1 Observing Behavior at the Nanoscale using an Optical Microscope Eann Patterson Composite Vehicle Research Center Michigan State University
2 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
3 10 m dia (10,000nm) sphere ≡ 1/8 diameter of human hair wavelength of light (550nm) Diffraction Limit (220nm) 100nm dia silica sphere ≡ 1/1000 human hair Resolving Nano-particles [Patterson & Whelan, Nanotechnology, 19(10)2008]
4 condenser aperture diaphragm closed condenser aperture diaphragm open Composite images 100nm silica particle in 3D [Patterson & Whelan, Nanotechnology, 19(10)2008]
5 Brownian motion of 300nm particles Silica particles in ethanol: field of view 140x100mm
nm Image of fibroblast cell in optical microscope using phase contrast with 100nm diameter nanoparticles
nm Image of fibroblast cell in optical microscope in nanoscope mode with 100nm diameter nanoparticles at t=0
nm Image of fibroblast cell in optical microscope nanoscope mode with 100nm diameter nanoparticles at t=100ms
nm 5000nm/100ms ≡ 50 m/s 2 m/hr Image of fibroblast cell in optical microscope nanoscope mode with 100nm diameter nanoparticles at t=100ms
10 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( ), Vol. 4, 37.