Microscopy & Imaging News and Discussions

[weatheriscool]

Researchers use nanoparticles to increase light frequency and resolution of imaging systems
https://phys.org/news/2023-04-nanoparti ... aging.html
by Australian National University

Physicists at the Australian National University (ANU) are using nanoparticles to develop new sources of light that will allow us to "peel back the curtain" into the world of extremely small objects—thousands of times smaller than a human hair—with major gains for medical and other technologies.

The findings, published in Science Advances, could have major implications for medical science by offering an affordable and effective solution to analyze tiny objects that are too small for microscopes to see, let alone the human eye. The work could also be beneficial for the semiconductor industry and improving quality control of the fabrication of computer chips. The ANU technology uses carefully engineered nanoparticles to increase the frequency of light that cameras and other technologies see by up to seven times. The researchers say there is "no limit" to how high the frequency of light can be increased. The higher the frequency, the smaller the object we are able to see using that light source.

The technology, which requires only a single nanoparticle to work, could be implemented into microscopes to help scientists zoom into the world of super small things at 10 times the resolution of conventional microscopes. This would enable researchers to study objects that would otherwise be too small to see, such as the inner structures of cells and individual viruses.

Being able to analyze such small objects could help scientists better understand and fight certain diseases and health conditions.

[weatheriscool]

Quantum microscope taps "spooky" physics to double resolution of images
By Michael Irving
May 02, 2023
https://newatlas.com/science/quantum-mi ... esolution/

Scientists at Caltech have created a quantum microscope that taps into the quirky quantum rules to see tiny details much more clearly. Using pairs of entangled photons allows the instrument to double the resolution of images without damaging the sample.

A key limitation of microscopes is that they can only image objects or details that are half the wavelength of the light used – so for optical microscopes, details can be seen down to about 200 nanometers. Using photons with shorter wavelengths, such as ultraviolet, can allow microscopes to look closer.

But, of course, there’s a catch. The shorter the wavelength the higher the energy, so by the time you get down to these scales the photons used to image the samples are damaging or even destroying them.

But the Caltech team’s quantum microscope gets around this problem thanks to the spooky properties of quantum physics. Entanglement is a strange phenomenon where two or more particles can become so entwined with each other that it becomes impossible to describe one without the other. In this case, the scientists entangle two photons into one unit called a biphoton, which behaves like a single photon with lower energy and half the wavelength.

“Cells don't like UV light,” said Lihong Wang, lead researcher on the study. “But if we can use 400-nanometer light to image the cell and achieve the effect of 200-nm light, which is UV, the cells will be happy, and we're getting the resolution of UV.”

[weatheriscool]

Magnetic guidewire steering at ultrahigh magnetic fields for medical imaging
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-05- ... dical.html
by Thamarasee Jeewandara , Medical Xpress

Physicists and bioengineers can manipulate magnetically driven guidewires by using remote magnetic steering with scope for minimally invasive medical procedures. Magnetic steering strategies are presently limited by low magnetic fields, thereby preventing their integration in medical systems operating at ultrahigh fields, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. In a new study now published in Science Advances, Mehmet Tiryaki and a research team at the departments of physical intelligence, biomedical engineering, and medicine in Germany, Switzerland and Turkey, developed a magnetic guidewire design alongside steering strategies at ultrahigh fields.

The work demonstrated an extensive research scope, alongside its potential for in situ re-magnetization. The outcomes illustrated steering principles of magnetic guidance made of neodymium magnets and a fiber optic rod in a preclinical magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The newly developed ultrahigh field magnetic actuation framework can facilitate next-generation magnetic automation to function in clinical MRI scanners.

[caltrek]

World's First X-Ray Of A Single Atom Achieved
by Dr. Alfredo Carpineti
May 31, 2023

Introduction:

(IFL Science) Thinking of X-rays might trigger memories of broken bones or dental check-ups. But this extremely energetic light can show us more than just our bones: it is also used to study the molecular world, even biochemical reactions in real-time. One issue, though, is that researchers have never been able to study a single atom with X-rays. Until now.

Scientists have been able to characterize a single atom using X-rays. Not only they were able to distinguish the type of atoms they were seeing (there were two different ones), but they also managed to study the chemical behavior these atoms were showing.

“Atoms can be routinely imaged with scanning probe microscopes, but without X-rays, one cannot tell what they are made of. We can now detect exactly the type of a particular atom, one atom-at-a-time, and can simultaneously measure its chemical state,” senior author Professor Saw Wai Hla, from the University of Ohio and the Argonne National Laboratory, said in a statement.

“Once we are able to do that, we can trace the materials down to ultimate limit of just one atom. This will have a great impact on environmental and medical sciences and maybe even find a cure that can have a huge impact for humankind. This discovery will transform the world.”

Read more here: https://www.iflscience.com/first-x-ray ... ed-69189

[Powers]

World's First X-Ray Of A Single Atom Achieved
by Dr. Alfredo Carpineti
May 31, 2023

Introduction:

(IFL Science) Thinking of X-rays might trigger memories of broken bones or dental check-ups. But this extremely energetic light can show us more than just our bones: it is also used to study the molecular world, even biochemical reactions in real-time. One issue, though, is that researchers have never been able to study a single atom with X-rays. Until now.

Scientists have been able to characterize a single atom using X-rays. Not only they were able to distinguish the type of atoms they were seeing (there were two different ones), but they also managed to study the chemical behavior these atoms were showing.

“Atoms can be routinely imaged with scanning probe microscopes, but without X-rays, one cannot tell what they are made of. We can now detect exactly the type of a particular atom, one atom-at-a-time, and can simultaneously measure its chemical state,” senior author Professor Saw Wai Hla, from the University of Ohio and the Argonne National Laboratory, said in a statement.

“Once we are able to do that, we can trace the materials down to ultimate limit of just one atom. This will have a great impact on environmental and medical sciences and maybe even find a cure that can have a huge impact for humankind. This discovery will transform the world.”

Read more here: https://www.iflscience.com/first-x-ray ... ed-69189

Is this really the first visible atom!!?

[weatheriscool]

Research team achieves near-perfect light absorption in atomic-scale material
https://phys.org/news/2023-08-team-near ... erial.html
by University of Minnesota

A University of Minnesota-led team has, for the first time, engineered an atomically thin material that can absorb nearly 100% of light at room temperature, a discovery that could improve a wide range of applications from optical communications to stealth technology. Their paper has been published in Nature Communications.

Materials that absorb nearly all of the incident light—meaning not a lot of light passes through or reflects off of them—are valuable for applications that involve detecting or controlling light.

"Optical communications are used in basically everything we do," said Steven Koester, a professor in the College of Science and Engineering and a senior author of the paper. "The internet, for example, has optical detectors connecting fiber optic links. This research has the potential to allow these optical communications to be done at higher speeds and with greater efficiency."

[weatheriscool]

Physicists employ synthetic complex frequency waves to overcome optical loss in superlenses
https://phys.org/news/2023-08-physicist ... uency.html
by The University of Hong Kong

A collaborative research team led by Interim Head of Physics Professor Shuang Zhang from The University of Hong Kong (HKU), along with National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Imperial College London and University of California, Berkeley, has proposed a new synthetic complex frequency wave (CFW) approach to address optical loss in superimaging demonstration. The research findings were recently published in the journal Science.

[weatheriscool]

New camera offers ultrafast imaging at a fraction of the normal cost
https://phys.org/news/2023-09-camera-ul ... ction.html
by Optica

Capturing blur-free images of fast movements like falling water droplets or molecular interactions requires expensive ultrafast cameras that acquire millions of images per second. In a new paper, researchers report a camera that could offer a much less expensive way to achieve ultrafast imaging for a wide range of applications such as real-time monitoring of drug delivery or high-speed lidar systems for autonomous driving.

"Our camera uses a completely new method to achieve high-speed imaging," said Jinyang Liang from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Canada. "It has an imaging speed and spatial resolution similar to commercial high-speed cameras but uses off-the-shelf components that would likely cost less than a tenth of today's ultrafast cameras, which can start at close to $100,000."

[wjfox]

X-ray laser could transform atomic-scale research

21st September 2023

A major upgrade of the Linac Coherent Light Source has been completed at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, California. This latest version is 8,000 times faster and 10,000 times brighter, enabling scientists to observe molecular events in unprecedented detail.

Read more: https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... meline.htm

[wjfox]