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Microscopy

Introduction

A microscope is an instrument that magnifies objects otherwise too small to be seen, producing an image in which the object appears larger.

What separates a basic microscope from a powerful machine used in a research lab? Two parameters are especially important in microscopy: magnification and resolution.

Magnification is a measure of how much larger a microscope (or set of lenses within a microscope) causes an object to appear. For instance, the light microscopes typically used in high schools and colleges magnify up to about 400 times the actual size. So, something that was 1 mm wide in real life would be 400 mm wide in the microscope image.

The resolution of a microscope or lens is the smallest distance by which two points can be separated and still be distinguished as separate objects. The smaller this value, the higher the resolving power of the microscope and the better the clarity and detail of the image. If two bacterial cells were very close together on a slide, they might look like a single, blurry dot on a microscope with low resolving power, but could be told apart as separate on a microscope with high resolving power.

Key Analysis

Light Microscopy

Visible light passes through the specimen and is bent through the lens system, allowing the user to see a magnified image

Visible light passes through the specimen and is bent through the lens system, allowing the user to see a magnified image

Stereo Microscopy

This microscope allows for detailed work such as microsurgery, watch making and circuit board inspection and manufacturing

Confocal microscopy

Confocal microscopy is an optical imaging technique for increasing optical resolution and contrast of a micrograph by using a spatial pinhole to block out-of-focus light in image formation

Confocal microscopy is an optical imaging technique for increasing optical resolution and contrast of a micrograph by means of using a spatial pinhole to block out-of-focus light in image formation

Digital Microscope

A digital microscope is an efficient tool to inspect and analyze various objects from micro-fabricated parts to large electronic devices

Images are displayed on a screen or monitor, turning the microscopy workstation into an ergonomic digital workplace

X-Ray Microscopy

A nondestructive technique that generates an image of the internal features of the examined materials, with the image contrast being determined by the difference in absorption of X-rays by the different components in the materials

Atomic Force Microscopy

AFM is a type of scanning probe microscopy, with demonstrated resolution on the order of fractions of a nanometer, more than 1000 times better than the optical diffraction limit.

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