Diffracted Light Contrast: Improving the Resolution of a Basic Light Microscope by an Order of Magnitude

Abstract

The discovery that the diffracted light from a convex edge can be used to form a very high-quality, shadowcast image on any light microscope has led to a device and method, diffracted-light contrast (DLC), which will allow shadowcast imaging to be routinely performed on student/laboratory microscopes (Piekos, 1999, 2003). The surface lattice of Surirella gema was easily resolved, and micrographs comparing the subcellular details of buccal epithelial cells viewed with DLC vs. Nomarski DIC showed that, on the microscopes used, DLC was superior in both the detail it rendered and depth of field. Although the images presented revealed DLC to be an excellent technique, the full capabilities of the technique were not known at the time.