule/cell typically...

Position and orientation estimation of fixed dipole emitters using an effective Hermite point spread function model

We introduce a method for determining the position and orientation of fixed dipole emitters based on a combination of polarimetry and spot shape detection. A key element is an effective Point Spread Function model based on Hermite functions. The model offers a good description of the shape variations with dipole orientation and polarization...

Photon budget analysis for fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

We have constructed a mathematical model to analyze the photon efficiency of frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). The power of the light source needed for illumination in a FLIM system and the signal-to-noise ratio of the detector have led us to a photon “budget.” These measures are relevant to many fluorescence...

Accuracy of the Gaussian Point Spread Function model in 2D localization microscopy

The Gaussian function is simple and easy to implement as Point Spread Function (PSF) model for fitting the position of fluorescent emitters in localization microscopy. Despite its attractiveness the appropriateness of the Gaussian is questionable as it is not based on the laws of optics. Here we study the effect of emission dipole orientation in...

Photonic calibration for fluorescence microscopy

Based upon a collection of compact LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and a compact photodiode, we have developed a calibration tool for fluorescence microscopes that are used as digital imaging devices. The entire device (excluding a USB connector) measures 25 mm x 80 mm x 12 mm. Virtually all commonly-used fluorophores can be simulated with one of...

Absolute fluorescence calibration

While fluorescence microscope systems remains an essential tool in modern biology and medical work, no compact instrumentation has been developed for the rapid calibration of such systems. Almost invariably results are presented in terms of the [AU], "arbitrary units". To remedy this situation we have developed a small, portable instrument - the...

Three-dimensional analysis tool for segmenting and measuring the structure of telomeres in mammalian nuclei

Quantitative analysis in combination with fluorescence microscopy calls for innovative digital image measurement tools. We have developed a three-dimensional tool for segmenting and analyzing FISH stained telomeres in interphase nuclei. After deconvolution of the images, we segment the individual telomeres and measure a distribution parameter we...

LEDs for fluorescence microscopy

Traditional light sources for fluorescence microscopy have been mercury lamps, xenon lamps, and lasers. These sources have been essential in the development of fluorescence microscopy but each can have serious disadvantages: lack of near monochromaticity, heat generation, cost, lifetime of the light source, and possible distortions due to...