infocus #59 September 2020 SRRF-Stream Super-Resolution Microscopy accessible to all

Science has limits imposed by the laws of physics that constrain discoveries and the advance of knowledge. In microscopy, up until the beginning of the 21st century, the diffraction limit of light was an unbreakable barrier.

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.189

This law of physics imposes that two points could not be resolved (clearly separated) if they are closer together than half the wavelength of light used to view them. In practice, this would mean that light microscopes could only resolve objects/ structures that are separated by 200 nm or more. The 200 nm barrier would therefore leave a significant gap of knowledge to be uncovered, since many subcellular structures and organelles are smaller than 200 nm.

Return to listing