Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy
Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell & William E. Moerner
About This Prize
The 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell, and William E. Moerner “for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy.” Their work bypassed the Abbe diffraction limit (~200 nm), enabling optical imaging at the nanoscale. Hell developed STED microscopy using stimulated emission depletion, while Betzig and Moerner pioneered single-molecule detection and photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM), transforming our ability to visualize molecular processes inside living cells.
William E. Moerner
“Single-Molecule Spectroscopy, Imaging, and Photocontrol: Foundations for Super-Resolution Microscopy”
Stefan W. Hell
“Nanoscopy with Focused Light”
Eric Betzig
“Single Molecules, Cells, and Super-Resolution Optics”
Key Concepts
- • Abbe Diffraction Limit: Classical resolution limit of ~λ/2 ≈ 200 nm for visible light, long thought to be fundamental
- • STED Microscopy: Stimulated emission depletion narrows the fluorescence spot below the diffraction limit
- • Single-Molecule Detection: Imaging individual fluorescent molecules to reconstruct super-resolved images
- • PALM/STORM: Photoactivated localization microscopy achieves ~20 nm resolution in biological samples