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Nanometer Resolution Imaging by SIngle Molecule Switching

Journal Article · · Nano Reviews, 1:5122

The fluorescence intensity of single molecules can change dramatically even under constant laser excitation. The phenomenon is frequently called "blinking" and involves molecules switching between high and low intensity states.[1-3] In additional to spontaneous blinking, the fluorescence of some special fluorophores, such as cyanine dyes and photoactivatable fluorescent proteins, can be switched on and off by choice using a second laser. Recent single-molecule spectroscopy investigations have shed light on mechanisms of single molecule blinking and photoswitching. This ability to controllably switch single molecules led to the invention of a novel fluorescence microscopy with nanometer spatial resolution well beyond the diffraction limit.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US), Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
982944
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-70811; 30409; 25669; KP1704020
Journal Information:
Nano Reviews, 1:5122, Journal Name: Nano Reviews, 1:5122 Vol. 1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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