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.