Physicists at the Australian National University (ANU) are using nanoparticles to develop new sources of light that increase the frequency of light that cameras and other technologies see by up to seven times. The researchers say there is \u201cno limit\u201d to how high the frequency of light can be increased. The higher the frequency, the smaller the object that can be seen with this new light source.<\/p>\n
The technology, which requires only a single nanoparticle to work, could be implemented into microscopes to help scientists zoom into the world of super small things at 10 times the resolution of conventional microscopes. This would enable researchers to study objects that would otherwise be too small to see, such as the inner structures of cells and individual viruses.<\/p>\n
Being able to analyze such small objects could help scientists better understand and fight certain diseases and health conditions. The findings, published in Science Advances<\/em>, could have major implications for medical science by offering an affordable and effective solution to analyze tiny objects that are too small for microscopes to see, let alone the human eye. The work could also be beneficial for the semiconductor industry and improving quality control of the fabrication of computer chips.<\/p>\n \u201cConventional microscopes are only able to study objects bigger than about a ten-millionth of a meter. However, there is growing demand across a range of sectors, including the medical field, to be able to analyze much smaller objects down to one billionth of a meter,\u201d lead author Dr. Anastasiia Zalogina, from the ANU Research School of Physics and the University of Adelaide, said. \u201cOur technology could help meet that demand.\u201d<\/p>\n The researchers say the ANU-developed nanotech could help create a new generation of microscopes that can produce much more detailed images.<\/p>\n \u201cScientists who want to generate a highly-magnified image of an extremely small, nanoscale object can’t use a conventional optical microscope. Instead, they must rely on either super-resolution microscopy techniques or use an electron microscope to study these tiny objects,\u201d Dr. Zalogina said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut such techniques are slow and the technology is very expensive, often costing more than a million dollars. Another disadvantage of electron microscopy is that it may damage delicate samples being analyzed, whereas light-based microscopes mitigate this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Beams of light that we perceive as different colors of the rainbow are electromagnetic waves that oscillate with different frequencies.<\/p>\n What we see as red is the lowest frequency that our eyes can detect. Even lower frequencies not visible to the human eye are called infra-red. Violet has the highest light frequency that we can see. Ultraviolet, which has an even higher frequency, is invisible to the human eye. Although our eyes cannot detect infra-red and ultraviolet light, it is possible for us to \u201csee\u201d it using cameras and other technologies.<\/p>\n Co-author Dr. Sergey Kruk, also from ANU, said researchers are interested in achieving very high frequencies of light, also known as extreme-ultraviolet. \u201cWith violet light we can see much smaller things compared to using red light. And with extreme-ultraviolet light sources we can see things beyond what’s possible using conventional microscopes of today,\u201d Dr. Kruk said.<\/p>\n The ANU technology could also be used in the semiconductor industry as a quality control measure to ensure a streamlined manufacturing process. \u201cComputer chips consist of very tiny components with feature sizes almost as small as one billionth of a meter. During the chip production process, it would be beneficial for manufacturers to use tiny sources of extreme-ultraviolet light to monitor this process in real-time to diagnose any problems early on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n