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Observing Behavior at the Nanoscale using an Optical Microscope

Eann PattersonComposite Vehicle Research Center

Michigan State University

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Olympus IX70 Inverted Tissue Culture Microscope

high resolution (1324x1024) 16-bit monochrome cooled

CCD camera

X60 objective (0.7 NA)

550nm with 45nm bandwidth

Diaphragm aperture

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10m dia (10,000nm) sphere ≡1/8 diameter of human hair

wavelength of light (550nm)

Diffraction Limit(220nm)

100nm diasilica sphere ≡1/1000 human hair

Resolving Nano-particles

[Patterson & Whelan, Nanotechnology, 19(10)2008]

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Compositeimages

100nm silica particle in 3D

[Patterson & Whelan, Nanotechnology, 19(10)2008]

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Brownian motion of 300nm particles

Silica particles in ethanol: field of view 140x100mm

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20000 nm

Image of fibroblast cell in optical microscope using phase contrastwith 100nm diameter nanoparticles

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20000 nm

Image of fibroblast cell in optical microscope in nanoscope modewith 100nm diameter nanoparticles

at t=0

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20000 nm

Image of fibroblast cell in optical microscope nanoscope modewith 100nm diameter nanoparticles

at t=100ms

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20000 nm

5000nm/100ms ≡ 50 m/s 2 m/hr

Image of fibroblast cell in optical microscope nanoscope modewith 100nm diameter nanoparticles

at t=100ms

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Acknowledgements

Professor Maurice P. Whelan

“Nothing tends so much to the advancement of knowledge as the application of a new instrument.”Elements of Chemical Philosophy (1812), in J. Davy (ed.), The Collected Works of Sir Humphry Davy(1839-40), Vol. 4, 37.