27 apr 2011 - SCATTERING LENS PRODUCES INCREDIBLY SHARP IMAGES

Researchers at the University of Twente’s MESA+ Institute, the University of Florence and FOM institute AMOLF have developed a powerful scattering lens which makes it possible to see structures of less than one ten-thousandth of a millimetre (100 nm) with visible light. This results in a sharper image than any seen before, even using the most expensive microscope objectives. The results will be published this week in the leading US journal Physical Review Letters. The article will be featured as an Editors’ suggestion.

One focus
When laser light is scattered - using a piece of paper for instance - it creates a disorderly pattern of small bright spots, known as speckles. The new lens creates this same effect. It is made from a material with a high refractive index, which makes the speckles very small and sharp. However, to make a sharp image a single small focus is required instead of a dense pattern of speckles. The researchers have therefore modified the phase of the laser light to take this scattering into account. This means that the speckles can be slid over each other so that the light is focused on a single point. This focus can be moved freely in the object plane of the lens. The researchers have tested their lens on a number of gold spheres and were able to create images with a sub-100 nm resolution.

High resolution
This is the first lens capable of examining such minuscule structures with visible light. The key to this achievement is the small and movable focus. The scattering lens can be combined with a wide range of modern microscopic techniques to improve the resolution still further.

lens
Comparison of focusing with a conventional lens (a) and a scattering lens (b).

Note to the press
Reference: E.G. van Putten, D. Akbulut, J. Bertolotti, W.L. Vos, A. Lagendijk, A.P. Mosk
'Scattering lens resolves sub-100 nm structures with visible light'
An electronic version of the report can be found here.

For further details, please contact Elbert G. van Putten (+31 (0)53 489 5391) or Allard P. Mosk (+31 (0)53 489 5394).

	Home > News > 27 apr 2011 - SCATTERING LENS PRODUCES INCREDIBLY SHARP IMAGES
Home News Events Strategic Orientations research groups Publications PhD students Education MESA+ NanoLab Starting entrepreneurs Tech Park Industrial Partners Vacancies Links Sitemap Search	27 apr 2011 - SCATTERING LENS PRODUCES INCREDIBLY SHARP IMAGES Researchers at the University of Twente’s MESA+ Institute, the University of Florence and FOM institute AMOLF have developed a powerful scattering lens which makes it possible to see structures of less than one ten-thousandth of a millimetre (100 nm) with visible light. This results in a sharper image than any seen before, even using the most expensive microscope objectives. The results will be published this week in the leading US journal Physical Review Letters. The article will be featured as an Editors’ suggestion. One focus When laser light is scattered - using a piece of paper for instance - it creates a disorderly pattern of small bright spots, known as speckles. The new lens creates this same effect. It is made from a material with a high refractive index, which makes the speckles very small and sharp. However, to make a sharp image a single small focus is required instead of a dense pattern of speckles. The researchers have therefore modified the phase of the laser light to take this scattering into account. This means that the speckles can be slid over each other so that the light is focused on a single point. This focus can be moved freely in the object plane of the lens. The researchers have tested their lens on a number of gold spheres and were able to create images with a sub-100 nm resolution. High resolution This is the first lens capable of examining such minuscule structures with visible light. The key to this achievement is the small and movable focus. The scattering lens can be combined with a wide range of modern microscopic techniques to improve the resolution still further. Comparison of focusing with a conventional lens (a) and a scattering lens (b). Note to the press Reference: E.G. van Putten, D. Akbulut, J. Bertolotti, W.L. Vos, A. Lagendijk, A.P. Mosk 'Scattering lens resolves sub-100 nm structures with visible light' An electronic version of the report can be found here. For further details, please contact Elbert G. van Putten (+31 (0)53 489 5391) or Allard P. Mosk (+31 (0)53 489 5394).