Technology Offers Optics / Optical Nanoscopy



Optical Terabyte Storage - Fast optical data storage - based on confocal interferometry

The Optical Terabyte Storage enables simultaneous reading of data located at varying depths in an optical storage medium.
This method couples two-beam spectral interferometry with a broadband source of electromagnetic radiation, with chromatic-confocal technology, which allows diffraction-limited longitudinal splitting of foci in the memory volume.

 

 

Adaptive Phase Plates for Focus Invariant Optical Systems

Image processing in combination with phase plates with wave front coding enables high focus depth and high lateral dissolution simultaneously with high light intensity. New is: The normally used cubical phase plates are replaced by variable phase plates. Thus the optical qualities can be adjusted as desired.

 

 

Measuring moving phase objects using confocal transmission microscopy

Transmission confocal microscopy which makes it possible to measure moving phase objects.  The process is ideal for the determination of optical thickness and depth position of living cells or chromosomes. For transparent and opaque micro particles it is possible to determine quantitatively the spacial distribution and the lateral dimensions.

 

 

Super resolution microscopy

Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) – High Resolution Imaging of Cellular Nanostructures

 

 

 

This light optical nanoscopy approach has the potential to revolutionize the entire molecular biology, medical and pharmaceutical research and allows the development of new strategies for the prevention, risk reduction and therapy of diseases.

 

Capacity: From Professor Cremer’s developments aimed to surpass the limits of optical resolution ( ~ 200 nm) postulated in 1873 by Abbe led to the invention of the world’s fastest nanomicroscope based on the localization of single molecules (SPDMPhymod)  which allows the wide field investigation of supramolecular complexes under conditions suitable even for living cell complexes (optical resolution 10 nm in 2D, 40 nm in 3D).  This Vertico-SMI is the only nanoscope world-wide capable of recording 3D data of whole cells in less than one minute.

 

Co-Localization microscopy (2CLM): of two fluorescent protein of the GFP family, 2CLM allows significantly more precise analyses of potential protein interactions than FRET-(Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer) technology

 

Counting of molecules in extreme wide-field images: in attomolar concentrations (10-18), DNA or protein molecules in cells or of harmful substances

 

Applications: There is a variety of biotechnological and medical applications in the fields of age-related degenerations, cancer-research and diagnosis, virology, stem cell research, kardiology and molecular biology in general. Material/Computer science applications, for example in semi conductor industry or in environmental research concerning the detection of substances in attomolar concentration

 

Simplicity: In relation to the optical performance and the vast range of applications, the nanoscopy technologies developed in the Cremer laboratory are extremely economical, the production and maintenance costs of basic versions being far below that of other high end optical microscope systems

 

Patent portfolio All basic patents have been granted in the USA and Europe, resp. Germany. The patent portfolio covers microscopy, fluorescent dye use, genome markers, high through-put systems and computer simulation.

 

For more information:

GFP-Superresolution

Optical Nanoscopy