structured illumination microscopy
(SIM)
Using beam interference to create a high-frequency illumination patterns, high spatial frequency (diffraction-limited) object features outside of the passband of the system can be down-modulated via frequency mixing into the passband, and computationally identified and restored to their correct position in post-processing to realize super-resolution.
Synonyms:
super-resolution structured illumination microscopy
See also:
super-resolution
,
image scanning microscopy
Learn more:
In the past few years, a number of novel approaches have been employed to circumvent the diffraction limit, including near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM), stimulated emission depletion microscopy (STED), stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) and structured illumination microscopy (SIM). These techniques have all achieved improved lateral (x-y) resolution down to tens of nanometers, more than an order of magnitude beneath that imposed by the diffraction limit, but each method has a unique set of limitations.
