Experimental Demonstration of Localized Plasmonic Structured Illumination Microscopy

Super-resolution imaging methods such as structured illumination microscopy and others have offered various compromises between resolution, imaging speed, and biocompatibility. Here we experimentally demonstrate a physical mechanism for super-resolution that offers advantages over existing technologies. Using finely structured, resonant, and controllable near-field excitation from localized surface plasmons in a planar nanoantenna array, we achieve wide-field surface imaging with resolution down to 75 nm while maintaining reasonable speed and compatibility with biological specimens.