Super-resolution microscopy employing propagation-invariant laser beams

We propose a novel super-resolution scanning microscopy technique employing higher-order propagation-invariant laser beams. The technique is capable of resolving objects with lateral dimensions smaller than that of the focal spot size defined by a propagating TEM00 (single mode) Gaussian beam. The field distributions at the object plane are produced by employing a spatial phase modulator. The acquired signals from the localized laser beam nodes are employed in image reconstruction, resulting in post-processed super-resolved images. The desired increase in spatial resolution is associated with an increase in the time required to spatially probe the region of interest covered by the propagating optical field. Our technique is based on a single propagating laser field, and is therefore significantly simpler to implement than techniques employing composite laser fields, such as STED (stimulated emission depletion) microscopy.