Low-power compact continuous-wave stimulated emission depletion microscopy

HongYi Han; Luwei Wang; Hanqiu Zhou; Xiuquan Xing; Yong Guo; Yinru Zhu; Wei Yan; Junle Qu

doi:10.1002/jbio.202200233

Low-power compact continuous-wave stimulated emission depletion microscopy

J Biophotonics. 2023 Feb;16(2):e202200233. doi: 10.1002/jbio.202200233. Epub 2022 Sep 13.

Authors

HongYi Han¹, Luwei Wang¹, Hanqiu Zhou¹, Xiuquan Xing¹, Yong Guo¹, Yinru Zhu¹, Wei Yan¹, Junle Qu¹

Affiliation

¹ Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Photonics and Biophotonics, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.

PMID: 36054472
DOI: 10.1002/jbio.202200233

Abstract

Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy can break the optical diffraction barrier and provide subdiffraction resolution. According to the STED superresolution imaging principle, the resolution of STED is positively related to the power of the depletion laser. However, high-laser power largely limits the study of living cells or living bodies. Moreover, the high complexity and high cost of conventional pulsed STED microscopy limit the application of this technique. Therefore, this paper describes a simple continuous-wave STED (CW-STED) system constructed on a 45 × 60 cm breadboard and combined with digitally enhanced (DE) technology; low-power superresolution imaging is realized, which has the advantages of reducing system complexity and cost. The low-system complexity, low cost, and low-power superresolution imaging features of CW-STED have great potential to advance the application of STED microscopy in biological research.

Keywords: continuous-wave; digitally enhanced; low-depletion laser power; stimulated emission depletion.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Lasers*
Light*
Microscopy, Fluorescence / methods