SUPER-RESOLUTION MICROSCOPE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a super-resolution microscope in which light source selection of pump light beams and erase light beams is easily conducted and super-resolution is surely obtained by employing a simple and inexpensive constitution. SOLUTION: In the super-resolution microscope, portions of first coherent light beams from a first light source 2 and the first coherent light beams from a second light source 1 are partly superimposed by optical systems 3, 4 and 9, converged onto a sample 10, scanned by scanning means 6 and 7 and optical response signals from the sample 10 are detected by a detecting means 16. Letλp be the wavelength of the first coherent light beams,λe be the wavelength of the second coherent light beams, Ip be the maximum photon flux at the sample surface of the first coherent light beams, Ie be the maximum photon flux at the sample surface of the second coherent light beams,σ01be the absorption cross-sectional area when molecules are stimulated from a base state to a first electron stimulating state andσdipbe the fluorescent light suppressing cross-sectional area. Then, the super-resolution microscope is constituted to satisfy the equations:σ01Ipτ≤1 and 0.65(λe/λp)≤τσdipIe. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI