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Single-molecule detection

Focusing on the objective

Nature Nanotechnology volume 5, pages 99–100 (2010)Cite this article

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Placing colloidal spheres in the immediate proximity of fluorescent molecules makes it possible to achieve single-molecule imaging at high temperatures with a low-cost system.

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Figure 1: The amount of light collected by an objective lens in an optical microscope is determined by its numerical aperture (NA), which depends on the refractive index of the medium that separates the lens and the sample being imaged, and the angle (α) that defines the collection cone of the lens (green).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 90095, California, USA

    Yuval Ebenstein & Laurent A. Bentolila

  2. California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 90095, California, USA

    Laurent A. Bentolila

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  1. Yuval Ebenstein
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  2. Laurent A. Bentolila
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Correspondence to Laurent A. Bentolila.

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Ebenstein, Y., Bentolila, L. Focusing on the objective. Nature Nanotech 5, 99–100 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2010.10

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