Optical sectioning lattice structured illumination microscopy (OS-LSIM)

K Kequn Zhuo (School of Physics, Xidian University 1 , Xi'an 710071,) Z Zihan Xiong (School of Physics, Xidian University 1 , Xi'an 710071,) K Kai Wen C Caixia Wu (School of Physics, Xidian University 1 , Xi'an 710071,) W Wenjian Wang S Sha An (School of Physics, Xidian University 1 , Xi'an 710071,) X Xiaofang Wang T Tanping Li (School of Physics, Xidian University 1 , Xi'an 710071,) J Juanjuan Zheng (State Key Laboratory of Synergistic Chem-Bio Synthesis, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy (NERC-AMRT), National Center for Translational Medicine) L Lixin Liu (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Functional Biomaterials Engineering Technology Research Center) P Peng Gao

Abstract

Optical sectioning structured illumination microscopy (OS-SIM) is a high-speed, minimally invasive, three-dimensional imaging microscopic technique, playing an important role in life science. However, OS-SIM is unable to achieve optical sectioning and isotropic super-resolution simultaneously. To tackle this drawback, we propose and demonstrate herein optical sectioning lattice structured illumination microscopy (OS-LSIM). This method utilizes a digital micro-mirror device to generate two-dimensional lattice patterns and a lock-in based reconstruction algorithm to realize both optical sectioning and spatial resolution enhancement. OS-LSIM features an axial resolution (optical sectioning strength) of 688 ± 16 nm and a lateral resolution improvement factor of 1.79 compared to conventional wide-field microscopy. We anticipate that OS-LSIM will open new avenues for the study of cellular dynamics in life science.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 128, Issue 14
Published April 06, 2026
ISSN 0003-6951
Publisher American Institute of Physics

Journal Info

Applied Physics Letters

American Institute of Physics

ISSN: 0003-6951 Physical Sciences

Authors (11)

K

Kequn Zhuo

School of Physics, Xidian University 1 , Xi'an 710071,

Z

Zihan Xiong

School of Physics, Xidian University 1 , Xi'an 710071,

K

Kai Wen

C

Caixia Wu

School of Physics, Xidian University 1 , Xi'an 710071,

W

Wenjian Wang

S

Sha An

School of Physics, Xidian University 1 , Xi'an 710071,

X

Xiaofang Wang

T

Tanping Li

School of Physics, Xidian University 1 , Xi'an 710071,

J

Juanjuan Zheng

State Key Laboratory of Synergistic Chem-Bio Synthesis, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy (NERC-AMRT), National Center for Translational Medicine

L

Lixin Liu

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Functional Biomaterials Engineering Technology Research Center

P

Peng Gao