Zeiss recently announced that it has launched its new 2D super resolution mode that delivers 120 nm lateral resolution for its Airyscan.

The new mode is a 32-channel GaAsP array detector that captures more spatial information than other confocal microscopes. The 2D super resolution uses the spatial information to make an optical section of 0.2 Airy units (AU) and can resolve structure to 120 nm laterally.

Scientists are able to use Zeiss’s new super resolution to reduce light exposure and avoid the use of a stack of z-slices. The 2D super resolution can perform gentle live cell imaging using very low light exposure while collecting high-resolution structural information.

Airyscan detects fluorescence emission photons of 1.25 AU. That information is used to deliver higher sensitivity, super resolution and higher acquisition speeds. The 2D super resolution uses a processing algorithm to differentiate between photons originating from the focal plane of 0.2 AU and photons from outside of the focal plane.