Fluorescence Microscopy allows highly specific imaging of cellular compartments in a minimally invasive fashion while obtaining the highest contrast. However, conventional microscopes are limited in their resolution due to the diffraction barrier. In the past decades, several different approaches have shown the ability to circumvent the diffraction limit by either switching on and off single fluorophores, utilizing structured illumination, optical fluctuation or alternatively depleting excited chromophores from the excitation volume.
This document provides a quick overview of the STED technique introduced by Stefan W. Hell in 1994. NKT Photonics’ SuperK and Onefive KATANA HP lasers are a perfect combination to realize flexible pulsed excitation as well as synchronized depletion within the visible and near-infrared range. Read more