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Molecules Made Mini Lasers

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 21, 2009 -- A new optical microscopy technique squeezes photons out of nonfluorescent molecules to provide 3-D images of living cells and tissues for applications in medical imaging and biological research. The method, developed by Xiaoliang Sunney Xie and colleagues including Wei Min at Harvard University, exploits stimulated emission, during which a photon hitting an atom causes an electron to drop an energy level and results in the creation of another photon. Stimulated emission can be applied to all molecules, which gives the technique a big advantage over other microscopy methods that either use...Read full article

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    Published: October 2009
    Glossary
    cell
    1. A single unit in a device for changing radiant energy to electrical energy or for controlling current flow in a circuit. 2. A single unit in a device whose resistance varies with radiant energy. 3. A single unit of a battery, primary or secondary, for converting chemical energy into electrical energy. 4. A simple unit of storage in a computer. 5. A limited region of space. 6. Part of a lens barrel holding one or more lenses.
    electron
    A charged elementary particle of an atom; the term is most commonly used in reference to the negatively charged particle called a negatron. Its mass at rest is me = 9.109558 x 10-31 kg, its charge is 1.6021917 x 10-19 C, and its spin quantum number is 1/2. Its positive counterpart is called a positron, and possesses the same characteristics, except for the reversal of the charge.
    excitation
    1. The process by which an atom acquires energy sufficient to raise it to a quantum state higher than its ground state. 2. More specifically with respect to lasers, the process by which the material in the laser cavity is stimulated by light or other means, so that atoms are converted to a semistable state, initiating the lasing process.
    light
    Electromagnetic radiation detectable by the eye, ranging in wavelength from about 400 to 750 nm. In photonic applications light can be considered to cover the nonvisible portion of the spectrum which includes the ultraviolet and the infrared.
    nano
    An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other structures and particles on the nanometer scale. Nano-optics (also referred to as nanophotonics), for example, is the study of how light and light-matter interactions behave on the nanometer scale. See nanophotonics.
    optical
    Pertaining to optics and the phenomena of light.
    photon
    A quantum of electromagnetic energy of a single mode; i.e., a single wavelength, direction and polarization. As a unit of energy, each photon equals hn, h being Planck's constant and n, the frequency of the propagating electromagnetic wave. The momentum of the photon in the direction of propagation is hn/c, c being the speed of light.
    photonics
    The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
    stimulated emission
    Radiation similar in origin to spontaneous emission but determined by the presence of other radiation having the same frequency. Because the phase and amplitude of the stimulated wave depend on the stimulating wave, this radiation is coherent with the stimulating wave. The rate of stimulated emission is proportional to the intensity of the stimulating radiation.
    superresolution
    Superresolution refers to the enhancement or improvement of the spatial resolution beyond the conventional limits imposed by the diffraction of light. In the context of imaging, it is a set of techniques and algorithms that aim to achieve higher resolution images than what is traditionally possible using standard imaging systems. In conventional optical microscopy, the resolution is limited by the diffraction of light, a phenomenon described by Ernst Abbe's diffraction limit. This limit sets a...
    3-DBasic ScienceBiophotonicscapillariesCellConsumerelectronEva RittwegerExcitationfluorescentHarvard UniversityImaginglightMax PlanckMicroscopymoleculemousenanonanobiophotonicsNatureNews & Featuresnonfluorescentopticaloxygenationphotonphoton emissionphotonicsRaman scatteringred blood cellsResearch & TechnologyStefan Hellstimulated emissionsuperresolutionTest & MeasurementtissueWei MinXiaoliang Sunney XieLasers

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