Optical microscopes are limited by a phenomenon known as the diffraction barrier, wherein the microscope can't differentiate two objects separated by less than half the wavelength of light used—roughly 200 nm on average for the visible spectrum. But by combining powerful optics and cutting-edge rendering algorithms, GE's new DeltaVision OMX Blaze is bringing this hidden realm's drama to light.
GE launched the $1.2 million OMX back in 2011. To sidestep the diffraction barrier, once thought to be the set physical limit of optical microscopy, the OMX uses a technique known as 3D structured illumination microscopy (SIM). This system projects a pattern of light onto the sample, which illuminates fluorescent probes embedded in the sample and create interference patterns. These patterns are then reconstructed by the rendering algrithms to generate these hi-res images. The OMX can examine samples down to a mere 100 nm—a tenth the size of the average bacteria—and generate images with double the resolution of existing optical microscopes.
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