UC Berkeley

Localized plasmonic structured illumination microscopy (LPSIM) provides multicolor wide-field super-resolution imaging with low phototoxicity and high-speed capability. LPSIM utilizes a nanoscale plasmonic antenna array to provide a series of tunable illumination patterns beyond the traditional diffraction limit, allowing for enhanced resolving powers down to a few tens of nanometers. Here, we demonstrate wide-field LPSIM with 50 nm spatial resolution at video rate speed by imaging microtubule dynamics with low illumination power intensity. The design of the LPSIM system makes it suitable for imaging surface effects of cells and tissues with regular sample preparation protocols. LPSIM can be extended to much higher resolution, representing an excellent technology for live-cell imaging of protein dynamics and interactions.