• 054344 - OPTICAL MICROSCOPY

Introduce the student to the fundamentals of optical imaging from the micro/nano-scale to the macroscopic level, presenting the physical basis, discussing instrumental implementations and describing examples of applications, with particular emphasis on biophysical and biomedical topics.

- Knowledge and understanding

The students will learn the fundamentals of bio-photonics imaging technologies, that operates from the molecular level up to the tissue scale. The student will learn the major applications of optical microscopy in biology and in clinical diagnostics.

- Apply knowledge and understanding

The students will be able to design autonomously an optical system for microscopy and imaging. The students will be able to evaluate the resolution and contrast in optical microscopy and nanoscopy systems.

- Making Judgements

Given a specific optical imaging system, the students will have the ability to analyse the point spread function and to compare the performances of different optical setups.

 - Lifelong learning skills

Students will be capable to understand how to take into account, and how to overcome the diffraction limit in an optical system, with particular emphasis on optical microscopy. Students will be capable to learn autonomously how to use an optical microscope and how to assess its performances.

Optical microscopy and nanoscopy:

• Point spread function in an optical microscope and 3D imaging theory.
• Classical microscopy techniques (bright-field, darkfield, phase contrast, fluorescence).
• Optical sectioning with spatial gating (Confocal microscopy, structured illumination miroscopy, 2-photon microscopy).
• Tomographic imaging (Filtered back projection algorithm and Optical Projection Tomography).
• Optical sectioning with temporal gating (Optical Coherent Tomography).
• Circumventing the resolution limit with optical nanoscopy (Stimulated Emission Depletion and Photo-Activated Localization Microscopy).
• Applications of microscopy and super-resolution microscopy in biophysics and biomedicine.

Knowledge and understanding of the Fourier Transforms.

The final assessment will be based on a written test with open questions on the topics of the course.