Far-field fluorescence microscopy beyond the diffraction limit: Fluorescence imaging with ultrahigh resolution

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in far-field fluorescence microscopy techniques that achieve ultrahigh resolution beyond the diffraction limit, highlighting their applications in biological imaging and future prospects.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent methods enabling super-resolution imaging in far-field fluorescence microscopy and discusses their biological applications.

Findings

Methods now achieve resolution beyond diffraction limit

Applications in biological imaging are expanding

Future trends include further resolution enhancement

Abstract

Fluorescence microscopy is an important and extensively utilised tool for imaging biological systems. However, the image resolution that can be obtained has a limit as defined through the laws of diffraction. Demand for improved resolution has stimulated research into developing methods to image beyond the diffraction limit based on far-field fluorescence microscopy techniques. Rapid progress is being made in this area of science with methods emerging that enable fluorescence imaging in the far-field to possess a resolution well beyond the diffraction limit. This review outlines developments in far-field fluorescence methods which enable ultrahigh resolution imaging and application of these techniques to biology. Future possible trends and directions in far-field fluorescence imaging with ultrahigh resolution are also outlined.