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arXiv · 0908.1678

The noise-limited-resolution for stimulated emission depletion microscopy

Chris J. Lee·Klaus J. Boller
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Abstract

With recent developments in microscopy, such as stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, far-field imaging at resolutions better than the diffraction limit is now a commercially available technique. Here, we show that, in the special case of a diffusive regime, the noise-limited resolution of STED imaging is independent of the saturation intensity of the fluorescent label. Thermal motion limits the signal integration time, which, for a given excited-state lifetime, limits the total number of photons available for detection.

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Chris J. Lee, Klaus J. Boller. 2009-08-12. The noise-limited-resolution for stimulated emission depletion microscopy. https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.20.012793

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